Becoming an Intuitive Eating Dietitian

I’ve been a Dietitian for nearly 6 years (and studied Nutrition for 5 years)… That’s almost 11 years in the Nutrition Industry. You may be wondering why only recently have I started going (what looks like) against the grain, became and Intuitive Eating Dietitian and centring my support around the pursuit of “weight loss”.

How can someone just switch like that?

Well it’s been a journey, and quite a rocky one! I totally understand why it’s hard to get your head around not focusing on weight loss as a main goal, when we live in a culture that’s telling us left, right and centre that we need to be thinner to be healthier, happier and more successful. It’s taken me a year and a half to get my head around, and I’ve done degrees in this stuff!

As a Dietitian, part and parcel of the job is to continuously reflect on my learning, keep up with, and critically review the latest research and maintain flexibility in my practice. That’s exactly what I’ve had to do.

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This is what I’ve learnt before becoming an Intuitive Eating Dietitian…

For the last 5 years, I have supported clients through weight loss (amongst many other conditions) both in the NHS, and privately. They were never sold or promised a diet, rather it was about making small ‘lifestyle changes’ to improve health. However, weight was nearly always at the centre of the conversation about health.

Of approximately 200 clients, I would say 90% of them succeeded at achieving their goal… pretty incredible. They were sold beautiful tailored plans to stick to. The weight would fall off, and they would feel amazing.

However, as time went on (weeks, months and even years), the weight would come piling back on. They would feel out of control, and didn’t know what to do about it. They blamed themselves for lack of willpower and not being able to ‘stay on plan’ again. They of course would come back to me. The person they could trust. The person that helped them do it the first time.

As this happened more and more, I knew there must be something else going on. So I delved into the research, and linked up with various other professionals. That’s where I discovered a whole new area of non-diet nutrition. New research papers, new ways of practicing, and other professionals who had been through the same experience as me. Unfortunately, the non-diet Dietitians voice is not as loud as the weight loss message.

At first I felt confused and decided to shut out this whole area of dietetics. It went against a lot of what I knew and preached, and would discredit a lot of work I had done with individuals. But I couldn’t ignore it. It was on my shoulders, haunting me. The more I read into it, the more I freaked out and went back to what I knew and was comfortable with… that was weight loss and telling people what to eat or not eat.

I feel a little angry that I hadn’t learnt about this sooner. How could I obtain a first class degree from the top UK University in Nutrition Dietetics (King’s College London) and a distinction in my Masters in Clinical Research, but had never been opened up to this?

I now understand that it’s because most of this work is being done in the USA, Australia and Canada. It’s soon to seep into UK university courses.

As we look at the research to date, there is not one single study that supports sustained weight loss. Take that in for a moment… not one single study! 80-95% of those who lose weight, regain it within 5yrs, and 30-60% of those people, end up at a higher weight that first started.

So putting weight loss at the centre of changing health, is really like fighting a losing battle, and it can actually make peoples health worse. It’s ineffective, and unjust. I no longer feel comfortable supporting people through (what I now know) is such a painful and unnecessary journey.

So what is an Intuitive Eating Dietitian?

A non-diet dietitian will use a non-diet approach (like Intuitive Eating) to provide care. This approach is not about neglecting health or suggesting a ‘free for all’. It’s about improving physical and psychological wellbeing, without putting body weight at the centre. It does this by:

Putting weight loss on the back burner, tackling food problems, and letting weight do its thing. The weight will settle where it’s most happy. Usually the place where it weight falls back to in between diets.
Getting back in touch with natural body signals (which are there – albeit buried somewhere), to help use the body to determine what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat.
Encouraging body acceptance (rather than spending a lifetime trying to fight biology).
Encouraging exercising for pleasure (rather than hitting to gym to burn off the cookies eaten yesterday).

This is taught by an evidence based approach called Intuitive Eating. This approach is associated with a number of health benefits which include; lower Body Mass Index (BMI), weight stability, improved dietary variety, improved blood fats and blood pressure, and improvements in self esteem and depression.

I help my clients to:

Find peace and enjoyment from all foods, free from rules and restrictions.
Get rid of the battle in your head around what you think you should/shouldn’t be eating so that you can have a normal relationship with food.
Get back in touch with the best tool to tell you what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat… that’s your own body! Yes – it can give you ALL the information you need. A bit like how your bladder tells you need to pee or not to pee. You have all of these tools, I just help you find them again.
Improve your physical and mental health, without trying to manipulate your weight, no matter your shape or size.
By providing the most simple, up-to-date nutrition information to empower you to make changes to your health. We factor in all the other things that impact us, like stress, sleep, planning, socialising etc.

I am not anti-weight loss. I am anti-pursuit of weight loss. I believe it’s important for professionals to be transparent in order for you to make an informed decision. I am disagree with:

Professionals promoting that ‘non-diet’ but sell weight loss.
Professionals that sell weight loss, without informing you from the side effects that will likely occur (binge eating, rebound weight gain, loss of muscle mass, disordered eating, shame, guilt and anxiety when the weight comes back on).

