We provide a non-dietiting approach to weight concerns. The reason this is so successful is that going on a diet is often seen as a punishment, you feel deprived, and it is often imposed on you by others. People are told not to eat any of the foods they enjoy and value and to eat foods that they find unappealing. Most people finds diets to be ‘too hard’ or feel that they don’t have enough ‘will power’. Long term adherence to and success in a diet is rare. It only takes one year and most people have slipped back into their old eating habits and have regained any weight they may have lost, plus some more.
We understand that people eat/drink for many reasons other than hunger. Reasons such as boredom, loneliness, feeling upset, stressed, hard day at work, celebrations, because its meal time, to finish off the plate, snacks are readily available and the list could go on. When we eat for reasons other than because we are hungry we tend to eat foods that are higher in fat/sugar, we eat at a faster pace, leading to overeating and in the end weight gain over time. Often we don’t even truly enjoy the foods we are consuming.
Non-Diet Approach / Intuitive Eating
The non-diet approach to managing weight is an attuned and mindful-based eating approach that supports self-esteem and body acceptance. It replicates a normalized style of eating which prevents the development of disordered and eating disorders. The Non-Diet Approach shifts one from thinking about how much weight they need to lose to instead thinking more about how they can learn to love the body they have. It is instead a much more gentle approach, allowing the client to build skills and confidence in their own innate ability to select appropriate foods for their body in appropriate amounts. The Non-Diet Approach believes in:
- Total health enhancement and well-being, rather than weight loss or achieving a specific ideal weight
- Self-acceptance and respect for the diversity of healthy, beautiful bodies rather than the pursuit of an idealized weight at all costs
- The pleasure of eating well based on internal cues of hunger and satiety rather than on external food plans or diets
- The joy of movement, encouraging all physical activities rather than prescribing a specific exercise routine
This method is showing promising clinical and psychological results as one of the most helpful, least harmful ways to assist those with weight concern
We focus on all the aspects of creating a nutritious food intake and lifestyle for you as an individual, not a one-size fits all meal plan.
| Weight Focused Nutritional Care | Non-Weight Focused Nutritional Care |
| This approach usually includes a meal plan, portion control, dietary prescription or manipulation, a prescription of exercise, counselling in behavioural modification techniques, and encouragement. This approach relies on external controls. With this approach you can expect: weight loss and improvement of biochemical markers during first 12 weeks with likely weight regain to your original weight within 3-5 years. Biochemical markers may also revert to pre-treatment levels. | The Intuitive Eating approach encourages and enables healthy behaviours regardless of current weight status or body shape. This approach usually includes training in mindful eating, training in hunger-fullness awareness, experimentation with responding to body cues, pursuit of joyful movement, exploration of dieting history and reframing the value of body weight and shape, psychological support and encouragement. |
| Main focus: Intention of treatment is to achieve body weight loss or body shape change. The traditional approach to health/weight management focuses heavily on weight and a number on a scale. | Main focus: The Intuitive Eating Approach is a multi-faceted approach that focuses on improved health. No stipulation of appropriate serving/portion sizes or eating times. Development of hunger/fullness awareness and familiarity, development of skills in mindful eating, building of trust in one’s body cues. |
| Evidence: □ Research has taught us that 80% of people who lose weight go on to regain that lost weight at 5 years of commencing a diet, and that the probability of achieving a BMI< 25kg/m2 (if currently classified as Obese) is 1 in 124 for women and 1 in 210 for men; □ Weight cycling occurs in 1/3 of all participants who undertake restrictive dieting practices; □ Being unfit is more of a predictor for mortality than weight; □ Healthy behaviours, like the following are more important to your health than weight: Core foods (5+ Fruit and veg), > 12 x month leisure time physical activity, not smoking, >0 and up to 1 alcoholic drink per day for women and 2 for men. | Evidence: □ Research confirms you can expect long term weight stability at 5 years after possible initial weight fluctuation. Possible improvement in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, cortisol level. □ Likely improvement in intuitive eating behaviours and diet quality, reduced body dissatisfaction, sustained physical activities; and reduced morbidity and mortality risk. □ Improvements in dietary quality, improved psychological health, decrease in disordered eating patterns and behaviours, improved self-esteem and lower risk of depression. |
| Risks associated with the traditional approach to weight management: □ Development of disordered or maladaptive eating patterns (binge eating, or strict dietary restriction), □ Chronic dieting syndrome, including weight cycling; □ Increased risk of depression, anxiety, impairment of working memory impairment; □ Increased risk of morbidity and mortality; □ Increased weight from baseline | Risks associated with the intuitive eating approach: □ Lack of support from family/friends due to their unfamiliarity with approach; □ Initial unease with letting go of long-held dietary beliefs □ Grief due to loss of ‘thin me’ dream. |
