Tag Archive for: trust

Eating 40/30/30 Intuitively?

I receive emails every day from people on my email list, my online community, or private Facebook group. One common thread among many of these emails is NUTRITION OVERWHELM.

 

Here’s an excerpt from the end of one of those emails:

“…..I already think about food too much as it is and when I hear webinars about plant-based diets and eating less meat/protein I feel I’m doing the right thing. Yet I then hear “anti-aging experts” talk about needing higher protein and I stress about changing my entire diet. It’s very frustrating! How do I eat intuitively if trying to eat by a ratio 40/30/30? I don’t have any idea about the ratio I eat or even “how many calories” my body needs but I think it seems eating like 40/30/30 is not at all intuitive eating if it needs to be calculated. Please help!”

 

Well, this woman who wrote in to me is right. This is not intuitive at all.

 

We were not born with a calculator attached to our bodies, adding up the protein, carbs and fat we eat with each morsel of food every day.

 

Our bodies know exactly what we need, and if we would stop trying to manipulate this, there would be no disordered eating or eating disorders.

 

There are WAY too many people on the internet touting THE way to eat to help you lose weight, be healthier, and age backwards. My advice to you is to STOP listening to them. Go with your gut! What does your instinct say when you hear or read these “new and revolutionary” ways to eat and live longer?

 

Trust yourself. You were born with the ability to know what you need. Your body is truly amazing like that. If you go for a few days without eating vegetables, for example, at some point your body is going to say to you “can you please give me some roughage so I can have a bowel movement?” It’s up to you to listen.

 

So dear reader, I am not going to tell you what percentage of the macros to eat. But I will encourage you to just be. Just let your body guide you to what nutrients it needs and wants in each moment at each meal.

 

The result: more freedom to think about other joys in your life instead of counting your macros.

 

 

Celebration Dinners, Food Police and Trust

It’s all about TRUST! But in whom?

 

This past week I posted the following “If/Then Question” on my Facebook Page.

 

You are going out to dinner to celebrate your child’s graduation. You have been practicing intuitive eating, but are a little worried about indulging because you are going to your favorite restaurant. You then….

 

A. Remind yourself that intuitive eating is about trusting yourself with your food choices, and you are regaining this trust day-by-day.

 

B. Commit to being mindful while eating and will check-in with your satiety level mid-meal.

 

C. Think to yourself – heck, this is a celebration! I don’t usually get to this restaurant often, I’ll skip lunch so I’m good and hungry for dinner.

 

The answers were varied. For those who have worked with me on their intuitive eating journey, or are in the midst of it, they chose option A or B. For those new to the process or that are finding some challenges along the way, they chose C. And that’s okay, because remember, this is a process and the process takes time and patience, and is judgement-free!

 

The feelings of excitement when going to a new restaurant, trying new foods, or celebrating a milestone can dig up some old diet mentality thoughts.

 

These thoughts may sound like:

  1. I’m going to skip lunch today so I can save my calories or points for dinner.
  2. I won’t eat any carbs during the day, because I want to eat from the bread basket at the restaurant.
  3. I’m finishing what’s on my plate, this food is so delicious I don’t know when I’ll get to eat this food again.
  4. If I weigh more on the scale tomorrow morning, I’ll just cut back my eating for the day and be sure to choose only “healthy” foods.

 

All these statements are the food police speaking, screaming at you unreasonable rules. And in each of these cases, what do you think happens?

 

That’s right! You arrive at the restaurant and sit down to dinner in a ravenous state and more than likely, you end up eating to an overfull state. Then you feel physically uncomfortable, emotionally miserable (guilty, shame), and you follow that with food restriction!

 

Restriction – cutting back on your food intake or choosing only “healthy” foods if the scale is higher the next day – is dieting. It’s the opposite of being intuitive.

 

Your body weight is a measure of the weight of your tissues, which includes your bones, organs, muscle and fat tissue AND the substances that pass through such as water, food and waste. If you weigh more this morning than you did yesterday, it doesn’t mean that you have more fatty tissue today because you ate the chicken parm at last night’s graduation dinner.

 

The food police, however, would like to have you think it IS the reason, and therefore it is shouting rules at you to eat less today, to avoid carbs, and to only choose “healthy” foods.

 

Shout back at the food police by doing these 3 things:

  1. Identify the distorted irrational dieting thought and disarm it.
  2. Recognize that a higher weight this morning may be due to some other reason as your body weight fluctuates day-to-day based on many factors.
  3. Don’t weigh yourself. Throw away the scale and begin to cultivate the trust in your body to make food and nutrition choices that are right for you.

 

It’s all about the TRUST!

 

Need help to learn how to trust yourself, your food choices and your body? I’m an email (or phone call away – 516-486-4569)!