"I feel guilty that I missed a workout" versus "I feel disappointed that I missed a workout." I thought that was a great way to differentiate working out with a diet mentality from working out for health.
I feel this! I used to force myself to work out because I didnt want to feel guilty.. I discovered a routine I love (weight lifting and cardio dance) and when gyms closed for coronavirus, I realized how much I missed the interaction and how much I missed the sore muscles, but I didn’t feel guilty that I hadn’t done it. I cannot wait to get back to it Monday when gyms open back in Texas because I love the way it makes me feel. Huge difference!
also I love that you are so open to different experiences and opinions - I'm the same as you in that my orthorexia and binge eating history has informed my hate of calorie counting etc!
Intuitive eating taught me that the brownie is a brownie, eat it and move onto a nourishing next meal. In the past, I would have eaten 6 brownies and a whole pizza because “I already messed up today”. As a result, I have lost weight and started moving more. But, I do use my Apple Watch fitness app to track my movement.
@@lulumvs9869 Nope, lost weight. Initially I was jogging every other day for 20-40 minutes then stopped when it got cold. Now I'm doing light stretching at night, 30 crunches and 10 push-ups daily. Sometimes I'll do a long walk or yoga but I won't get back into anything too much until everything defrosts.
I’m at a healthy weight but mentally am not healthy. I’m recovering from chronic calorie counting and bad relationship with food. I have lost touch with my intuition over the years and I’m trying to get it back but not gain weight just improve my mentality. Can you touch on intuitive eating for those covering from eating disorders?
@@AbbeysKitchen YES ABBEY PLEASE! I have been recovering for about 9 months but i only recently stopped calories counting and I find im still aproximating in my head and im afraid ill gain so much weight without monitoring my intake. How can we regain trust?
Carolina Jorge calorie counting programs were created after it became normal to eat a diet with too high in calories, resulting in excess weight gain or eating disorders. when you eat a diet primarily consistent with our natural history (whole grains, starchy veg, legumes, some fruit and veg, minimal nuts, seeds, avocados, little or animal foods and no highly processed foods) it is unnecessary to count calories or restrict eating, and you can eat until full.
If you are in recovery from an eating disorder or subclinical disordered eating...you should consult a registered dietician who specializes in intuitive eating/HAES. A well-trained dietician in this area will know exactly how you walk you through the process. Know that when recovering from an ED, it can take MANY YEARS to fully find comfort in intuitive eating. It will be an uncomfortable process, but well worth it and very interesting (if you allow it to be). You really need the individual time with an RD who you trust...not just a youtube video series.
I have been in recovery from many types of eating disorders. I had time to run through many of them in 30 years. I am now 61. I am proud and praying for your journey as it can be bumpy but doable and well worth sticking to. I found that accountability helped me a lot but supportive people who had been there done that helped the most. I pray you have some people to accompany you on your journey.
i’ve had an unhealthy relationship with food ever since i can remember. as a child, i was always an “early bloomer” and bigger than the other kids my age. i’ve struggled with body image and dieting since my pre-teens (diet culture messes up 12-year-olds too). i’m currently 16, still working through some stuff, but i’m learning to listen to my body and live to be healthy, not skinny. thank you for your videos, they really help💕💕
so happy to find a dietitian like you on youtube! i've been fat literally my whole life, and when i was in middle and high school especially, my mom put me on every diet out there--low-carb, WW, you name it. they were never permanent solutions, and they always made me feel worse about myself. i discovered the basics of IE/HAES philosophy in college and stopped trying to lose weight, and it absolutely changed my life. i haven't owned a scale in years. i eat better, i enjoy exercise more, and i feel so much better about myself. excited to look through the videos in this series and learn even more about IE!
I had dieted several times in a very restrictive way. Now in my 30s when I tried to start restricting calories it MESSED WITH MY MIND! All of a sudden I was in a binge restrict cycle. It was scary. Here to explore other options. It's so emotional. I added these videos to watch later weeks ago, glad I felt ready to watch them today. Hoping to start meeting with a nutritionist very soon. Thank you for using your voice!
I'm the exact same. I quickly become obsessive about logging my intake. I stopped when I noticed I was beating myself up t for eating more calories one day than I did the previous day. I started seeing my calorie guide (fitbit) as a limit and aimed to get as low as possible. Of course this was followed by binging and hating myself. Repeat cycle several times. Now I stay away from calorie counting.
As someone who is trying hard to reevaluate guilt and shame in my life in general, I really appreciate your videos. I honestly never realized that my "healthy" upbringing had such an effect on the feelings I have toward my body, food, and exercise. Also, I am vegan simply because it is important to me and for my mental health to know that I do not need to harm others simply to survive. But it can be hard to not get wrapped back up into diet culture or orthorexic thinking when looking at vegan influencers' content. Very appreciative of your perspective.
Check out Madeleine Olivia if you haven't already. She doesn't talk about intuitive eating specifically, at least I haven't noticed her doing so, but her way of eating I think IS intuitive and accessible, and she's just so lovable (:
I've been a vegan for 13-14 years, and recently started eating more intuitively as a vegan. Love it. Registered Dietitian - Sadia Baidia's Pick Up Limes website is amazing!! It works for a Vegan and Intuitive Eating individual.
I'm in the same boat, trying to re-evaluate guilt and shame. I had no idea either the effect it has had on my attittude towards my body and how detrimental it has been toward my mental health and how I feel about myself in general.
So I know that you wrote this comment a long time ago, but check out the "Pick Up Limes" channel. Sadia is a vegan RDN who believes in intuitive eating, and she is honestly a joy to watch, regardless of whether or not you are a vegan.
I used a calorie counting app for about 3 months earlier this year and I found it really helpful! It helped me to learn what is actually in my food (it also told me rough carb, protein and fat percentages) and helped me to re-evaluate my snacking behaviours which were slightly out of control. Coming face to face with the amount of rubbish I was actually putting in my body really helped me to change my behaviours and focus more on whole foods, vegetables and making sure I am eating enough protein because unless it was a day when I ate chicken I basically ate none and I didn’t even realise! I can really see how it could be detrimental to people who struggle with control and disorder eating issues but thanks for giving it’s slight shout out 👍🏻 if you use it in a healthy way, more for education than for tracking each exact mouthful it can really help and now I have a better idea of what I’m eating I don’t need to use it anymore!
I agree! Calorie counting has really helped me break away from binge eating by helping me get a better, tangible perspective on what I eat and proper proportions! As a result I have mostly overcome bingeing! There are times, however, that I do feel in an unhealthy mentality of calorie counting, but when I notice this I walk away until I feel like I can go about it in a non moral mindset again!
Listened to the side effects of dieting and started sobbing. It’s all me. I’m just starting on a journey towards intuitive eating and hearing that confirmed for me that I’m doing the right thing. I’m terrified
I am soo thankful for you. My disordered eating started with bulimia, and evolved into not eating, and then used diet culture to cultivate an unhealthy life style. I needed you right now.
I love your message. I am so tired of the mental struggle, anxiety, and depression that comes along with dieting. Thank you for focusing on behaviors and easing into these changes, so refreshing. I already feel better.
Can’t thank you enough for this. Your educated perspective is such a fresh breeze from what I’m used to. Diet culture is ingrained so deep in me that I almost feel an emotional release as I watch you talk about this. I think it’s something I’ve needed to hear for years. I’ve had this thinking in the back of my mind for so long, and people around me saying that I NEED to lose weight to be healthy but in reality that only worsened my relationship with food. Jesus, I could cry at the moment. Thank you for existing Abbey ❤️
The Intuitive Eating book has been the best purchase I've ever made. Learning to trust my body, learning to listen and actually hear my body (pushing away the diet and ED voice) has been so great. I feared the whole "bingeing forever" element, but I've learned that bingeing is ONLY a result from physical or emotional restricting. I still have diet related thoughts with labeling food and myself, but it's getting easier to catch them, and I now know there's hope to one day have food freedom. I look forward to this series. :)
This is such a great video! I’m not overweight, but I have a horrible relationship with food. I eat when I’m tired, stressed or to release emotions. I was trying to be healthy, but I ended up so confused that I cannot tell for sure when I’m hungry or full, and I don’t even know what I like anymore. I bought the intuitive eating book and started the process two months ago. I know it’s going to be a long journey but I’m glad I’m in it. This series is going to be very helpful for me! Thanks!
I went from restrictive(orthorexic (“recovering,” obsessing over macros/calories)~>back to restrictive (prone to binging because of mental restriction)~>allowing myself to eat what I enjoy and makes me feel good, thanks to your videos!! Except, for me, rather than calling it “intuitive eating” or “eating mindfully,” I’m just eating! I’ve begun rejecting the diet mentality and I’m continuing to give my body and mind the clarity and abundance it deserves
This feels like the perfect start to the new year. If you had asked me even a month ago what my goals for my eating would be in January 2025 I would have told you about a $400 dollar weight loss program I was planning to join. But something in me just said no this time. I can't keep doing what I am doing, it's not working. Instead I want to heal my relationship with food. Sure, eating (at least relatively) healthfully is important to me and since it's my body I am not guilty or ashamed to say that I want to lose weight. Not because I am unhappy with how I look but because I know that when I was less heavy I had more energy and less joint pain. But I am taking this intuitive eating journey to the best of my ability and we will see where it goes because I am just DONE with the dieting. No more meal plans, no more calorie counting, no more oil free (so over that!!)... I am an ethical vegan and now my motto will simply be "if it's vegan I can eat it." Here's to a joyful and free 2025.
I am regularly seeing my dietian and she recommended me Abbey's channel.This is exactly what she has been teaching me. Waiting for the rest of the series, it looks super informative:)
Hey Abbey! I used to focus so much on weight loss and it caused me to fail constantly. Since I have been watching your channel I have learned that focusing on health is a long term sustainable way to live rather than just trying to make myself smaller.