Despite this being a more difficult journey, I do not for one minute regret the shift in my practice. When you turn the lights on in the room, and see a new perspective, it’s impossible to go back. So I am in this to truly help people to heal their relationship with food and their body, so they can get on with other meaningful things in their lives.

Resources:

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resche

Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison

Just Eat It by Laura Thomas

You can find out more about Katherine and her journey here in this interview with Delivery Rank.

What is Intuitive Eating?

So…what is Intuitive Eating

Have you heard about Intuitive eating but you’re not sure exactly what is intuitive eating?

Intuitive eating is a framework that can be used to move away from chronic dieting and heal your relationship to food. Intuitive eating has plenty of research behind it, and is now considered an evidenced based approach. It was developed by Dietitian’s Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995.

Intuitive Eating is not a diet and it does not control or restrict food intake. It’s an approach to help you get out of your head, and more into your body. It helps remove the exhausting should / shouldn’t voices that may constantly sit on your shoulders around food choices.

Intuitive Eating includes mindful eating practice, where we eat in a ‘present’ state, free from distraction. That means putting away our phones and laptops, and bringing our attention to the food we are eating. By fully tuning in to what we’re eating means we can listen to our hunger and fullness cues; another important part of this practice.

This practice is also about honouring our body’s physical and psychological needs. Ask yourself, what do I really want to eat NOW? If you feel like a slice of cake, eat the cake. If you feel like a Caesar salad, order the salad. By honouring your body’s needs and not depriving yourself of the thing you really want to eat means you’re more likely to feel satisfied. In turn this helps to reduce binge eating and aid in you in feeling in-control with food. Hurrah!

If you’re thinking…”that sounds great…but if I let myself eat what I want I will surely overeat” then keep reading to the bottom of the article. Here, I address this common fear.

Intuitive eating encourages “putting weight loss on the back burner”. This means allowing our body to settle at its natural weight once eating patterns normalise. This practice is all about learning how to enjoy food and feel satisfied, and therefore decrease binge eating and increase our overall health and wellbeing.

Over 100 published studies have confirmed that many psychological and physiological benefits can arise through this practice. As such, Intuitive Eating has become a buzz term in the social media world as many people discover it can help stop dieting and reduce binge eating episodes. But sadly, it has been misinterpreted by some as being yet another potential tool for weight loss, which it is not.

“Intuitive Eating is not a diet. It does not pursue weight loss and it does not control or restrict food intake.”

Why try Intuitive Eating?

How many attempts have you made in your life to try and lose weight?

How long have you been able to maintain the weight that you’ve lost?

Have you ever considered that it might be time to look for something different?

One of the strongest predictors of weight gain is engagement in weight loss dieting, regardless of the actual body weight of the dieter. And upwards of 90% of people who intentionally lose weight gain it back within five years. Between one third and two thirds of people who lose a substantial amount of weight on a dietary-based weight loss program will regain all the lost weight and more within 5 years

And sometimes I think we’re not always clear on what dieting is. Dieting has become twisted and morphed into “wellness” and it’s sneaky. Dieting is anything that pursues weight loss, whether it be fasting, calorie counting, eating clean, going gluten-free, vegan, or following a Keto plan.

For many of us, we’re lead to assume that diets are safe and harmless. What we’ve come to learn through research and experience is that dieting and restriction for the purposes of weight loss, don’t work for the majority.

For a lot of people, this can sounds completely different and foreign. And if we’re hearing things for the first time, the human response is to think “no that’s not me”.

Robust studies show that restrictive eating can increase disordered eating, make us gain weight, binge eat, become totally preoccupied with food, lower our self–esteem and decrease our overall mental health. Have experienced any of this yourself?

If dieting doesn’t lead to weight loss, and causes so much mental turmoil, why do we do it?

Because we live in a diet culture that is obsessed with thinness. Where it is considered normal to diet and pursue weight loss. We’re sold the idea that when we’re thinner, we will be healthier, more confidence, and more successful.

Stopping dieting can be so hard. There is a lot of unlearning involved. Intuitive eating is a framework that provides structure for this, with research to back it up.

“Intuitive Eating is not a diet. It does not pursue weight loss and it does not control or restrict food intake.”

So how do you actually start Intuitive Eating?

Developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995, Intuitive Eating is evidence-based with 10 principles underpinning it (3).

Below, I have outlined the 10 principles and some tips to get started implementing them.

1. Reject the Diet Mentality

Unfollow any social media accounts that promote weight loss and push unrealistic body standards. Toss out diet plans, magazines and books that once graced your bookshelf. It’s time to break up with diet culture for good so you can allow Intuitive Eating to become part of your life.

