My new "diet"

Okay, so I recently read a book that seriously changed my life. That’s so dramatic, but after reading it, my habits, thoughts, and beliefs were significantly altered. One day I decided I was "fat" and unhappy with the way I had been eating so I scoured the internet for my next diet.

I’ve always had a difficult time dieting because I’m a super picky eater. Every time I would go on a diet I would end up STARVING because I only liked a few of the foods that fit into the diet’s requirements. I wouldn't be allowed to eat fries or icecream or pizza, so basically all I would eat is chicken and salad on repeat and, as you can guess, it gets old quick.

Eventually I would give in and eat a ton of junk food, feel guilty, say I'm out of shape and unhealthy and then the cycle would repeat. During the periods of dieting I would wish that I could eat whatever I want (like I did in middle and elementary school). Pizza rolls, cheesecake, and bread sounded so good but I continued eating low carb tacos and grilled chicken in hopes of getting rock hard abs and looking like a model or something hahahah. Every time I would give in and eat junk food I just assumed I was an impulsive and reckless person who has no self control. I would look at all of these fitness queens on Instagram or celebs who are so fit and they are just like "I LOVE eating veggies and salmon" and they make it seem so effortless and enjoyable. Every time I tried to force myself to do the same, I would lose a couple of pounds, but eventually I would gain it back and then move on to the next diet. These diets give you such a false hope that you're going to achieve this unrealistic expectation and then it never happens and you feel like it's your fault.

Anyways, that was a very long winded way of going over the cycle I have been on throughout most of my life. BUT, this book (that I have yet to talk about LOL), has stopped this cycle for me and I will NEVER go back to that miserable life I even didn't know I was living. This book is called Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole. I originally thought it was another dieting book, which is why I started reading it, but it is so far from it. Basically the book tells you to screw dieting and the eating rules that have been engrained in your mind for your entire life. This obviously isn't easy to do; like any habit or mindset you've formed, it takes time and effort to break it.

Every time I tell people about this, the first question I'm asked is "so how do you lose weight??" Well, the entire purpose behind this is not to lose weight and finally have the skinny body that is idealized in our society. Instead, the purpose is to change this mindset, and then focus on returning to your natural body weight. There's a HUGE difference in being healthy and being skinny. You don't HAVE to be skinny to be healthy, and being bigger doesn't make you inherently unhealthy. I'm obviously not a scientist/nutritionist, but it's a pretty common fact that genetics significantly influence your weight, and most people will NEVER be model thin no matter how hard they try- this doesn't mean you aren't healthy, though. The point of this "diet" is to accept that you may never amount to what you picture in your head because your natural weight just shouldn't be like that, and that's completely ok!

One skepticism I had when I read this is that some people who diet are skinny and fit, also, there are tons of amazing weight loss stories out there where people have kept off the weight for a long time. But, what I have to remind myself is that some of these people who look like they have it all together are actually starving and miserable. I know that's not true for everyone, but I've followed several fitness gurus who say they're doing amazing on a diet and feel "better than ever" and then come back four months later only to reveal that they were actually unhappy the entire time. Also, I know of several people who can eat whatever they want and still look like they only eat salad. Either way, as long as you're physically and mentally healthy, the appearance of your body or the number on the scale should not control your life and take up valuable space in your mind.

This book also does a really good job at explaining why diets do not work in the long run. It describes how dieting can trick you into believing you're losing weight and becoming healthier, but it is actually causing your metabolism to decrease and increases your cravings for prohibited foods. I won't go into detail about the logistics underlying these claims, but if you read the book it provides very compelling information to back them up. Another point that stood out to me is when you're dieting you are constantly thinking and obsessing about foods you can't have so you just want to eat all the time. This was exactly what I would do while I was dieting. I would literally sit in class and write down every meal that I would eat during the week so I could control and perfect my diet. Also, Resch and Tribole discuss how your body has cravings that simply can't be satisfied by certain healthy foods, so if you try to mask the cravings by either ignoring them or eating an unrestricted food you'll likely end up unsatisfied, sad, or overeating "healthy" foods.

Instead of restricting foods, the book instructs you to eat whatever foods you're craving and to eat them when you're hungry. Instead of intermittent fasting, when you wake up in the morning and your stomach growls, eat a bowl of cereal (or whatever the heck you want). Essentially, your body knows what you need and when you need it, so if you override the strict dieting regimens, it's easier to feel what your body is telling you. It's way more customized than any diet could ever be. I won't go through every step, but an important one is to start trying to feel when you're hungry and when you're full. The book provides a hunger scale to help you understand when you should eat and stop eating while you're new to the process. I'll attach a sample one I found online below.

So according to the book you'll need to start eating when you reach a 3, and stop eating at around 5 or 6. I used to only eat when I was at a 2 and then literally made myself miserable and ate to a 9 when I decided to have a cheat meal. Each time it just wasn't a pleasant experience. One of the worst binges I've ever had is christmas last year. I decided to let myself cheat and eat whatever I wanted for one night at my friendsmas. I seriously ate 7 pieces of pizza, 10 cookies, three pieces of pie and hot chocolate. I didn't listen to my fullness at all and I ended up dry heaving on the side of the road at the end of the night hahahahah. Since I've been intuitive eating, I now know when I should start eating and have gotten so much better at deciding when I should stop. Looking at my eating patterns and gauging my fullness level has allowed me to realize that when I stop eating at a 5 or 6, I don't feel absolutely disgusting following a meal, which, in turn, has led to me eating significantly less.

In terms of eating what you want, knowing that I can have what I want whenever I want it facilitates an entire different view of "cheat foods." While dieting, you covet a cheat food like it is a rare diamond because you don't know when you will get it next. Cheat foods become something special and when something is special you inherently want it more. When I know I can have a food whenever I want it becomes less appealing. Last night I went and bought my biggest weakness- double stuf oreos. I would usually eat the entire box in one night if I let myself have them while dieting, but last night I took my time, ate four and felt completely satisfied. If I know I can eat the rest later, why would I try to stuff all of them in my stomach at one time and be sick. The book does a better job at explaining this, but my eating habits here lately have really helped me see how true it is.

As for eating "healthy" foods, the book doesn't prohibit this, but, rather, encourages eating healthy food as frequently as you desire. Since I don't like most vegetables, I have challenged myself to eat at least one vegetable per day. Although sometimes I don't actually achieve this, I don't put myself down or feel guilty for not eating a vegetable. Instead, I recognize that I didn't eat one and try to be more mindful of it the next day.

The book talks about so many more factors in the process, including exercise, but these were the parts that stood out most to me. My biggest tip for enjoying exercise is to do an activity you actually enjoy. For years I made myself run and do grueling cardio which made me dread working out. But, I started trying new things and going to workout classes and now I actually get excited to exercise. I go to pure barre 4 or 5 times a week and then do light cardio most other days. As for cardio, I refuse to do anything other than walk or cycle because those are the only two cardio exercises I don't hate. Just try a bunch of different forms of physical activity and you'll surely find one that you enjoy.

If you want to learn more about intuitive eating and how your life can literally be changed forever, you can always ask me your Q's and you NEED to read the book. I am attaching an Amazon link to the exact book I purchased and it is super cheap, so you have nothing to lose.