I am post ESG (endoscopic sleeve gastroscopy - non surgical), and although I am still at the beginning of my journey, my food intake is more restricted (for obvious reasons!) I want to learn a lot more about intuitive eating and stop continuously tracking every bite I take and every step I make! Thanks Abbey 🙏❤🙏
Hi Abby, I'm so glad I found your channel! I learned a lot about myself and that my realationship with food is complicated sometimes (I do not have an eating disorder, but I think/thought too much about what was healthy etc.). After a difficult time in my life (depression, drug addiction) I wanted to start over and do everything right - work out, eat healthy, get my shit together, but it didn't work the way I expected and I developed an unhealthy body image. I started therapy and I'm feeling a lot better already. I'm not an intuitive eater yet but I'm on my way. Just wanted to thank you for your time and effort and your sensibility with this topic. Your channel is great and I wish you and your family all the best
I am so thankful you're delving into this topic so thoroughly! It is complex for sure! I appreciate the evidence-based, respectful tone of your channel.
Calorie counting really healed my relationship with food, it forced me to come to terms with my emotional and foggy eating habits pretty much overnight. Also, writing things down helps me not to overeat (or binge eat sometimes). I was on the verge of an eating disorder, it was life saving for me. When I am at a healthier weight and more in tune with my body, I will possibly stop. I don't count compulsively, some days I don't count at all, but i feel like I'm improving my relationship with food a lot. I honestly have always hated restrictive so much I am surprised this works
I feel the same way. When I’ve tried eating intuitively I end up getting to a place where I’m over eating and eating when I’m physically full I don’t know how people can so easily not eat when they’re full. I can get eating when you’re hungry but food tastes good and sometimes I want to eat certain foods even when I’m not hungry. When I track my food (not necessarily count calories but keep a log of everything I’ve eaten and can really see it) I can remind myself that I’m not hungry and that’s for GOOD reason. That I’ve already filled myself with so much food. I would say I have a better relationship with food than some but more and more I try and focus on how Food is Fuel. If I already have a full tank I can get to where I wanna go but to keep pouring fuel into the tank isn’t going to make it run better than just a normal full amount of fuel.
@@clairedillon6168 Same. I would eat until I felt sick, and I was so ashamed that I would try to vomit after binging or starve myself on other days. I had become afraid of food.
Me too! I simply had no Idea of normal portion sizes! Counting made me realize what they are. I still do it most days..it became a habit haha. but I dont obsess over it. It makes me feel proud when I see where I came from not having a clue and now intuitively put together 3 meals a day that more or less fit in with what I need to sustain myself.
SeiraVonKarma thats the thing there is no such thing as “over eat” unless you hurt yourself. Potion sizes are different for everyone. It seems like just more diet and weight lose scemes
Hi abby. I would like to thank you. Thank you so so much for being such a reasonable and considerate person. The way you address every single point you want to make, makes my heart warm. I got quite confused and tired of the extremes presented on social media. It’s either Health at every size extreme or diet culture extreme. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. You have really changed the way I look at food. You have given me actually useful tools to apply and look out for. Not only by saying hey eat intuitively. Because oh lord, I sure didn’t know what that meant 5 years ago for example. You actually give tips and tools. This comment is already way too long, but way too short to express my gratitude towards your existence. Thank you Abby! Muchos love from London ♥️
Some people need to lose weight in order not to die, specially if they are 200-300 kg. So the damage from diet is preferable than dying from food addiction... I understand your point, but some people need this desperately in order to live. I understand that my struggle with 58 kg is bullshit for some people and I agreed this does not mean I am unhealthy, but if you feel bad in these kg, its better to try to improve your way of eating. This is what I try to do now. Just trying to be in a better shape and health.
I am very glad I found an app in development called "you ate". You set goals. Any goals. It does not track amounts or calories. You can take a picture or write what you ate and then set If this meal was in alingment with your goals or not with no other connotations whether it's good or bad. I mean I'd love eating fully intuitive but my ADHD prevents me from remembering or being in tune with myself. So I use this app to help me remember what I ate and whether I liked it. And when. So that when I go for half a bag of doritos i can go "why?" Instead of just doing it and feeling nauseous. Often I'm tired or would prefer to eat something else.
I’m very late to this video, but I was excited to get the app you recommended and it wasn’t in the App Store! I’m trying one Ate Food Diary listed as a mindful intuitive meal journal. Fingers crossed!
Yes Abby, Yes! I know I need to lose weight because of my health. My doctor has said so but I have been told this since I was 13 (a great thing to tell a 13 year old.) All of the things you listed happened. Now with the help of a therapist and listening to my body over the past year I have been slowly loosing the weight in a healthy way for the first time in my life. I know this doesn’t happen for everybody but my goal was just to eat healthy and listen to my body and so far so good. Thank you
Just started intuitive eating not by choice but by just trying to eat healthier. I hope I will reach all of my goals and your videos really help me going towards the right direction. So thank you 😊
The good diet vs bad diet phrases are exactly the conversations I have with myself when I'm trying to plan a carb heavy meal or something with lots of butter. Have to talk myself into allowing myself to have it. I know it will take time to work on this and have it be more effortless. Thank you for all your videos Abbey, I'm hooked!!
I loved the extra bits where future-you jumped in to remind people to find what works for them and whatnot. I've been using a food-tracking app for the last couple months. I've always had a fairly intuitive approach to eating, which works well most of the time, but can lead to fairly unhealthy eating when I'm depressed or very busy. But since a brain injury over a year ago, I've had a lot of trouble with executive function, pain, memory, etc, and I've developed digestive issues as well. Using an app to track things means I notice patterns that I didn't before; like how a little bit too much fiber can mess up my digestion, and how I feel better overall on days when I eat more protein. And I can go back to check how much water I've had and if I've taken my multi. I also wear a fitness tracker watch. I got it primarily to track my heart rate (long story. Heart palpitations, finally got a cardiologist recently). But the step and exercise tracker functions are also useful for reminding me to get some exercise, and also reminding me not to overdo it. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series! These tools really help me right now, and with such low energy and forgetfulness, I desperately need all the help I can get. But I don't want to get sucked into the obsessive diet culture that they often accompany.
Dear Abbey, i am so glad i found you on TH-cam. I am struggeling a lot with this diet mentality... It's hard to separate yourself from all this crazy stuff, especially when you're young. But you helped me, thank you Abbey - greetings from Germany :)
Intuitive eating x intermittent fasting has changed my life and saved me. I don't fear carbs as much as I did, I'm starting to feel better by eating more, and I'm not obsessive over trying to eat as little as possible and burn them off. I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely getting there. This chanel is amazing too!!
I'm sure other people have asked this and you might touch on this when you talk about nutrition, but my biggest concern is how to trust my body, my cravings, my hunger cues, etc. when they aren't healthy. What I mean by this is I hardly ever feel motivated to cook my own meals and/or I'm constantly craving fast food. I will also find myself using delivery services as my primary source of food. So for me, my body constantly craves these things and I usually only eat when I'm hungry. But I know the foods I mostly consume are not healthy. I know I'm not getting the right amounts of fruits and veggies, but I don't crave those things. So how can I trust my body and eat intuitively if what my body wants and craves is not healthy?
La'Tia Smith totally. It’s a process. I’ll touch on this in part 2 and also part 10. But it needs to START w rejecting the diet mentality. Even if you’re not physically restricting, holding onto notions about healthy food vs unhealthy food keeps us in scarcity mode and you’ll be unable to actually listen and hear what kind of foods make you feel best.
La'Tia Smith i know, right?? All i ever crave for is processed foods, like chocolate, cookies, chips, etc. Ive never had a craving for broccoli or salmon. How am i supposed to trust my body when all it ever wants is processed food snacks??
It’s about gentle nutrition! You mainly eat whole foods but you allow yourself the pleasure foods as well and when you learn to listen to hunger cues, you won’t overeat the pleasure foods. It’s okay if everything you wat isn’t “healthy,” what counts is if you listen to what your body wants and needs.
Hailey Elianna i dont think i can hear what my body wants and needs then because it always just wants processed foods. Also, ive had disordered eating for the past 24yrs, ever since i became anorexic my sophomore yr of high school. Im either restricting my diet, lose weight, or binge eating on processed foods, gaining the weight back (and then some). I cant seem to coast in the middle - its either one extreme or the other. I think ive been in this torturous cycle for so long, i dont know how to properly hear what my bodys trying to tell me
Serra Hwang You should definitely read the Intuitive Eating book and the accompanying workbook is great. I know how scary it is but I promise that embracing intuitive eating is the best thing ever 💜 It may take some time and practice but you can definitely get there, you deserve to be at peace with food and your body. You can always search for a RD that is “anti-diet” like Abbey to work with (: xx
I'm vegan for ethical reasons. It's not restrictive to me when I'm home, but it can be in social situations or at restaurants. I don't see animal products as off limits because I'm afraid of them making me fat, but I do keep them off limits because I don't want to contribute to something I don't agree with. Can that still be intuitive?
Yes it can! I am an intuitive eater, vegan, whole foods. Works fine. In real short animal products are not food to me so they dont register as something I want to eat. It is kinda funny tho, years ago if I wanted to treat myself I got like croissants for breakfast, now it means eating oatmeal with nuts and fruits and such, and I am so happy with that meal, just as I used to be with the other things I ate. It doesnt feel restrictive because the things I dont eat are not food to me. I eat about 80% or so whole foods but when I want to I go for the fake meats or snacks....but since they are expensive I hardly do that ;)
I was vegan for a while and I ended up craving a lot of foods that were off limits to me. I ended up binging like crazy for an entire summer when I switched to being vegetarian because I could eat all the stuff I had been craving for so long. The way I see it is that you’re still making a HUGE difference if you eat 99% or 95% vegan, and if you do crave something non-vegan once in a while, allowing yourself to have it isn’t the end of the world, especially if you still aim for sustainable/ethical non-vegan options. A lovely girl I follow on Instagram does this. She is “plant-based”/vegan but has chicken and other things once in a while when she craves it and I think that’s totally okay.
Okay, I'm hearing you, Abbey; and I agree with you. This is actually what I talk about with clients when teaching them how to get into a healthy and positive mindset.
I was always ok with the way I looked, but I know that being overweight is not healthy. It is such a shame that society has accepted it for soooo long that we don't even know how a healthy weight should look like. I was constantly dieting from the age of 12, and I got sick of it mentally, so I started to just eat healthy plant-based foods, and all my junk food cravings are disappeared! I do not crave them at all. I excluded oil from my diet, and I started to lose weight. Now I feel soo much better, and it is not just the food. But the mentality, because when I tried to diet I ALWAYS failed and felt guilty. But now, I just simply eat what works best for me, and try to do as good as I can. No cheat days, no more guilt. PS ABBY IS SINGING! WHAAAAT? Love you ♥
I'm so excited to follow your intuitive eating series! I have been trying to follow intuitive eating since I realized that dieting didn't work for me, and counting calories made me start to develop an ED.
