Hold onto your butts—this is gonna be a doozy.

Let me start by saying that intuitive eating is a journey. I'm still on it. Intuitive eating is letting go of restrictive control, and eating when your body actually asks for food. It’s is hard—especially when we’ve been conditioned to believe that thinness is everything, and that listening to hunger cues might lead to weight gain. But here’s the thing: choosing to fuel your body properly, to feel good, and to trust yourself again. That's so much more freeing than trapping yourself in society's ideologies.

And the more we do it, the more we encourage others to break free from the same toxic cycle. 

Society’s Standards vs. Reality

I’m not ignoring reality—yes, thinner people are often treated better. But is that okay? 

And while I’m not saying that carrying excess weight is always healthy, I do believe in a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach. The problem is that so many of us (especially young women) would rather be unhealthily skinny than treat our bodies with respect. 

The truth? A healthy body has some fat on it. 

Fat protects your organs, stores energy, and regulates hormones. In fact, a healthy body fat percentage for women is around 25-31% , and for men, 14-20% (depending on age). So, that model you’re comparing yourself to? Probably not the best example of what a healthy body actually looks like.

Rethinking Beauty

Is beauty really so narrow that only skinny people fit into it? Imagine how much more beauty we’d see in the world if we expanded our standards. Instead of saying, “I don’t look like that, so I must not be beautiful,” what if we said, “If everyone looked like that, where would diversity be? Beauty isn’t one thing only.” 

Maybe your body is beautiful not because of how it looks, but because of what it does. Maybe it walks, runs, or dances. Maybe it gives love to a rescue dog who now has the best life ever. Maybe it houses a sharp, funny brain that makes people laugh. When we zoom out from obsessing over appearance and look at the bigger picture, we start to see beauty everywhere.

My Own Struggles (Because Let’s Be Real)

I know all of this logically, yet I still struggle. I believe every word I’m writing, yet I still catch myself thinking, “If I were just a little thinner, maybe life would be easier.” 

But is that true?  

When I was 95 lbs and struggling, people weren’t treating me better. If anything, they were just more concerned about me. And I sure as hell wasn’t enjoying my life. I was exhausted, drained, and had zero energy for the things that actually make me happy. Now, at 120 lbs, I have so much more energy to live. 

Do I still restrict myself sometimes? Yes. Do I still have days where I ignore hunger cues? Unfortunately, yes. Some days are really hard. But you know what’s harder? Constantly obsessing over food and weight, feeling trapped in a cycle of deprivation and guilt.

The Cost of Restriction

When you don’t give your body the energy it needs in such a restrictive way as some of us have, you don’t just lose weight—you lose yourself. 

Your creativity, your joy, your ability to be present for the people (and pets) you love might just go out the window if you restrict too much. Your brain doesn’t work at full capacity. Your personality dims. So what’s the trade-off? A smaller body? A visible six-pack (that, by the way, requires an unhealthy level of body fat for most people)?

At some point, we have to ask ourselves: Is it worth it?

Why Intuitive Eating Works

Intuitive eating isn’t a diet. It’s about unlearning restriction and learning to trust your body. When you eat intuitively, your body naturally settles at a happy, healthy weight. And when you believe that all foods fit, you stop feeling out of control around them. 

Think about it:

- When you label foods as “bad”, you crave them more.

- When you finally “allow” yourself to eat them, you binge. “Diet starts again tomorrow, I'll eat as much as I can now.”

- Then comes the guilt… and the cycle repeats. 

With intuitive eating, you don’t have to go through that anymore. When your brain knows that brownies aren’t off-limits, you’re less likely to inhale ten in one sitting. Your body wants to feel good. And when you actually listen to it, you’ll start craving more nutritious foods naturally—*without* the all-or-nothing mentality and guilt.

 Weight Loss, Weight Gain, & Everything in Between

For some, intuitive eating leads to weight loss. For others, weight gain. It all depends on where you started. When I was 95 lbs, trying to eat more intuitively made me gain weight—because I needed to. But for someone who struggles with bingeing due to restriction, intuitive eating might stabilize their weight or even lead to weight loss. That's just what happens, and it's not about controlling your weight in any way. 

 It’s about treating your body with respect. Your body is going to find a happy weight for itself!!!!

If You Want to Lose Weight…

I get it. Sometimes, you just feel uncomfortable in your body. If this blog does anything

for you, I hope that it stops you from jumping into another restrictive diet. It's valid to feel uncomfortable with your body on occasion. I just urge you to ask yourself: Do I want this change for me, or for society’s approval? 

Make sure that whatever you decide to do with your body is for YOU, and not anyone else's standards or opinions. 

I am a nutrition coach, a large chunk of my education was about how to help people lose weight. I know that a lot of people are interested in that. But let me make it clear that restriction is not the answer, and instead building healthy habits is the key to a healthier lifestyle. So let's focus on adding things that make you feel good—more movement you enjoy, more nutrient-dense foods that give you energy. Shift your mindset from punishment to care. 

 Final Thoughts

I hope that if you ever feel like you’re not enough because you don’t look like someone else, you come back to this blog. I hope it reminds you to treat yourself with kindness. 

And if you need guidance on your journey, i'd love to help. Sign up for nutrition coaching—because you deserve to feel good in your body, no matter what.

Thank you for reading!