Is it Possible to Lose Weight with Intuitive Eating? And Other Myths Debunked
Here are some myths debunked about intuitive eating, and why it cannot be, and will never be, a diet.
Is it possible to lose weight with intuitive eating?
- Short answer: yes, possibly, but that's not the point.
And also possibly not! The purpose of intuitive eating is to return to the body's natural weight, which may be above or below your current weight. This is due to set point theory, the idea that your body has a weight range it is genetically predetermined to be at, and will remain in as long as you listen to your hunger/fullness cues, while still allowing to truly enjoy your food. So if you are currently bingeing and feel as though you have gained more weight than your body naturally wants to be at, you may lose weight with intuitive eating. If you're restricting your food intake and are actively repressing your body's natural weight, you may gain weight. Your weight also might not change at all, or do the opposite of what you expect! Weight fluctuations are also normal and occur throughout the lifespan. Do not compare your 18 year old body to your 25 year old body. Or your 40 year old body to your 30 year old body, etc. However, the purpose of embracing intuitive eating has very little to do with weight altogether. It's significantly more about healing your relationship with food.
"But can't intuitive eating 'work?' if I'm making 'healthy' choices?"
- What is your definition of "work?"
If intuitive eating is being used for intentional weight loss, it's not going to "work" as intended. Intuitive eating is about reconnecting with the body's natural hunger and fullness cues, while allowing flexibility and the pleasure of food to be a focus. If intentional weight loss is your definition of "work," then no, intuitive eating will not "work." Because it wouldn't be intuitive eating anymore. Because intuitive eating is not a diet*. As for health, yes it is possible to make health-promoting choices with intuitive eating, but if it's in the name of weight loss, that's not actually health (read to the end for more on that).
*and even still, diets don't "work" in terms of long-term intentional weight loss, but that's for another post :)
The implications of the word "diet..."
- What is your definition of diet?
The word "diet" can be described as a neutral term for "what/how someone tends to eat day to day." Although this is one technically correct definition, that's not the definition we are referencing. When we say "intuitive eating is not a diet," we mean intentional food restriction in any capacity for the goal of manipulating the body (externally or internally). Or more formally, the definition of "diet" we use is: "to eat sparingly or according to prescribed rules." Intuitive eating does not involve a single rule to tell you how to eat. Principles to embody that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body? Absolutely. Rules? Absolutely not.
Intuitive eating as a "lifestyle," not a diet
- The word lifestyle has been incredibly co-opted by diet culture.
A lot of folks unfortunately use the guise of "lifestyle" to squish intuitive eating into a diet culture box. The word "lifestyle" these days is simply a diet with less intense wording. Intuitive eating in the absence of diet culture is just eating. It's unfortunate that it has to become this entire paradigm due to the prevalence of diet culture, but it truly cannot be compared to any other "lifestyle" within the context of diet culture. It is completely removed from it - which can be hard to comprehend.
Intuitive eating & health
- Anti-diet is not anti-health. Whatsoever.
Weight loss is not inherently "healthy." In fact, intentional weight loss often leads to weight cycling, which does have negative health impacts. So what improves health? Health behaviors. Can we intentionally ADD more veggies to our meals? For sure! Can we choose to drink more water in a day? Absolutely. Can we choose to move our bodies in a way that feels good? Yup! Do we have to "replace" or "restrict" any other foods to enact these health behaviors? Absolutely not.
So, intuitive eating is not, and will never be, a diet. If you come across any resources saying it is, or that it's a "lifestyle," RUN. Diet culture has found a myriad of ways to co-opt intuitive eating as a diet, but in that has lost the very essence of what intuitive eating is. If you have to count anything, restrict anything, or do anything besides enjoy your food and your damn life, it's not intuitive eating.