Nina Kaufmann

Breaking free from chronic dieting and making peace with food is a journey, and the timeline for healing can be different for each individual. For some, it may take a few months; for others, years. At its core, this isn’t just about changing the way you eat – it’s about changing your entire relationship with yourself.

Intuitive eating leads to intuitive living.

For many of us trapped in the cycle of binge eating, calorie counting, and constant restriction, there comes a point of exhaustion. We get tired of the endless battle with food and our bodies.

How long it will take for you to eat intuitively and reconnect with your body depends on several factors; how long you’ve been dieting, how ready you are for change, and how prepared you are to take ownership of your journey. Sadly, many women don’t even realize they’re trapped in the cycle of disordered eating, believing that chronic dieting equals “taking care of their health”. For those who aren’t yet ready to acknowledge the problem, all we can do is keep spreading the message of food freedom and hope that they hear it when they’re ready.

How to Know You’re Ready to Break Free

But how can you tell when you’re moving in the right direction? How do you know when you’re truly prepared to take ownership of your challenges and embrace a life of freedom? Here are five key signs that indicate you’re ready to break free from the cycle of dieting and heal your relationship with food.

1. Exhaustion with Dieting

One of the clearest signs you’re ready for change is when the need for change becomes bigger than the comfort of staying the same. At some point in your dieting journey, you may reach a point of sheer exhaustion; you’re tired of the empty promises of fad diets and disappointed with the perpetual “start again on Monday” mentality. If you find yourself rolling your eyes at the latest diet trend and beginning to question whether there might be another way, you’re on the right path.

This moment of doubt is crucial. It means you’re opening yourself up to new possibilities and questioning the validity of restrictive diets. While it won’t immediately change your life, it’s an essential first step.

2. Taking Ownership

Once you’ve peeked over the edge and seen that freedom is possible, the next step is taking responsibility for your situation. This means recognizing that while external guidance can help, the real work lies with you. No coach, program, or book can transform your life unless you’re ready to take ownership of your actions. That’s why I always make sure my clients are “coachable” – I can guide you through the journey, I can equip you with all the tools you need (and I will, working with me means you’ll be deeply supported, but at the end of the day, you’re responsible for the change.

Taking responsibility is the cornerstone of real change. You must be willing to do the work yourself, to commit to a process that goes beyond hoping for a quick fix. Without this commitment, any attempt at transformation will likely be frustrating and ineffective, but still a step forward. You can always adjust your approach!

3. Recognizing Food as a Symptom

Our struggles with food often reflect deeper issues. This realization is why I didn’t stop at nutrition; I pursued life-coaching and NLP to help you address the root causes of your food issues.

While diets and restrictions play a huge role in creating disordered eating patterns, sometimes, people use food to numb or distract themselves to avoid dealing with deeper emotional needs. This mostly doesn’t happen consciously, which is why it’s helpful to have a professional helping you discover your blind spots.

When you start to realize that your cravings may be linked to emotions like stress, loneliness, or insecurity, you’re moving closer to healing.

Healing begins when we focus not only on the food itself, but also on the underlying issues driving our behavior.

4. Identifying What You Truly Need

Once you’ve acknowledged that your food issues might be masking deeper emotional needs, the next step is to ask yourself what you’re truly craving. Is it love, success, self-worth, or connection? Whatever it is, it’s important to identify and address these needs directly, rather than using food as a temporary fix.

I’d also like to urge you to notice how diet indrustry marketing always sells you this idea that once you’ve lost weight, you’ll finally enjoy succes and become confident and worthy of love, thus creating the subconcious idea that you must be thin to be successful, confident and worthy. Obviously, this isn’t true — you can pursue success, build confidence and do the inner work of realising you’re worthy without weight loss or diets.

This stage is challenging because it requires you to step out of your comfort zone and confront your emotions head-on. But by practicing self-love and nurturing yourself in ways beyond food, you’ll begin to make lasting changes.

