Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, has finally arrived. The imminent approach of summer 
marks a time when the number and frequency of radio advertisements for weight loss, through dieting, predictably increases on local Raleigh area stations. The tradition of new year's resolutions in January and the pre-summer frenzy to get a "bikini body" are the two obvious times a year when attempts at dieting increase. Of course, it's understandable that most people want to feel more comfortable in their skin as certain body parts are re-exposed to the sun and the monitoring eyes of others.
One local radio advertisement for a dieting-focused weight-loss program emphasized the benefits of a participant's appetite being suppressed. What happens when a person ends that dieting program and their suppressed appetite comes back in full force? The hungry monster goes on a rampage, the person regains all of the weight he/she lost and possibly some additional pounds, and he/she may even feel like they failed themselves. These weight loss through dieting processes pave the way for the next dieting-regain cycle. So each year, millions of people invest their hard earned income and valuable time into dieting programs that have proven over and over again that they do not work in the long-term. Many feel as though the short-term results of dieting are worth it. However, numerous people do not realize the longer-term detrimental affects to their bodies and self-image that dieting helps create.
Many of these same people are not aware that a more sustainable alternative for natural weight regulation exists: eating intuitively. The basics of intuitive eating? Eat when you're hunger and stop when you're full. Sounds too simple to work, right? Where is the list of what foods you can and can not eat? Where is the list of rules of when and how much food you can and can not eat? In order for you to develop a trusting, respectful, and caring relationship with your body, the lists of externally created restrictions must be removed. With intuitive eating, you successfully regulate food intake and experience natural weight regulation through discovering and supporting your body's most intelligent internal signals for hunger and fullness.
Do you realize that dieting has become the default mode of attempting to shed pounds because of the fact that we often eat more than what our bodies physically need? Dieting, as an industry, did not even exist at one point. Now, billions of dollars are made every year off of the simple fact that we consistently do not eat when we're physically hungry and stop when we're full. As a result, we experien
ce a chronic form of stress due to resolutions about dieting and anxieties about our bodies. Ironically, stress has been shown to prevent weight loss. A challenge that most of us face is the fact that messages and advice about eating from well-meaning family, friends, and the media have served to confuse and interfere with the balance our bodies naturally seek. The good news is that we have the ability to make our hunger and fullness signals a priority and eliminate the dieting-regain cycle in our lives.
This Memorial Day holiday, as you cook-out and spend time with loved ones or even relax with yourself, please make the choice to honor your hunger and fullness signals. That simple step will initiate a journey of ease and freedom with your body and eating that will enhance your well-being in invaluable ways. Each day you choose to practice intuitive eating, over the next year, will lead you to a triumphant point when bothersome pre-summer thoughts about losing weight and anxieties about exposing your body are concerns of the past. In addition to commemorating and honoring our armed forces, Memorial Day can be the anniversary of your own inspiring intuitive eating journey.
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