We’re SO excited to meet you! Week 1 is all about getting to know each other, the materials of the course, and learning about what the next 11 weeks will look like. It’s kind of like the first day of school but WAY more fun!

 Week 2 is all about how diets FAIL US. We aren’t meant to diet. We all learn about recognizing how our dieting-obsessed culture impacts us – it’s even in our “safe” places like medical offices, schools, and churches. We like to say “once you see diet culture, you can’t unsee it!”

Diets tell us we can’t trust our bodies. That is straight-up nonsense! During week 3, we’ll practice “listening” to our self-regulation signals that tell us when we’re hungry and when we’re satisfied. We’ll trade all those numbers of diet culture for the hunger discover scale – the only useful scale we know of!

It’s not the pizza, cupcakes, carbs, or high-calorie food that’s the problem. It’s that we think they’re forbidden fruit. This week we’re letting all the foods out of the cage so we learn what we truly enjoy them without rules. It’s time to legalize all foods and take back the power that diet culture gave them. 

You know the voice… “You shouldn’t eat that…” That’s the diet police and it’s the ultimate set-up. This week we’ll be reframing those negative thoughts, talk about their origins, and learn how to flip the script on self-talk that keeps us in the diet cycle. 

Remember that clean plate club?! And all the diets that recommended filling up on water to not fill up on food? We’re rebooting. It’s time to feel your fullness and learn about all the things that can get in the way.

 There’s a reason we have taste buds, and it’s not for “enjoying” diet food. This week we’ll reflect on the sensory experience of eating and food. We’ll let our satisfaction level be our guide to stop eating – not the preportioned meal or calorie level.

Sometimes we eat because we’re hungry. Other times, we eat because we’re angry or lonely. This week we’ll work on emotional triggers, sitting with discomfort, and helpful distractions. 

Body hatred is learned – it doesn’t have to be. Contrary to diet culture and the media, we’re meant to be different. In fact, we are all genetically different. This week we’ll focus on body acceptance, gratitude, and ridding ourselves of the scale – the idol of diet culture.

There’s exercise and then there’s joyful movement exercise. This week we’ll talk about moving our bodies in pleasurable, sustainable ways and explore boundaries that keep us from fitness. 

There is a reason nutrition is the last principle. We’ve got a lot of unlearning to do before we can look at nutrition in a non-dieting way. This week we’ll explore food choices, why we make them, and how balance our internal attunement with our own values of health. Giving up dieting isn’t giving up, it’s changing the lens on how you view and use food.

Twelve weeks, friends. That’s a lot to digest. This final week we’ll talk about what we’ve learned, what we’ve challenged, and how we’ll move forward as intuitive eaters. It’s a beautiful place to be. Others will notice. You will notice. And, you will be free of food rules.

It may seem counter intuitive, but following external rules of what, when, and how much to eat makes us more likely to overeat and even binge! This program is designed to help you start reclaiming your own wisdom about eating and appreciation for your body. When you shift your mindset about food, it will feel like you’re riding without training wheels at first. But the program content and group support will help you learn to trust yourself.

Nutrition is important, but the most important thing at first is to normalize your relationship with food. Knowing about nutrition is not the same thing as having a healthy relationship with food. Even when people know a lot about nutrition, that book knowledge doesn’t necessarily help them coexist peacefully with baguettes.

We hear you. When you think of how much money you spent in the past on diet plans and special food that didn’t deliver on its promise, it makes perfect sense that you are looking for value. This is a 12-week group, but it’s really a jumpstart for an ongoing shift.

We’ve done the math and are happy that this program is more economical than 12 individual sessions with either of us – and did we mention snacks?

If you have any questions about whether this program is right for you, please reach out and we will answer any questions you may have before you enroll. No refunds will be issued after enrollment.

Questions? We’re happy to answer! Please email Barb or Leslie. If you’d rather chat by phone, please schedule a time.

Intuitive eating is not a weight loss program. However, as you repair your relationship with food and your body, you may see physical changes. You might lose weight. You might stay the same. You might even gain weight (at least temporarily) as your body gets used to normal eating.

What won’t stay the same, though, is your mindset! This group is designed to help you lose guilt, shame, and negative judgment. Or as past have clients put it, “In the past, eating was always a shameful thing for me. But now I can have inspiring experiences with it.”

This group is not therapy, nor is it a substitute for therapy with a licensed mental health professional. However, this group can be a great addition to your therapeutic work. Barbara Spanjers is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Nevada. Leslie Schilling is a licensed Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. Content pertaining to this program is within the field of coaching, not psychotherapy or medical nutrition therapy.

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