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good, bad, controversial...?

I had speed read the Intuitive Eating book because I had to return it to the library (it was a short term loan and had others waiting for it).
Intuitive Eating

I did buy the Intuitive Eating workbook and about 1/4 of the way in. I'm taking my time this time and really letting stuff sink in.
Intuitive Eating Workbook

I also have on pre-order the Intuitive Eating for Every Day that is a daily reader, which is perfect for me as I need daily inspiration.
Intuitive Eating for Every Day

I use my local library as much as I can and if I feel a book is worth having for future reference, then I buy it.
 
I think it can be good or bad. Mostly I think it's probably wishful thinking. Intuitive eating seems like such a simple thing, right? Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full. And it's cute that the suggestion is your body just STOPS gaining at it's natural set weight. We all know that's not true. Also as you get heavier, those hunger/satiety hormones change, giving you false information. Factor in the processed garbage that is sold as food and it's ability to actually cause hunger and we begin to have a problem. You only have to look at the number of overweight/obese children in America to know that intuition isn't the answer. We have a quality of food problem in this country. If you pick up "fast food" in many other countries, it's a small stand or to go restaurant, that still serves real, homemade food.
Now onto weight acceptance. I am theoretically all for body acceptance. I think people should mind their own business regarding other peoples bodies. However, there are some major health issues that come with being overweight and even more of them with obesity. I was perfectly happy fat; right up until someone I loved lost their toes, foot and finally leg, to diabetes. And I realized that was very literally my future. So off I went to have WLS. I know not everyone who is overweight has serious comorbidities. My mother for example, has been healthy her whole life. Her blood pressure is STILL better than mine. However, she's had arthritis for years. Only very recently have they decided it's acceptable to do knee replacement on heavier patients. So what good is a healthy heart if you're in so much pain you can barely get out of your chair? There are a multitude of health reasons to weigh less. You don't have to be skinny but you should strive for a healthy weight. One day you're going to need it.
 
From what I have gotten out of the Intuitive Eating books so far is being more in tune with your body and it's cues. I don't agree that I should forgo measuring out food, tracking what I eat and counting calories because I don't want to mess up this honeymoon phase of my surgery. But there are lots of principles and info that I find helpful in the book. And it does steer you away from processed foods and making more things at home with whole ingredients. I can talk more about how I feel on Intuitive Eating when I've finished the workbook and if I am finding it helpful or not. In the original book it touches on figuring out what kind of eater you are. While I could have told you a few of my eating patterns like emotional, stress, boredom, etc., there were some that I didn't really think about but acknowledged them once I read it in print. For now, what I can say the book is good at is working on the inside as well as the outside and I am big on that this time around. When I had the lapband done I didn't take it to that level.
 
I actually agree with a lot of this article. I do think intuitive eating is good, but with that does come balanced eating. Common sense tells us we can not only eat junk or there will be a consequence. But that doesn't mean we should deprive ourselves of the occasional want that may not be the best or healthiest option. I do beleive in eat when hungry stop when full but with that needing to eat consistent meals. Many times this means for people they will skip some means some days or even eat 1 meal a day, not helpful in maintaining healthy body function to keep burning/processing as needed. Our bodies do have a im hungry/im full alert system, reality is many times we opt to ignore it or things such as emotional eatting comes into play.

I do not beleive in diets and on the daily see how they damage people as young as little kids on up to adults. They furth increase unhealthy eating patterns that intern perpetuate negative views of self that create the cycle.

Other then being fat I have always had impeccable health. Yes I have arthritis, but have had it sense a teen when I was considered average body sized and the pain isn't any less now then when I was at my heaviest. I gained my weight more so because of poor eating dynamics, many days I would eat one meal only one meal because I wasn't hungry, others I would eat 2. Never was there a time that I ate 3. Intuitive eating is really listening to the body for optimal health. Diets made it worse because I felt deprived and would "crack." Hated how I looked and then came the emotional eating. Today I am much more aware of how my body feels, good Nd bad, based on what I eat. I still don't overall like my body image but have learn to become ok with it and not constantly think xyz will make things different. Accepting what is goes a long way in emotional health which large impacts our eating and other patterns that tie to physical health.

I also know many people that eat more along the lines of intuitive eating that are thin.
 
I love what Missy wrote and totally agree with her. My dad has had diabetes for years and has neuropathy in his feet. It makes it so hard to just walk. And if you stop walking you get very feeble and that has disengaged him from life. A very healthy, normal weight friend had a severe heart attack at age 49. Poor guy pulled the short straw in regards to cardiac health. We have a good cardiac history in my family despite obesity. But now I’m scared. These are some reasons I want WLS.

However, part of the reason I want weight loss surgery is because I want back in the workforce. I work in a judgmental, superficial industry. I have doubts that I would be hired—no matter my qualifications—at my current weight. I had it easy when I was young and slender. Now I’m middle-aged and overweight and that’s all some people see. So you’re not “a good cultural fit” because no one wants to associate with that. The negative stereotyping of overweight people is out of control. Part of the vilification of fat leads people to reject and vilify people with extra weight. That’s got to change. Other people’s negativity never made anyone else lose weight without a big payload of unhealthy emotional pain.
 
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