Can intuitive eating and weight loss coexist?
As a certified intuitive eating counselor, let me tell you – I get this question often. I completely understand and validate the reasoning behind this question. A majority of our clients have been dieting for decades, so the desire to pursue weight loss will not magically disappear at the snap of a finger. Because most of us have been surrounded by diet talk from an early age, breaking up with dieting is hard. It takes a lot of work to unlearn the harmful beliefs telling us to shrink our bodies and take up less space.
Let’s begin with a quick round of myth-busting:
Fact: I can lose weight while intuitively eating.
Fiction: Weight loss is the intention of intuitive eating.
Though it is possible to lose weight as part of intuitive eating, it is not the goal. In fact, we kindly ask our clients to put weight loss on the back burner. It can still be in the room, we can still acknowledge it, but it cannot be the focus. Focusing on an external number hinders the intuitive eating process of reconnecting with your body and honoring its hunger and fullness cues. It is impossible to become an intuitive eater while pursuing weight loss.
There are three outcomes of intuitive eating: losing weight, gaining weight, or maintaining weight. Success of intuitive eating is not defined by weight changes; they are entirely neutral to us. Rather, intuitive eating dietitians define success according to the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating:
- Reject the Diet Mentality
- Honor Your Hunger
- Make Peace with Food
- Challenge the Food Police
- Discover the Satisfaction Factor
- Feel Your Fullness
- Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness
- Respect Your Body
- Movement – Feel the Difference
- Honor Your Health
Weight does not equal health. If this were true, everyone in a smaller body would automatically be deemed “healthy,” while those residing in larger bodies would all be “unhealthy.” This is simply not the case. The number you see on the scale is not a behavior, it is a data point. Intuitive eating focuses on changing these eating behaviors – physical, social, and psychological – instead of the number on the scale. The goal is to heal your relationship with food by becoming more attuned to your body.
If you’re new to intuitive eating and want to learn more, I’d encourage you to take some time and explore the following resources:
Can You Lose Weight While Intuitive Eating? What the Actual Fork Podcast episode with Evelyn Tribole, the co-founder of Intuitive Eating! Give this a listen if you want to extend this conversation and learn more about weight loss with intuitive eating.
If you feel like you are ready to take steps toward ditching dieting and gaining food freedom after reading this blog, we have a dietitian team who would love to work with you. Click here to get started and check out our FREE beginners Intuitive Eating training.
