Intuitive Eating with Hannah Pfohl
Intuitive movement and intuitive eating go hand in hand. That’s why I love working with and learning from other experts in the field, like my friend Hannah Pfohl of Mind Belly Soul Nutrition. If you’re wondering exactly what intuitive eating, check out Hannah’s guest blog post below. Read to the end to find out how you can work with Hannah and score an exclusive Motion Melissa x Mind Belly Soul discount!
What Exactly is Intuitive Eating?(Guest Post by Hannah Pfohl)
Intuitive eating is a holistic approach to nutrition and wellness that emphasizes the importance of developing a healthy relationship with food, mind, body, and maybe even soul (if you’re into that!).
The goal of intuitive eating is to unravel your current relationship with food, break free from the cycle of dieting/restrictive eating, and learn to trust your body to guide your food choices.
When you stop looking to external sources like diet plans, media, and nutrition articles to tell you how to eat and instead listen to your body to guide your food decisions, you’re able to sustainably honor your health long term without all the food obsession and stress. Intuitive Eating is the ultimate mind-body (and belly) connection practice. Because, who knows what your body needs better than your actual body?
So what exactly does Intuitive Eating entail?
Releasing the diet mindset: Rejecting the diet mentality entails letting go of the belief that there is a specific set of food rules or a certain way of eating that will lead to an ideal body size or shape. It means embracing the idea that all foods can be a part of a healthy and fulfilling life, and that restrictions and limitations around food are not necessary or healthy.
Re-establishing and honoring hunger/fullness cues: If you’ve been dieting your whole life, your hunger and fullness cues probably aren’t accurately telling you when and how much nutrition you need. Are you never hungry for breakfast? Well, why would your body ask for something you never give it? You need to rebuild trust with your body AKA hunger/fullness cues first. Once you master this, you will eat when you’re physically hungry, rather than relying on external cues such as the clock or emotions and stop eating when you’re comfortably full, instead of when you feel like you’re going to explode.
Making peace with food: You know that late night piece of cake that turns into 4 pieces of cake because you “just can’t stop?” Intuitive eaters make peace with ALL FOODS, including those that are considered “bad” or “unhealthy.” This means rejecting the idea of "forbidden" foods and instead embracing all foods as part of a balanced and healthy diet. This means no more guilt, shame, or feeling bad about yourself for what you’re eating.
Ditching the food police: You know that little voice in your head saying, “Your stomach is going to hang out ALL SUMMER if you eat one more cookie.” That’s the food police and boy is he a JERK. Intuitive eaters finally dump him and even go so far as to get a restraining order (yes, this is necessary because he will try to stalk you!) Once he’s gone you can finally trust your hunger/fullness cues to tell you what to eat instead of eating in a chaotic, out of control manner based on emotions like guilt and shame.
Receiving Pleasure: When was the last time you tasted your favorite desert and allowed yourself to actually RECEIVE all the pleasure from this tasty goody without feeling like you’re doing something wrong or “being bad?” How much pleasure do you block yourself from receiving from your favorite foods because you feel guiltly and like they’re going to make you gain weight? No wonder you’re feeling out of control around food, you’re pleasure deprived! Intuitive eating is about enjoying the eating experience, rather than focusing on an end result (like weight loss). This means taking the time to SOAK UP the pleasure of every single bite.
BONUS POINTS for cultivating body acceptance/love: Intuitive eating helps cultivate body acceptance and self love through emphasis on appreciation of the inner self, power of the physical body, and releasing control over weight. This helps you develop a more overall positive relationship with your body and reduces negative self-talk and body shaming. Imagine looking in the mirror and not necessarily disliking or liking what you see (simple neutral observation). This is possible for you! Maybe one day you might even like what you see.
If you want to stop yo-yo dieting and trust your body to tell you what to eat, intuitive eating is the self-love healing framework that teaches you exactly how to do it.
Sounds simple enough right?
Implementation, awareness, guidance, and troubleshooting are all keys to success. I recommend working closely with a Registered Dietitian trained specifically in Intuitive Eating.
You can learn more about The Reclaim Intuitive Eating Program, a 16-week transformational experience for women to completely reclaim their relationship with food/body, become an intuitive eater, and step into their authentic power.
Use code MELISSA for 10% off the Reclaim Intuitive Eating Program.
Guest Post by Hannah Pfohl, MS, RD, LDN, CNSC
Hannah is an Intuitive Eating Dietitian whose mission and goal is to help individuals heal their relationship with food and body to finally step into their own authentic power with body respect & acceptance, self love, and true empowerment.
Instagram: @MindBellySoulDietitian
Website: Mindbellysoul.co
Apply to join the RECLAIM Intuitive Eating Program: APPLY HERE
