Can I Lose Weight With Intuitive Eating
Part of you wants to lose weight. But you're not sure how that works with intuitive eating. Because you also don't want to go on another diet.
I've found that in the intuitive eating space there's a lot of shame for wanting to lose weight. And there's also this message that you can't do anything about your weight.
But then, diet culture will tell you that you have 100% control of your weight. That, if you want to lose 15 lbs, just follow this plan and you'll lose it.
And the truth is, neither of these approaches are true.
As with most things in the health and wellness space, the answer is somewhere in the middle.
Because, no, you don't actually have 100% control over your weight and the size of your body. There are strong factors that are out of your control. Like genetics, for one.
But then, it's also not true that you have zero control and that you can't do anything about your weight.
The way I like to look at weight is #1, weight and body change can be completely normal. Bodies are meant to change. But also, weight changes can sometimes be a clue into something else possibly going on.
When we think about weight, there are some factors that are in your control, like how you eat, your activity, stress levels, and sleep. And there are also factors, like genetics as I just mentioned, that are out of your control.
The approach I take with my clients whenever they share with me that they've either noticed they've gained weight recently OR they're wanting to lose weight is this…
First, we put that desire to lose weight on the “back burner” while working on healing their relationship with food & rebuilding trust with listening to their body. The reason we do this first is focusing on weight in the beginning can get in the way of really healing their relationship with food & learning to eat intuitively.
But then, we'll explore with curiosity, not judgement, the areas of their life and their habits related to their weight that might be out of balance and contributing to weight gain. We look at their eating habits, movement, sleep, and stress. And then we explore together what they might want to change or what areas might need some attention right now.
And then I help them create the habits around these areas that will help them feel their best & improve their health. All while also learning to accept their body and being ok with wherever their body and weight are meant to be.
This is what this week's podcast episode is all about.
If you've been struggling with how to think about your weight… maybe you've gotten the message from the intuitive eating space that we can't talk about weight, and yet you have this desire to lose weight and you feel hopeless & helpless and you're not sure how to navigate all of these feelings with intuitive eating…
Or, if you've heard the message from diet culture that you can just be whatever size and if you haven't lost weight or kept if off it's a problem with you… you just need to try harder…
This week's podcast episode is for you.
In this episode you'll learn…
How to think about weight and how to deal with wanting to lose weight while also wanting to heal your relationship with your body & with food
What is set-point theory and how it can help us think about weight
My thoughts on obesity as a diagnosis
And the approach regarding weight loss that I take with my clients
We just barely scratched the surface on this topic and I imagine you will have some questions or want to talk through your own experience and I'm here for you with that. DM me on Instagram @nondiet_rn to get my help.
And if you’d like to learn about working together inside my program Stop Dieting Start Living, click HERE.