Often when dieting, and after years of chronic dieting it’s no surprise you may be concerned about what will happen to your weight once you start intuitive eating.
So let’s get into what could happen with your body and weight with intuitive eating.
Will you gain weight with intuitive eating?
There’s no cut-and-dry answer to this. Some people gain weight, some people lose weight, and for some their weight stays the same. That’s probably not the answer you want to hear because I still remember how anxious that made me when I went from chronic dieter to intuitive eating.
The trust is no one knows exactly what will happen to your body when intuitive eating. But here’s the thing, it’s less of a risk than dieting. But don’t take my word for it. Instead let’s simply take a look at what a few research studies have found about dieting, intuitive eating, and weight.
The data about intuitive eating and weight gain
A 2023 study found that dieting is a risk factor for weight gain. Yes, I know risk factors don’t mean they cause weight gain, just that there seems to be a relationship there.
Let’s look at another study from 2019 which analyzed 29 long term studies and found that more than half of weight loss is regained within 2 years.
And another study found that the odds of increasing body mass index (BMI) were higher among people who dieted than the odds of maintaining or decreasing BMI. Meaning people who dieted were more likely to see an increase in their weight than to maintain or lose weight compared to those who don’t diet.
Dieting doesn’t have the best track record of providing effective strategies for weight management, yet people will still tell you that you just need the right plan for you and commitment.
Now let’s look at some research about intuitive eating and weight.
- A 2019 study about college students found intuitive eating reduced the chances of being overweight and promoted weight stability.
- A 2024 study suggests IE promoted weight stability and decreased overeating.
- This 2019 study looked at intuitive eating in pregnant women and found intuitive eating practices were associated with lower weight gain during pregnancy.
- A longitudinal 2021 study found that intuitive eating lowers the risk of binge eating, unhealthy eating behaviors, and high weight status.
Intuitive eating promotes healthier eating habits and a more consistent relationship with food. If your concern is weight gain, intuitive eating is actually a better long term fit than dieting.
But of course, in intuitive eating, we drop the focus on weight because it’s not helpful.
How to be more neutral about weight
How would your life be different if you weren’t spending every day thinking about your weight? (or trying not to think about weight)
When I was dieting, I thought thinking about food and weight was a sign of how committed I was to make a change. And it wasn’t until I healed my relationship with food and weight that I realized how much of my energy was drained by my focus on weight and food. I was exhausted all the time from trying to control myself around food.
When I was dieting, I was alright with the commitment I had because I believed the false hope that comes with dieting. The false hope that you’ll love your body and no longer have any insecurities when you reach your goal weight. The false hope that changing your body will change how you feel about your body.
But how you feel about your body, is your relationship with your body. And no physical change can change how you’re thinking about yourself.
Yes, if your body matches your expectations there is a chance you’ll feel better, and that could be your experience. But more often what I’ve seen is people just changing their goal.
I had a client who set the goal to weigh 180 lbs. She reached that goal but still didn’t feel great in her body. So she set the goal to weigh 160 lbs but still didn’t feel better in her body. So she set the goal even lower but lost her motivation to lose weight because she was disappointed she went through all that effort and still didn’t feel better.
She thought when she reached her goal she’d feel lighter, comfortable in her body, and amazing. But she still had the same relationship with her body she started with.
You don’t need to change your weight to feel better. What you need is to heal your relationship with food and your body. That’s what will make you feel better. That’s what will lead you to take care of yourself and your body.
When you respect (and maybe even love) your body, you’ll naturally feel more driven to take care of yourself.