The Truth About Intuitive Eating for Weight Loss: My Experience On an Anti-Diet

Are “Anti-Diets” a Scam? My Story and What I've Learned

Hi, it’s Helen! A few weeks ago I wrote about diet culture, corsets and why I’m generally against weight loss crazes. I also mentioned briefly that I got into intuitive eating, never looked back, and that I would tell you more about it, so here I am. You can go back and read my previous article here. 

What is intuitive eating?

-Intuitive eating means that you reject all diets, eat when you’re hungry and eat whatever you want, letting your hunger and fullness cues guide you. 

-It’s not a new idea, having been around in book form since 1995, the first year that Intuitive Eating was published by SoCal dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

The book cover of Intuitive Eating, a groundbreaking anti-diet book by the dietitians who founded this movement, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It’s available anywhere you buy books

-It’s yet to catch on with the fervour of Atkins, keto and paleo diets because there’s no money to be made from it. What products, other than a book or maybe a counselling course or podcast can earn corporate-level profits?  It’s yet to be monetized and if we know anything, it’s that diet culture is all about exploitation for revenue.

Pros and cons of intuitive eating

I asked the AI writing tool ChatGPT (did you see the Goodbye to Youtube letter it wrote for me?) to give us some bullet points for and against intuitive (or, anti-diet) eating and here’s what it came up with:

For intuitive eating:

• Encourages a healthy relationship with food and body image

• Allows for flexibility and enjoyment of all types of foods, rather than strict dietary restrictions

• May lead to more sustainable and long-term weight loss

• Can improve physical and mental well-being

Against intuitive eating:

• May be difficult for some individuals to implement and stick to

• May not lead to weight loss for everyone

• May not be suitable for individuals with certain medical conditions that require specific dietary restrictions

• Could potentially lead to unhealthy eating habits if not properly practised

Why I started intuitive eating

I’ve written about my intuitive eating journey before in Chatelaine (here’s the article), and this is what I said:

“Since shedding about 15 pounds of ‘puppy fat’ at age 18 (I’m in my 40s now) and landing at this arbitrary number, I’ve oscillated between periods of gobbling burgers and fries with abandon and then severely restricting what I ate.

I’d bid adieu to bread, pasta and rice—all the food that puts a giddy smile on my face—and would nibble on salads and meat-centric, Atkins-style meals.

I was often painfully hungry (and crabby and overly obsessed with my next meal), but that hunger scratching at my insides was, I believed, worth it.

After a few weeks of this self-punishment, I’d re-attain my goal weight and bounce right back to the potatoes and penne.

Wash, rinse, repeat.”

Basically, I got tired of this ⬆️

Intuitive Eating Resources

If you’re curious about letting go of diet culture forever, then I suggest you delve into these resources:

Book: INTUITIVE EATING: A REVOLUTIONARY PROGRAM THAT WORKS

Podcast: Christy Harrison’s Food Psych

Video: Stephanie Buttermore, Ph.D., former “fit girl” and convert to intuitive or “all in” eating.

And if you’re not ready to let go of diets, well, you’ll be forgiven. Diet culture is the water that we’re swimming in. 

Perhaps you’d like to hear more of my story, below, for paid subscribers. This is where I get into the nitty-gritty with lots of specific details I didn’t get into above. I also will answer any questions I get from paid supporters, whether you drop it in a comment or reply by email.

It’s only $5 a month or $50 for a year.

Below the line, you can get instant access to my thoughts and experiences on…

• Is intuitive eating an effective tool for weight loss?

• What I would do for weight loss instead of intuitive eating?

• My weight at present and how I feel about it 

• Do I ever sneakily go back to dieting? Am I tempted to diet? ⬇️