Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition Paperback – June 23, 2020

Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch is an eye-opening anti-diet book that should be read by anyone that has experienced the stigma that comes with not being healthy based on their size and/or feeling they have to conform to society's standards and wants relief from this burden. Fat does not equate unhealthy and thin isn't the epitome of health. However, this is deemed invalid and impossible because of diet culture, which is infuriating. The validation this book provided (through scientific studies as well as their experiences as nutritionists) was greatly appreciated - I have confirmation that I'm not crazy! :) Just go into it with an open mind. The deeper diet culture has inundated itself in your life/mind, the harder it may be for you to accept the information being given.I read Big Girl by Kelsey Miller in November 2021 that gave me a whole new perspective of Intuitive Eating. She met with a trained nutritionist and, what stuck out to me, was her being asked, would she be okay if she didn't end up losing weight. As things tend to do, this viewpoint came out while talking with my therapist, who recommended that I read Intuitive Eating for a more thorough explanation and to gain tools to help me.I read some of the negative reviews, and, while not intending to invalidate others' experiences, they all scream diet culture to me, missing the point of this book. It's not another diet plan that will help you lose weight, it's a tool to help you reject diet culture, listen to what your body needs, and respect your here and now body. It's also stated more than once if your eating is due to trauma, you'll have to work in tandem with a therapist, which is also missing from reviews. I have been at what is deemed an unhealthy weight for most of my life, but I eat very little processed foods (all of it is organic/non-GMO), everything else is organic, fresh, and homemade from scratch, which I believe is why I have no health issues associated with weight (literally every doctor and dentist I have seen has been shocked or indicated I'm not being honest when I say I don't have high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. - aligning with what is said in this book: there is no escaping these preconceived notions and fatphobic judgements). My body doesn't feel sluggish (and all the other negative feelings) after eating because of how little processed food I eat. Processed foods aren't degraded in this book, I'm just stating my experience that is contrary to other reviews.I have been inundated with diet culture since I was 7 or so from my family, friends, coworkers, in-laws, and concern trolls. I was bulimic in my teens but stopped after leaving my mom's house at 17. I went on Atkins in the mid 2000s, but any other diet was calories in vs calories out. There was an undefined EDNOS that stayed with me into my early 30s when I was doing in vs out. Whenever I've lost weight (over 100 pounds at one point), I have always gained it back and more, creating that "I'm a failure" feeling, until I said F it all and gradually stopped living that way. Given this, there were times when I couldn't relate to Intuitive Eating because I've never gone on an outrageous diet plan (aside to Atkins), was able to stop my bulimia without a nutritionist or therapist, and have moved away from the dieting mindset for a couple years, but not so much so that I lost interest.Personally, one of the greatest things to come from this book was the explanation that food insecurity, especially as a child, is traumatic and can cause binges, bulimia, and the loss of hunger/fullness cues. All of this is my experience; it's nice to have the explanation as to why. I didn't even know there are cues to hunger before the ravenous feeling! I'm working with my therapist to get all of this back, but had I known earlier... I also like that it gave pointers to help parents teach/continue to support their children's natural hunger cues.Hillary Huber is one of my favorite narrators. She does not disappoint with her reading of this book. It was like a friend was telling me the things the authors were, which was comforting.

For reference, I'm a woman in her early 30s, with a healthy BMI, who enjoys exercising, but I've been struggling with body image for 23 YEARS. I suffered from anorexia during my early teens, rebounded with binge eating through my late teens and early twenties and felt terrible. I was able to figure out how to eat to maintain a healthy size and weight from my mid-20's to the present, but at every meal or snack time I struggle with judging myself, since I indulge in sweets when I'm stressed out and that makes me spiral into stress and self-loathing.I'd seen this book be suggested on some mom forums and also some fitness forums where people exchange ideas about how to improve our eating. One person specifically stated that a nutritionist friend suggests this book to all her clients, which piqued my interest. Years later, I finally felt the urge to end the battle with food, whatever it is from. I finally got the book and I must say, it was a blessing. It spends a good amount of time at the beginning informing the reader why it is that diets don't work (biologically, emotionally), and it gives you a sense of forgiveness for why all your previous diets didn't work (not because you failed, but because diets set you up to fail, biologically). The authors shine an enormous light on diet culture, why it's alluring, exciting and captivating, but why it's also incredibly damaging to every soul out there. They made me realize how deeply ingrained these thoughts and ideas are in us, that it will actually take some practice to rewire our brains to read and recognize our internal cues rather than try to eat as little as society has told us we "should" be eating. They really seem to know the ins and outs of a dieter's mentality which I appreciated, and they always made recommendations and suggestions from a place of kindness, not judgment. I absolutely enjoyed 99% of this book, it made me feel like the blinders came off.The only chapter I'm not fully convinced by is "Chapter 16. Raising an Intuitive Eater: What Works with Kids and Teens." I think teens have the potential to be able to benefit from these principles, but I don't agree with all the advice for young children. That's just my opinion. It's still worth a read and ponder.Anyway, for the people out there that are tired of every attempted and failed diet, you're not weak, and you're not a failure. Check out this book, and start being more compassionate with yourself.

Knowledgeable authors.

Arrived as described in good condition

I honestly love the messaging in this book and I think it's an incredible read if you struggle with food issues. However they were right in saying the intuitive eating isn't really possible if you are living in poverty or with food insecurities. I realized this first hand. I also thought it was a strange choice to wait till the end of the book to discourage readers from wanting to change. I understand what they were going for but it felt like a way to keep people reading longer. It's still a really good book other than like those 2 nitpicks though.

I finally feel that I have the tools I need to let go of diet culture and embrace gentle nutrition to meet my body's wants and needs at the same time.