It’s common to feel conflicted upon realizing you are full.

Intuitive Eating is about body autonomy and teaches you to reconnect and honor your body’s unique satiety cues. But when you’re used to obediently following diet culture’s ever changing rules to dictate your eating—this can be an unsettling, if not scary concept! ⁣⁣⁣

When you begin to notice your sense of fullness, all sorts of conflicting feelings may arise. It’s really common. (And good for you for having the awareness to notice!)⁣⁣⁣

Upon perceiving fullness (and the possibility of ending your meal or snack)—you might feel sad because you don’t want to stop eating—or you may feel excited that you are reconnecting with your body’s needs! You may feel scared because you have sneaky diet culture thoughts that you must precisely dial into your fullness cue. ⁣⁣⁣

There’s no wrong or right way to feel. Feelings can be powerful portals of information. Consider these possibilities:

• Maybe the depths of your sadness about ending a meal, reflects months or years of food deprivation. ⁣⁣⁣
• Perhaps this is the first time you are truly enjoying your eating experience without guilt, and don’t want that good feeling to end.⁣⁣⁣
• Maybe you are having an engaging meal with friends, and you are afraid that if the meal ends—so does the engaging connection with your friends.⁣⁣⁣

Observe and feel these emotions with compassion and nonjudgemental curiosity. Also, be careful not to fall into the trap of viewing Intuitive Eating as the “hunger-fullness diet.” That’s diet culture trying to hijack Intuitive Eating. (Nice try diet culture, nice try.)⁣⁣⁣

Remember: you can’t fail Intuitive Eating and you have full permission to eat! You will learn that sometimes you eat beyond fullness That’s okay. Release the idea of perfection, and know that every eating experience is an opportunity to get to know yourself better and discover what feels best in your body. Neither hunger nor fullness need be feared, and your body knows best.