2. Honour Your Hunger

Nourish your body with the right amount of energy to avoid going into starvation mode. Allowing yourself to become excessively hungry triggers a natural intense desire to eat, often leading to unintended binge eating. Try not to skip meals or have long gaps in between eating which can leave you feeling ravenous!

3. Make Peace with Food

Give yourself permission to eat ALL food! No single food is going to make you healthy or unhealthy, and restrictive eating can often lead to extreme feelings of deprivation. This often leads to binge eating which can fill you with guilt. No food should be “forbidden”.

4. Challenge the Food Police

Stand up to the Food Police in your head who create unrealistic food rules (e.g. no sugar, dairy, gluten, eating after 6pm, counting carbs). The Food Police often let you think that only healthy eating is good and eating cake is bad. It’s time to give these guys the flick!

5. Respect Your Fullness

When was the last time you stopped eating when you were comfortably full? Feeling BETTER for eating? When stuck in the diet mentality, we can often swing from being overly hungry (through restriction) all the way to being stuffed.

With intuitive eating, no foods are off limits and there are no rules. You can therefore feel safe in the knowledge that you can eat as much as you need to feel comfortable right now, and eat again when your body is ready for it.

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor

Eating rice cakes, kale crisps and low-calorie cereal bars probably aren’t going to leave you feeling satisfied. If you’re out at dinner and feel like ordering the chips, order them! If you deprive yourself of the thing you really feel like most, you are fuelling the restrictive diet mentality, which at some point will likely lead to feeling out of control around food.

7. Honour Your Feelings Without Using Food

Emotional eating is perfectly natural and is usually an act of self-care. It should not fill you with guilt. As you move through the intuitive eating journey, honour your hunger and remove the forbidden of foods, emotional eating can dissipate. However, if food is still your only or main coping mechanism, we can work together to identify other ways to soothe your emotions that aren’t just with food.

8. Respect Your Body

It’s time to accept that your body shape and size is special and unique. Your genes are set in stone, so being critical about something that you can’t change is not a helpful exercise. Focus on all the wonderful things your body can do or has done to help rediscover self-love.

9. Exercise – Feel the Difference

Find movement that you love and do it as much or as little as you wish. Ditch rigid exercise plans and certainly don’t pursue activities that you don’t enjoy. If you find movement that you makes you feel good, you’ll automatically want to do it more often without even realising!

10. Honour Your Health

There is no such thing as eating perfectly. It is about making progress to consuming a variety of foods that make your body feel well and also satisfy your tastebuds. It turns out that most people find eating a nutritious balanced diet feels good! And it is about doing this consistently over time.

If you would like some more in depth information on how to implement these, head to my other article with tips on how to start intuitive eating.

With this, please keep in mind that Intuitive Eating is a nuanced framework and how it is applied depends on where you are at as an individual. I would recommend reading the Intuitive Eating book for more detailed info and/or seeking support from a Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor.

So you’re interested in Intuitive Eating but have some reservations?

Embracing Intuitive Eating can be more of a challenging process than just being given a diet plan or set of rules. But it’s a way to find true freedom so you never have to go back to diets again. Of course, diets and the scales will always be there to go back to…

Here are some answers to common fears:

“If I give myself permission, I may never stop eating”

As a result of years of chronic dieting and under-eating it can be hard to trust that you will ever stop eating. As you move through intuitive eating there may be a short period of time where you eat more than you desire. This is totally normal, and a natural response to restriction. When you start learning to trust that food is ALWAYS available, and there are no weird conditions on this, you will start to trust that you will only eat as much as you need.

“I don’t know what or how to eat”

When you actually stop and pay attention to what you are eating, you may realise that you don’t even enjoy those foods! But rather than being concerned about what to eat, use intuitive eating to explore different kinds of foods and flavours. This is a great opportunity to figure out what you like to eat rather than what you think you should eat.

“If I let myself eat whatever I want, I might lose control”

Imagine if I said you can eat whatever you want all day, every day. You may think you would never stop yourself eating chocolate chip cookies, wine, cheese, crisps and all the foods you consider ‘bad’. Let’s see what happens if I give you an endless supply of cookies.

Day 1, you would eat a lot.
By Day 2, you may still eat a lot, but less than Day 1.
Day 3, you’d most likely eat less than Day 1 and 2.
After a few days, you will start to crave other foods.

This process is called habituation and is another key part of the Intuitive Eating practice.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember about Intuitive Eating is that it is not about eating a perfect diet – there is no such thing! The goal is to eat a variety of nutritious food with some ‘play foods’ that truly satisfy you. To remove the noise in your head and make peace with food and your body, so you can move on with other things that matter more in life.

For more on how to start intuitive eating check out my free download This will guide you through some of the first steps to support you through your food problems. You will learn how to stop food obsession, battling with emotional eating, stress eating, and some tips to start intuitive eating.

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