One reason it’s hard to lose weight is that we tend to follow a strict meal schedule and eat what’s put on our plate. That’s what we’ve learned as a society. There is another way to approach what you put in your body and when. It’s called intuitive eating, and it involves listening to your body for signs that you’re hungry instead of adhering to a strict schedule. Keep reading to learn what it’s all about and to determine if this new habit is something that might work for you.
Listen to Your Body
Your body knows when it’s hungry. You’ll notice things like your stomach growling, a dizzy feeling, headache, sleepiness, irritability, and poor concentration. It’s easy to ignore these things in our fast-paced world. Lots of time we’re eating on the go or at our desks. We often grab quick, unhealthy meals from fast food places for convenience. It’s easy to miss the natural signs your body may be telling you when you’re always in fast mode.
About Intuitive Eating
Listening to your body means eating when you’re hungry. It may even mean eating what your body says you need instead of what’s on that new fad diet you’re trying out. Diets can be quite limiting. They limit the number of calories and nutrients you take in, and they may even tell you how many meals you can have. These limitations can be doing you more harm than good. Intuitive eating requires that you pay attention to the signals your body gives you and that you take positive actions based on those signs.
Tips for Listening to Your Body
Some symptoms you experience like headache, allergies, and heartburn are signs from your body that a particular food may not be what it needs. Often, we simply reach for a pill to alleviate the symptoms and then think nothing of it. Instead, write down what may be food triggers and look for patterns. You may decide to avoid a certain food in the future. What about when you’re full? Do you push through, or do you stop eating? Try putting the food in the fridge for later and see how you feel. You don’t have to clear your plate, and you may find this small change in habit results in improved health.
Try listening to your body and responding accordingly to see what a difference it makes. Eat slowly and pay attention to your emotions and the signals you receive. Make adjustments based on your findings. You’ll soon start to understand how eating intuitively and making small changes in your approach to food can make a big difference in your life.
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