Hi Abbey! I just want you to know that this series helped me so much. I have a really bad relationship with food because of how much i try to restrict myself with certain things, and also the fact that my mentality with nutrition if horrible with everything Ive learned. This helped me so much and honestly I think itll help me in the long term. I think ive fully recovered thanks to you.
I really appreciate your opinion and how you acknowledge that some things like calorie counting can be negative, but also work for some people. I know from my personal experience its been super negative, but currently, its been improving my mental health. I used to be unhealthy and a lot heavier, I lost 20kg and had to re learn how to eat again. At first I became obsessed with tracking and it was really negative to my mental health, but now I just use it as a guide to make sure I'm eating portions that arent too big, and its keeps me on top of my snacking behaviour. I struggled losing weight because of the "sneaky calories" so logging my food helped me realise this was a bad habit as I was eating when I wasn't hungry. But now I'm doing so much better and seeing better progress at gym and personal health. This worked for me, and may not work for everyone so please seek medical advice first and I hope everyone the best with their health 💜
I don’t know if you intentionally posted this on the day before Thanksgiving, but thank you! Just what I needed to see to get my mind in a good, healthy place before tomorrow.
This looks really good. I really don't like the thought of dieting, even though I am overweight at the moment, because I feel like my Mum has been forever dieting and I don't want to do that. Neither do I want my daughter to see me worrying about it all the time. I was also always made to finish my meal and still feel like I have to! Our children are just told that they can have desert if they eat the main meal but they don't have to finish it. They can have fruit any time, whether they have finished their meal or not. I'm really excited to see the rest of this series!
I love all of your videos and I love your point of view on things. I’m so happy you’re doing a series on this. I’ve struggled with eating for a very long time and I’m looking forward to watching this series and learning from it. Thank you so much, Abbey!
The only thing I’m binging .... is your videos. I. Can’t. Stop. First and only TH-cam I’ve ever subscribed to. Sorry to fan girl out on you but you are so poised, knowledgeable, and fierce! I have been introduced to so many new things, the level of food toxicity on social media (old millennial here 🤷🏻♀️), the need to change our language which is so powerful TO empower, and INTUITIVE EATING! I ordered the book and I’m so excited to read it and start on the journey to CHANGE THE WAY I LOOK AT MYSELF! I’m a chef and culinary instructor so your videos are feeding my soul on sooooooo many levels and I plan to pass on so much of this information to my students 💕 Okay. Fan girl moment over. You’rethebestokbye.
Calorie counting helped me to be more conscious of what I eat. I realise with calorie counting that I was actually under eating. I can now eat more my performance in the gym is better and I actually lost body fat. So I am loving it. Yes I use a food scale yes I use my fitness pal and yes I am more healthy and yes I am more happy.
Hi, Abbey. First of all, I wanna say thank you. About 3 weeks ago, my relationship with food was so poor. Then I found your videos which really helped me to decide to rebuild my relationship with food. I must admit that diet culture helped me to build up a good eating and excising habit. However, diet also makes me feel anxious after eating delicious food and then I just start a more strict diet. However, after the strict diet, I couldn't help to eat tons of biscuits, banana chips, gelato and chocolate even though my body told me I was full. The condition has circled for 2-3 weeks and I felt guilty and dispressed at that time. After watching your video, I have escaped from the vicious circle and feel more relaxed. I still weigh myself but I'm not so care about the number anymore. Now I enjoy my home-cooked "healthy meal" but I also don't feel bad after eating a feast in my friend's birthday party. I think I'm starting my own intuitive eating and I'm quite happy about it, many many thanks to you!
I really appreciate this video it is clearly something you believe in and you're still striving to make those who don't feel like they can do it feel welcome to still learn more. I've said before I think intuitive eating is not right for me at the moment but there are principles that I can take from intuitive eating as I strive for my own lifestyle changes.
As a person who’s chronically ill I know that some of these things can be really helpful for us, like fitbits to track your heart rate or counting calories or sugar or other nutrients that might be hard for you to get, or that you have to avoid because of a medication etc. Weighing yourself can also be incredibly important for people who struggle to keep weight up because of lack of appetite due to medications or illness
I'm trying to break up with diet culture and change my way of thinking about food and your channel has been so helpful to me! I will say my FitBit has been very helpful to me only because I have some serious chronic illness issues and was bed ridden for a time and I use my tracker to measure how much physical activity I can handle. Like it was celebration at one point when I could do 500 steps a day. Now as I've recovered quite a bit, I know I can handle a day that amounts to 6,000 steps but if I go over that, my body will crash hard. I use this when we do family day trips and such so I know when my body is reaching it's limit and know when I need to stop and rest or bow out for the rest of the day. Admittedly this is not the purpose most people use a FitBit for but just thought I'd throw it out there. I still have a long way to go in changing the way I eat and think about food and want to thank you for all of your work and helpful content!
Abbey, thank you for this series! My therapist recommended I check you out, as I have orthorexia, and am also dealing with the beginnings of IVF. I appreciate your insight and advice, and I am trying to let go of my disordered tendencies, as I can. You are helping me so much, with the videos and the other resources that you provide.
When weight loss is discussed with health improvements, why is it just the big things like heart disease and diabetes? What about the myriad of 'small' positive effects related to weight loss? I've had about 3 health related issues disappear after I lost weight. One (disturbed sleep) was effecting me almost everyday. It's gone, hopefully never to return. 5:52 I'm going to give Abby a challenge. Put on 20 kilograms and see if you still feel that way.
Your videos have really really helped me. I started intuitive eating at the start of the pandemic. At first I had no clue what to do and ate whatever I wanted. My body craved carbs then. A few months ago I discovered this series. That has helped me. I needed the gentle nutrition, nutritious foods, back in my life. Although I don’t like the videos where you review people’s diets. It’s triggering and although your reviews are often kind, I don’t know if you ask their permission? Maybe it triggers those you review that have disordered eating. Nonetheless, I am super grateful for the intuitive eating videos in particular. So thank you.
I have been on and off WW for years. It has taken me a long time, but now I realize that it is not working for me and that it has been giving me more anxiety than help. That is really hard to admit, because I have touted it as a really great program and lifestyle. However my mindset has begun to shift. I want to start at a foundation of not having anxiety and learning to really take control of food instead of it having power over me. I really appreciate these videos and can't wait to learn more about basically tapping into my own body's cues.
I'm happy I don't have diet thinking when it comes to exercising anymore. But through your videos I understood that I'm not yet completely over diet thinking regarding food. Thanks for helping me on my journey on overcoming this. Your channel opened my eyes.
Great video. Finally, I am so glad that someone is talking about this because I always think that most people around me (including me) have confined themselves to failure and few people who have succeeded are where they are because they give food priority. And I want food to be a no-brainer, natural fuel for the body. I did a lot of diet (and honestly as a vegetarian I'm still dieting), I did it with professional help and every time it took a huge toll on my mental health (with which I usually have no problem). Until recently, when I started having problems after eating a certain food (which my boyfriend would say I was addicted to) and I was like "no no, oh no, what am I going to do" and I continued to eat it with problems and then one day I he just spoke to himself: "Seriously, why it is bothering me, something so insignificant, you still have a lot of things that you enjoy" and I haven't had it since that day and I don't have the urge. He really goes down to the old saying that "what is forbidden tastes better". One thing that really makes me angry: Being overweight is like a green card for all unsolicited advice. "Oh, you will be thin if you do it and not! This and this" ... And I guess what is my purpose in life: to be thin or to be happy? I know my body better than you, I also know about risk and health problems, but it's not your place to call. (And unfortunately I was part of the problem when he was younger, skinny and healthy) I am gaining weight due to stress, I know it, I am experiencing it, but the society still thinks it's okay to add on a pile of my stress and would like me to feel guilty and failed. So again, I am very grateful for your video that helps me grow and understand the tactics of the diet society and that it is everywhere!
I am curious and determined to investigate this more. I got the Intuitive Eating book today and will watch more of your videos. My BED has been flaring lately very badly and I have lost and gained the same 15-20 pounds 3 times in the last 6 months without even consciously paying attention to it, that's how stuck I am in this cycle. I am very unhappy with my weight but trying to lose it has never worked long term so I am ready to try something new. So happy I found your awesome videos here. They are something I can feel good about binge-ing!
I thought I was intuitive but turns out that I have diet mentality. This video is a real wake up call for me. Firstly knowing that I have an unhealthy mindset with regards to food and secondly that I completely lack self awareness.
Abbey, these all sound beautiful. I want a positive relationship with food. I want to trust my body. I want to learn to follow intuitive cues. I'm gifting myself the book for Christmas. I cannot wait to work on my homework this week.
I think calorie counting is a helpful tool, a lot of people out there have no idea how much they're actually eating. Knowing how many calories are in the portions of the foods I habitually consume helps me know if I'm eating too much/too little. Nowadays I don't track my calories in apps or even weigh my food, I just eyeball and do some quick math to know how much I've eaten throughout the day, to make sure I stay within a healthy range. If I go over, I don't stress it, I just move on. And if I eat under my calories, I make sure to up my food intake the next day so I'm within that healthy range. I do need to improve on incorporating certain foods into my regular day-to-day instead of limiting them to "cheat days", but I do think calorie counting is helpful.
I'm on my week 2 of IE. I've finally faced all my eating errors and decided to take them down one by one. Excited to see the full series, because that's mostly what inspires me to keep going! Thanks for making this video.
You are a blessing. I just found you and I'm binging your videos. I think this is brilliant, even as I struggle in my relationship with food, it's very alien to me as someone who's been trying to lose weight for the majority of my adult life.
Love your videos! You have helped me make better choices and be compassionate to myself. I wish you were in my area, I’d totally go to you as a dietician! ❤️
Fellow dietitian here - hayyy 🙋♀️ love seeing more awesome dietitians on TH-cam and even more so... dietitians talking about intuitive eating! 💙 keep spreading that message girl!
this is great :) it took a long time but I started doing this myself about 5 years ago. it made such a big difference in how I view food and weight, and It made me realize how negative my relationship with food and my weight was. it also really helps when I'm encouraging my husband and kids to make good choices with food too.
