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Intuitive eating (IE) is a powerful tool used to get more in tune with their body cues in order to properly nourish without food restriction. It is a great tool for many people wanting to repair their relationship with food. However, intuitive eating for eating disorders is not appropriate or safe.
Intuitive eating for eating disorders won’t work because:
- Hunger and fullness cues in an eating disorder are messed up
- You have too much guilt around food
- You’re thinking about food constantly
- Eating will feel uncomfortable
- Your digestion is not normal
Using intuitive eating in the early stages of eating disorder recovery is not only ineffective, it’s dangerous.
This article will explore who should not be using intuitive eating, when intuitive eating can be dangerous, and what to do instead of using intuitive eating in eating disorder recovery.
Who Does Intuitive Eating Not Work For
Intuitive eating will not work for people
- With anorexia nervosa
- With atypical Anorexia nervosa
- With bulimia nervosa
- With binge eating disorder
- With orthorexia
- With ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder)
- People who compulsively exercise
People in the early stages of eating disorder recovery will need a mechanical eating plan created specifically for them by a dietitian trained in working with eating disorders.
Intuitive eating is not appropriate for someone with any type of active eating disorder because it will likely result in malnourishment.
Intuitive Eating In Eating Disorder Treatment
Intuitive eating is inappropriate for people in the early stages of an eating disorder. Until a person has weight restored and been following their eating disorder meal plan for several months, they should not be using intuitive eating.
There are biological and psychological reasons that intuitive eating can be dangerous for someone with an eating disorder.
Biological Reasons IE Can’t Be Used In Recovery
If you have an eating disorder, you CAN’T properly nourish with intuitive eating.
Your body has experienced many physical changes that will make intuitive eating impossible.
Some physical changes in eating disorders include:
- Gastroparesis which will make you feel full fast
- Decreased brain size which cause food making decisions to be impossible
- Changes in hunger and fullness signals
- Decreased reward response signals
- Changes in enzymatic reactions responsible for digestion
- Loss of smooth muscle in the digestive tract impacting hunger/fullness
- Voluntary or involuntary urges to purge
- Risk of refeeding syndrome from adding in foods too quickly
- Your body may hypermetabolic needing large amounts of energy
Psychological Reasons IE Can’t Be Used In Recovery
In addition to all of the biological reasons your body is unable to make appropriate decisions about food and intuitively eat, there are many psychological barriers.
A person with an eating disorder will have a very loud eating disorder voice which will immediately shut down any fear foods and prevent appropriate eating. Because of this loud internal dialogue, a person with an eating disorder will require meal support from people that care about them in order to properly nourish.
While anyone who embarks on an intuitive eating journey will experience some emotional discomfort, experiencing these emotions with an ED on board can be counterproductive to recovery or even dangerous.
Emotional challenges for someone with an ED include:
- Feeling extreme guilt after eating which reduces the desire to eat
- You may feel anxious, depressed, or want to self harm after eating
- Your ED voice may tell you to compensate for any foods eaten
- Grocery shopping may feel impossible decreasing access to food
- You have a list of food rules your ed won’t let you break
- Your body dysmorphia will convince you not to eat
- You may have an intense fear of weight gain which influences eating
When Is Intuitive Eating Appropriate For Someone With An ED
Intuitive eating can be part of eating disorder recovery if it is implemented at the right stage of recovery.
However, it’s important to note that depending on how long a person has had an eating disorder and how intense their ED behaviors were, intuitive eating may never be appropriate.
You might be ready for intuitive eating in ED recovery if:
- You have gotten your hunger cues back
- You have fully weight restored including any overshoot weight gain
- Your lab values are within normal range
- You have gotten your period back
- You have not purged or had urges to purge for 6 months or more
- You are not compulsively exercising
- You’re eating regularly through the day
Transitioning To Intuitive Eating in Recovery
When you are ready to transition to intuitive eating during your eating disorder recovery, it is important that you check with your recovery team first.
Your healthcare team can help guide you in the appropriate steps to take to begin your intuitive eating journey.
It’s important to consider that a transition to intuitive eating will mean letting go of your meal plan. This is a transition you should prepare yourself as many emotions can come up in order to prevent an eating disorder relapse.
When you are ready to begin intuitive eating:
- Stop body checking
- Practice healthy eating habits such as social dining
- Explore appetite vs. hunger without judgment
- Keep a journal about your food journey
- Practice respecting your body daily
- Prepare yourself for body and food comments
- Keep a regular meal and snack schedule but don’t be afraid to pivot
Remember to never focus on intuitive eating for weight loss. Doing so will not only derail your intuitive eating efforts, but it could also cause you to spiral into an eating disorder relapse.
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