You may or may not have heard of “intuitive eating.”
It’s a term coined by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch in their book Intuitive Eating: a Revolutionary Program That Works, first published in 1995.
Many clients ask me what it is exactly. Intuitive eating is very easy to define: eating when you are hungry and stopping eating when you are full. Sounds so basic, right? Well, not so much.
Look at any height and weight chart and more than likely, you will find yourself outside of the “ideal” weight. It is not like a bell curve at all – there is such a tiny section of ideal weight.
Many women think about their ideal weight as the lowest number they have achieved in their dieting instead of choosing a healthy weight based on reality. The trouble with this thinking is that if your weight-loss goal is too low to maintain, you are likely going to get caught in the cycle of what is known as yo-yo dieting.
Most women have a number in their minds. This number is the ideal weight they struggle to achieve and/or maintain throughout their lives. They carry it deep within themselves, and there is often longing as they describe that perfect weight.
Eating disorder recovery doesn’t only affect the person with the eating disorder. If you have a friend or family member with an eating disorder, you know how hard it can be to help them through it. If your loved one is in therapy and/or working with a nutritionist and trying to make changes in their eating habits, it can be difficult not to jump in with advice or guidance. This is especially difficult when it is so easy for you to see the proper solutions for them.
The New Year is a good time to think about how you will take care of yourself in 2016. We may be into February, but there’s still time to think about and make changes to how you’ll live this year.
Of all times of the year, the holiday season brings the most challenges to those trying to practice mindful eating. Temptations abound: from your favorite baked goods to cocktail parties and numerous social gatherings all centered around food as the main activity. In addition, the added stress of family visits and other obligations are often triggers to eat without thinking about how much we really want or need.
The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for people who struggle with various types of eating issues: binge eating; food restricting; bingeing and purging; emotional or stress eating; food addiction; chronic dieting; food fears; and more. Because most activities from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day are food-centric, those dealing with disordered eating can be quickly overwhelmed and stressed out.
Going to college is an exciting time in an adolescent’s life! Everything is new: new freedoms, new experiences, new friends, and new life paths. It is also a major life transition that is stressful and demanding. This transition often triggers an eating disorder in those who are genetically pre-disposed or otherwise vulnerable. Early detection and intervention are critical as eating disorders can be so devastating.
The way you talk to your daughter about her body and the changes she is undergoing can greatly improve her chances of developing a healthy self esteem and body image. This goes a long way in preventing disordered eating which affects overall health. In particular, the mother in a girl’s life is especially influential in how her daughter will view herself and her body. A mother’s own personal relationship with her body, food, and herself is likely to be passed down to her daughter.
