Dec 19, 2025

The 10 Steps to Intuitive Eating

By The Sculpt Society

Ready to learn what intuitive eating is all about? We’re here to guide you through all 10 steps…

Our new Food Freedom Guide—led by Sammi Brondo, MS, RD, CDN, Registered Dietitian & Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor—helps you tune back into your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues through a holistic, nourishing approach to food and wellness. At its core, intuitive eating is about making peace with food. But before we dive in, let’s get something out of the way first—although intuitive eating really values health and nutrition, the concept of gentle nutrition is actually the last step of the program. Before you can use nutrition to guide your food choices, you first need to step away from internalized food rules, heal your relationship with food, and rebuild trust with your body.

Together with Sammi, we’ll walk through all 10 steps—from rejecting diet culture to honoring your health in a way that feels grounded, sustainable, and joyful.

Catch up with Sammi more through her website and Instagram @veggiesandchocolate.

Woman with curly hair holding a cherry near her mouth against a white background

Reject the diet mentality & honor your hunger

Your journey officially begins with getting angry at diet culture (feels good, doesn’t it?). The very first step to intuitive eating is ditching the diet mentality—letting go of food rules, the number on the scale, and all the other external factors that get in the way of your own internal cues, like hunger, fullness, and cravings.

Step two explores the concept of honoring your hunger, and paying attention to what your body is telling you. Your body knows what it needs, and tuning into those signals is a powerful way to reconnect with yourself (and we often approach movement the same way). Consistently ignoring hunger usually leads to overeating later, so this step is about building back trust with your body. Think of it as having a conversation with yourself throughout the day—what is your body telling you it needs? Respect your body—and always make sure to feed yourself.

Make peace with food & challenge the food police

Now we’re getting to step three, which is what Sammi considers to be one of the most crucial steps in the program: making peace with food. This means giving yourself unconditional permission to eat and look at food in a neutral way—there are no "good" foods or "bad" foods; just foods, period. The enjoyment of food is something you deserve to experience, without guilt or shame!

Which leads us to step four… Standing up to the food police in your head—those internal thoughts that tell you you're "bad" for eating sugar, or should feel guilty about not incorporating more leafy greens into your diet. These negative thoughts are holdovers from years of exposure to diet culture messaging, and it's time to banish them for good. When you stop labeling foods as off-limits, you’ll think about them less and less.

Woman holding a bunch of grapes with a neutral background

Woman with dark hair smiling with a tomato in her mouth

Discover the satisfaction factor & feel your fullness

Listen to your body and tune into satisfaction and fullness. Step five invites you to discover the satisfaction factor: when you eat what you want in a comfortable setting, in a way that feels good, you'll naturally feel more content. Satisfaction is what makes eating truly nourishing, and it’s a real act of self-care.

Step six is about feeling your fullness and understanding what comfortable fullness feels like in your body. It's important to note that our Intuitive Eating Program isn't a hunger and fullness diet—it's not black and white like that—but learning to recognize your fullness cues is part of the equation. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel and how your energy levels shift throughout the day.

Cope with your emotions with kindness & respect your body

Let’s get into treating your body with respect and adding to your emotional wellness toolkit. Step seven is about learning how to handle your emotions in a kind, nonjudgemental way—identifying your triggers and discovering ways to cope outside of (or in addition to) food. Food can offer comfort and care when you need it. At the same time, building additional go-to strategies for handling tough emotions gives you more tools to support your overall well-being.

Step eight means accepting that no two bodies will ever look the same—you can’t become an intuitive eater if you're holding onto an unrealistic idea of weight loss. Respecting your body means honoring where you are right now and treating yourself with the compassion you deserve. This step is foundational to the entire Intuitive Eating Program.

Woman with an apple on her head against a white background

Woman in a white sports bra and shorts eating pizza against a plain background

Movement & honor your health with gentle nutrition

These final two steps are about using exercise and food as ways to nourish your body, not beat yourself up. Step nine is about movement—feeling the difference exercise makes not because of the calories it burns, but because of how it makes you feel: energized, less stressed, and ready to tackle your day. As Megan says, the best form of exercise is the one you enjoy the most, so lean into what makes you feel good.

Finally, step ten brings us to honoring your health with gentle nutrition—making choices that make you feel good when you zoom out and look at the big picture. This is where nutrition comes in…but only after you've worked through the other steps and truly made peace with food. Remember, this holistic approach to health is about the long game, not quick fixes. Choose foods that honor both your cravings and your health, and notice how good it feels to eat without rules.

Ten steps might seem like a lot, but don't let them overwhelm you—Sammi likes to share them before getting started, so you have a general idea of how our Food Freedom Guide works and what this journey might look like for you. When intuitive eating feels difficult, you can return to these steps to guide you. Most of the steps can be done in any order. Find what works best for you and your routine. Just remember that the concept of gentle nutrition must come last; you can't fully take nutrition into account until you’ve made peace with food, your body, and your relationship with eating.

Please note: This post should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Intuitive eating is a supportive approach, but it may not be appropriate for everyone. If you (or someone you know) are struggling with an eating disorder (ED) or related mental health issue, seek help from a qualified healthcare professional— whether that's your primary care doctor, a registered dietician or nutritionist, or counselor.

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