Intuitive Eating: What is it? How does it work?

Found this online, and thought I'd add it here in order to keep spreading the word! This is an awesome, easy way to release weight and keep it off for life!:



What is Intuitive Eating?
[source]
• It varies from person to person. Because our tastes, bodies, activities, emotions, and spiritual paths are different, what our bodies require in terms of nourishment also differs.
• It is cyclical. Weekly, monthly, and annual cycles, even life cycles, change our body's need for, and responses to, food.
• It is imperfect. Intuitive eating does not mean we'll always choose absolutely "healthy" or "pristine" foods. We won't always feel as if we've had a "perfect" balance.
• It is rhythmic. We feel pleasantly full (but not stuffed) after a meal and pleasantly hungry (but not starving) before the next.
• It includes a wide variety of foods. Cereals and grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meats, beans, nuts, and even fats play a role in normal, intuitive eating. Again, the exact balance and variety of foods must be individualized.
• It is free of obsession. It acknowledges that our compulsions are due to biochemical or emotional reasons and any over- or under-eating is a clue to begin looking further as an opportunity for learning.
• It is nourishing to the body and spirit.
• It feels good. Good food in the right amounts and at the right times excites the senses. It provides tactile and taste sensations as we eat, and a pleasurable "full" feeling afterward. When we finish a meal, we feel comforted and renewed - physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.
• It is an essential component of self care. What better way to nurture ourselves than with the foods we need and enjoy in the amounts we require?



Here are the facts:
[source]
• You don't need pills.
• You don't need pricey supplements.
• You don't have to count, or weigh, or measure anything.
• You don't have to exercise obsessively.
• You don't have to pay expensive ongoing fees.
• You don't have to leave your home and go to a meeting or a clinic.
• You don't have to suffer the humiliation of weigh-ins.
• You never have to starve yourself again.

You can start today, right now, in fact.
Everything is right here at your fingertips,
from the comfort of your own home.



Intuitive Eating
[source]
"Intuitive Eating" is the innate knowing of what, when and how much to eat for one's individual nutritional needs. Intuitive eating is free of obsession. It's the instinctive self-regulation of food intake that we are all born with.

With intuitive eating, there are no "good" or "bad" foods. There is no "on a diet" or "off a diet". There is nothing to feel guilty about. Our self-esteem can remain intact while we engage in the process of reconnecting with our innate wisdom—learning to honor our body signals.

Some of the key components of learning to eat intuitively are:
• Reject the diet mentality. There are no rules to break, no good foods and bad foods.
• Make friends with food. Food is an asset for recovery not something to battle against. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat and enjoy it.
• Keep the body well-fed so extreme hunger or lack of proper nutrition doesn't trigger overeating.
• Find constructive non-food-related ways to cope with the feelings and stressors that you tend to eat over.
• Practice honoring your health so you make primarily health promoting food choices.
• Practice mindful eating. Eat slow to allow time for your satiety signals to reach your brain. Pause throughout your meals and get in touch with your feelings.
• Incorporate gentle exercise into your lifestyle. Besides the obvious improvements in physical and mental health this brings, it also helps us get in touch with our bodies; how they feel and what they need.

When we give ourselves permission to stop dieting and focus instead on healthy behaviors, we can regain not only our physical health, but our self-esteem—our lives. By defining success in terms of increasing awareness, personal growth, and self-empowerment, a healthy weight can be achieved and maintained for a lifetime.

Comments on Joyce's Article

Joyce said:
"I made a quality DECISION to lose the weight. Making a quality decision is the first step to walking in the fruit of self-control. Two days later when the hunger pangs hit me so hard that I thought I was going to fall out of my chair, I said to my body, "You are not getting anything to eat until lunch. I don't care how you feel or how big of a fit you throw." Almost immediately those feelings lightened up, and I got it off my mind. After a few weeks, I'd lost the weight I wanted to lose."

My Thoughts:
This is good advice. Since December 2005, I've fallen off the "Thin Within" wagon, and my scale is showing the not-so-pleasant results of said fall. :-?

I would *really* like to reach my end-weight goal of 122 pounds by JUNE 20th. Then I can feel good in the new swimsuit I hope to buy this spring! ;o)

But, I've been lazy, and I've been rebellious. I've heard the gentle nudging in my head when I've gone to grab a snack while not hungry, urging me to grab water and walk away from the "outside of hunger/fullness" snacking. But, I've ignored that little "voice", and I've done what I wanted, instead. :-?

I also need to return to the Word. I've slacked off on that, too. My whole "life" has been on the downhill slide lately -- not wanting to attend church, not reading my Bible, not doing devotions, and Bible study has been on hiatus for a month (until tonight!). So, I'm hanging on by threads. But, I'm still kicking! :-D

I'm hoping that, now that Bible study is starting back up, I'll go back uphill. I'm tired of seeing that stupid scale climb up after I reached my first goal of 127# in December. :-?

I just need to get firm with myself, and tell my body, 'NO!' when it wants to snack -- I need to do as Joyce did, and tell it that it's not getting anything to eat until it's actually hungry!

Reading, online, today about INTUITIVE EATING, a lot of people suggested keeping a food/eating diary -- record when you get the urges to eat outside the bounds of hunger/fullness, and your feelings at those times (are you eating due to stress? boredom? obligation?). This supposedly helps you get to the root of your overeating, so that you can rid yourself of those reactions permanently. I need this. If I don't do something of the sort, I'll just keep falling back to this every time I start to feel like I'm succeeding.... and I don't want that. I want this to be a permanent, lifetime change for me ... I never want to see the other side of 135# again! May the Lord grant me my request!

