It sounds nice…just eating whatever you want, whenever you want.

But if you’re coming off of years and years of restrictive diets (even so-called resets like Whole 30), or yo-yo dieting, it may be a process to developing a healthy relationship with food. 

Three keys to success when eating intuitively:

1. Be sure to eat satiating foods that will keep your blood sugar stable. This can help to keep cravings at bay and also allow you to get the nutrients your body needs. Foods high in protein, healthy fats, and fiber are satiating and nutrient-dense. 

2. Eat the foods you crave. Most moms who have a history of trying many diets have certain “trigger foods”... these foods are only triggering because they were off-limits before. With unrestricted access, you may feel that suddenly you CRAVE them.
   
   And that’s okay. It’s a totally normal part of the process. How do you deal with it? Well… eat the food.

   Seriously eat it. A lot of it if you want. At some point, you will get sick of it, or realize hey.. I can have this whenever I want, and it’s not that big of a deal. 
   
   Back to satiating foods. Say your “trigger” food of choice is chocolate cake. Instead of eating the cake for breakfast, eat a really satisfying, protein-rich breakfast. Then allow yourself the cake if you want it.

   3. Notice your hunger levels when you are craving food- especially if it’s something that used to be off-limits. Sometimes we aren’t necessarily hungry, but feeling emotional (sad, anxious, or stressed for example), we want to turn to food to distract from feeling our emotions. In this case, I would urge you to notice your feeling and sit with it for a few minutes. Allow it to pass through you. Wait about 20 minutes and then decide if you still want the food. (and if you do- ENJOY!! No guilt. Take your time.)
   
   If you are having trouble feeling the emotion I suggest naming it and then journaling on it, or simply taking 60 seconds to notice how it feels in your body. Is it a hot or cold feeling? Tight feeling anywhere? What thoughts are you thinking?? Feeling the feeling instead of eating is a key to BREAKING the emotional eating habit, rather than turning to another coping mechanism. 

Want to learn how to break up with your cravings and strict diets and lose weight in a maintainable way?? Click below to download my free ebook.