Intuitive Eating

What is Intuitive Eating?!

That was my response when I expressed my frustration with being at peace with food on my Instagram, and so many readers reached out telling me about IE. I thought… Wow. How have I not heard about this before? I started looking into it, and sure enough… it’s been around since the ‘80s. Funny enough, most of us haven’t heard of it until now — turns out, historically IE is a program used to help heal eating disorders, not make money. HUGE difference from diet culture. If that’s not glaringly obvious that everything related to weight loss and diet in our society is MONEY driven… I don’t know what else is.

It wasn’t long after that I stumbled upon Steph Dodier’s Instagram page. The way she explained things and spoke about it all… I knew she was speaking from experience and I felt like I could relate to her 100%. I reached out to her to see if we could do some video therapy sessions. At this point, I had been getting a massive amount of messages from readers looking for answers and the fact is: I don’t know the answers. I am figuring it out as I go, like we all are. Doing a video therapy session was the only way I knew how to convey to my audience what I was going through.

I am now about 6 months into my journey to intuitive eating, and it’s a journey. I definitely recommend having someone walk through it with you - especially if you have been ruled by diet culture your entire life like myself.

You can see my last 8 therapy sessions with Steph Dodier on IGTV here, I highly recommend starting from the beginning to see if you can relate to my situation.

As an intuitive eating expert, Steph rounded up the best intuitive eating resources, body neutrality resources and Health at Every Size resource, including the books, blog, podcast, programs and courses for you.

Intuitive eating and body neutrality are increasingly becoming popular among women for a number of good reasons. For one, it’s been proven to lead to positive health outcomes. Also, both are healthy approaches that put you in control of your eating behaviors and body image. Health at every size is the overarching weight-neutral health principle that drives the foundation of both intuitive eating & body neutrality.

If you’re looking to ditch diet culture, make peace with food and with your body:

this resource page is for you… keep reading.

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is an evidence-based approach to eating that allows you to be the expert of your own body. This self-care eating framework enables you to develop a healthy relationship with food and your body. It teaches you to trust your ability to meet your own needs, distinguish between physical and emotional hunger, and ultimately develop body wisdom.

Eating intuitively is well-researched and proven health framework supported by more than 100 intuitive eating studies as of 2020. - Steph Dodier

Body Neutrality

Body Neutrality is actually a term I prefer to use over “body positivity.” The body pos movement has been fantastic, sure. But it does place this overwhelming expectation that we MUST love our bodies. When we can’t reach that expectation, it triggers shame. Shame is extremely damaging. When I was finally able to get to a place where I became NEUTRAL - realizing that my body and how it looks does not equal my worth… that is when I noticed big, deep, real changes from within.

What is body neutrality?

Body Neutrality is about empowering you to embrace yourself as you are, including the parts you don’t like about yourself. Its focus is to avoid self-hate while simultaneously relieving you from the pressure of having to love your body.

Body neutrality recognizes that not everyone is going to love every part of themselves all the time because that’s an unrealistic expectation to say the least. The goal is to respect and accept your body for what it is - and that’s it. - Steph Dodier

Health at Every Size (HAES)

Truthfully, I haven’t reached the point yet where I am fully ready to embrace Health at Every Size, since I am still processing and moving through past traumas related to so many programs and disordered eating patterns that had to do with self-care. But this is something I plan on conquering this year.

What is HAES?

Health at Every Size is a philosophy and an approach to health. Linda Bacon, PhD, an advocate for body positivity, wrote the book Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. The book demonstrated through health at every size research and studies that health behaviors influence health more than weight.

The HAES movement promotes the simple truth that all bodies are good bodies. It shifts the focus away from dieting for weight control. Instead, it steers you toward self-care practices that support your body’s natural wisdom and vitality. - Steph Dodier

So what now?

Meet Stephanie Dodier, take a look around all of these resources she has put together, and see what she has to say. Watch my therapy sessions with her, and take advantage of all of the free information she willingly gives on her Instagram page. Then decide what path is right for you. She didn’t come up with this process, but she was the first person I came across whom I felt like I could totally relate to. Once you start discovering other nutritionists doing the same sort of thing on IG, you’ll notice most of them are living in smaller bodies. I found it refreshing that Steph lives in a larger body, to be honest. Because even though people can be rail thin and have eating disorders worse than I do… they’ll never know what it feels like to not be able to fit in a chair. Or not be able to walk into a store and shop their size. It’s a different kind of trauma.

For me, before discovering Steph I tried to do the Intuitive Eating workbook by Evelyn Tribole (which is fantastic, by the way) - but I am just not a book person. Now that I am more in tune with myself, I am going to try doing it again. But if you are as lost as I was 6 months ago… it might be better to start with a conversation - with someone like Stephanie who can help.

Like I said earlier, she has provided tons of resources and gives a lot of free support on the internet. But if you need more than that, like I did and still do from time to time, she does offer several different ways she can help you.

Intuitive Eating Resources

If you are ready to learn intuitive eating there are 3 levels of resources for you.

#1 INTUITIVE EATING BOOKS

Evelyn Tribole is the ultimate intuitive eating expert, Stephanie’s teacher and mentor. She has dedicated her career to training health professionals with the intuitive eating framework. All of the programs at Going Beyond the Food are certified by The Original Intuitive Eating Pro®.

The Intuitive Eating Book

The Intuitive Eating Workbook

#2 STRUCTURED ONLINE EATING PROGRAM

The Intuitive Eating Project is a 5 week online program. A self-study program to teach you Intuitive Eating, supported by a private online community and dozens of videos, guides and integration exercises. Lead by Stephanie, Intuitive Eating Expert (Stephanie Dodier CNP).

#3 INTUITIVE EATING PROGRAM - PRIVATE COUNSELING

Two options for you:

#1 If you want to work with a local intuitive eating certified counselor you can visit this directory to locate someone to work with you 1-1.

#2 If you would like to work with Steph 1-1 you can visit this intuitive eating coaching page on her website to read more on the coaching programs and submit your application. Steph’s 1-1 coaching is inclusive of body neutrality and health at every size along with intuitive eating.

Health at Every Size Resources

Ready to relearn health and adopt a weight neutral approach to health? I have a few options for you. 3 levels of resources for you:

#1: HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE BOOKS

The first place to get started is to read Dr. Linda Bacon Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. Think of this book as the bible of the weight neutral approach to health.

Next, Steph suggests Christie Harrison book Anti-Diet. Her book is very well research and structured for you to understand why health is available to you now!

#2 HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE COURSE

If you are looking for a step by step structured program to teach how to support your health in a weight neutral holistic methodology:

Going Beyond The Food Health Mastery is a 9 module curriculum that will teach you how to support your body towards best health without having to lose weight, restrict food or take supplements! This program is taught by Stephanie Dodier CNP.

#3 HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE PRIVATE COUNSELING

If you want to work with a health at every size care provider (yes, they exist!) you can visit this directory to locate someone to work with you 1-1.

This has been a journey I’ve been on for a while. If you’re curious to know more about that, head to this page.