This drives me crazy. They say, “listen to your body” and don’t fight the cravings, your body needs consistent energy, etc etc. It just isn’t true! We do not need to eat constantly. Why do people think IF is some kind of harmful food rule? Does it all just come down to the lobbyists from the food industries? The more we eat, the more money they make?
I can absolutely guarantee that the concept of intuitive eating doesn’t come from “food industry lobbyists”.
Intuitive eating isn’t about eating constantly throughout the day, or about eating a lot, it’s about understanding hunger cues and cravings and responding to them. Maybe that means eating smaller amounts more frequently, but maybe not. A big challenge is differentiating between actual hunger cues vs. things that feel like hunger but are actually thirst, or boredom, or emotion. Which is harder for some people than others. It’s just a different philosophy, which can work better for some people. It’s not for everyone, but fasting certainly isn’t for everyone either - I’d never recommend IF to anyone who has struggled with restrictive eating disorders in the past.
IE and IF aren’t totally at odds, either. I’ve certainly tried to introduce elements of intuitive eating into my fasting. I don’t force myself to eat right when my fast ends, if I don’t want to. I graze and snack through my eating window, if that’s what I feel like doing. If I’m mid-fast and I’m absolutely starving, I don’t torture myself for the next 8 hours, I just eat and try again the next day.
If you don’t jive with what an “expert” is saying, don’t listen. There are certainly “fasting experts” that say a lot of nonsense too.
I Agee with you. I actually started with IE and gained like 30 lbs. It did help me to heal from a lot of diet culture issues I had for many years by allowing myself to eat what I wanted to eat and how much. However, it was seriously unsustainable. I found IF a few years later and I blend the two together. I don’t typically eat breakfast because I’m not very hungry then. I’ll sometimes eat lunch and I almost always stop eating after dinner. I often will check in with myself to see if I’m really hungry or stressed or bored. Both have helped but I do not have an ED. I am just listening to my body. I do no limit any types or food but I do make sure to not over eat. Which is something I didn’t pay attention to before