My CV

The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Health Issue

Intuitive Eating

by Stacey Nye, Ph.D.

Bathing suit season is finally over. We can all cover up again and begin the long journey into colder weather, accompanied by Halloween candy and Christmas cookies (my favorites are the ones shaped like horns with powdered sugar on top). It's always something, isn't it? How do we deal with this continuous onslaught of delectables without gaining weight?

Well, my philosophy is that food was created for us to enjoy.  We are fortunate that we live in a culture that affords us such varied and fine cuisine. Like any pleasure in life, though, (ie sex, alcohol, shopping) we need to indulge in moderation, or we would have anarchy.  Dieting, however, is not the answer either. There is a huge range of options between over-indulgence and deprivation.

Ellen Sattyr articulately describes "normal eating" in her book How to get your kid to eat...but not too much (pg. 69-70)

Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it-not just stop eating because you think you should.  Normal eating is being able to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because if feels good. Normal eating is three meals a day, most of the time, but it can also be choosing to munch along. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful when they are fresh. Normal eating is overeating at times: feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. It is also undereating at times and wishing you had more.  Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating.  Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps it place as only one important area of your life.

This brief but rich paragraph combines all of the components of a healthy eating plan. "Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full and eat what you want"-the three rules that I drill into my clients on a daily basis. Ultimately, your body will tell you what it needs.

For example, have you ever noticed that after an extravagant vacation of sampling many rich foods you can't wait to come home and have a salad?  This is your body telling you that you did not eat enough vegetables while you were away.  Have you ever observed children, not yet tampered with by weight obsessed parents?  They typically eat a variety of foods-candy and cookies for sure, but also cheese, yogurt, carrots, grapes, salami, cottage cheese, etc.  They actually get most to all of their nutritional requirements met over the course of 1 week.  They rely on their bodies to tell them what they need.  As soon as you start restricting them, that is when they lose the ability to self-regulate.

This is what has happened to those of us who grew up dieting.  After years of relying on external cues for eating and weight (Weight Watchers, diet pills and diuretics), we have lost touch with our internal cues-hunger, fullness, moderate  restraint.  It is only when we relearn these three rules that we too can self-regulate - enjoy delicious and nutritious foods without overeating or gaining weight.

Relearning occurs by following these steps:

1) Legalize all foods. I promise that within a few weeks, trigger foods like M&Ms and potato chips will lose their power over you and you will
be able to keep them in the house without overeating them.
2) Eat a variety foods daily. The only way to prevent binge eating is to eat! Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables per day-you will be meeting your nutritional requirements, satisfying your hunger and preventing over-indulgence of "empty calories".
3) Learn to distinguish biological hunger from emotional hunger.   Many of us have turned to food to soothe our various mood states. This is like putting a bandage on a broken leg. It may ease the pain temporarily, but the underlying problem remains. Whenever you find yourself reaching for food, HALT! -go through this checklist of feelings: Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.  If you are hungry, eat. If you are any of the other emotions, find direct solutions to those problems-take a nap, call a friend, or write in a journal about your anger. You will not only be cutting back on unneeded calories, but you will be dealing with your issues directly.

I hope that I have made an impression on you to enjoy the food that life has to offer, meet your nutritional needs, and avoid emotional eating. By following these steps, you will be able to partake, and still be prepared for next year's bathing suit season.

Dr. Stacey Nye is a clinical psychologist specializing in depression, eating disorders and women's issues.  Look for follow up articles in upcoming issues.