I practiced intuitive eating years ago for about ten weeks and I lost 26lbs. It works. I went back to emotional eating- not taking responsibility in certain areas of my life. But now I am getting back on track with the help of God and grace.
I found it really helpful to not worry too much about what I *shouldn't* eat, but more about what I *should* eat. What I want for breakfast doesn't matter, nothing is forbidden, BUT it has to include at least a bit of fruit or a bit or veggies. I love eating left over cake for breakfast (when I got some) but I also eat an apple or some joghurt with berries. So all in all it comes out more balanced and I feel less like eating more cake. Same for lunch, everything is okay, BUT it has to have veggies, preferably a lot. The rest can be anything what I feel like. I felt like these very simple rules made it so much easier to get everything else more healthy. But I have to add, that I already ate relatively healthy anyways. Just snacked a lot and ate very carb heavy, I have a lot of cravings and get hungry easily (still have cravings for sweets though, but that's okay). Incorporating more fat and protein really helped with cravings during the day. Not that I was avoiding them, but I just didn't have enough (e.g. bread with jam for breakfast).
T F this is amazing and the kind of advice I also love to give. I talked about this in my book mindful glow about a more additive approach vs elimination
I decided that soda and certain foods make me break out or be bloated and lethargic. I’ve yo-yo’d so many times, and get heavier each time I “fall off the wagon” of dieting. I’ve started to eat healthier but still had a cookie or fast food chicken sandwich or egg McMuffin if I was really craving one. I also have a soda now and then. I decided that I can sustain restricted eating for months to lose weight, but then I get to a point where I feel I have to have something “bad” and the binging begins. I’m thinking that intuitive eating may be good for me, since I do enjoy healthy foods and how I feel when I’m eating healthier but I can eat cookies or treats and not feel guilty or like I’m a failure. I can’t wait to view this series!
I started reading up on intuitive around four months ago before I started university, at the time I was 16.1 stone (which isn’t actually terrible because I’m 6foot3) I was pretty much the most unhealthy I had been. I don’t have a scale personally, but when I was at the gym today I weighed myself and I am currently down to 13.7 stone, which is a healthy BMI for me. I realise now, that my problem before was that my relationship with food was fundamentally flawed, I would force myself into huge calorie deficits, then binge eat when my appetite became too much for me to handle. Whereas now, I pretty much just eat what I feel like eating, and what seems to satisfy me/what looks healthy. it’s very liberating because now that I don’t see food as a source of guilt, I’ve actually been naturally eating more healthy foods, and Ive pretty much stopped binge eating altogether, this is because I never feel the need anymore. I have really unhealthy foods in my house, but now that I’m eating intuitively, I ironically don’t have as much inclination to eat them.
So happy you’re doing this series! I’ve been on my intuitive eating journey since April and the more resources there are the better. Hard shit but worth it!
I would LOVE to see an Abbey video about Weight Watchers! I think there is SO much to dive into there. I know she did the video about the WW kid’s app, but I want more!
Ironically, weighing my food and using a calorie&nutrition tracking app helped me in the ways you describe IE as helping. It's simple, unemotional data for me & completely different than when I tried restricting too much and then binged, and didn't see any results. I know how my choices are effecting me and can trust the process. I know eating at maintenance will keep my body the same and eating more or less will change my weight in a predictable way. One thing I really like about the app I use (Chronometer) is that I can see the past seven days averaged - it's helped me realize how overeating one day won't completely ruin my diet. Different strokes for different folks! A lot of people need to take a step back from obsessing over external data points but that doesn't mean the tools should be demonized like I sometimes see.
I am a huge fan of yours and watch most of your videos and only just discovered this series, and I am already reading the book so this is so great. Thank you :-)
Could you do a bit on binge eating and initiative eating please ? My issue is not knowing when to stop. I recognise in retrospect that I overate, but struggle to be present in the moment. There’s also an issue with waste. I hate wasting food. So even when I’m full, a part of my brain tells me to finish my plate, because I feel guilty throwing food away. Even if I put the leftovers in a lunchbox. I don’t want to eat that food the next day, so it’s not intuitive to force myself to eat the leftovers the next day. Many thanks Abbey, loving your open minded approach
Yes! And the setbacks feel shorter and further between, I find, in my own journey, it’s much easier to bounce out of the mentality of ‘binge’ or over indulgence the longer I practice intuitive eating. As a yoga practitioner/instructor and conscious consumer of animal products it might seem like second nature, but it’s a strong mental muscle to flex and I find the longer you Intuitive eat the easier it gets. Also totally agree on the watches - I witness it consume my students and took over me when fitbits FIRST came out .. absolutely counter productive and dishonest when it’s comes to the AUTHENTIC + GENUINE mind/body connection.
very very late to the party abbey... but you have been a god send. I have lost 50 lbs in the last few years but I got so focused on a specific number on the scale and that caused me to stop weight lifting because the number wasn't moving. I am trying to heal my relationship with food-it is so toxic. I have been binging your videos and I am starting to see the glass half full:) thank you for all of your advice!!
I think your advice is spot on. I've been using my intuition to get away from disordered eating and diet mentality and intuitively I was getting advice almost identical to what you were saying regarding food and exercise mentality as well as some other things.
I have discovered your channel just recently. Your videos really helped me to put the guilty feelings behind me and listen more to my body. However, I got used to count calories on my app and I like it. It helps me to put together balanced meals and avoid evening cravings. Of course, I had to learn not to feel guilty when exceeding calories but I feel more comfortable having the control. :D Thank you for your genuine and expert's opinions!!
I just discovered your channel and I absolutely love it, it helps me a lot and I think it is worth a try I have been up and down eating whatever I want then going back to calorie counting and so on.... totally feeling that number on the scale and good day or bad day mentality.. I think it is very hard also if people around you still think it is absolute necessary to "control" what you are eating and shaming every food decision you make... So thank you for helping with this circle of dieting and also I want to have a healthy relationship with my body and my food before getting pregnant and passing this awful disease of diet culture to my children I want them to have a guilt free mentality when it comes to food and eating...
This sounds so good in theory and I'm hoping to get here soon, but in practice my eating disorder has royally fucked up my "intuition". I'm in recovery and doing well and It's been a few years, but my body still doesn't always send the right signals. Sometimes my body doesn't know I should eat until I noticed I haven't eaten ANYTHING and it's 4pm, or until I'm in pain from eating too much. Do you think you could ever talk about how to "get intuitive" after an eating disorder? Thank you for your videos ❤️
I should also note that with ED specifically you need to work w a RD and therapist on mechanical feeding (eating every few hours) before you can actually dive into full IE so you can regain your hunger cues. More coming next week
This is really helpful!!! For a while I’ve been trying to find a system or something to help me eat better but portion control is hard for me that the recommended always had me feeling uncomfortable or even headaches. So I’m going start trying this but with some “cheating”. I’m keeping my fitness app/band because it motivates me to get moving and be active (never changed how I eat because of it) and my intermittent fasting app because it helps me keep track of water (I’ve had times of over and under hydrating) and because when I’m depressed I won’t always eat and it helps me to know when to at least have a meal replacement shake.
Hehe I love the back-and-forth switching between Switzerland Abbey and present Abbey :3 your videos are really helping me heal my relationship with food
I'm dealing with BED, and these videos have helped me incredibly. I'm still wearing my FitBit every day, however, I'm using it more for the reminders to move and the sleep/water tracking more than 'calories in/out'. Using the sleep tracker to see how much/little sleep I've gotten affected my hunger cues during the day has been quite interesting. I think the newer versions also have cycle trackers for people who menstruate, which has helped me see how my cycle impacts my sleep and resulting hunger as well.
"I feel guilty that I missed a workout" versus "I feel disappointed that I missed a workout." I thought that was a great way to differentiate working out with a diet mentality from working out for health.
Brittany Grillo yessss
I feel this! I used to force myself to work out because I didnt want to feel guilty.. I discovered a routine I love (weight lifting and cardio dance) and when gyms closed for coronavirus, I realized how much I missed the interaction and how much I missed the sore muscles, but I didn’t feel guilty that I hadn’t done it. I cannot wait to get back to it Monday when gyms open back in Texas because I love the way it makes me feel. Huge difference!
🎉😂g😮
😊i
I eat intuitively after experiencing eating disorders for years...it's bloody magical :)
also I love that you are so open to different experiences and opinions - I'm the same as you in that my orthorexia and binge eating history has informed my hate of calorie counting etc!
I’m so so so glad
+Melanie Murphy The videos that you made on the subject one or two years ago helped me a lot with my relationship towards food, thank you so much
Intuitive eating taught me that the brownie is a brownie, eat it and move onto a nourishing next meal. In the past, I would have eaten 6 brownies and a whole pizza because “I already messed up today”. As a result, I have lost weight and started moving more. But, I do use my Apple Watch fitness app to track my movement.
Wow that sounds so relatable!
I started intuitive eating and exercising moderately and I feel so much better about my body. I also happened to have lost weight.
Coopsickle 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Did you gain any weight when you started intuitive eating? And how much exercise did you do?
@@lulumvs9869 Nope, lost weight. Initially I was jogging every other day for 20-40 minutes then stopped when it got cold. Now I'm doing light stretching at night, 30 crunches and 10 push-ups daily. Sometimes I'll do a long walk or yoga but I won't get back into anything too much until everything defrosts.
Coopsickle awesome. I am learning IE, too, and struggling. This helped.
I bet you gained all that weight back stop making excuses
I’m at a healthy weight but mentally am not healthy. I’m recovering from chronic calorie counting and bad relationship with food. I have lost touch with my intuition over the years and I’m trying to get it back but not gain weight just improve my mentality. Can you touch on intuitive eating for those covering from eating disorders?
Raunwyn Cotogna of course. I will write it down ❤️
@@AbbeysKitchen YES ABBEY PLEASE! I have been recovering for about 9 months but i only recently stopped calories counting and I find im still aproximating in my head and im afraid ill gain so much weight without monitoring my intake. How can we regain trust?
@@AbbeysKitchen this is great! like how to listen to your body
Carolina Jorge calorie counting programs were created after it became normal to eat a diet with too high in calories, resulting in excess weight gain or eating disorders. when you eat a diet primarily consistent with our natural history (whole grains, starchy veg, legumes, some fruit and veg, minimal nuts, seeds, avocados, little or animal foods and no highly processed foods) it is unnecessary to count calories or restrict eating, and you can eat until full.
