ASK EMILY

Ask Emily

 

 

 

 

I often receive a variety of questions about my treatment approach. The principles of Intuitive Eating influence my work and I’ve seen great success for clients who embrace them. Below are some common questions:

WHAT IS INTUITIVE EATING?
Intuitive Eating is an eating model designed to help you reconnect with your natural ability to feed yourself. It’s application looks different for everyone, but the official methodology can be summarized in 10 key principles.
WHY DOES INTUITIVE EATING WORK?
Intuitive Eating is a framework to help you reconnect with skills and abilities you already naturally have. It’s not learning something new, it’s unlearning everything diet culture or our confusing food environment has taught you.

Intuitive Eating actually has the potential for creating long-term, sustainable, nourishing food patterns. By comparison, dieting and food manipulation techniques generally haven’t been found to produce any long term success beyond 2 years.

In short, Intuitive Eating works to address your food issues at the root, instead of just putting a bandaid on it: it allows you to connect with the deepest part of yourself that already knows what you need.  

HOW IS WHAT YOU DO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER INTUITIVE EATING PRACTITONERS?
I see Intuitive Eating as a tool to bridge from disordered eating to just EATING.

Eating should be effortless, easy and natural. I believe we can all get to a place where we don’t have to overthink it. I would describe that place as confident, self-directed eating where you approach nutrition in a gentle way while honoring your own food preferences, intuitive signals and values.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WEIGHT NEUTRAL?
A weight-neutral approach is one that prioritizes health, wellbeing and healthy behaviors above numbers.

This is different than diet culture which prioritizes weight and numbers above overall wellbeing.  It isn’t anti-weight loss; if weight loss happens as a result of healing your relationship with food then we know it’s what your body needed.

But if it even if you don’t lose weight, your body is no less deserving of being respected and listened to. Weight neutrality is deeply rooted in body trust—trusting your body to find its own healthy weight, where it functions most optimally.  

HOW DO I START INTUITIVE EATING?
While the idea of Intuitive Eating may feel subjective, there are very strategic steps we can take to help you feel more comfortable practicing. The most common way you can start Intuitive Eating is by becoming more aware of the sensation of being hungry or of being full, and using that as a guide for understanding when and how much to eat.

Think of it like food mindfulness: you’re reprogramming yourself from eating as an emotional or social response, and listening to what your body truly needs instead. If you’re having trouble, don’t panic or give up. It’s difficult to navigate your way out of food rules and into more flexible eating patterns without help.   

If you want guidance, support, and experience on your food journey, let’s talk.

HOW LONG DOES INUITIVE EATING TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?
That’s highly variable and depends on how long you’ve been disconnected from your body’s intuitive signals in favor of diets or food rules.

One thing that’s for sure though: the transition moves much quicker, and is much easier, with a trained professional like myself to guide you. Interested? Let’s talk.  

CAN INTUITIVE EATING HELP ME RECOVER FROM AN EATING DISORDER?
If you are currently struggling with an eating disorder, you will likely need much more structure around food than Intuitive Eating provides.  

You’ll also need extra support. I am here to help you with that structure and support, along with the other members of your treatment team.

Eating disorders can rob you of a meaningful life, it would be my pleasure to help you find it again. Let’s talk.

Still have more questions? Contact me directly!