5 Ways to Intuitively Eat

Are you so hungry you can eat a hippopotamus? Or a whole entire cow? Are there days where you feel like you can never get full, then next thing you know you are way to stuffed to sit comfortably or walk. Or maybe you’re just tired of eating the same meal plan all the time and feel like there isn’t any fun to your eating regimen. News FLASH everyone some time and somewhere has felt like this, and you are not alone. Understanding how to intuitively eat without feeling like you’re going to pop, or sticking to healthier foods so you don’t fall off your lifestyle transformation is important.

So here are 5 simple ways to guide you when you want to eat intuitively

1.     Don’t be a Glutton for Punishment

When we say we want to eat an entire cow, we don’t actually NEED the entire cow. We just waited to long to eat. Referring back to older blog post about the fire (metabolism), if you have not read the analogy please go back and read it. When you wait to long to eat your fire is dying out and now you feel like you need to add more logs onto the pile. WRONG! Remember you add to much onto the fire, and you will kill off the flames. You never want to eat until you feel so full you cannot move. The point is to eat until you are content. Checking in mentally after every bite helps to see am I stuffed, or am I content. So, continuing reading on in order to not eat the entire cow and then some…

2.     Protein First

Ok so we know not to eat the entire cow… however protein is important, so eat some of the cow. Overindulging on the potatoes or whatever starch your plate has on it will just leave your energy crashing in a few minutes. Topping the protein option with the loaded creamy sauce thinking you need more fat content to feel full, is also not the way to go. Eating too many carbs or fats will just offset the macronutrients that you should be aiming to eat. The advice to take away is to make sure to get adequate protein in first, and then going towards the carbs is more ideal.

3.     Drinking Water

AND HERE WE GO… man I am on a roll with this water shindig. I know, y’all saying… we get it, DRINK THE WATER. However, do you get it. Because even myself, I recognize some days I am not drinking as much. So, why is this important with what we are discussing. Well sometimes we aren’t really hungry we are thirsty. So, where we think we can eat the whole hippo in reality if we drink a big glass of water, and have a snack with protein, we may not want the hippo anymore. Moral of all health so far stay hydrated

4.     Slow & Steady Wins the Race

I know when I am STARVING I shovel my food down so fast it’s like I never had it on my plate, to begin with. Whelp I am here to tell you, that is wrong. It is still my biggest lesson I strive to keep conscience of too. The tortoise won the race against the hare, so why do we eat like we need to be the first one done. Chopping your food into bite-size pieces can slow down the process. Taking a few bites, setting your utensil down, and taking a sip of water can slow you down. Being more cognitive of portions. Which leads to the next point…

5.     Small Portions

Society has led us to believe the portions we need to be eating are way bigger than what we actually should be eating. I know, I know when we are hungry everything looks small. However, remember when putting food on your plate, food doesn’t run out.

It would be wiser to start with smaller portions. Take into account the points above, and after the first plate, if you are still hungry wait 2-3 minutes, and go back for seconds. Get a smaller amount than the first time, that way you can check in after every bite to make sure you are following point #1.

Practicing these 5 simple areas will help your mental state from overindulging and keep you on track with your healthy lifestyle.