Calorie Restriction: Stressed vs. Intuitive Approach

Obesity is one of the biggest health issues nowadays, and WHO statistics say that worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975. Even though a lot of overweight and obese people claim that they’re following a strict dietary regimen, it’s obvious that something isn’t working – either the regimen itself or their mindset. Truth be told, an emotional imbalance is one of the most common triggers of obesity, and if you think that you’re an emotional eater, too, be sure to keep on reading. Here’s how to switch from emotional to intuitive eating, so check out our tips and get down to business!

What is emotional eating?

Emotional eating (or stress eating) is defined as eating to help yourself feel better, instead of eating because you’re really hungry. Of course, you should know that using food to celebrate or as a reward from time to time doesn’t count as emotional eating. However, when eating is the first thing you think of when you’re angry, bored, lonely, or sad, you aren’t actually addressing the real problem – you’re just burying it under tons of foods, usually unhealthy ones. In fact, eating can make you feel good right away, but you know what?  The emotions which encouraged you to eat are still present, and they won’t go away just because you’ve eaten a cheeseburger or an entire pizza.

What is intuitive eating?

Intuitive eating is the practice of listening to your body while making food choices. The truth is that we’re all born with this intuition – just think of babies who cry when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full. Of course, outside influences such as our parents, society, and our own minds become more dominant over time, which is why we tend to eat either more or less than we need. Our eating habits change throughout life for various reasons, but you know what? Intuitive eating can help us cope with our emotions in healthier ways, so do your best to listen to what your body wants and needs before you make a final decision.

How to distinguish intuition from emotion?

When it comes to the distinction between intuition and emotion, it’s important to say that these are often so intertwined that people can’t tell them apart. The main difference between the two is the fact that emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, or envy can’t allow you to think clearly and make the right choices. On the other hand, intuition is characterized with clarity that allows us to make the final decision which isn’t based on a wide range of complex emotions. The fact that our emotions are so complex sometimes leaves us in the dark – we don’t really know if we make particular decisions because they’re really the best for us, or because we’re being emotional at the moment.

Are you an intuitive or an emotional eater?

If you can’t really figure out if your diet is based on intuition or emotion, the best way to do it is to embrace a restrictive diet which will help you realize whether you’re an intuitive eater or an emotional one. For example, hCG in Australia, where it’s quite popular, combines diet drops with a low-calorie eating plan for fast weight reduction. It allows dieters to safely maximize their weight loss without experiencing cravings typical of normal dieting. On the other hand, water fasting is a big hit in Europe. It’s a period when you don’t eat any food at all and drink only water. You won’t make a mistake whichever you go for and these will certainly help you learn what kind of eater you actually are. 

What about hunger-fullness scale?

In case you didn’t know, intuitive eating is based on two tenets: honor your hunger and respect your fullness. A lot of people struggle with knowing if they’re really hungry and stopping when they’re comfortably full, and if that’s the case with you, too, you should use the hunger-fullness scale that can help you out. It can help you begin to pay more attention to what variations in hunger and fullness levels feel like to you, so make sure to check in with yourself before a meal, halfway through it, and after it. Just track your feelings of hunger and fullness and become a more mindful and intuitive eater over time.

As you can tell, switching from emotional to intuitive eating doesn’t have to be as tricky as you probably thought. Of course, no one says that it’s a piece of cake, but everything will be fine as long as you’re listening to your body instead of eating because you’re bored, angry, lonely, or sad. Just stick to our tips and guidelines and you’ll make it happen, without a shadow of a doubt!