Hello to all my fitness friends,

We get a lot of client inquiries from people who want to pursue fat loss using intuitive eating. But the question is it the right decision for you?

This leads to some eye-opening conversations, as intuitive eating and intentional dieting are mutually exclusive.

Intuitive eating is a weight-neutral approach that focuses on health, not body weight. The aim is to foster a healthy relationship with food, free from the pressures of diet culture. This could be very hard for those who has been dieting for most of their life.

If you’re following an intuitive eating approach, any and all weight changes that occur are a consequence of the healthy behaviors you engage in.

If you were overeating prior to adopting an intuitive eating practice, getting more in tune with your hunger and fullness cues may lead to some weight loss. And if you were under eating before intuitive eating, you may experience some weight gain, but that's when you have to bee very patient because it takes time to adapt to intuitive eating.

But intentional weight change is never the focus of intuitive eating. Saying you’re pursuing fat loss or trying to lose weight through intuitive eating is a contradictory statement. It’s a non-diet approach and therefore, weight loss can’t be the goal. The goal is to build a healthy relationship with food without stressing out about every gram you are putting in your body.

This can be a hard truth to hear, especially for clients who want to heal their relationship with food, but aren’t mentally prepared to shelve their fat loss goals (even temporarily).

There’s a time and place for fat loss, just like there’s a time and place to practice intuitive eating. Determining which one is right for you ultimately requires getting clear on and prioritizing your core values.

If you need help navigating your nutrition goals, working with an evidence-based coach who’s well-versed in different dietary approaches – including intuitive eating – is a great place to start. For more information about my TEC Method coaching and services, check out www.teamelitecoachingaz.com