Too Little. Too Much. Just Right.

One of the most stressful aspects of disordered eating isn’t just the struggle with body image and eating. It’s the exhausting collection of eating rules one might carry around.

I should eat less. I shouldn’t eat carbs. I need to work out harder. I have to earn dessert. I should always be productive. I should have more willpower.

Over time, these rules can become so loud that they drown out something quieter and more intuitive—the wisdom of our own bodies.

We aren’t born needing a diet. We come into the world with remarkable instincts. Babies cry when they’re hungry, turn away from food when they’re full, sleep when they’re tired, and seek comfort when they need connection. Their bodies naturally communicate what they need in real-time.

As we grow, however, many of us learn to trust external rules more than internal wisdom. Diet culture tells us what we should eat. Fitness culture tells us how much we should exercise. Family messages, trauma, perfectionism, and chronic stress all add more layers of “shoulds.”

Eventually, we might stop asking one very important question:

What is my body saying about what I need from food in this moment?

In my practice, I teach a simple tool that helps people reconnect with intuitive eating that I call: Too little. Too much. Just right.

Instead of trying to figure out the “correct” answer with your mind, you begin listening with your body.

After a meal, you might pause and ask:

Was that too little? Too much? Or just right?

Not according to calories. Not according to an app. Not according to someone on social media. According to your own body.

The same question works beautifully with movement.

Imagine someone who believes they must exercise an hour every day. One morning they’re exhausted but push through anyway because the rule says they should.

Afterward, instead of judging themselves, they pause.

“How did that actually feel?”

Maybe the answer is:

“That was too much.”

The next day they take a short walk and do some gentle stretching.

Again they pause.

“How did that feel?”

Maybe this time their body says:

“That was just right.”

Notice what happened.

They didn’t follow a rule.They gathered information.

Little by little, they begin replacing rigid expectations with lived experience.

This is how we reconnect with intuition—by paying attention to our inner experience, and honoring it.

A Simple Practice This Week

Choose just one area of your life. It could be:

• Exercise

• Eating

• Rest

• Work

• Social time

• Even saying yes to other people
  

Throughout the day, or at the end of each day, ask yourself:

Was that too little? Too much? Or just right?

Before answering, take one slow breath.

Notice your shoulders.

Notice your stomach.

Notice your energy.

Lean in and let your body answer, instead of your conditioning.

Simply becoming curious begins rebuilding trust with yourself.

The goal is to remember something you already knew before the world distracted you with so many heavy rules.

Your body has wisdom. It's been talking to you—telling you what's too much, too little, and what's just right. What happens when you start to listen?