What to Expect

During a long company meeting, we had to pause at some point to order food, and everybody wanted pizza. I had just come out of a long, no-carb diet, and pizza was my Nemesis. However, I needed to eat, and I thought to myself: “What the hell? I can have a slice or two; it’s not the end of the world.”

Ten minutes later, I had eaten so much that I found myself staring at the empty boxes, mumbling: “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” My boss, who stayed next to me the entire time, said with a smirk: “I know what’s gotten into you: six slices did .” And those were big slices.

Things have slowly changed since I began to eat intuitively. It was a long road, and I am still learning new things. But now pizza is just another thing on the menu I can have whenever I want. I even learned how to make it. Now, I eat it once in a while, but I only finish it when it’s really good.

You, too, might find out that you don’t like certain foods as much as you thought. Or, you might discover new foods that you love. Your eating habits will shift naturally without you even trying.

No longer restricting food will gradually reduce the episodes of overeating and binging. You’ll get in the habit of eating when hungry and stopping before feeling full. You will learn to see food as nourishment, rather than as a friend or an enemy. There are no more “good” or “bad” food labels. Food is just food. It’s all about what feels right for you at that moment.

All these will make controlling and losing weight easier, if that’s your goal. However, remember to focus on the experience rather than the scale. It’s easy to slip back into old habits.

Don’t start munching again after you lose a few pounds. Also, do eat when hungry, even if the number on the scale doesn’t go down fast enough.

When you eat intuitively, your weight will change slowly and might even go up and down for a while. But it will be sustainable because you are fixing the root cause, the eating habits.