The definitive, definite, for sure answer is….who knows?
Oh my god, how anti-climactic is that? Who says that kind of sh*t, anyways? Is this a joke?
It’s not a joke but, don’t worry! I won’t leave you hanging, obvs. Let’s break it down.
We’ll start with a reminder of what intuitive eating (IE) is. IE is the ultimate anti-diet. You say no to outside rules and look inward to see if you’re hungry and what you feel like eating rather than if your diet or diet-culture rules say you can. This means that some days you’ll want cake and some days, you’ll want salad. Sometimes, you’ll feel like more salty food and sometimes like fresher foods. Who knows? The world’s you’re oyster!
This also takes into account that we go through seasons. Sometimes, we’re more stressed and we turn to food. Though, as intuitive eaters, we want to take a look at that and see if we’re soothing our emotions with food because we lack other coping skills or if it’s an every once in a while occurrence. Some periods of our lives are more stressful (I’m currently in said period) and that can affect our appetite. Sometimes our sleeping patterns are off and that also can make you feel differently about foods. That is all just part of it and, as intuitive eaters, we can accept that.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand. What IE does is it brings you back to your set point weight. Quick reminder of what this again: Set point is where your body naturally wants to be. It’s the healthiest weight for your body and where your body will fight hard to keep you. It may be higher or lower than what you think it “should” look like based on society’s standards, but your body don’t care.
Which brings me to a little tangent here of how random society’s standards really are. One day, being “curvy” is “in” and another day, being rail thin and looking “cocaine chic” (an actual term, people) is all the rage. And then, we try chasing this idealized “look” that our bodies are just simply not designed for! We blame ourselves for gaining weight after a diet when, in reality, our bodies were just trying to get back to their normal, healthy weight. Okay. Tangent done.
So it is possible that you’ll lose weight, gain weight, or stay the same. It all depends on where you’re coming from and how close to your set point you are. If you’ve been dieting and artificially under your set point, you would gain weight anyways, so that’s kind of inevitable. If you’ve been eating as much of all the “forbidden” foods as possible in response to diet culture and/or totally out of touch with your hunger signals, it’s possible you’ll lose weight. Or maybe you are at your set point and unhappy and looking for a new weight loss solution as you stumble across IE.
No, IE is not a weight loss solution. It’s a get back to your healthy body, stop obsessing about food and weight, have a healthy relationship with your body and food, and get some mental clarity and space back solution.
But what if you want to lose weight? That’s totally understandable because that’s what our culture promotes. The idealized “thin” body is the only one worth loving. That’s the message we get. And I get it so much, it hurts. I’ve been there, and I’m still there. I am still working on this every single day. I don’t want to fight to accept and love my body the way it is. I’m too tired to fight!
At the same time, I understand that beauty standards are whims of society that have no bearing in reality. I understand that just because a specific body type is considered “ideal” does not mean anything to my body. I understand that trying to fight my set point is a battle I won’t win because my body knows best.
I choose my mental health over counting calories!
If you’re still not sold and just want to lose weight, I appreciate what a struggle that is. Just keep in mind, diets don’t work. Ultimately, you’ll gain back the weight (95% of people do), slow your metabolism, mess your relationship up with food, and be right back where you started and blaming yourself for not being able to “keep the weight off”. When you come back full circle, IE will still be there, waiting for you with open arms to embrace you and help you let go of the diet demons!
Here is a beautifully said quote from Vinny Welsby from fierce.fatty on Instagram:
"A lot of people think that the 95-97% stat doesn't apply to them because they are losing weight in the ""healthy"" way, or not doing an extreme diet. If you are trying to intentionally lose weight then there is a 95-97% chance that you will be unsuccessful. Even if that means you only want to lose a pound a week, even if you are following a well-known diet plan, even if you have the very best intentions, and even if you have so much willpower.⠀
⠀
So instead of trying to be smaller why not examine the system that told you that being smaller means you'll be more attractive, healthier, and happier, (insert other unhelpful beliefs that diet companies have made you internalise)?”
I certainly could not have said that better myself!
*Side note here: that 95% statistic comes from a study done in 1959 on 100 people. That is hardly statistically significant and normally, I would say that’s a load of crap. We really need better evidence here. I have also heard that the national weight loss registry shows that after 2 years, 95% of participants gain the weight back. I cannot find that statistic. However, in this case, I don’t care. Why not? Because
a) I know from experience how much diets suck.
b) I know from experience and from observation that no one can be vigilant about their food choices forever.
c) Even when trying to “just eat healthier”, I personally always feel the need to “rebel”. After reading about IE, I realize this is universal feeling and is biological. Not a personal defect.
d) I have never, ever met a person who has gone on a diet once, lost weight, was perfectly happy with their body, and never needed another diet again.
e) I know that any sort of restriction makes foods that much more attractive.
f) Need I really go on? We’re running out of letters here.
g) I guess we do need to go on. I know that there is a certain weight range your body tends to stay in. I see it in myself and others and after reading about set point, I don’t doubt this phenomenon.
h) We really do need to tear down the idea that only one type of body is a good body.
i) It is not even clear that weight loss is associated with better health outcomes. There is a whole body of research (check out Health at Every Size/ HAES) proving that you can work on your health without thinking about your size.
j) I know how miserable it is to be on a diet and how food and what you eat can totally consume your thoughts. That is not the way I choose to live.
k) Okay. I really need to stop. This is getting ridiculous. You get the point. Right?
Who really cares if it is 95% of 80% of people who gain back weight? What we do know is that your chances of gaining the weight back are very high. Not because you lack willpower but because your body is trying to protect you.
We also know that eating intuitively is incredibly freeing and will bring your body back to where it needs to be.
We know that most diets lead to yo-yo weight loss and weight gain (also called weight cycling) and there are terrible health outcomes associated with that.
Yes, you don’t know what your body will do when you start IE (though you can somewhat guess). But you do know what your body will do on a diet, and it ain’t pretty.
Ready for more info about IE, hating diet culture, and more? Then hit subscribe, share this post, and come back for more!
Asya
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