Hi Reader!

Do you know what the #1 behavior is when you stop dieting and start intuitive eating?

Fuckit eating.

You've done it. I've done it. Maybe you're still doing it. Why?

Because when we spend more years following food rules than trusting our bodies, we see a pan of pizza and think...

"Too many carbs"

We see a pint of ice cream, and think...

"Too much sugar" and "Too much fat."

When we desperately want our favorite blue corn tortilla chips from Trader Joe's, we think...

"Processed/packaged food isn't healthy."

Here's the analogy of fuckit eating. Think of a beach ball and a pool.

What's it like to hold the inflated beach ball under the water, pushing it down with all your strength?

You feel strong, right?

You're defying physics because the beach ball wants to explode to the surface of the pool at any moment!

What happens when your arms get tired, or you're ready to move on with your life because you have dinner reservations at your favorite restaurant in 2 hours?

You let go. The beach ball explodes to the surface of the pool with a pop!

This is what happens when you're tired of denying yourself the pizza, ice cream, and chips.

You let go of the food rule, eat the food, and experience an explosion of flavor in your mouth that says...

"Oh yeah, we're gonna need more, a lot more, of that." That's fuckit eating.

But what if we just let the beach ball hang out on the surface of the pool?

Sometimes we play with it. Sometimes it's there just drifting?

Sounds less intense, right?

Now imagine a bag of chips in your pantry or ice cream in the freezer.

At first you'll fuckit eat them until your body and mind get used to them being there, and the novelty wears off.

Eventually you realize diet culture is a fantastic teacher. Unfortunately, most of the lessons aren't helpful.

When you label food as good, bad, healthy, or unhealthy, it's easy to feel good, bad, healthy, or unhealthy about yourself when you eat it.

You should on yourself for eating the food.

"You shouldn't eat so much sugar."

"You should eat more vegetables."

This creates all-or-nothing thinking with food.

An all-or-nothing mindset focuses on cutting out foods to improve your health (and weight).

But if this worked, you'd have the body and health you want without feeling deprived!

Try this mindset shift instead.

Think about what you can ADD to your meals and snacks to improve your health AND your relationship with food.

Include both nutrient-dense (more nutrition compared to calories) AND pleasure-dense (more fun, less nutrition) foods with meals and snacks.

When you have an add-in mindset with food, it gives you more freedom and variety with food.

It's what keeps the beach ball on the surface of the pool. No explosions. No fuckit eating.

​Click HERE to watch a short video to cut the food noise and get started with the add-in strategy.

Bonus! Eating a variety of nutrient- and pleasure-dense foods reduces 4 pm mindless snack cravings (aka food noise).

Reflection time!

What foods can you add to your meals and snacks that align with what you want to eat (satisfaction) and what your body needs to eat (supports your health)?

Finding the sweet spot between what you want to eat and what you need to eat is gentle nutrition.

What foods do you want to add? Hit reply and tell me!

Until then, enjoy your weekend savoring food and your body!

Amanda

PS: Diet culture is a fantastic teacher. Unfortunately, most of the lessons aren't helpful. When you label food as good, bad, healthy, or unhealthy, it's easy to feel good, bad, healthy, or unhealthy about yourself when you eat it. This creates all-or-nothing thinking with food. But if this worked, you'd have the body and health you want without feeling deprived! Try this mindset shift instead.

​Watch this short video!​