5. Reintroducing Foods Without Guilt

As you progress on your journey, you’ll find yourself reintroducing foods that were once off-limits. Perhaps you’ll have a slice of birthday cake without guilt or enjoy pizza without self-judgment. The goal is to enjoy these foods mindfully, rather than (binge) eat them feeling out of control or as an act of rebellion against your current diet.

Over time, you may even realize that some of the foods you once craved no longer hold the same appeal. For example, I used to binge on chocolate, but once I allowed myself the freedom to eat it without restriction, I discovered I didn’t “have to eat all of it right now”.

When foods are allowed, the urge to binge disappears.

This shift is a powerful indicator that you’re on the right track. When you start experimenting with eating without feeling restricted, you’re well on your way to true food freedom.

Practical Tips for Beginning the Healing Process

Healing your relationship with food may seem daunting, but there are several practical steps you can take to begin the process:

1. Journaling: Start by writing down your thoughts and emotions around food. This practice can help you become more aware of the triggers that lead to emotional eating or restrictive behaviors. Writing about your experiences can bring clarity and allow you to process your feelings in a healthy way.
2. Mindful Eating: Practice eating without distractions. Sit down with your meals, savor each bite, and pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues. This will help you reconnect with your body’s natural signals. However, keep in mind that life happens – you cannot expect yourself to eat every single meal mindfully, without distractions and that’s okay. Intuitive eating teaches us balance, what you do sometimes or most of the time matters more than creating rigid rules.
3. Seek Professional Support: Working with a nutritionist or a life coach who specializes in intuitive eating or food relationship issues can provide personalized guidance. Professionals can offer tools, strategies, and accountability to help you through the healing process. I’m here for you whenever you’re ready.
4. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences: Engaging with communities that support intuitive eating can be transformative. Support groups, like those found in intuitive eating or body-positive communities, provide a space to share experiences, celebrate progress, and find encouragement. People there are always so supportive and gentle, as they understand exactly what you’re going through.
5. Use Social Media Mindfully: Also, unfollowing social media accounts that make you feel worse about your body or the way you eat is often very healing. I’ve noticed my clients benefit from this step immensely! To take it a step further, find a couple of positive social media accounts, and follow those.
6. Immerse Yourself In Intuitive Eating World: Whether it’s listening to a podcast about intuitive eating or reading a book, surrounding yourself with intuitive eating resources will help you solidify the idea that food freedom is possible for you—and you will learn how and why it’s the healthiest choice you could make.

The Harmful Effects of Chronic Dieting

Research consistently shows that chronic dieting can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. According to studies, people who engage in long-term restrictive diets are more likely to develop:

• Increased risk of disordered eating behaviors: Chronic dieting is one of the strongest predictors of disordered eating and eating disorders development
• Slower metabolism: Prolonged calorie restriction can cause the body to adapt by slowing metabolism, making it even harder to lose weight over time
• Mental health struggles: Dieting has been linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and body dissatisfaction
• Weight gain over time: Studies consistently show that over 90% of people who lose weight through dieting regain it within five years, and many end up gaining more than they initially lost

Of course, there are many more harmful effects of dieting, such as higher risk of developing osteoporosis, headaches, lower muscle mass, food obsession, digestive issues, hormonal issues, poor sleep quality, malnutrition and more.

Conclusion

These five signs show that you’re ready to turn the page and start a new chapter in your life – one where all foods are allowed, and you make choices based on what truly nourishes you.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your journey towards food freedom, I invite you to explore my courses or reach out for personalized coaching. Whether you’re looking for guidance on healing your relationship with food or want to dive deeper into the mind-body connection, I’m here to support you every step of the way.

So if you want to make positive changes in your relationship with food and your body, I’m here to guide you. Through my intuitive eating coaching, we’ll work together to unlearn the harmful messages that have held you back, embrace a compassionate, evidence-based approach to nutrition, and build lasting confidence in your choices.

Let’s work together to reclaim your life and find true freedom, without diets, restrictions, or guilt. Contact me today to start your journey towards lasting food freedom, or sign up for one of my free resources to begin exploring the path to a healthier relationship with food.

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