As a nutrition journalist and dietitian-to-be, I’m a huge advocate for intuitive eating coaching.
As is often the case, I discovered intuitive eating after many years of dieting and disordered eating. In fact, I spent several of my early years as a journalist writing about diets. Eventually, I started to realize that all the “weight loss” and “clean eating” tips were nonsensical at best, and extremely harmful at worst.
It happens this way for so many people. If you’ve been dieting for years and are committed to giving up food rules and restrictions, intuitive eating coaching could help you along in the process. Let’s talk a little more about what intuitive eating coaching is, why it might be a good fit for you, and how to find a dietitian, therapist, or similar expert who specializes in intuitive eating coaching.
Let’s start with the basics, because there’s some confusion around what intuitive eating is and what it isn’t.
How is intuitive eating different from dieting?
With intuitive eating, there are no rules around what you can and can’t eat. NONE. It’s up to you to choose which foods you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat.
There’s also no promise of weight loss with intuitive eating. Despite what you may have heard from ill-informed influencers, you can’t use intuitive eating as a way to lose weight.
Intuitive eating is not:
- An eating plan with strict rules
- A diet that tells you what you should or shouldn’t eat
- A framework that says some foods are “good” and others are “bad”
- A way to lose weight or change your body
I know, I know — so many diets and “lifestyle change” out there claim NOT to be diets. If you’ve gotten this far into researching intuitive eating coaching, it’s likely because you see right through that rhetoric.
If an eating plan or “lifestyle change” makes suggestions about foods to eat and foods to avoid, it’s a diet. Anything that puts restrictions on when you can and can’t eat is a diet. A program that mentions weight loss as a side effect is a diet!
The thing about intuitive eating, though, is that it’s really, truly not a diet.
What are the intuitive eating principles?
Intuitive eating is an eating framework, popularized in the 1990s by dietitians Elyse Resch and Eveyln Tribole. There are 10 guiding principles to intuitive eating:
1. Reject the diet mentality
Rejecting all the books, influencers, and magazine articles that say it’s possible to lose weight easily or permanently.
It’s not possible — an April 2020 article in The BMJ looked at 121 diet studies with almost 22,000 participants and concluded that while people on diets lost weight in the short term, almost no one kept that weight off after a year.
Yes, it can be tough to come to terms with that, especially because our culture idolizes thinness and makes us all feel like we should be trying to lose weight. But the sooner you can accept that long-term weight loss isn’t realistic, the sooner you can begin on your intuitive eating journey.
I wrote a bit about how the diet mentality can hurt you in this article for HuffPost.
2. Honor your hunger
Eating a variety of foods regularly is so, so important to health. I wrote about how ignoring your hunger can backfire in this article for HuffPost.
3. Make peace with food
Give yourself unconditional permission to eat what you want, when you want. It might sound counterintuitive, but this actually helps you feel more in-control around food.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Nutrition looked at data from over 40,000 French adults. Researchers found that those who ate intuitively ate a more varied diet, a more nutrient-dense diet, and less food overall than those who restricted themselves or followed a diet.
Intuitive eating coaching can teach you to nourish your body in a way that feels comfortable and sustainable.
4. Challenge the food police
Let go of food rules and cutting yourself some slack. It can be tough to let go of food rules, because you may not even know that you have any. Intuitive eating coaching can help with this. An intuitive eating coach may have you write down any thoughts that you have about food throughout the day so that you can identify negative feelings, rules, and behaviors.
I wrote a bit about how having food rules can be harmful in this story for Outside.
5. Discover the satisfaction factor
Tune into the pleasure of food. We eat food for so many reasons other than nutrition — we have cultural traditions around food, we socialize over meals, and we sometimes eat foods because they taste really, really good. This isn’t just OK, it’s a great thing.
6. Feel your fullness
Be mindful of how your food is making you feel. To be absolutely clear, intuitive eating doesn’t mean that you always have to stop eating when you’re full — we all eat past the point of fullness sometimes!
Still, if you’ve been dieting for years, you may not even know what fullness feels like. This article by Alissa Rumsey talks a bit more about that, and why intuitive eating is different from mindful eating even though they have some things in common.
7. Cope with your emotions with kindness
Understand that emotional eating is fine, but that it shouldn’t be the only way you deal with your stress and your feelings.
I wrote more about emotional eating and why you shouldn’t demonize it in this article for Outside. The short version? It’s fine to use food to soothe yourself sometimes, and beating yourself over doing that can cause unnecessary stress and might even lead to eating more than you normally would.
8. Respect your body
Quit your quest for weight loss. I mentioned it earlier, but the truth is that long-term weight loss just isn’t possible.
I wrote more about the Health at Every Size approach in this article for Well+Good. In it, I explain why long-term weight loss isn’t typically possible, and how the evidence shows that it’s actually healthier to accept your weight instead of trying to change it.
9. Movement — Feel the difference
Face it: Our societal relationship to exercise isn’t great. The message is often that we should exercise to lose weight or “earn” food.
Don’t be ashamed if you think about exercise this way — many people do! Instead, recognize that exercising to compensate for what you eat isn’t healthy. Also recognize that using exercise as a way to change your body likely will not work long-term.
As part of intuitive eating, you learn to move your body in a way that feels good to you. Sometimes (for some people) that might mean doing traditional “exercise” like running or a fitness class. Other times, it might mean gently stretching, gardening, or walking the dog.
