Photo Courtesy of FreeFoto.com
There are many misguided opinions on intuitive eating out there; I come upon them on blogs and message boards all of the time. At this point on my IE path, I feel defensive about them. The misconception seems to be that intuitive eating is permission to eat with wreck-less abandon and that it is just makes one gain weight. I must admit, I myself have fallen into these beliefs and now that I am on the other side, I can see where these misconceptions might come from. When I first started on my path to healing two years ago, I did use intuitive eating as an excuse to just binge to my hearts content. In this process, I have also gained 40lbs and have danced with diets a few more times.
What I know now is that all of these things are part of the process. Of course, no one wants to gain weight but the thing that so many people don’t see is the healing that takes place. Had it not been for IE, I would have continued on a path of being blind to my disordered eating and I would have fought with yo yo dieting my entire life. I would have continued to do more harm to my body than good and I would be miserable. I would not know the pleasure of yoga, meditation, mandalas and labyrinths. I would not be at peace with my past and I would not be able to feel free to just be who I am. I learned all of these things by getting in touch with my emotions and letting my true self emerge.
In the process, I became a slave to the scale and ran away from the amazing transformation that was happening. I would put on a few pounds and run back to dieting. I’d cover up my true self with thoughts of calories, points and fat grams. If I was busy worrying about the weight of grapes, I couldn’t focus on digging deeper. Each and every time I would go back to dieting, a larger and greater binge would ensue. I’d end up weighing more than I did when I started whatever diet it was and each and every time my desire to just eat and be me became greater. Now that I am safe and sound with IE, I can see that all of these things are just part of what I needed to get to the place I am in today.
People often say “If I listened to my body, I would just eat cookies all day”. And, yes, they are probably right, cookies will happen. But the step of eating like a mad woman/man is just that, a step. Years of deprivation and giving into the diet mentality make this step essential but you have to get through it in order to make it to the other side. On the other side, you will know the difference between cravings for something your body needs and cravings for something emotional. Your body will send you signals such as an upset stomach, heartburn or episodes of high and low blood sugar. These signals are great indicators that we are not eating what our bodies want and that we are listening to just our tastes buds. When you are eating the right foods for you body, it will hum with energy and vitality.
I think that so many people start the process of intuitive eating and give up when they have only just begun. This process does not happen over night. We have damaged our souls with years of self sabotage and beating ourselves up for doing what we are genetically coded to do – eat. We have to put in the time and dedication to ourselves to heal and be at peace with food. For me, I am two years into this and still feel like I am only beginning. I have accepted that this is not a race and that more important than the number inside my pants or the number on the clunky piece of metal in my bathroom is the peace within my heart. And that peace, my friends, is what intuitive eating is really all about.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post!! Its still very early days in my Intuitive Eating journey but I have seen many misinformed articles already. Thanks for setting the record straight
Beautiful post! I think everyone should read this
This is a great post, thanks for guiding me to it. I’m going to include it in a blog post for later. Thank you.
{ 2 trackbacks }