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Intuitive Eating Infographic: Internal vs External Authority

A printable resource illustrating the difference between an internal authority and an external authority. For more information on this infographic, view the article.

Purchase includes 2 high-resolution PDF versions of this image, one depicting a black woman with dark brown hair, and a second version depicting a white woman with brown hair. Both versions are suitable for printing or framing.

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Internal vs. External Authority. Image of a dark-haired, short-haired, dark-skinned person with a concerned expression holding a phone, which is buzzing. They also have a fitness tracker on their wrist, which is also buzzing. On the person’s left is a purple banner that says “External.” Below this is written: “An external authority asks us to ignore internal cues (hunger, pain, etc.) in order to achieve that authority’s version of a good body. There is a black doodle of a fitness tracker with the words “Fitness tech: apps, fitness bands, counters, food journals, etc.” next to it. There is a doodle of a magazine and a nutrition book with the words “Data: from both pop-culture and academic research” next to them. There is a doodle of a polaroid picture of a person’s body with their dog next to them, and the words “Comparison to other bodies.” There is a doodle of a notepad with the words “weight,” “BMI,” and “clothing size” written on it with checkmarks next to each word. The phrase “Body scale measurements” is written with this doodle. On the right of the person is a purple banner that says, “Internal.” Below that is written “An internal authority asks us to learn to pay closer attention to our body and its needs in order to develop trust between mind and body.” There is a doodle of a thought bubble with a stomach drawn with the words “H.F.A cues: Hunger, Fullness, and Appetite” written next to it. There is a doodle of a heart with hands hugging it and the words “Inner wisdom and intuition” next to it. There is a doodle of a muscular arm flexing with the words “Energy level and strength (+other body feedback) next to it.

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