Eating What You Want Might Be An Answer To Your Weight Loss

We are now in January, and most people will have losing weight as part of their New Year resolution. Indeed the weight loss industry in the UK is about £220 billion per annum. London Metro Newspaper jokingly called them, ''Companies growing fat as you slim''. 

The interesting issue here is that most gain the weight back after a short while. This usually frustrates those trying to lose weight that they eventually abandon weight loss altogether. How about saving you the money you spent on weight-loss dieting, and instead, you spent it in loving yourself by switching to Intuitive Eating, the eating that resonates with your body system and chemistry.

What Is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive Eating is dishing the traditional calorie counting, measuring and weighing of foods, and carbohydrates consciousness in favour of the simple pleasure of eating what you want when you are hungry. Respect your body and do not overeat. Intuitive Eating is different because the rigours of many diet programmes stress dieters out, make them miserable, and unable to enjoy the pleasure in eating. Rather, Intuitive Eating promotes a healthy balance between you and your food routine.

Intuitive Eating respects food diversity and pairing in a healthy plate. Food diversity ensures a balanced diet, while food pairing eats what helps each other together. You know your body, you know what you like to eat, you respect your body by feeding it and taking pleasure in doing so. That is you are not feeling guilty eating and counting calories, and being overly concerned about what you are eating or not eating.

Can you lose weight with Intuitive Eating?

The primary function of Intuitive Eating is to respect your body and feeds it appropriately with a balanced diet, not overeating and ensuring healthy choices. With all these, you are likely to maintain a steady weight for a long time. Intuitive Eating is not a weight loss diet, but rather the one that encourages you to fall in love with your plate and enjoy the simple pleasures of eating.

The fact is that we are what we eat and what we eat affects our weight and health. So Intuitive Eating expects the practitioner to also ensure your plates contain healthy option. Doing so will help your weight and health.

The Ten Principles Of Intuitive Eating 

There are principles typical of Intuitive Eating, These are:

1.Make Peace With Food - Look at food as beneficial to your survival and health. It is common to emotionally detach yourself from food because you fear putting on weight. Intuitive Eating challenges that. Look rather, at food as beneficial and loving your body. Eat whatever you want, will satisfy your appetite and you crave less for snacks.

2. Eat To Satisfaction- simply means, eat to be full and be satisfied with a full stomach, but definitely not overeating. Remember when you are full, you need not eat all that is in your plate or have to taste the deserts. It is part of respecting your body.

3. Respect Your Body - People are in various shapes and sizes. Be happy with your own shape. Take pride in who you are. You are not in competition with anyone, so know your own body and feeds it with what is healthy and good for it.

4. Honour Your Health - This is knowing that health is the greatest wealth, and you want to choose foods that are not only tasty but nutritious as well. If you are only concerned with weight, you will tend to ignore a balanced diet, fighting food diversity in favour of leaner food sources. You gain from a variety of food rather than one specific type.

5. Practice The Exercise You Love - Exercise is good for you, not solely to lose weight. It is therefore important that you choose the one you love and enjoy doing. Don't think of an exercise as a weight loss program, otherwise, it becomes restrictive and monotonous. Rather choose the one that flows naturally with your being.

6. Don't Use Food As A Therapy - Are you feeling low or down, don't use food as a coping therapy. It will only make you eat what is not healthy, or make you overeat. Instead, investigate the cause of your low mood, and deal with that headlong. You might need to take a walk, discuss with a confidant, or seek professional therapy session.

7. Savour The Experience Of Eating - When you sit down to eat, direct all effort to enjoy the food without any distraction. Relish meal time, chew and savour the taste. The problem is that distraction causes you to eat more and you will not know when you are full.

8. Challenge The Food Police - Food police labels some foods as good, and others are bad. In fact, it is too much of a particular food that is bad. A little bit here and there is good for you. Food policing will make you want to eliminate the so-called bad ones from your meal, and gives you a feeling of guilt when you do eat them.

9. Recognise When You Are Hungry - And eat to satisfy the hunger, and don't overeat. Very simple really, but some people find it difficult to practice. They might think, ''Oh, why am I hungry, I just had my breakfast two hours ago?'' If you are hungry, eat to satisfy hunger.

10. Reject The Diet Mentality - Most diet plans don't work, but can give you emotional stress that focuses only on your weight above all others.

Health Benefits Of Intuitive Eating

The important benefit is the freedom you have with food that is not restrictive. This means you are not eating for weight loss, calories, keto or whatever fad is out there. You are simply eating to satisfy your hunger.

Studies show that this gives you emotional stability, physical and mental health. Other benefits include among others:

Increased Satisfaction generally with your life, as you have higher confidence in yourself.

Low-Stress Level because of the feeling of satisfaction. 

Improved gut action, your digestive system works better.

Better health generally as your body adjust to feeding it when hungry.

You know your body perfectly including allergies and intolerances, and are able to cater for these.

The Final Thoughts

The trend of various dieting fad is actually having a negative effect on most people's mental health, especially when they fail to lose the needed weight or gain it back quickly.

People also classify some foods as not essential to their health because these foods have been labelled bad, the example is carbs.

Intuitive Eating allows you to eat what you want, when hungry, relax and savour the taste and make eating pleasurable and loving.

Intuitive Eating positively affects mental health and boost metabolism and self-image.