If you are in recovery from an eating disorder or subclinical disordered eating...you should consult a registered dietician who specializes in intuitive eating/HAES. A well-trained dietician in this area will know exactly how you walk you through the process. Know that when recovering from an ED, it can take MANY YEARS to fully find comfort in intuitive eating. It will be an uncomfortable process, but well worth it and very interesting (if you allow it to be). You really need the individual time with an RD who you trust...not just a youtube video series.
I just discovered this playlist...I’m so excited. I’m trying to recover from bulimia. And this is extremely helpful. It gives me hope 😊
Im really proud of u xx
Same girlllllllll I'm also trying to recover from anorexia and bulimia
I have been in recovery from many types of eating disorders. I had time to run through many of them in 30 years. I am now 61. I am proud and praying for your journey as it can be bumpy but doable and well worth sticking to. I found that accountability helped me a lot but supportive people who had been there done that helped the most. I pray you have some people to accompany you on your journey.
i’ve had an unhealthy relationship with food ever since i can remember. as a child, i was always an “early bloomer” and bigger than the other kids my age. i’ve struggled with body image and dieting since my pre-teens (diet culture messes up 12-year-olds too). i’m currently 16, still working through some stuff, but i’m learning to listen to my body and live to be healthy, not skinny. thank you for your videos, they really help💕💕
so happy to find a dietitian like you on youtube! i've been fat literally my whole life, and when i was in middle and high school especially, my mom put me on every diet out there--low-carb, WW, you name it. they were never permanent solutions, and they always made me feel worse about myself. i discovered the basics of IE/HAES philosophy in college and stopped trying to lose weight, and it absolutely changed my life. i haven't owned a scale in years. i eat better, i enjoy exercise more, and i feel so much better about myself. excited to look through the videos in this series and learn even more about IE!
I had dieted several times in a very restrictive way. Now in my 30s when I tried to start restricting calories it MESSED WITH MY MIND! All of a sudden I was in a binge restrict cycle. It was scary. Here to explore other options. It's so emotional. I added these videos to watch later weeks ago, glad I felt ready to watch them today. Hoping to start meeting with a nutritionist very soon. Thank you for using your voice!
I'm the exact same. I quickly become obsessive about logging my intake. I stopped when I noticed I was beating myself up t for eating more calories one day than I did the previous day. I started seeing my calorie guide (fitbit) as a limit and aimed to get as low as possible. Of course this was followed by binging and hating myself. Repeat cycle several times. Now I stay away from calorie counting.
As someone who is trying hard to reevaluate guilt and shame in my life in general, I really appreciate your videos. I honestly never realized that my "healthy" upbringing had such an effect on the feelings I have toward my body, food, and exercise. Also, I am vegan simply because it is important to me and for my mental health to know that I do not need to harm others simply to survive. But it can be hard to not get wrapped back up into diet culture or orthorexic thinking when looking at vegan influencers' content. Very appreciative of your perspective.
Brooke Monaghan so glad to hear this has helped ❤️
Check out Madeleine Olivia if you haven't already. She doesn't talk about intuitive eating specifically, at least I haven't noticed her doing so, but her way of eating I think IS intuitive and accessible, and she's just so lovable (:
I've been a vegan for 13-14 years, and recently started eating more intuitively as a vegan. Love it. Registered Dietitian - Sadia Baidia's Pick Up Limes website is amazing!! It works for a Vegan and Intuitive Eating individual.
I'm in the same boat, trying to re-evaluate guilt and shame. I had no idea either the effect it has had on my attittude towards my body and how detrimental it has been toward my mental health and how I feel about myself in general.
So I know that you wrote this comment a long time ago, but check out the "Pick Up Limes" channel. Sadia is a vegan RDN who believes in intuitive eating, and she is honestly a joy to watch, regardless of whether or not you are a vegan.
I used a calorie counting app for about 3 months earlier this year and I found it really helpful! It helped me to learn what is actually in my food (it also told me rough carb, protein and fat percentages) and helped me to re-evaluate my snacking behaviours which were slightly out of control. Coming face to face with the amount of rubbish I was actually putting in my body really helped me to change my behaviours and focus more on whole foods, vegetables and making sure I am eating enough protein because unless it was a day when I ate chicken I basically ate none and I didn’t even realise! I can really see how it could be detrimental to people who struggle with control and disorder eating issues but thanks for giving it’s slight shout out 👍🏻 if you use it in a healthy way, more for education than for tracking each exact mouthful it can really help and now I have a better idea of what I’m eating I don’t need to use it anymore!
Amy Hawkins totally! Education is great!
I agree! Calorie counting has really helped me break away from binge eating by helping me get a better, tangible perspective on what I eat and proper proportions! As a result I have mostly overcome bingeing! There are times, however, that I do feel in an unhealthy mentality of calorie counting, but when I notice this I walk away until I feel like I can go about it in a non moral mindset again!
Listened to the side effects of dieting and started sobbing. It’s all me. I’m just starting on a journey towards intuitive eating and hearing that confirmed for me that I’m doing the right thing. I’m terrified
It will all work out. This will all go away. Sending love
You got this! ♥ im so proud of the decision you take. We're here for and with you too!
I am soo thankful for you. My disordered eating started with bulimia, and evolved into not eating, and then used diet culture to cultivate an unhealthy life style.
I needed you right now.
I love your message. I am so tired of the mental struggle, anxiety, and depression that comes along with dieting. Thank you for focusing on behaviors and easing into these changes, so refreshing. I already feel better.
Love this so much! I’m a big gain of not focusing on losing weight and instead focus on just gaining healthier practices!
Casey Goldey yes 🙌🏼
Can’t thank you enough for this. Your educated perspective is such a fresh breeze from what I’m used to. Diet culture is ingrained so deep in me that I almost feel an emotional release as I watch you talk about this. I think it’s something I’ve needed to hear for years. I’ve had this thinking in the back of my mind for so long, and people around me saying that I NEED to lose weight to be healthy but in reality that only worsened my relationship with food. Jesus, I could cry at the moment. Thank you for existing Abbey ❤️
Anna Olsenius so glad
You: Listen to your body.
Me: .....but....my body's stupid....
Sarah Grant I think you’ll enjoy some of the upcoming videos on this ❤️
The Intuitive Eating book has been the best purchase I've ever made. Learning to trust my body, learning to listen and actually hear my body (pushing away the diet and ED voice) has been so great. I feared the whole "bingeing forever" element, but I've learned that bingeing is ONLY a result from physical or emotional restricting. I still have diet related thoughts with labeling food and myself, but it's getting easier to catch them, and I now know there's hope to one day have food freedom. I look forward to this series. :)
Jennifer 🙌🏼❤️
This is such a great video! I’m not overweight, but I have a horrible relationship with food. I eat when I’m tired, stressed or to release emotions. I was trying to be healthy, but I ended up so confused that I cannot tell for sure when I’m hungry or full, and I don’t even know what I like anymore. I bought the intuitive eating book and started the process two months ago. I know it’s going to be a long journey but I’m glad I’m in it. This series is going to be very helpful for me! Thanks!
Lu yayyyyy
I went from restrictive(orthorexic (“recovering,” obsessing over macros/calories)~>back to restrictive (prone to binging because of mental restriction)~>allowing myself to eat what I enjoy and makes me feel good, thanks to your videos!! Except, for me, rather than calling it “intuitive eating” or “eating mindfully,” I’m just eating! I’ve begun rejecting the diet mentality and I’m continuing to give my body and mind the clarity and abundance it deserves
This feels like the perfect start to the new year. If you had asked me even a month ago what my goals for my eating would be in January 2025 I would have told you about a $400 dollar weight loss program I was planning to join. But something in me just said no this time. I can't keep doing what I am doing, it's not working. Instead I want to heal my relationship with food. Sure, eating (at least relatively) healthfully is important to me and since it's my body I am not guilty or ashamed to say that I want to lose weight. Not because I am unhappy with how I look but because I know that when I was less heavy I had more energy and less joint pain. But I am taking this intuitive eating journey to the best of my ability and we will see where it goes because I am just DONE with the dieting. No more meal plans, no more calorie counting, no more oil free (so over that!!)... I am an ethical vegan and now my motto will simply be "if it's vegan I can eat it." Here's to a joyful and free 2025.
I am regularly seeing my dietian and she recommended me Abbey's channel.This is exactly what she has been teaching me. Waiting for the rest of the series, it looks super informative:)
Hey Abbey! I used to focus so much on weight loss and it caused me to fail constantly. Since I have been watching your channel I have learned that focusing on health is a long term sustainable way to live rather than just trying to make myself smaller.
I am post ESG (endoscopic sleeve gastroscopy - non surgical), and although I am still at the beginning of my journey, my food intake is more restricted (for obvious reasons!) I want to learn a lot more about intuitive eating and stop continuously tracking every bite I take and every step I make! Thanks Abbey 🙏❤🙏
Hi Abby, I'm so glad I found your channel! I learned a lot about myself and that my realationship with food is complicated sometimes (I do not have an eating disorder, but I think/thought too much about what was healthy etc.). After a difficult time in my life (depression, drug addiction) I wanted to start over and do everything right - work out, eat healthy, get my shit together, but it didn't work the way I expected and I developed an unhealthy body image. I started therapy and I'm feeling a lot better already. I'm not an intuitive eater yet but I'm on my way. Just wanted to thank you for your time and effort and your sensibility with this topic. Your channel is great and I wish you and your family all the best
I am so thankful you're delving into this topic so thoroughly! It is complex for sure! I appreciate the evidence-based, respectful tone of your channel.
Tammy Masson yay thanks so glad
I am not a huge abbey fan but seriously she is the only youtuber that believes every body is unique 💙💙👍👍👍👍👍
Happy Me ❤️❤️
Calorie counting really healed my relationship with food, it forced me to come to terms with my emotional and foggy eating habits pretty much overnight. Also, writing things down helps me not to overeat (or binge eat sometimes). I was on the verge of an eating disorder, it was life saving for me. When I am at a healthier weight and more in tune with my body, I will possibly stop. I don't count compulsively, some days I don't count at all, but i feel like I'm improving my relationship with food a lot. I honestly have always hated restrictive so much I am surprised this works
SeiraVonKarma I’m glad you found what works for you!
