WEEK 4: Challenging Food Rules

FOR WEEK FOUR

Let’s add a second intuitive day this week, but this time, we are going to record some things as we move through those untracked days.

First, plan out some go-to meals and snacks that you will have on your intuitive days AND tracked days. The exact makeup (protein, carbs, fats, fiber) of these meals does not matter, but we recommend keeping these meals and snacks as balanced as possible.

Notes to take DURING your intuitive days (instead of tracking macros)

• Time of meals
• Mood before eating meals
• Anxiety/stress level before meals 1-10
• Hunger level before and after meals 1-10

You can also take pictures of your foods/meals on your intuitive days and use those photos to reflect on.

• Are your meals colorful? How many different colors did you eat today?
• How many things were a packaged food?
• How many things did you make from scratch?
• What did you enjoy creating?
• Did you enjoy everything you had?
• Did all of your meals somehow contain protein?
• Where were you when you had these meals?
• What are the time stamps of these meal photos? Are these meals spaced out well throughout the day?

Note: You must resist the urge to track on your intuitive days. You may have the impulse to double check a meal after you’ve had it because it was out of your norm, or because you’re afraid you “ate too much.” Instead of tracking, think about your fear around eating more than you think you’re supposed to. How are you measuring that? What does “eating too much” mean to you? If you’re afraid you are harming your health, or increasing adipose tissue, how will you actually measure those things? Journal those thoughts and create a real game plan for giving yourself USEFUL parameters, rather than continually feeding into your fear of “going backwards.”

FOOD RULES

This week, we also encourage you to let go of “food rules.”  Intuitive eating means having a sense of security and confidence around what you’re eating, what you’re putting into your body and how you feel about it. The more that we can understand what intuitive eating is, the more that we can get back to what eating was like before dieting, before diet culture, before outside influences told us what we should be eating, how much we should be eating, how we should look, and what society wants us to do.

How has society, social media, or environment shaped your nutrition habits?

• Take a moment to brainstorm: Do you have specific food rules?
  • For example) Stop eating at 6pm because you think carbs = weight gain
• Reflect on these “rules.” How do they make you feel? Are you ready to challenge these beliefs?
  
  
• Now let’s make it tangible. Write out all of these beliefs, big and small, on a piece of paper. Crumple it up and throw it away. Tell your mind that you are wiping the slate clean. These food rules do not control you.
  • Keep in mind it’s okay to be flexible with some of these, as long as you are still listening to your body. For example, for some people, eating past 6pm is too close to bedtime and causes acid reflux. 

While you’re working through this module, it’s important to remember that there is no “good” or “bad” related to what you’ve eaten. It’s more important to focus on how makes you feel and and what it does for your body and well-being. Start implementing thoughts of self-care, thoughts of fueling your body. “I am eating this because it gives me energy. I am eating this because I’d like to get more protein to support muscle growth” We want to reframe the way you think and talk about food. 

When we are letting go of these food rules, we want to start discovering and implementing actually enjoying the foods you’re eating. We can call this eating to satisfy the mind and body. 

Eating isn’t just about eating nutrient-dense foods. Food is meant to be a happy part of life, and eating should be a positive experience. Food is also often related to culture, religion, friends, and family. Eating is often where social interaction and mental health connect.