You also get unconditional permission to think
Perhaps the most striking difference between Intuitive Eating and, well, everything else is that you have full and unconditional permission to eat. That applies to what, when, and how much. Knowing that we have unconditional permission to eat allows us to stop "eating at" anything that limits us, whether a diet or ourselves. I think of it as engaging in a tug of war and then having the person on the other end drop the rope. Without that tension, there's nothing to fight against and the focus can then shift to what do I really want, how much do I need to feel I've had "enough?"
One obstacle that pops up for many early Intuitive Eaters, now that they've formalized their commitment to not dieting is intrusive thoughts about wanting to lose weight, wanting to control their eating in one way or another, not fully trusting the process yet. When people on the Intuitive Eating path think these thoughts, they can also experience guilt and shame because they believe such thoughts are inherently incompatible with IE, not allowed, verboten.
I have found it incredibly helpful to let clients know that - just as they have unconditional permission to eat - they have unconditional permission to think. Feeling badly about having certain thoughts is akin to feeling badly for eating certain foods and self-aggression in any form isn't good for anyone. Acknowledging the unconditional permission to think gives Intuitive Eaters the capacity to acknowledge that they have many parts with many different thoughts and feelings about food, eating, and their bodies. Giving themselves this permission makes space for their whole selves - makes nothing off limits - and refocuses them on taking the next right step: eating regularly, satisfyingly, learning to expand to accommodate discomfort more and more.
Are there thoughts that you have had that you feared were incompatible with Intuitive Eating? What does it feel like to make space for them while at the same time committing to taking the next right step?