I feel the same way. When I’ve tried eating intuitively I end up getting to a place where I’m over eating and eating when I’m physically full I don’t know how people can so easily not eat when they’re full. I can get eating when you’re hungry but food tastes good and sometimes I want to eat certain foods even when I’m not hungry. When I track my food (not necessarily count calories but keep a log of everything I’ve eaten and can really see it) I can remind myself that I’m not hungry and that’s for GOOD reason. That I’ve already filled myself with so much food. I would say I have a better relationship with food than some but more and more I try and focus on how Food is Fuel. If I already have a full tank I can get to where I wanna go but to keep pouring fuel into the tank isn’t going to make it run better than just a normal full amount of fuel.
@@clairedillon6168 Same. I would eat until I felt sick, and I was so ashamed that I would try to vomit after binging or starve myself on other days. I had become afraid of food.
Me too! I simply had no Idea of normal portion sizes! Counting made me realize what they are. I still do it most days..it became a habit haha. but I dont obsess over it. It makes me feel proud when I see where I came from not having a clue and now intuitively put together 3 meals a day that more or less fit in with what I need to sustain myself.
SeiraVonKarma thats the thing there is no such thing as “over eat” unless you hurt yourself. Potion sizes are different for everyone. It seems like just more diet and weight lose scemes
Hi abby. I would like to thank you. Thank you so so much for being such a reasonable and considerate person. The way you address every single point you want to make, makes my heart warm. I got quite confused and tired of the extremes presented on social media. It’s either Health at every size extreme or diet culture extreme. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. You have really changed the way I look at food. You have given me actually useful tools to apply and look out for. Not only by saying hey eat intuitively. Because oh lord, I sure didn’t know what that meant 5 years ago for example. You actually give tips and tools. This comment is already way too long, but way too short to express my gratitude towards your existence. Thank you Abby! Muchos love from London ♥️
Flower I’m so so happy this is helping
Some people need to lose weight in order not to die, specially if they are 200-300 kg. So the damage from diet is preferable than dying from food addiction... I understand your point, but some people need this desperately in order to live. I understand that my struggle with 58 kg is bullshit for some people and I agreed this does not mean I am unhealthy, but if you feel bad in these kg, its better to try to improve your way of eating. This is what I try to do now. Just trying to be in a better shape and health.
I am very glad I found an app in development called "you ate".
You set goals. Any goals. It does not track amounts or calories. You can take a picture or write what you ate and then set If this meal was in alingment with your goals or not with no other connotations whether it's good or bad.
I mean I'd love eating fully intuitive but my ADHD prevents me from remembering or being in tune with myself. So I use this app to help me remember what I ate and whether I liked it. And when.
So that when I go for half a bag of doritos i can go "why?" Instead of just doing it and feeling nauseous.
Often I'm tired or would prefer to eat something else.
Wow thanks!!! I've just checked out the app, and it's awesome. I love the idea and a super cool interface. Thx for a suggestion
thank you so much! ive been looking for the equivalent of nicotine patch for myfitnesspal and this might be it!!
I’m very late to this video, but I was excited to get the app you recommended and it wasn’t in the App Store! I’m trying one Ate Food Diary listed as a mindful intuitive meal journal. Fingers crossed!
Great video! Haven't weighed myself for a few months now, and I feel better about myself than ever! A number doesn't define me.
Krista Petre yaaas
Yes Abby, Yes! I know I need to lose weight because of my health. My doctor has said so but I have been told this since I was 13 (a great thing to tell a 13 year old.) All of the things you listed happened. Now with the help of a therapist and listening to my body over the past year I have been slowly loosing the weight in a healthy way for the first time in my life. I know this doesn’t happen for everybody but my goal was just to eat healthy and listen to my body and so far so good. Thank you
Just started intuitive eating not by choice but by just trying to eat healthier. I hope I will reach all of my goals and your videos really help me going towards the right direction. So thank you 😊
The good diet vs bad diet phrases are exactly the conversations I have with myself when I'm trying to plan a carb heavy meal or something with lots of butter. Have to talk myself into allowing myself to have it. I know it will take time to work on this and have it be more effortless. Thank you for all your videos Abbey, I'm hooked!!
I loved the extra bits where future-you jumped in to remind people to find what works for them and whatnot.
I've been using a food-tracking app for the last couple months. I've always had a fairly intuitive approach to eating, which works well most of the time, but can lead to fairly unhealthy eating when I'm depressed or very busy. But since a brain injury over a year ago, I've had a lot of trouble with executive function, pain, memory, etc, and I've developed digestive issues as well. Using an app to track things means I notice patterns that I didn't before; like how a little bit too much fiber can mess up my digestion, and how I feel better overall on days when I eat more protein. And I can go back to check how much water I've had and if I've taken my multi.
I also wear a fitness tracker watch. I got it primarily to track my heart rate (long story. Heart palpitations, finally got a cardiologist recently). But the step and exercise tracker functions are also useful for reminding me to get some exercise, and also reminding me not to overdo it.
I'm looking forward to the rest of this series! These tools really help me right now, and with such low energy and forgetfulness, I desperately need all the help I can get. But I don't want to get sucked into the obsessive diet culture that they often accompany.
emily boj so glad
Dear Abbey, i am so glad i found you on TH-cam. I am struggeling a lot with this diet mentality... It's hard to separate yourself from all this crazy stuff, especially when you're young. But you helped me, thank you Abbey - greetings from Germany
:)
Intuitive eating x intermittent fasting has changed my life and saved me. I don't fear carbs as much as I did, I'm starting to feel better by eating more, and I'm not obsessive over trying to eat as little as possible and burn them off. I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely getting there. This chanel is amazing too!!
I'm sure other people have asked this and you might touch on this when you talk about nutrition, but my biggest concern is how to trust my body, my cravings, my hunger cues, etc. when they aren't healthy. What I mean by this is I hardly ever feel motivated to cook my own meals and/or I'm constantly craving fast food. I will also find myself using delivery services as my primary source of food. So for me, my body constantly craves these things and I usually only eat when I'm hungry. But I know the foods I mostly consume are not healthy. I know I'm not getting the right amounts of fruits and veggies, but I don't crave those things. So how can I trust my body and eat intuitively if what my body wants and craves is not healthy?
La'Tia Smith totally. It’s a process. I’ll touch on this in part 2 and also part 10. But it needs to START w rejecting the diet mentality. Even if you’re not physically restricting, holding onto notions about healthy food vs unhealthy food keeps us in scarcity mode and you’ll be unable to actually listen and hear what kind of foods make you feel best.
La'Tia Smith i know, right?? All i ever crave for is processed foods, like chocolate, cookies, chips, etc. Ive never had a craving for broccoli or salmon. How am i supposed to trust my body when all it ever wants is processed food snacks??
It’s about gentle nutrition! You mainly eat whole foods but you allow yourself the pleasure foods as well and when you learn to listen to hunger cues, you won’t overeat the pleasure foods. It’s okay if everything you wat isn’t “healthy,” what counts is if you listen to what your body wants and needs.
Hailey Elianna i dont think i can hear what my body wants and needs then because it always just wants processed foods. Also, ive had disordered eating for the past 24yrs, ever since i became anorexic my sophomore yr of high school. Im either restricting my diet, lose weight, or binge eating on processed foods, gaining the weight back (and then some). I cant seem to coast in the middle - its either one extreme or the other. I think ive been in this torturous cycle for so long, i dont know how to properly hear what my bodys trying to tell me
Serra Hwang You should definitely read the Intuitive Eating book and the accompanying workbook is great. I know how scary it is but I promise that embracing intuitive eating is the best thing ever 💜 It may take some time and practice but you can definitely get there, you deserve to be at peace with food and your body. You can always search for a RD that is “anti-diet” like Abbey to work with (: xx
I'm vegan for ethical reasons. It's not restrictive to me when I'm home, but it can be in social situations or at restaurants. I don't see animal products as off limits because I'm afraid of them making me fat, but I do keep them off limits because I don't want to contribute to something I don't agree with. Can that still be intuitive?
Nancy Plants totally! If you don’t view animal products as food, but still allow all non-animal foods openly, that’s perfectly fine!
I do the same! Ethical veganism and intuitive eating have helped my eating disorder in such an impactful way.
Yes it can! I am an intuitive eater, vegan, whole foods. Works fine. In real short animal products are not food to me so they dont register as something I want to eat.
It is kinda funny tho, years ago if I wanted to treat myself I got like croissants for breakfast, now it means eating oatmeal with nuts and fruits and such, and I am so happy with that meal, just as I used to be with the other things I ate.
It doesnt feel restrictive because the things I dont eat are not food to me. I eat about 80% or so whole foods but when I want to I go for the fake meats or snacks....but since they are expensive I hardly do that ;)
I was vegan for a while and I ended up craving a lot of foods that were off limits to me. I ended up binging like crazy for an entire summer when I switched to being vegetarian because I could eat all the stuff I had been craving for so long. The way I see it is that you’re still making a HUGE difference if you eat 99% or 95% vegan, and if you do crave something non-vegan once in a while, allowing yourself to have it isn’t the end of the world, especially if you still aim for sustainable/ethical non-vegan options. A lovely girl I follow on Instagram does this. She is “plant-based”/vegan but has chicken and other things once in a while when she craves it and I think that’s totally okay.
Follow @taylorwolframrd! She’s a vegan dietician :)
That Julia Andrews singing was so good! ;o;
Okay, I'm hearing you, Abbey; and I agree with you. This is actually what I talk about with clients when teaching them how to get into a healthy and positive mindset.
Jessica Kathryn 🙏🏼❤️
Abbey your videos are really helpful. You feel like a mom taking the time to teach me how to take care of myself. Thank you
I was always ok with the way I looked, but I know that being overweight is not healthy. It is such a shame that society has accepted it for soooo long that we don't even know how a healthy weight should look like. I was constantly dieting from the age of 12, and I got sick of it mentally, so I started to just eat healthy plant-based foods, and all my junk food cravings are disappeared! I do not crave them at all. I excluded oil from my diet, and I started to lose weight. Now I feel soo much better, and it is not just the food. But the mentality, because when I tried to diet I ALWAYS failed and felt guilty. But now, I just simply eat what works best for me, and try to do as good as I can. No cheat days, no more guilt. PS ABBY IS SINGING! WHAAAAT? Love you ♥
Jana vagyok yay that sounds amazing
I'm so excited to follow your intuitive eating series! I have been trying to follow intuitive eating since I realized that dieting didn't work for me, and counting calories made me start to develop an ED.
