The creator of the "Taste of Harmony" course and blogger Eleanor Kravchenko explained why she supports intuitive nutrition, and told how work on her mind helped her lose weight.
How did the weight come
At the age of 16, I abruptly quit sports - rowing, which I have been doing since I was 12. Athletes often put on pounds when they stop exercising. Like many, I did not know how to eat, living in a new rhythm. The weight began to grow, because I ate a lot, I could eat a box of chocolates before going to bed, and there was no load to burn it all.
As a result, at the age of 17, a sad picture turned out: 75 kg with a height of 162 cm and a 6th breast size - this completely discouraged men from getting to know me, and for me it was important.
Diets
In the same year I decided to lose weight and read about mono-diets (eat one product or drink only kefir, for example, and lose weight). Now, with the education of a nutritionist, I understand that this is a disaster: proteins and fats, vitamins do not enter the body, the cycle is broken. But then I could starve, and in the evenings I ate a kilogram of tiramisu or a loaf of bread, because the body did not receive calories and demanded them! Such diets lead to neuroses, depression and eating disorders, and then not far from bulimia.
I had compulsive overeating - I broke off diets, ate a lot, quickly and in secret. I could eat nothing for a week and then afford a pack of Pringles or a cashew nut. And now you are already eating and you cannot stop! The weight is only growing. Therefore, I am not a supporter of cheat meals. It's just an attempt to legalize binge eating.
It turned out to be a vicious circle: I went on a diet, ate less than 800 kcal per day, dropped 5 kg, and then ate with a clear conscience. During the year, I tried about 50 diets: buckwheat, kefir, apple, Protasov, Chinese, Larisa Dolina's diet and various mono-diets.
Compulsive overeating
A year later, it became clear that mono diets did not work. It was then that the healthy lifestyle craze began, and the first Instagram accounts appeared. I just started to eat right and in small portions: eat vegetables, fruits, cereals, oatmeal. This partly worked, I increased the number of calories to 1200, so I could hold out on this diet for two weeks and lost less. All this time, I was counting calories, I knew what the glycemic index was for each product. And all this was accompanied by aversion to his body. I did not have relationships with men, I could not go to the beach, to the pool, I bought loose clothes, all my thoughts were devoted to what I eat and how I look.
And then I could tell you this: I graduated as a nutritionist, understood how to eat right and lost weight. But this is not true! Of course, my interest in dietetics was related to personal issues. After graduating from the Institute of Expertise and Evaluation with a degree in Clinical Nutrition, I weighed 63 kg - the knowledge of proper nutrition did its job.
I didn’t eat in the evenings, refused butter, didn’t exceed the total calorie content, excluded fast food, sweets. But getting rid of overeating did not work.
I remember walking along the Arbat in the rain, I went to Starbucks for a frapuccino (900 calla lilies out of 1200 that I allowed on my diet per day), then I ate Cheese Mousse cheesecake (500 kcal) at the Coffeehouse, then I took pizza (750 kcal) and ate it with salad, steak and dessert. And all this within 4 hours! Or I ordered food at one in the morning, promising myself to eat nothing from tomorrow. In the morning - a wild feeling of guilt and self-flagellation.
I am telling you so that you do not think that compulsive overeating is eating pizza once a month or drinking Coca-Cola. It's much worse - you just can't stop.
Intuitive nutrition
Before losing weight to the right weight, I got acquainted with intuitive eating. You can eat whatever you want, but at the request of the stomach. It is important to listen to yourself and eat what he really requires: a cucumber, potatoes or pizza? This is the healthiest eating pattern. But you can stick to it if there are no psychological problems. And I still had to solve them.
Psychological reasons for overeating
Tired of stress and weight jumps, I began to find out what are the psychological reasons for such "overload". For example, I lacked love: not only for myself, but also for my parents. I felt aloof maternal love on myself - it is called that in psychology and implies situations when parents “for good” block the emotional connection with the child so that he grows up independent. I tried to seize this problem, get pleasure and enjoyment from food, and not from real emotions.
I began to talk to myself, explaining to myself the reasons for the "overload", as the mantra repeated that food is not a consoler, not a drug, not safety and love.
At this time, a man appeared who also supported me.
Kilograms were gone in six months. Cardinally, I did not deny myself anything and now I do not prohibit anything. But I don't want much anymore: chemical cakes, kilos of sweets and other sweets. It turned out that overeating is the result of inhibitions. There are many experiments on this topic. You can read about them, for example, in the book “Intuitive Nutrition. How to stop worrying about food and lose weight.
For two years now my weight is 52 kg, now I am 22. Of course, I will be cunning if I say that I eat everything and do not gain weight. For breakfast I have oatmeal, eggs, for lunch - salad with soup or hot chicken curry, for dinner - fish, for example. But I allow small amounts of sweets after eating. Another thing is that I will not eat a packet of chips for lunch, because my stomach will not accept it. And this is a story about love for your body.