Article by Joyce Meyer: Self-Control & Discipline

"EXERCISING DISCIPLINE & SELF-CONTROL" by Joyce Meyer

I believe in order to have anything worthwhile in life we need discipline and self-control to bring it about. From cleaning the house, losing weight, and spending money; to reading the Word, walking in love, and maintaining peace -- everything we do requires discipline and self-control. Discipline, according to one definition found in Webster's II New College Dictionary, is "controlled behaviour resulting from disciplinary training." The type of behaviour that God wants us to exhibit is Christ-like behaviour. We gain and maintain this discipline through the power of self-control.

Self control is the art of controlling oneself -- our thoughts, feelings, desires & actions. Where do we get this power? From God. As Christians, the fullness of the Godhead lives within us (see Colossians 2:10). That means that every quality of God is in you and me -- God Himself planted them in us in the form of a seed the day we accepted Christ. Over time and through life's experiences, the seeds of Christ's character begin to grow and produce the fruit of His Spirit -- one of which is self-control.

Second Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity [of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear], but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." God gives us self-control, so we can discipline ourselves. Through this fruit of the Spirit, you and I can learn how to manage our emotions and take hold of God's great plan for our lives.

WHATEVER WE EXERCISE BECOMES THE STRONGEST

I have found that it is virtually impossible to operate in any of the other eight fruits of the Spirit talked about in Galatians 5:22,23 unless we are exercising self-control. For instance, how can you and I remain patient in the midst of an upsetting situation unless we exercise self-control? Or how can we walk in love and believe the best of someone after they have just repeatedly insulted us unless we use the fruit of self-control? Self-control allows us to be patient when we feel impatient, and it enables us to walk in love when we feel like getting even.

My husband, Dave, has lifted weights since he was a teenager. When he exercises his arms by doing curls, his biceps get bigger and grow stronger. The same thing is true when it comes to things of the soul and spirit. If we exercise our temper -- constantly exploding with angry words and actions when things don't go our way -- then our temper becomes stronger. If we exercise and vent impatience every time we feel impatient, then impatience grows stronger. Both of these are fruits of the flesh. But when we choose to exercise self-control -- even though we don't feel like it -- the fruit of self-control grows stronger. As a result, we develop discipline in that area, and the next time a similar situation arises, it is a little bit easier to do the right thing.

As Christians we have the fruit of the Spirit in us, but if we don't purposely choose to exercise them, all the other ungodly attitudes and actions will remain stronger. Not choosing to exercise the fruit of the Spirit is what produces carnal Christians -- those who are under the control of ordinary impulses and walk after the desires of the flesh (see 1 Corinthians 3:3). Again, whatever we exercise becomes the strongest.

CONTROLLING OUR MIND AND OUR MOUTH IS ESSENTIAL

Our thoughts and words are two areas where the Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to exercise self-control. Our mouth and our mind work hand-in-hand. The Bible says that ...as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he, and ...out of the abundance [overflow] of the heart, his mouth speaks (Proverbs 23:7; Luke 6:45). The devil is often trying to get us to accept wrong thoughts about ourselves and others because he knows that once we start accepting and believing his lies, it is just a matter of time until we begin to speak them out of our mouth. And, when we speak wrong things, we open the door for wrong things to come into our lives (see Proverbs 18:20,21).

Let me give you an example. I have battled with three to seven pounds of extra body weight for quite some time. Over the years, I have been caught in a cycle of losing it and then gaining it back. In the last three years, it seemed like it became more difficult to keep the weight off regardless of what I tried. In frustration, my mind began to make excuses for the problem. First I thought it was because of my slow metabolism. Then I thought it was because of my busy travel schedule not giving me enought time to eat properly. Once I believed these excuses, I began using my mouth to complain and feel sorry for myself. But complaining and feeling sorry for myself didn't help me lose the extra weight. What it did do was keep me bound to the extra pounds.

How did the situation change? After seeing myself in a suit that at one time looked real nice but now didn't look so nice, I made a quality DECISION to lose the weight. Making a quality decision is the first step to walking in the fruit of self-control. Two days later when the hunger pangs hit me so hard that I thought I was going to fall out of my chair, I said to my body, "You are not getting anything to eat until lunch. I don't care how you feel or how big of a fit you throw." Almost immediately those feelings lightened up, and I got it off my mind. After a few weeks, I'd lost the weight I wanted to lose.

Now I realize that there are some people with chemical imbalances, and it is impossible for them to lose weight until things are brought into balance in their bodies. I also know that the older we get the more our metabolism slows down and the more difficult it becomes to maintain the same weight. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, each person can find what works best for them (see: ThinWithin.org). Whatever that plan is, it will require self-control.

DEVELOPING A NEW MIND SET IS THE KEY TO DEVELOPING DISCIPLINE

It doesn't matter what kind of problem we have in our lives, we need self-control and discipline to gain and maintain victory. We have to discipline our mind, our mouth, our feelings, and our actions so that they are in agreement with what the Word of God says. Where does the power of self-control come from? It comes from the Holy Spirit Who has His permanent home in each believer. How is it released? By asking God for His grace in each difficult situation we face.

If you need self-control in any area of your life, don't put it off until another time. Now is the time to start dealing with it. By developing discipline in the practical areas of your life, you will become disciplined in the spiritual areas. Make decisions to do what you know is right and that will allow the fruit of self-control to grow stronger in your life.

Lastly, get your mind and mouth in line with the Word. Stop saying you don't have any self-control and start saying, "I do have the fruit of self-control. I am disciplined. I don't do what the devil or my flesh desires -- I only do what God tells me to do. I have a strong will, and my will is lined up with God's will." Declare as the Apostle Paul did: I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency] (Phillipians 4:13).

[**Article taken from the January 2003 "Life in the Word" magazine, pages 14 & 15.**]