With the busy fall season approaching, it is a great time for a fresh start. Instead of starting the latest diet trend or doing a juice cleanse, it might be nice to practice some self love and care. Sadly, we live in a culture that has set us up for failure when it comes to loving ourselves. For many years we have been exposed to diet culture, where your weight, shape, and size is valued much more than your health and well-being. This has led to thousands of people becoming chronic dieters, forming disordered eating habits, and overall hating their physical appearance. Well I am here to tell you that you do not ever need to diet again! Your health is about so much more than what size you fit into or how many calories you eat per day. One concept that can get us away from dieting and move us towards a more loving relationship with ourselves and our bodies is intuitive eating. Intuitive eating gives you unconditional permission to eat. For most people, that sentence might cause some anxiety or fear. We think that if we give ourselves unconditional permission to eat, that we will literally eat everything in sight and never stop. Diet culture makes us feel like we need to have some control or else we will pay the price. However, this tends to backfire on us because deprivation triggers intense cravings, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors and thoughts around food. I am sure many of you have had a very similar experience to this one: It’s Sunday and you are about to start your new diet on Monday, so you find yourself devouring all of the things you tell yourself that you won’t be able to eat again. Pizza, ice cream, cheese, wine, and more! Telling ourselves we cannot have something makes us want it even more. That is why eating intuitively and giving yourself unconditional permission to eat is so important; all food choices become neutral. Here are some other benefits of intuitive eating:
- It puts you in control of what you want to eat, instead of a diet deciding it for you
- There is no guilt or shame associated to eating
- It creates a more loving and intuitive relationship with your body
- It takes away the need to overindulge on food because you know that food will always be available to you if you want it
- It makes social gatherings WAY more fun and stress free
The list goes on! So, this Fall season, I challenge you to let go of dieting and instead treat yourself with compassion and self love. Want to transform your relationship to your body and yourself? Book a complimentary discovery session to learn more about coaching, intuitive eating, and how my Self-Love programs can help you! Warmly, Raquel Health and Life Coach
