Again and again, I am asked how I could break away from my (then vegan and previously calorie-driven) nutritional regime and what would be my best tips for getting started with Intuitive Nutritional Behavior.
First of all, I have to say that there is not ONE way. Everyone has a different history and starting point. But I will gladly share with you my best tips that have helped me a lot on this trip and possibly also can help you.
My way to becoming an intuitive eater began with the boycott of my morning cradle regime. I have to say that for a few months at this time I had started intensive strength training and a steady increase in weight correlated and correlated strongly with muscle and strength gain. That is, whenever I stood on the scale and saw that this time again showed more I could hardly say whether that was fat or muscle or water was what I got there.
So one day I decided to stop the weighing for the time being, because obviously it did not bring much. The weighing became less week by week until I finally read it. This step was, in hindsight, probably the most important thing.
So Tip 1 is very clear: put the scales away!
The scale has to be brought out of reach just like the following
Tip 2: Delete calorie tracking apps
A very essential task: to re-learn the feeling for one's own body. Because all monitoring tools have a big, often underestimate, disadvantage: they not only show you when you gain weight or have eaten too much, but also when you have lost weight or have eaten too little!
If your goal is a healthy weight loss, it can be a hindrance to see you lose weight. For it is not uncommon to instinctively begin to reward oneself for one's progress (unnecessary).
Even if I did not have the goal to lose weight, the number on the scales often made me crazy and if my app showed me I still had 300 Kcal left, then I have indulged myself a little bit although I was actually already well fed.
So my eating habits, albeit often subconsciously, have been heavily influenced by such numbers and preferences.
Only when I broke away from scales and calorie counters I could work on my natural stomach and hunger feeling!
Tip 3. Lower the sport.
Although I never thought that I would take this path, but I have actually terminated my membership in the gym. This had two important reasons:
On one hand, I had the need to just take a break and only to soft wellness sport / movement to set. (In addition, my 7 minutes a day have met me pretty much and especially in the summer is cycling, swimming, running anyway beautiful!)
On the other hand, I had to fight again with irregularities with my period. After almost 4 years of amenorrhea (which I had regained control of!), My days were almost sacred to me.
Tip 4. Don't trigger negative triggers.
- It started in my wardrobe with the too tight pants from last summer, which reminded me every time that my legs are fat.
- This can be a personality on Instagram that constantly fools you with photoshop images
- This can be permanent books / movies / YouTube videos on the topic of eating or dieting
Only when I had separated from all this, I noticed how (sometimes even subconsciously) all these personalities, books, dress sizes and more had influenced me and slowed me down.
I just started to surround myself with things and people that did me good and pushed me in my actions instead of slowing them down. Therefore my
Tip 5: Get a Positive Feed!
It started on Instagram and stopped with my "real" circle of friends!
Dear Sarina Nowkal, for example, who loves her new curves just as much as her former (thin) figure who illustrate in a very sypathic way like fake and influenceable social media I found to be very inspiring / helping for my journey.
The love insecurity is the biggest troublemaker that can meet you on your journey to self-determined food and life can affirm! But with such positive allies, this opponent is much easier to clear out of the way!
And now that I was self-confident and brave enough to get rid of all the eating rules, I had to redefine my goals and, above all, make the subject of "nutrition" my thing.
So my last tip to you is:
Tip 6: Make diet your thing
I began again to deal with the topic of "nutrition".
But this time not from the dietary, but the scientific and holistic aspect out (hence my later training as a holistic nutritionist).
What nourishes my body?
What can I give it (not withdraw)?
What is really good for me and what is not?
There is no GOOD and EVIL when it comes to nutrition.
There are only good and less good REASONS to eat certain foods - or not!
My Mantra
I ALWAYS EAT WHAT I WANT AND WHEN I WANT
Even if that does not mean that I eat everything now!
But I can!!