Make a conscious vow to prioritize peace of mind and wellness over achieving a specific body size or number, committing to tune into your wise and loving inner self when making food choices.
Start approaching food choices by listening to your body’s internal cues, similar to how you respond to other bodily needs like going to the bathroom or putting on a sweater when cold, rather than external rules.
Make a commitment to intuitive eating, which involves a fundamental ‘do-over’ of how you approach food, movement, and self-care by focusing on internal cues rather than external rules.
Be prepared for the seduction of fad diets and cultivate the willingness to believe that if diets truly worked, they would have been effective by now, recognizing the industry’s high failure rate.
Increase your awareness of diet mentality and be willing to acknowledge that diets are generally ineffective, as evidenced by their repeated failure to provide lasting results.
Work to diminish shame related to your body and eating habits by recognizing that these issues are often a result of ‘faulty and insane programming,’ not personal failing, as shame can fuel both overeating and restriction.
Instead of turning against your body, choose to side with it, reject harmful societal programs, and consciously decide to pursue peace with your body and eating.
Embrace self-care and self-respect by feeding yourself non-restrictively and respectfully, prioritizing overall well-being over attempting to achieve a body size that may not be natural for you.
Treat your body with the same care and attention you would a child, ensuring it is fed and nurtured even amidst a busy schedule, by being willing to dedicate time for self-care.
Tune into your ‘wise inner hunger voice’ to guide your eating decisions, which helps avoid the shame and negative influence of external diet advice.
Develop a heightened awareness of your body’s internal signals, such as hunger, thirst, and temperature, and learn to recognize what foods sound delicious and what your body truly needs.
Listen to your body’s cues regarding movement, asking ‘What does my body want to do?’ instead of adhering to rigid exercise rules or feeling compelled to move out of obligation.
Learn to differentiate between your inner dieter voice (restriction), the rioter voice (rebellion), and your true body wisdom (loving, respectful choices) to make conscious food decisions.
When making food choices, especially when struggling, ask yourself, ‘How would I feed someone I love who doesn’t diet or riot?’ to access a more compassionate and wise perspective.
When choosing food, ask yourself, ‘What feels the most loving for my body right now?’ and ‘What feels the most respectful for my body right now?’ to guide you toward choices that honor your well-being.
Learn to identify and process your feelings, and become aware of your thoughts, challenging and ‘upgrading’ any unkind or negative thought patterns, especially those related to your body and food.
Identify and address the unmet needs and deeper underlying emotional issues that contribute to eating problems, rather than solely focusing on food itself.
Learn to process and deal with your emotions and unmet needs through means other than food, preventing emotional eating or restriction.
Evaluate your motivations for cutting out foods; it’s respectful to avoid foods for ethical reasons or allergies, but restrictive eating based on calorie counts or weight goals is likely to lead to obsession or rebellious eating.
If you struggle with eating or body image, avoid weighing yourself as it is often unhelpful and triggering, since intuitive eating focuses on internal cues, not external numbers.
If you own a scale, write ’listen to your body, sweetheart’ on a piece of paper and tape it over the scale as a reminder to prioritize inner wisdom and self-kindness over external measurements.
If you have a history of body shame or disordered eating, be cautious with tracking apps, as they cannot tell you what your body truly needs for movement or rest; rely on your internal knowing instead.
When shopping for food, choose items that genuinely sound good to you, rather than adhering to restrictive diet rules, to foster a non-restrictive and satisfying eating experience.
Be willing to release the ‘diet riot rollercoaster’ of restricting and binging, accepting uncertainty about body changes, and commit to being kind to yourself throughout the process.
Approach intuitive eating with intention and mindful attention, understanding that like any new skill, it requires desire, a clear path, consistent practice, and patience to master.
Understand that intuitive eating requires significant work, consistent practice, and patience, as it represents a fundamental shift from conventional eating approaches.
Regularly assess your values and ask if the time and energy spent controlling or rebelling against eating and body size is truly serving you, and be open to finding an alternative approach.
Be vigilant for the subtle ‘diet mentality’ statements (e.g., perfectionism, ‘I blew it,’ ‘I shouldn’t have that’) that can creep into intuitive eating, and continuously renew your commitment to peace over control.
Release the need for perfection in intuitive eating, as it is not about flawless adherence but about continuous willingness to look inward, stay awake, and learn from your body’s signals.
Regularly renew your commitment to the underlying reason for pursuing intuitive eating, which is to find peace with food and your body, rather than continuing the battle.
Dedicate time to truly listen to your body’s signals, as this investment will yield lasting benefits without the negative ‘blowback’ often associated with restrictive diets.
Embrace intuitive eating to gain freedom from food obsession, liberate yourself from memorizing rules or calculating intake, and experience a profound sense of wellness and peace.
Actively work to ‘wash your brain’ of deeply ingrained beliefs and programs that equate a certain body size with happiness and health, recognizing these as societal brainwashing.
Take a firm stand against the pervasive media, diet, and fitness industry messages that promote body perfectionism and fat phobia, rather than turning against your own body.