Hi Abbey! I just want you to know that this series helped me so much. I have a really bad relationship with food because of how much i try to restrict myself with certain things, and also the fact that my mentality with nutrition if horrible with everything Ive learned. This helped me so much and honestly I think itll help me in the long term. I think ive fully recovered thanks to you.
I really appreciate your opinion and how you acknowledge that some things like calorie counting can be negative, but also work for some people. I know from my personal experience its been super negative, but currently, its been improving my mental health. I used to be unhealthy and a lot heavier, I lost 20kg and had to re learn how to eat again. At first I became obsessed with tracking and it was really negative to my mental health, but now I just use it as a guide to make sure I'm eating portions that arent too big, and its keeps me on top of my snacking behaviour. I struggled losing weight because of the "sneaky calories" so logging my food helped me realise this was a bad habit as I was eating when I wasn't hungry. But now I'm doing so much better and seeing better progress at gym and personal health. This worked for me, and may not work for everyone so please seek medical advice first and I hope everyone the best with their health 💜
I don’t know if you intentionally posted this on the day before Thanksgiving, but thank you! Just what I needed to see to get my mind in a good, healthy place before tomorrow.
Britt Coffee 🙏🏼❤️
This looks really good. I really don't like the thought of dieting, even though I am overweight at the moment, because I feel like my Mum has been forever dieting and I don't want to do that. Neither do I want my daughter to see me worrying about it all the time. I was also always made to finish my meal and still feel like I have to! Our children are just told that they can have desert if they eat the main meal but they don't have to finish it. They can have fruit any time, whether they have finished their meal or not. I'm really excited to see the rest of this series!
just wanted to say thank you so much for this series
Alisa Maksymchuk yay I’m so glad it’s helped
I love all of your videos and I love your point of view on things. I’m so happy you’re doing a series on this. I’ve struggled with eating for a very long time and I’m looking forward to watching this series and learning from it. Thank you so much, Abbey!
Jayde DiPaolo glad you enjoyed it ❤️
The only thing I’m binging .... is your videos. I. Can’t. Stop. First and only TH-cam I’ve ever subscribed to. Sorry to fan girl out on you but you are so poised, knowledgeable, and fierce! I have been introduced to so many new things, the level of food toxicity on social media (old millennial here 🤷🏻♀️), the need to change our language which is so powerful TO empower, and INTUITIVE EATING! I ordered the book and I’m so excited to read it and start on the journey to CHANGE THE WAY I LOOK AT MYSELF! I’m a chef and culinary instructor so your videos are feeding my soul on sooooooo many levels and I plan to pass on so much of this information to my students 💕 Okay. Fan girl moment over. You’rethebestokbye.
Calorie counting helped me to be more conscious of what I eat. I realise with calorie counting that I was actually under eating. I can now eat more my performance in the gym is better and I actually lost body fat. So I am loving it. Yes I use a food scale yes I use my fitness pal and yes I am more healthy and yes I am more happy.
Miss web glad you found what works for you!
Hi, Abbey. First of all, I wanna say thank you. About 3 weeks ago, my relationship with food was so poor. Then I found your videos which really helped me to decide to rebuild my relationship with food. I must admit that diet culture helped me to build up a good eating and excising habit. However, diet also makes me feel anxious after eating delicious food and then I just start a more strict diet. However, after the strict diet, I couldn't help to eat tons of biscuits, banana chips, gelato and chocolate even though my body told me I was full. The condition has circled for 2-3 weeks and I felt guilty and dispressed at that time. After watching your video, I have escaped from the vicious circle and feel more relaxed. I still weigh myself but I'm not so care about the number anymore. Now I enjoy my home-cooked "healthy meal" but I also don't feel bad after eating a feast in my friend's birthday party. I think I'm starting my own intuitive eating and I'm quite happy about it, many many thanks to you!
魍魉魑魅 so glad to hear this ❤️❤️
I really appreciate this video it is clearly something you believe in and you're still striving to make those who don't feel like they can do it feel welcome to still learn more. I've said before I think intuitive eating is not right for me at the moment but there are principles that I can take from intuitive eating as I strive for my own lifestyle changes.
RandomPerson1313 that’s totally okay!
As a person who’s chronically ill I know that some of these things can be really helpful for us, like fitbits to track your heart rate or counting calories or sugar or other nutrients that might be hard for you to get, or that you have to avoid because of a medication etc. Weighing yourself can also be incredibly important for people who struggle to keep weight up because of lack of appetite due to medications or illness
Leah Sauter for sure, there are always important exceptions to most things
I'm trying to break up with diet culture and change my way of thinking about food and your channel has been so helpful to me! I will say my FitBit has been very helpful to me only because I have some serious chronic illness issues and was bed ridden for a time and I use my tracker to measure how much physical activity I can handle. Like it was celebration at one point when I could do 500 steps a day. Now as I've recovered quite a bit, I know I can handle a day that amounts to 6,000 steps but if I go over that, my body will crash hard. I use this when we do family day trips and such so I know when my body is reaching it's limit and know when I need to stop and rest or bow out for the rest of the day. Admittedly this is not the purpose most people use a FitBit for but just thought I'd throw it out there. I still have a long way to go in changing the way I eat and think about food and want to thank you for all of your work and helpful content!
Abbey, thank you for this series! My therapist recommended I check you out, as I have orthorexia, and am also dealing with the beginnings of IVF. I appreciate your insight and advice, and I am trying to let go of my disordered tendencies, as I can. You are helping me so much, with the videos and the other resources that you provide.
When weight loss is discussed with health improvements, why is it just the big things like heart disease and diabetes? What about the myriad of 'small' positive effects related to weight loss? I've had about 3 health related issues disappear after I lost weight. One (disturbed sleep) was effecting me almost everyday. It's gone, hopefully never to return.
5:52 I'm going to give Abby a challenge. Put on 20 kilograms and see if you still feel that way.
Your videos have really really helped me. I started intuitive eating at the start of the pandemic. At first I had no clue what to do and ate whatever I wanted. My body craved carbs then. A few months ago I discovered this series. That has helped me. I needed the gentle nutrition, nutritious foods, back in my life. Although I don’t like the videos where you review people’s diets. It’s triggering and although your reviews are often kind, I don’t know if you ask their permission? Maybe it triggers those you review that have disordered eating. Nonetheless, I am super grateful for the intuitive eating videos in particular. So thank you.
I have been on and off WW for years. It has taken me a long time, but now I realize that it is not working for me and that it has been giving me more anxiety than help. That is really hard to admit, because I have touted it as a really great program and lifestyle. However my mindset has begun to shift. I want to start at a foundation of not having anxiety and learning to really take control of food instead of it having power over me. I really appreciate these videos and can't wait to learn more about basically tapping into my own body's cues.
I'm happy I don't have diet thinking when it comes to exercising anymore. But through your videos I understood that I'm not yet completely over diet thinking regarding food. Thanks for helping me on my journey on overcoming this. Your channel opened my eyes.
Great video. Finally, I am so glad that someone is talking about this because I always think that most people around me (including me) have confined themselves to failure and few people who have succeeded are where they are because they give food priority. And I want food to be a no-brainer, natural fuel for the body. I did a lot of diet (and honestly as a vegetarian I'm still dieting), I did it with professional help and every time it took a huge toll on my mental health (with which I usually have no problem). Until recently, when I started having problems after eating a certain food (which my boyfriend would say I was addicted to) and I was like "no no, oh no, what am I going to do" and I continued to eat it with problems and then one day I he just spoke to himself: "Seriously, why it is bothering me, something so insignificant, you still have a lot of things that you enjoy" and I haven't had it since that day and I don't have the urge. He really goes down to the old saying that "what is forbidden tastes better". One thing that really makes me angry: Being overweight is like a green card for all unsolicited advice. "Oh, you will be thin if you do it and not! This and this" ... And I guess what is my purpose in life: to be thin or to be happy? I know my body better than you, I also know about risk and health problems, but it's not your place to call. (And unfortunately I was part of the problem when he was younger, skinny and healthy) I am gaining weight due to stress, I know it, I am experiencing it, but the society still thinks it's okay to add on a pile of my stress and would like me to feel guilty and failed. So again, I am very grateful for your video that helps me grow and understand the tactics of the diet society and that it is everywhere!
I am curious and determined to investigate this more. I got the Intuitive Eating book today and will watch more of your videos. My BED has been flaring lately very badly and I have lost and gained the same 15-20 pounds 3 times in the last 6 months without even consciously paying attention to it, that's how stuck I am in this cycle. I am very unhappy with my weight but trying to lose it has never worked long term so I am ready to try something new. So happy I found your awesome videos here. They are something I can feel good about binge-ing!
I thought I was intuitive but turns out that I have diet mentality. This video is a real wake up call for me. Firstly knowing that I have an unhealthy mindset with regards to food and secondly that I completely lack self awareness.
Lydia Chong I’m so glad it’s been eye opening
Love the commentary on the interelationship between diet culture and shame. Thank you for the comment on trauma at the end!😃
Frank Myers 🙏🏼❤️
Abbey, these all sound beautiful. I want a positive relationship with food. I want to trust my body. I want to learn to follow intuitive cues. I'm gifting myself the book for Christmas. I cannot wait to work on my homework this week.
Angelica Garcia hope it helps!
I think calorie counting is a helpful tool, a lot of people out there have no idea how much they're actually eating. Knowing how many calories are in the portions of the foods I habitually consume helps me know if I'm eating too much/too little. Nowadays I don't track my calories in apps or even weigh my food, I just eyeball and do some quick math to know how much I've eaten throughout the day, to make sure I stay within a healthy range. If I go over, I don't stress it, I just move on. And if I eat under my calories, I make sure to up my food intake the next day so I'm within that healthy range. I do need to improve on incorporating certain foods into my regular day-to-day instead of limiting them to "cheat days", but I do think calorie counting is helpful.