I know that making the distinction between unhealthy exercise habits and healthy ones can be tough. I wrote more about how to tell if your relationship with exercise is toxic in this article for HuffPost.
10. Honor Your Health — Gentle Nutrition
Yes, you can practice intuitive eating while still eating nutritious foods. (It’s also OK not to, if you don’t want to!)
To be clear: You may NOT eat many “balanced” or nutrient-dense meals or snacks when you first start intuitive eating. This is sometimes part of the process of letting go of food rules. This is where intuitive eating coaching with a qualified intuitive eating coach can be extremely helpful. An expert can help you figure out how to eat in a way that truly serves your physical, mental, and emotional health.
What is intuitive eating coaching?
Intuitive eating coaching is the process of working with a qualified intuitive eating coach to quit dieting and learn to eat in a way that feels energizing, simple, fun, and sustainable.
Intuitive eating coaching will look a bit different for everyone. That’s the great thing about it! A qualified intuitive eating coach will center your unique experience in the process. First, they’ll probably ask you about your current relationship with food. Then, you and your intuitive eating coach will work through the ten principles of intuitive eating.
I also want to point out that intuitive eating coaching is for everyone. You don’t need to be a certain size or come from a certain background to be an intuitive eater. That’s the whole point! Intuitive eating is about accepting your body as it is, no matter your weight or size or identity, and giving it the food that it needs.
Can you use intuitive eating coaching to lose weight?
No. The eighth principle of intuitive eating is: Respect your body. This means accepting your body as it is. It means understanding that you do not need to lose weight in order to be happy and/ or healthy.
Even knowing all this, some people think that intuitive eating coaching can be used for weight loss. Here’s the truth: You’ll never be able to eat intuitively if you’re also eating to lose weight. You won’t be able to listen to what your body truly wants and needs if you’re eating for weight loss.
It’s true that some people lose weight when they start intuitive eating coaching. Some people also gain weight. Other people stay at roughly the same weight.
It can be really, really hard to let go of the pursuit of weight loss! A qualified intuitive eating coach can help you accept your body as it is and learn to feed it accordingly. Because it’s a tough process, it’s important to find an intuitive eating coach who you can relate to and who you feel comfortable opening up to.
How can you find a good intuitive eating coach?
Intuitive eating coaching is nuanced and personal, so it’s important to find a qualified intuitive eating coach that you click with.
On a basic level, here are some things to look for in an intuitive eating coach:
- A relevant credential. There are plenty of people out there who call themselves intuitive eating coaches but who don’t have any credentials! A good intuitive eating coach will have proper training. Look for someone who is a registered dietitian (RD or RDN), a psychologist (PhD or PsyD), or another type of certified therapist (LCSW or LPC). These individuals have years of training and are legally licensed to give counseling around food and eating.
- An additional intuitive eating, eating disorder, or Health at Every Size certification. Many licensed professionals undergo additional training to become intuitive eating coaches. Here are certifications to look for:
- A website or social media presence that makes you feel comfortable and accepted. If someone is advertising intuitive eating but only shows pictures of thin people, you’re right to be skeptical. If someone claims to be an intuitive eating coach but also advertises weight loss, steer clear. A good intuitive eating coach celebrates all bodies by showcasing a diverse range on their website.
- Someone who offers local or virtual services, depending on your preference. Some people prefer going to an office to meet with an intuitive eating coach. Others might prefer doing one-on-one sessions via phone or video chat. Others still might opt for group sessions or email-only intuitive eating coaching, all of which can be less expensive.
A good intuitive eating coach will let you schedule a free call to determine whether you’re a good fit.
You can find an intuitive eating coach with proper credentials by searching the Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor directory here. Or, you can search “intuitive eating coach,” “intuitive eating counselor,” or “intuitive eating dietitian” and find a professional who offers the kind of service you want.
A good intuitive eating coach will always offer a free introductory or discovery call before making you pay them for their services! Intuitive eating coaching is only effective if you feel comfortable with your coach. A free call, which typically lasts 15-30 minutes, will help you figure out if a coach’s personality and perspective is right for you.
Is intuitive eating coaching for you?
I said above that intuitive eating coaching is for everyone. That’s true — everyone can benefit from becoming an intuitive eater, and coaching can help.
However, not everyone is ready to adopt intuitive eating. I’ve already explained that long-term weight loss isn’t realistic and that dieting causes harm. Still, there’s no denying that we live in a culture that praises thinness and pushes weight loss on everyone. If you’re not ready to let go of that kind of diet culture, that’s OK! Intuitive eating coaching will be here for you when you’re ready.
Ready to accept your body as it is? Intuitive eating coaching is for you.
Want to overcome constant cravings for foods that you think are “bad”? Intuitive eating coaching is for you.
Tired of trying diet after diet, of losing weight and then regaining it time and time again? Intuitive eating coaching is for you!
The bottom line? Intuitive eating coaching will help you quit dieting and get on with your life.
So many dietitians and therapists agree that becoming an intuitive eater can help free up brain space, time, and energy for other things. Instead of overthinking what you do and don’t eat, you can eat whatever sounds good or is convenient. Instead of spending hours exercising, you can spend time with people you care about or doing things you enjoy. When you’re not always pursuing weight loss, you can put more energy into pursuing relationships, passions, or your career.
If you decide to give intuitive eating coaching a try, you’ll work with an expert to figure out how to eat in a way that feels good to you. Once you’re comfortable with intuitive eating, you can end your work with that person and go on to do more important things!
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