Food Wonderful
Registered Dietitian
Intuitive Eating Dietitian
Eating Disorder Dietitian
Nutrition Counseling
Stephanie Fiorentino
are you ready?
Are you ready to make a meaningful and lasting change?
Diets are not sustainable in the long term. Period. Full stop.
Studies show that up to 95% of all diets fail, typically resulting in increased weight gain. What's worse? Chronic dieting leads to food anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and poor health outcomes. While many diets promise lasting results, the only true "lifestyle change" is quitting diets for good.
Are you ready to stop counting, weighing, tracking, restricting, obsessing . . .
How did our ancestors know what to eat without tracking apps, food labels, and trendy diets? Simple! They relied on hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues to guide eating. While our food landscape has changed, our bodies are still the most reliable tool to tell us when, what, and how much to eat. With a little practice, you can learn to trust your body and stop stressing over your food.
Are you ready to ditch the diet and start healing your relationship with food and your body?
Dieting increases food anxieties and body dissatisfaction. The more you diet, the more you stress about food and appearance. And over time that stress adds up, leaving you feeling out of control and completely demoralized. Choose to say goodbye to diets once and for all and you'll find yourself empowered to fully enjoy your food and fully appreciate your body.
“I never would have believed I could eat cookies without guilt.
And I never would have believed I could eat a single cookie and feel totally satisfied!”
-intuitive eating client Susan S
“For years I thought the only way to be healthy was to lose weight. Turns out there's a lot more to health than a number on the scale”
-intuitive eating client
Sara B
“I seriously never realized how hungry I was getting during the day. No wonder I felt so out of control at night. I was hungry!"
-intuitive eating client Mike S
“I was thinking about food constantly, always calculating calories and macros in my mind. It was exhausting. Now if I want some ice cream I just have it, enjoy it, and move on.”
-intuitive eating client Jennifer F
testimonials are lightly edited for clarity and shared with permission
Intuitive Eating:
Intuitive eating is an evidence-based nutrition framework developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch after recognizing that even sensible dieting was failing their clients. Intuitive eating is based on ten principles designed to quiet the diet voice, foster health behaviors, and strengthen the mind-body connection.
A non-diet approach to nutrition counseling includes elements of intuitive eating and may also incorporate mindfulness and behavioral strategies. Unlike traditional diets, a non-diet approach does not rely on restriction to guide eating and will not include calorie or macro counting or limit any foods or food groups. Instead, non-diet nutrition and intuitive eating empower you to recognize and honor your own internal hunger, fullness, and satiety cues.
Why has intuitive eating gotten so popular recently?
An alarming rise in disordered eating coupled with the growing recognition that diets don’t work has led to increased interest in intuitive eating. But don’t be fooled! Intuitive eating isn’t some new fad. Unlike whatever diet is currently trending, intuitive eating has 25 years of research to back it up.
How can I benefit from non-diet nutrition?
Start feeling better TODAY! A non-diet framework shifts the focus from external metrics like weight loss and food restrictions, to intrinsic motivators like total health enhancement and well-being. Imagine eating satisfying meals without guilt while still honoring your health and building confidence in your body. While diets offer the false hope of some future new-and-improved you, a non-diet approach provides the tools to feel better now, today and every day, without shrinking your body.
Can I lose weight with intuitive eating or non-diet nutrition?
Importantly, a non-diet framework is not used for intentional weight loss. Some people lose weight, some people gain weight, and some people experience weight fluctuations. With time and practice, intuitive eating should allow you to achieve and maintain your set point weight.
YUP. THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION.
If you're new to intuitive eating, you probably have some questions.
Use the links below or continue scrolling to learn more.
If this all sounds great then it's time to APPLY FOR COACHING
To learn more about set point theory, check this BLOG POST
If you'd like some clarity on the "not for intentional weight loss" thing, keep reading:
Wellness or
Weight Loss?
The purpose of a non-diet framework is to build body respect by honoring your natural hunger and satisfaction cues. Remember, even though you may want to lose weight, your body does not! Intentional weight loss (which your body perceives as starvation) is in direct opposition to body respect and thus not compatible with intuitive eating.
This doesn't mean you won't lose weight with a non-diet approach. Some people may lose weight, especially if they are currently above their set point. But whether you lose, gain, or maintain your weight the goal is to shift the focus from a number on the scale to total body wellness.
But ... science says I should lose weight:
That’s not quite right. Yes, there is a large chunk of research demonstrating that various diets initially result in weight loss and improved health metrics. But studies on human nutrition are complex and expensive so it’s unusual for a diet or weight loss study to run beyond 12 weeks. In almost all cases, follow up on study participants at the two- or five-year mark shows that 95 to 98% of participants gained back all the weight they lost and more.
But ... my doctor told me to lose weight:
Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, the average doctor receives less than 20 hours of nutrition training across four years of medical school. Add to that the demands of an overbooked patient schedule and our doctors simply don’t have the time or training to provide adequate nutrition counseling. It takes maybe three seconds for your doctor to tell you “oh yeah, and it would be great if you lost some weight” compared to a thorough nutrition education which typically takes an hour. Doctors often prescribe weight loss reflexively, without providing any actionable recommendations or considering if there may be more appropriate nutrition interventions.
But ... isn’t it unhealthy to be overweight?
That’s complicated. First, how are you defining “overweight”? If you’re using BMI it’s worth recognizing that this mathematical equation was never intended as a measure of individual health. For more on the problematic history of BMI, check this BLOG POST.
But ok, let’s say you’re a person in an objectively bigger body. Yes, there is research demonstrating that people at higher body weights have increased levels of inflammatory markers which, over time, can lead to poor health outcomes. But we also know that people in bigger bodies face stigma in their daily lives causing intense stress and even PTSD – both of which trigger inflammatory pathways. Additionally, people in bigger bodies are subject to medical discrimination leading to inequitable care and yes, poor health outcomes.
While there is certainly an association between weight and health, the causation is not clear. What is clear is that dieting is not the answer. Health metrics can be greatly improved through behavior modifications independent of weight loss – let’s focus on those beneficial and sustainable behaviors instead!
So. Are you ready?
Intuitive eating is for you if:
you're ready to make a meaningful and lasting change to improve your wellness
you're ready (or almost ready!) to quit dieting and say goodbye to food rules and restrictions
you want to heal your relationship with food and your body
you're willing to be patient with yourself and your body as you implement a new style of eating
you want to feel empowered to eat the foods you enjoy without guilt or restriction
Intuitive eating may not be for you if:
you're looking for a quick fix, a beach body, or to lose "x" pounds in "y" amount of time
you want to track calories or macros
you're looking for a meal plan or an outline of specific allowed/disallowed foods
you want to blend principles of intuitive eating with other trendy diets
your primary motivator for seeking nutrition counseling is weight loss
If you've read through all this and you really want to give intuitive eating a try, you're open to a weight neutral approach, but you also still kinda want to lose weight - that's totally normal and totally ok! Your Food Wonderful dietitian will help you explore how diet culture distorts our perceptions of our bodies and provide tools to improve body satisfaction.
Nutrition Counseling
with
Food Wonderful
Stephanie Fiorentino
MS, RD, LDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
50 minute sessions | $135
in-network with BCBS-IL PPO's
sliding scale rate available
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50-minute session completed via secure telehealth application
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each session is completely personalized to address your unique concerns
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sessions may focus on:
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nutrition education
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meal planning (in a non-diety way!)
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intuitive eating
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body acceptance
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self-care
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behavior change
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check our FAQ's for more
