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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Intuitive Eating:
Another WLS Tool

We all know that WLS is only one tool in our pursuit of a healthy body and mind. To that end we must constantly educate ourselves and indeed arm ourselves with other tools to work in tandem with the WLS so that we achieve our health and wellness goals.

One of the latest buzzwords is "Intuitive Eating". "Intuitive eating teaches a philosophy of making peace with food preferences and choices, with the understanding that balance and wisdom regarding nutrition will emerge." Elyse Resch, co-author of "Intuitive Eating: A revolutionary Program that Works" was quoted in this month's "Food & Fitness Advisor" from Cornell University. She claims that many of us label certain foods "good" or "bad" in a process of deprivation, which ultimately leads to bingeing and sabotage efforts at healthful eating. She counsels to quit judging food and take an intuitive approach to eating.

"Lifting the ban on so-called "bad" foods eliminates associated feelings of deprivation and guilt. Over time, intuitive eaters taper off from eating excessive amounts of these items and become more able to enjoy them in quantities good for maintaining a normal weight and healthy lifestyle."

So how can this philosophy work with the WLS lifestyle? Certainly in the malabsorptive-restrictive procedures (gastric bypass) certain foods must be banned or illness results. In addition, as you have heard me say so often, "If you eat the foods that caused obesity before surgery, they will surely cause obesity after surgery." So in a sense we in the WLS lifestyle do assign judgment to foods: crackers = bad, lean deli-turkey = good.

What I suggest and am in personal pursuit of is "learned intuitive eating." To that end I am approaching my food selections with the question, "Will this food choice give me energy, satiate my hunger, satisfy my taste and sustain my healthy weight?" By engaging in this dialog I'm becoming more skilled at intuitive choices because I want energy, satiation, satisfaction while staying a healthy weight.

What about you - - How can you apply the concept of intuitive eating in your WLS lifestyle?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Intuitive eating is very effective really. And it's easy in use. And you can eat everything. You live in harmony with your body, more precisely your mine is in harmony whith your body.