Intuitive Eating (IE) has gained popularity within the last few years. IE is an eating style described as a strong connection with physiological hunger and satiety cues & eating in response to this connection. It is an anti-diet approach to eating & one of the main goals is to allow participants to make peace with food. IE has a heavy focus on mental health & overall well being. 

There are 10 principles within IE that participants follow, these 10 principles guide individuals throughout the process. But these principles do not include a focus on weight loss, which leads to the question, can you pursue weight loss and intuitive eating at the same time?

The framework of IE is not meant for weight loss, therefore there is no focus on losing weight within IE. The principles that make up IE focus a lot on the set point theory. This is the theory that every individual has a set weight that is healthy for them. Because of this, IE is not a tool that can be used for weight loss because this goes against the principles of IE. However, it is believed that IE can help you achieve a healthy weight for your body type. Whether or not you lose weight will depend on how far away you are from your set point weight.

IE looks for other body signals to indicate success rather than focusing on the scale. IE involves becoming more attuned to your body's hunger & fullness signals, as well as your emotional and psychological relationship with food. The thought is that by listening to your body & eating in a way that feels nourishing & satisfying, you can improve your overall health & potentially lose weight in the process. 

The framework of IE can lack structure for some individuals, if you prefer more structure this might not be for you. Learning & implementing IE principles can take a long time to adapt to and fully implement in your life. It can be confusing and misinterpreted by some participants.

Here are three tips if you want to incorporate IE skills into your weight loss journey:

1. Complete a structured program first 

Completing a structured nutrition program will give you the nutrition education needed to be successful in your weight loss journey. It will also provide you with a base for making IE decisions. 

2. Apply gentle nutrition principles into your weight loss journey

Gentle nutrition is a principle within IE, this is when you approach nutrition with more flexibility & nourishment, without restriction. This can help you be more consistent in your weight loss journey & provide more enjoyment in the process. 

3. Listen to your hunger & fullness cues

IE focuses on listening to the hunger & fullness cues our bodies give us. Applying this in your weight loss journey will help you connect to your body. It will allow you to stop eating when you are full & eat when you are feeling hungry. This can help with overeating & undereating during your weight loss journey.

Although weight loss is not the focus on IE, it can be a byproduct of IE but it is not the goal. IE focuses more on overall health. If weight loss is your main goal but you still want to pursue IE, you can incorporate some of these principles into your weight loss journey!