Intuitive Eating, Obesity, Weight, and Dieting
It’s National Nutrition Month and in celebration, I wanted to share some important research about Intuitive Eating, Obesity, Weight, and Dieting. Intuitive Eating shaped my life and my career so it only felt appropriate to bring it to light during National Nutrition Month. Enjoy the vlog! And below I have included the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 by Tracy Tylka to help you determine how strong of an intuitive eater you are as well as the references I used to develop my vlog. Happy and healthy eating!
Intuitive Eating Scale- 2
Directions for Participants
For each item, please circle the answer that best characterizes
your attitudes or behaviors. For each item, the following response scale should be used: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree.
1. I try to avoid certain foods high in fat, carbohydrates, or calories.
2. I find myself eating when I’m feeling emotional (e.g., anxious, depressed, sad), even when I’m not physically hungry.
3. If I am craving a certain food, I allow myself to have it.
4. I get mad at myself for eating something unhealthy.
5. I find myself eating when I am lonely, even when I’m not physically hungry.
6. I trust my body to tell me when to eat.
7. I trust my body to tell me what to eat.
8. I trust my body to tell me how much to eat.
9. I have forbidden foods that I don’t allow myself to eat.
10. I use food to help me soothe my negative emotions.
11. I find myself eating when I am stressed out, even when I’m not physically hungry.
12. I am able to cope with my negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, sadness) without turning to food for comfort.
13. When I am bored, I do NOT eat just for something to do.
14. When I am lonely, I do NOT turn to food for comfort.
15. I find other ways to cope with stress and anxiety than by eating.
16. I allow myself to eat what food I desire at the moment.
17. I do NOT follow eating rules or dieting plans that dictate what, when, and/or how much to eat.
18. Most of the time, I desire to eat nutritious foods.
19. I mostly eat foods that make my body perform efficiently (well).
20. I mostly eat foods that give my body energy and stamina.
21. I rely on my hunger signals to tell me when to eat.
22. I rely on my fullness (satiety) signals to tell me when to stop eating.
23. I trust my body to tell me when to stop eating.
Scoring Procedure
1. Reverse score Items 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 11.
2. Total IES-2 scale score: Add together all items and divide by 23 to create an average score.
3. Unconditional Permission to Eat subscale: Add together Items 1, 3, 4, 9, 16, and 17; divide by 6 to create an average score.
4. Eating for Physical Rather Than Emotional Reasons subscale: Add together Items 2, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15; divide by 8 to create an average score.
5. Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues subscale: Add together Items 6, 7, 8, 21, 22, and 23; divide by 6 to create an average score.
6. Body–Food Choice Congruence subscale: Add together Items 18, 19, and 20; divide by 3 to create an average score.
References
Herbert BL, Blechert J, Hautzinger M, Matthias E., Herbert C.(2013). Intuitive eating is associated with interoceptive sensitivity. Effects on body mass index. Appetite, 70(Nov):22–30.
Tylka TL, & Kroon Van Diest AM. (2013) The Intuitive Eating Scale-2: Item refinement and psychometric evaluation with college women and men. J Couns Psychol. Jan;60(1):137-53.
Madden C.E., Leong, S.L., Gray A., and Horwath C.C. ( 2012). Eating in response to hunger and satiety signals is related to BMI in a nationwide sample of 1601 mid-age New Zealand women. Public Health Nutrition. Mar 23:1-8.
Tylka, Tracy L. Development and psychometric evaluation of a measure of intuitive eating.J Counseling Psych;2006. 53(2), Apr:226-240.