Tati L. Thanks for sharing! It can definitely be helpful for some people, especially how you mentioned it
I'm on my week 2 of IE. I've finally faced all my eating errors and decided to take them down one by one. Excited to see the full series, because that's mostly what inspires me to keep going! Thanks for making this video.
Tora Nagumanova great!🙏🏼❤️
You are a blessing. I just found you and I'm binging your videos. I think this is brilliant, even as I struggle in my relationship with food, it's very alien to me as someone who's been trying to lose weight for the majority of my adult life.
Love your videos! You have helped me make better choices and be compassionate to myself. I wish you were in my area, I’d totally go to you as a dietician! ❤️
Jason Manning 🙏🏼❤️
Abby your message is the best! When I dont have the motivation to read the book : intuitive eating, I come and watch your videos and reset!
I have an obsession with food and eat even when I'm not hungry and then feel guilty about it, your videos had been so eye opening for me, thank you.
Have you heard of Dr. Gregors book How Not To Diet? I’m curious to hear your thoughts on it.
Piper Sisk I’ll check it out
Fellow dietitian here - hayyy 🙋♀️ love seeing more awesome dietitians on TH-cam and even more so... dietitians talking about intuitive eating! 💙 keep spreading that message girl!
Dark Blue Nutrition ❤️❤️❤️
this is great :) it took a long time but I started doing this myself about 5 years ago. it made such a big difference in how I view food and weight, and It made me realize how negative my relationship with food and my weight was. it also really helps when I'm encouraging my husband and kids to make good choices with food too.
I practiced intuitive eating years ago for about ten weeks and I lost 26lbs. It works. I went back to emotional eating- not taking responsibility in certain areas of my life. But now I am getting back on track with the help of God and grace.
If you don’t mind me asking, how did God help?
I found it really helpful to not worry too much about what I *shouldn't* eat, but more about what I *should* eat. What I want for breakfast doesn't matter, nothing is forbidden, BUT it has to include at least a bit of fruit or a bit or veggies. I love eating left over cake for breakfast (when I got some) but I also eat an apple or some joghurt with berries. So all in all it comes out more balanced and I feel less like eating more cake.
Same for lunch, everything is okay, BUT it has to have veggies, preferably a lot. The rest can be anything what I feel like.
I felt like these very simple rules made it so much easier to get everything else more healthy.
But I have to add, that I already ate relatively healthy anyways. Just snacked a lot and ate very carb heavy, I have a lot of cravings and get hungry easily (still have cravings for sweets though, but that's okay). Incorporating more fat and protein really helped with cravings during the day. Not that I was avoiding them, but I just didn't have enough (e.g. bread with jam for breakfast).
T F this is amazing and the kind of advice I also love to give. I talked about this in my book mindful glow about a more additive approach vs elimination
I decided that soda and certain foods make me break out or be bloated and lethargic. I’ve yo-yo’d so many times, and get heavier each time I “fall off the wagon” of dieting. I’ve started to eat healthier but still had a cookie or fast food chicken sandwich or egg McMuffin if I was really craving one. I also have a soda now and then. I decided that I can sustain restricted eating for months to lose weight, but then I get to a point where I feel I have to have something “bad” and the binging begins. I’m thinking that intuitive eating may be good for me, since I do enjoy healthy foods and how I feel when I’m eating healthier but I can eat cookies or treats and not feel guilty or like I’m a failure. I can’t wait to view this series!
You are changing the way I think in a mind 🤯 blowing kind of way Miss Thang!! Hats 🎩 off to you. It’s not easy to do. And I love 💕 it!!
Monica Palombo yay so glad
Glad I found your channel while I’m reframing my mindset around my health journey. Looking forward to learning more about intuitive eating!
I started reading up on intuitive around four months ago before I started university, at the time I was 16.1 stone (which isn’t actually terrible because I’m 6foot3) I was pretty much the most unhealthy I had been. I don’t have a scale personally, but when I was at the gym today I weighed myself and I am currently down to 13.7 stone, which is a healthy BMI for me. I realise now, that my problem before was that my relationship with food was fundamentally flawed, I would force myself into huge calorie deficits, then binge eat when my appetite became too much for me to handle. Whereas now, I pretty much just eat what I feel like eating, and what seems to satisfy me/what looks healthy. it’s very liberating because now that I don’t see food as a source of guilt, I’ve actually been naturally eating more healthy foods, and Ive pretty much stopped binge eating altogether, this is because I never feel the need anymore. I have really unhealthy foods in my house, but now that I’m eating intuitively, I ironically don’t have as much inclination to eat them.
William Scott this is EXACTLY what we’re going for and that the evidence says occurs but most people can’t buy in. Thank you so much for sharing !!!
So happy you’re doing this series! I’ve been on my intuitive eating journey since April and the more resources there are the better. Hard shit but worth it!
Sarah Montes 🙏🏼❤️
I would LOVE to see an Abbey video about Weight Watchers! I think there is SO much to dive into there. I know she did the video about the WW kid’s app, but I want more!
ThAnk you Abbey. These videos are so helpful for people suffering with some disorder eating.
Ironically, weighing my food and using a calorie&nutrition tracking app helped me in the ways you describe IE as helping. It's simple, unemotional data for me & completely different than when I tried restricting too much and then binged, and didn't see any results. I know how my choices are effecting me and can trust the process. I know eating at maintenance will keep my body the same and eating more or less will change my weight in a predictable way. One thing I really like about the app I use (Chronometer) is that I can see the past seven days averaged - it's helped me realize how overeating one day won't completely ruin my diet. Different strokes for different folks! A lot of people need to take a step back from obsessing over external data points but that doesn't mean the tools should be demonized like I sometimes see.
I am a huge fan of yours and watch most of your videos and only just discovered this series, and I am already reading the book so this is so great. Thank you :-)
I think your advice is good not always to go on the scale. It can get people crazy to do it daily. I love your videos.
Sabine Lieb so glad
Could you do a bit on binge eating and initiative eating please ? My issue is not knowing when to stop.
I recognise in retrospect that I overate, but struggle to be present in the moment.
There’s also an issue with waste. I hate wasting food. So even when I’m full, a part of my brain tells me to finish my plate, because I feel guilty throwing food away.
Even if I put the leftovers in a lunchbox. I don’t want to eat that food the next day, so it’s not intuitive to force myself to eat the leftovers the next day.
Many thanks Abbey, loving your open minded approach
Heather Honan great questions !!
Yes! And the setbacks feel shorter and further between, I find, in my own journey, it’s much easier to bounce out of the mentality of ‘binge’ or over indulgence the longer I practice intuitive eating.
As a yoga practitioner/instructor and conscious consumer of animal products it might seem like second nature, but it’s a strong mental muscle to flex and I find the longer you Intuitive eat the easier it gets.
Also totally agree on the watches - I witness it consume my students and took over me when fitbits FIRST came out .. absolutely counter productive and dishonest when it’s comes to the AUTHENTIC + GENUINE mind/body connection.
Thank you for great and eye opening information. A lot of what I do is diet mentality, and I did not realize it!
nancyhorio ❤️❤️
very very late to the party abbey... but you have been a god send. I have lost 50 lbs in the last few years but I got so focused on a specific number on the scale and that caused me to stop weight lifting because the number wasn't moving. I am trying to heal my relationship with food-it is so toxic. I have been binging your videos and I am starting to see the glass half full:) thank you for all of your advice!!
I think your advice is spot on. I've been using my intuition to get away from disordered eating and diet mentality and intuitively I was getting advice almost identical to what you were saying regarding food and exercise mentality as well as some other things.
I have discovered your channel just recently. Your videos really helped me to put the guilty feelings behind me and listen more to my body. However, I got used to count calories on my app and I like it. It helps me to put together balanced meals and avoid evening cravings. Of course, I had to learn not to feel guilty when exceeding calories but I feel more comfortable having the control. :D
Thank you for your genuine and expert's opinions!!
I just discovered your channel and I absolutely love it, it helps me a lot and I think it is worth a try I have been up and down eating whatever I want then going back to calorie counting and so on.... totally feeling that number on the scale and good day or bad day mentality.. I think it is very hard also if people around you still think it is absolute necessary to "control" what you are eating and shaming every food decision you make... So thank you for helping with this circle of dieting and also I want to have a healthy relationship with my body and my food before getting pregnant and passing this awful disease of diet culture to my children I want them to have a guilt free mentality when it comes to food and eating...
This sounds so good in theory and I'm hoping to get here soon, but in practice my eating disorder has royally fucked up my "intuition".
I'm in recovery and doing well and It's been a few years, but my body still doesn't always send the right signals. Sometimes my body doesn't know I should eat until I noticed I haven't eaten ANYTHING and it's 4pm, or until I'm in pain from eating too much.
Do you think you could ever talk about how to "get intuitive" after an eating disorder?
Thank you for your videos ❤️
Ariana thank you for sharing your experience ❤️ I will work on this topic!
@@AbbeysKitchen again, e second this
I should also note that with ED specifically you need to work w a RD and therapist on mechanical feeding (eating every few hours) before you can actually dive into full IE so you can regain your hunger cues. More coming next week
Hi! There’s a whole chapter on this in the Intuitive Eating book!!
Thank you for bring up this topic
This is really helpful!!! For a while I’ve been trying to find a system or something to help me eat better but portion control is hard for me that the recommended always had me feeling uncomfortable or even headaches. So I’m going start trying this but with some “cheating”. I’m keeping my fitness app/band because it motivates me to get moving and be active (never changed how I eat because of it) and my intermittent fasting app because it helps me keep track of water (I’ve had times of over and under hydrating) and because when I’m depressed I won’t always eat and it helps me to know when to at least have a meal replacement shake.
Hehe I love the back-and-forth switching between Switzerland Abbey and present Abbey :3 your videos are really helping me heal my relationship with food
oof ❤️❤️
I really, really, reaaaaaally needed to find your channel. MAN I did not want to cry at work lmao. Thank you for all of your knowledge
I'm dealing with BED, and these videos have helped me incredibly. I'm still wearing my FitBit every day, however, I'm using it more for the reminders to move and the sleep/water tracking more than 'calories in/out'. Using the sleep tracker to see how much/little sleep I've gotten affected my hunger cues during the day has been quite interesting. I think the newer versions also have cycle trackers for people who menstruate, which has helped me see how my cycle impacts my sleep and resulting hunger as well.