I just finished a book called, Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works! It was written by two nutrition therapists named, Evelyn Tribole M.S. R.D., and Elyse Resch M.S. R.D. These brilliant women realized the need for a radical change in our society’s thinking in relation to our beliefs about our bodies and our relationship to food.
This book is considered to be the ‘bible and guidebook’ for healing a person’s dysfunctional relationship to food and their body. It is used by many centers for treatment for people dealing with eating addictions and disorders. The information in this book really shakes up the old paradigm of dieting to become thin and puts that old, outdated thinking through the ringer.
In their various experiences with their clients, the authors have discovered that there is a connection to diets and obesity. This is due to the fact that diets trigger binging. I’m sure that you have already made the connection that restriction breeds deprivation. When faced with thoughts of being deprived, you will likely fall headfirst into a binge. This often causes negative self talk that directs your thinking to acting out destructive behaviors. The dieting/binge cycle then becomes self perpetuating.
When we are on a diet, there are so many variables to take into account. We must consider the amount of food, the fat content, the calories, and other factors unrelated to the food itself. We ask ourselves, “Do I deserve it? Should I be eating this? We pile so many feelings on top of the food that it makes it nearly impossible to enjoy the food itself.
Oftentimes when we pursue a food, we will take calculated steps and risks to acquire it. You might recall a time when you went to the supermarket and bought some ice cream, chips or any other favorite, fat laden goodie and as you placed your items on the conveyor belt, you were met with the disapproving stares of strangers and that precipitated a chain reaction of feeling awful about yourself for even wanting the food.
As you felt those feelings and sensed the disapproval, it connected you with your core beliefs about your sense of entitlement. Your internal dialogue began runnning a list of reasons why you should be chastized and pummel yourself down to the ground.
Then when you were finally alone with that food, you place it in front of you and begin shoveling it into your mouth, sometimes not even swallowing. You are acting upon those feelings of deprivation that came up from feeling so darned guilty about eating the food. I’m sure that you would agree that it’s almost impossible to enjoy food in that way. You never even get a chance to taste it. All satisfaction cues are suppressed by the urgency that you feel towards this forbidden food. It’s a bloody nightmare!
I would encourage anyone who has come to the point of absolute and total disillusionment with dieting to read this book. In my articles section on my website, I provide an outline of the principles of this type of eating.
At the heart of it, this book offer us a lifestyle change. It offers to bring you back gently to your roots as a child, when you had the wisdom to push away the bottle or the breast knowing how to honor your hunger. This book describes the process of returning to a healthy relationship with food and your body. How delicious is that! Take it from me. This is a MUST READ!!!!!