Intuitive eating (guest post).

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Size 16.

Great. How did I end up here again?

I counted my points, weighed my food, forced myself to run miles upon miles. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I keep this weight off?

Because it isn’t about the points, the miles or even the food.

This was a long and hard lesson for me, one that took years to learn. I started binging on chocolate cake frosting when I was eight, obsessively exercised my way through high school and eventually, made my way to 220lbs. I was overweight and miserable. I sought solace in dieting. I tried them all. Low carb, no carb, low calories, lots of cabbage and slim fast, you name it, I tried it. But no matter what I tried, the weight came back.

Something wasn’t right.

Eventually, I discovered intuitive eating. When I first started out, I thought I’d never stop eating. The freedom I felt with food was remarkable; it was like a complete wave of relief. Unfortunately, it turned into permission to indulge my binging habits.  I sat on my bed, every single night, curled up with the tv, a jar of nutella and loaves of bread.

Intuitive eating sure was fun.

As you might imagine, I gained some weight. Obviously, this intuitive eating thing didn’t work either.

So back to Weight Watchers I went. Then, for a couple more years, I dabbled between what I thought was intuitive eating and dieting. Intuitive eating was the new binge cycle.

Along the way, I realized that if I didn’t want to diet and binge anymore, something had to change. You know the old adage that the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again expecting different results? Well, that finally made sense and I knew that in order to find lasting change, I had to change my mind.

I had to re-write the tapes that I was playing in my head in order to have the life I wanted.

I spent many hours in therapy, I read lots of books, meditated, practiced lots and lots of yoga and started to really unravel the reasons why I was overweight. I laid my junk on the table and I examined it. I got down to the bottom of why I was eating. I was eating because I was ashamed. I was eating because I was bored. I was eating as punishment. I was eating to celebrate. And I was dieting for the same reasons.

I was distracting myself from life.

If I was busy counting calories or shoving my face, I didn’t have to stay present and feel.

Now, I’m in the happiest, healthiest place I’ve ever been in my life. I cry when I’m sad, laugh when I feel joy, tell people when they make me angry. I just live. Through that, listening to my body become second nature. Sure,  I still have bad days where it takes all that I have to stay the course but I can finally say, I’m an intuitive eater. I eat when I’m hungry, I stop when I’m full and I’m truly honoring health.

Christie is a health coach, freelance writer and author of the intuitive eating blog, Honoring Health. She is passionate about sharing the principles of intuitive eating and teaching others that the only answers they need lie within. Besides her blog, you may also find her on twitter @honoringhealth.

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Comments

  2. There are so many things I love about this post, but the most powerful line is, “I had to change my mind”. I think some people never get to this point because they feel they don’t have to power to change. But we all possess it. Christie, I’m so glad you found yourself and took control. “Honoring Health” makes so much sense. I love it!

  3. Great post Christie! I love reading about your journey towards honoring health. You have such a powerful story to share with others.

  6. Great post! I truly believe that intuitive eating is the only way to health and balance. It is very hard though! I struggle with it daily

  7. Yes, I agree with Yum Yucky “I had to change my mind.” For me this actually started when I started with W.W. 5 years ago. And it has continued and refined all along the way. And now I am learning more from the whole intuitive eating concept, thanks to people like Christie and Miz and Dineen .

    “Its the Journey.”

  8. Ups and downs and left and rights are all part of the journey, aren’t they?

    It sounds like you’ve taken the right turn in the “fork” in the road.

    Wonderful to get to know you better!

  10. What a great post! Sometimes you just have to make a new mixtape for your mind, ya know? Thank you for sharing your story.

  13. Fantastic post that could not have come at a better time. It’s like the Universe is SCREAMING IN MY FACE (and yes, I am listening). Thank you. 🙂

  14. I really need to explore more of intuitive eating. I have the same fear of allowing myself to eat what I want because I believe my body actually wants to be 250 pounds. My mind doesn’t want that. Maybe I have things backwards? Not sure….

  15. Great post. I’ll admit that I’m not yet at a point where I feel comfortable practicing intuitive eating, but I have faith that I’ll get there eventually. It is all part the process I suppose.

  16. Such a great post & I think will help many! I agree with Josie.. “I had to change my mind”! Mental is a big part of this & I think with the intuitive.. mindful eating, which in fact will elt you know you are full & it is time to stop… honoring health.. love it!

    THX!

  17. You make a really good point about the difference between true intuitive eating (what your body needs & craves to be healthy) and what a lot of people think of as intuitive eating (permission to eat whatever they think they want). It took me a long time to figure out the difference and now I’m working really hard on trying to make real IE a way of life. It’s slow going but I think it’s working:)

  18. I love this post! I stopped counting calories about two weeks ago and I’m trying to eat healthy foods when I’m hungry not just because the clock says it’s time to eat. So far I am really enjoying it!

  19. While it’s never easy to lay all that junk on the table and face it, once we do, we find answers and wonder why it took us so long.

    Thanks.

  21. Loved the article. Intuitive eating seems to be the logical solution to long-term healthy living.

    I hear people in the blogging community often talking about this subject. What I wonder sometimes is if intuitive eating can work for someone that doesn’t have a basic understanding of nutrition? An understanding of what their body really needs and if what there eating is conducive to what they are working towards i.e. more energy, body shape, overcoming sickness, or preventing disease?

  22. Thank you so much for the post! I relate to this a lot, and have struggled with it for a really long time. I have actually read the book Intuitive Eating, but I think I might I have to pull it out and read it again.

  23. Very well-written! I’ve had the same problem with “intuitive” eating… must remember that it is NOT a lisence to eat 3 gigantic bowls of popcorn, heh. Then again, I think that kind of practice isn’t the “real” intuitive eating that we’re supposed to be doing.

    When it takes over life… it’s a serious issue. Glad you figured that one out!

  27. This echos so much of what I have been hearing about eating lately and so much of what the blog community is trying to inspire in each other; it is so hard to put yourself into practice at first (mental road block) but intuitive eating is liberating and freeing! Great thoughts and thanks for sharing them

  29. I needed the structure of calorie counting to learn to eat right and then now I’ve learned to eat well. I love that what I want to eat fits in my points without even thinking about it. And I love the way I feel.

  30. “I had to change my mind” I’m not quite there yet. I hope to get there. It’s just taking me a little longer. I’m not really sure I understand what “intuitive eating” is… I suppose it comes down to asking one’s self if they are really hungry or is something eating you? emotionally that is. Interesting post.
    Paula

  31. Great post! I totally believe that intuitive eating is the way to go, but like you, I have had to deal with loads of issues. “Distracting myself from life” sounds about right. Thank you for sharing your story. I have subscribed to your blog and will visit there.

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