Developing Body Trust

“Body trust is not in any sense of the word a diet. Body trust is an internally directed process, a gentle way to care for yourself for the rest of your life. Trusting your body means getting in touch with inner signals and letting your body sort out the weight question itself” (Dayle Hayes, 1995. Radiance Magazine)

Body Trust encompasses listening to your body and acting accordingly, it has implications for the ways we eat, exercise and live our lives. In terms of eating, Body Trust in many ways can be a process of ‘undieting’. Many of us eat according to sets of rules and regulations and our relationship with food is often characterised by guilt, fear, shame, anxiety and deprivation. This way of eating interrupts our natural ability to know when we are hungry and when we are full. Often we understand the feeling of either being stuffed full or of being ravenously starving. Developing body trust involves being aware of and being able to respond to the more subtle experiences of hunger and fullness. The process of reconnecting with our bodies, learning to listen to our bodies and responding to hunger is a rewarding journey and can lead to a rediscovery of the pleasure of food and eating.

Some steps to help develop body trust are

• Listen to your body in order to detect when you are getting hungry. Hunger is a subjective experience and you will need to discover how this feels for you. You may

1. feel dizzy or light-headed
2. become cranky or irritable
3. have a gnawing or empty feeling in your stomach
4. hear your stomach growling
5. start thinking about food
6. crave a certain food
7. think its time to eat (it may be some time since you’ve eaten)
8. see or smell something enticing

• Choose what you want to eat. Be aware- long term dieters will tend to have a preference initially for ‘forbidden’ foods, this is normal. Over time our bodies will naturally begin to hunger for a more balanced diet.

1. sit down and ask yourself what you really want to eat
2. if no answer comes, consider what taste, texture and temperature you feel like
3. Taste: Do you want something sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bland
4. Texture: Do you want something smooth, crunchy, creamy, crackly, light, substantial, liquidy
5. Temperature: Do you want something hot, room temperature or cold

• Eat slowly and consciously. Pay attention to how the food is meeting your needs.

1. Eat sitting down in a calm environment
2. Eat without distractions. Distractions include: radio, tv, newspapers, books, driving, working
3. Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others
4. Focus on pleasure, taste, smell, texture and nourishment

• Stop eating when you are full.

1. it can take about 20 minutes for your body to realise it is full so it can be helpful to stop eating and consider how your stomach feels
2. if you still feel hungry continue eating, if you feel content it’s time to stop
3. learning about hunger and fullness can take time – don’t be afraid to experiment
4. Reflect on any feelings that come up for you about being full and seek support if you need to.

Congratulate yourself on moving a step closer to developing Body Trust.

In summary
Eat what you want when you are truly hungry. Stop when you are full. And eat exactly what appeals to you. Do this instead of any diet, and you are likely to maintain the right weight for you and avoid eating issues.