"There's absolutely nothing wrong with weight gain, contrary to what diet culture has led us to believe," said Christy Harrison, MPH, CDN, an anti-diet registered dietitian nutritionist, certified intuitive eating counselor, host of the Food Psych Podcast, and author of Anti-Diet. If you gain weight with intuitive eating, it doesn't mean you're bad or unhealthy — those are diet-culture beliefs — and it's actually a sign that your body is healing from restriction and disordered eating.
"Whatever weight your body ends up at when you're consistently practicing intuitive eating, that's the weight where it feels safe," Christy said. And when your body feels safe, you'll see a significant decrease or disappearance of disordered thoughts and behaviours, such as incessant thoughts of food, binge eating, and feeling out-of-control around carbs. You'll also often experience a reduction in other symptoms as well, like digestive issues, hair loss, fatigue, and depression.
"Your body isn't meant to be at a weight that it can only sustain through restriction," Christy said, so embrace this weight gain and see it as a sign that you're taking care of yourself and giving your body the nourishment it needs, both physically and emotionally.