Intuitive Eating Flashcards
Intuitive eating focus
habit change NOT weight loss
Intuitive eating =
organised approach to develop healthy eating behaviors and habits by moving away from restriction/dieting and tuning into one’s body signals
principles of IE
10 principles
Health at every size 5 principles
- weight inclusivity
- health enhancement
- respectful care
- eating for well-being
- life-enhancing movement
Dieting =
pursuit of weight-loos or body modification through restriction of specific foods or calories
Is IE an alternative to dieting?
Yes
Intuitive eater =
someone who eats according to their internal signals and preferences, rather than in responses to external pressures
Internal signals
ex: hunger/fullness
Problem with dieting
- short term weight loss
- within 2-5 years weight regain in 85-95% cases
What does dieting contribute to?
- weight cycling
- ET risk
- Binge-eating
- Body dissatisfaction
- Cravings/preoccupation with food
- Internalized weight stigma
- Lower self-esteem
- Psychological stress (higher cortisol)
In 2016 __% Canadian young adults tried to lose weight
50%
Diet culture based on:
a set of beliefs that :
- demonize certain foods while elevating others
- stigmatize certain body types while elevating others
Public health messaging around “obesity epidemic”
- fear-inducing
- black and white messaging about body weight and health
- stigmatizing
New terms for “weight loss” and “diet” are :
“wellness”
“self-care”
“lifestyle change”
10 principles of IE
- reject the diet mentality
- honour your hunger
- make peace with food
- challenge the food police
- respect your fullness
- discover the satisfaction factor
- cope with your emotions with kindness
- respect your body
- exercise - feel the difference
- honour your health - gentle nutrition
- reject the diet mentality
- learn about diet culture
- understand diets don’t work
recognise damage of dieting - get rid of dieter’s tools
- honour your hunger
- learn to eat when hungry and recognise signs of hunger
= first step of rebuilding trust with one’s body after restriction
- make peace with food
- unconditional permission to eat any food in the quantity desired
- understand no good/bad foods but serve ≠ functions
- done step-by step
- starts with honeymoon phase (go overboard)
- challenge the food police
- use a more neutral perspective rather than judgmental and shaming thoughts around food
- respect your fullness
- recognise signs of comfortable fullness
- pay attention to sensation of fullness during meals
- keep leftovers for later
- discover the satisfaction factor
satisfaction= taste, quantity, environment
- ask what would be satisfying
- mindful eating
- balance where food becomes satisfying
- cope with your emotions with kindness
- emotional eating is NOT wrong
- emotional eating problematic if it is the ONLY coping mechanism
- diversify ways to self-soothe
(make list of soothing activities)
- respect your body
- understand body diversity
- accept genetic blueprint
- meet body’s needs and treat it with respect
- stop judging other people’s weight or yours
- exercise - feel the difference
- joyful, enjoyable and sustainable movement
- focus on how exercise feels (rather than kcal burned)
- honour your health - gentle nutrition
- weight-neutral goals: balanced diet for health
- add nutritious foods to diet, don’t cut out things
- find balance that feels good
- nutrition and exercise should not interfere with other aspects of health
What is important with IE principles
The order
IE relation with weight
- does not make any promises about weight
- is about changing the person’s relationship with food and body
Psychological correlation with IE
- less disordered eating
- more +ve body image
- greater emotional functioning
- greater self-esteem and self-compassion
- decreased depression
