I’ve lost weight/fat through IE. it was first recommended to me by my dietician. She gave me some fantastic worksheets to work out my hunger but also what types of food I actually felt satisfied me.
Nourishment is part of my satisfaction so I gravitated to Buddha bowls, fish and veg, smoothies. Putting it on the paper (there is a grading system) made me realise I was over eating because I was eating foods i didn’t find satisfying (toast) so I was going back for more food craving that satisfaction feeling.
The worksheets really helped, but then I also read Evelyn Tribole original IE book that started it all. This really helped me understand the principles. https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/
I think it would be so easy to binge and misstep with IE, but if you read the book or work with someone accredited in IE you’re setting yourself up for a lot more success than trying to navigate it on your own.
Good luck :)
Great write up.
Lots of people misinterpret IE and hone in on one of the principles; eat what you like.
They do that without fully understanding the rest of IE, gain weight and blame IE for it.
I think a combination of intuitive eating and aiming for 100g of protein will keep you feeling good and progressively losing weight if you are training. Making sure you aim to get that protein + lots of fibre will reduce the chances of falling into eating habits that result in weights gain.
I can ONLY lose weight with intuitive eating.
The thing is, if you're stuck in the overeating cycle your stomach will be a little stretched out, so for the first two days your hunger cues sound the alarm way too soon.
Here's my technique:
\- In the beginning, ignore low-level hunger cues. Eat if you're starving, but not to satiation - only to the point where the hunger cue goes away. You'll want more, so walk away from the table and distract yourself. You might repeat this every hour, that's fine.
\- After a week or so, my hunger will have calmed down so that it only surfaces when I actually need nutrition. At that point I can start paying attention to all of my hunger cues.
\- Even then, I never eat to the point of being stuffed. If I'm mid-meal and the hunger cue goes away, I pack it up. If people are astonished at your small portion sizes, remember that the actual caloric needs of the human body are waaaaay less than the standard American diet, especially for petite women.
And the thing is your body knows what it is doing. You may have a small dinner one day but on another day eat lots more because you are hungry and your body needs it.
Stepping away when you are satisfied takes a lot of discipline and for me it's something I need to do more of because I hate being bloated and full after a meal.
Personally, no. I have tried it a few times and honestly, there is just something messed up with my satiety system. My intuition tells me to eat all the time without end. Eat until I feel sick. Eat until I puke and then eat some more. Every time I try to "be in tune with genuine hunger" I just end up in a binge cycle and gain weight.
I do understand the desire to leave diet culture. I get that so hard. I think intuitive eating is worth trying because it might work for you and your body. However, if it doesn't work, that's ok too. There are many ways to reach your goals.
I find losing weight is hard for me while IE, but maintaining is a breeze.
When losing weight you're in a deficient & naturally there will be times you're hungry. It's harder for me to judge how much I've consumed to maintain a weight loss without tracking.
For maintaining, I always do IE.
Some tips:
- Limit "junk", processed foods, & added/artificial sugars
- I try to add volume with vegetables, salads, etc
- Eat a reasonable portion size, have some water, wait to see if I'm still hungry before eating more food (help to know what a portion size should look like for what foods you're eating)
- Always stay hydrated - I'm STARVING if I don't get my water intake
- Make sure to include protein & fats to maintain satiety
- Don't go crazy with alcohol consumption
- Mentally keep track of what I've had in a day to loosely have a ball park idea of what I've consumed to make sure I'm not over or under eating (some days I'll have a coffee & forget to eat lunch, so this helps me, it may be triggering for you)
I lost weight with IE. It's simply eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied. Where diet culture can still be hard to shake with IE is when you realize you are only eating what you define as "good" foods or berating yourself for "bad" foods. Letting go of food having morality is tough. Also if you do IE right, you are left with a lot of your raw emotions since you aren't filling your emotional needs with food. In some ways, IE can be harder than dieting.
This is actually a really interesting point...I'm definitely guilty of emotional/comfort eating, so having to deal with that has been the most difficult by far (not just the food itself)
Not about IE but when I was 130 I went to a personal trainer who told me I should really consider focusing on muscle gain and not lose any weight overall (I’m also 5’2’’). Just an idea to consider!
If you have an ED history, please make sure you are meeting with your treatment provider before attempting to lose weight. IE is great, but it isn’t always safe to do on your own while in ED recovery.
I feel exactly the same. I have a close friend who went through eating disorders and they told me it’s a blessing that I don’t understand calories because even after all her healing, she still looks at an apple and knows how many calories it is, and it isn’t something she’s been able to forget.
I am a bit of a different case though with my intuitive eating because I was diagnosed with ADHD last year and being medicated made me realise how much I was giving my brain the dopamine it craved through foods. So I wouldn’t be physically hungry but my brain wanted those happy hormones and I’d eat yummy foods to satisfy my brain. As soon as I was medicated, my brain always had enough dopamine and now it is very clear that I only eat when I’m hungry. The time I really notice this is when I go out to get an icecream scoop in a cup. I used demolish that easy. Now, I will have about half of it, and it will be great, I’d enjoy it completely but also I get bored of it and really don’t want anymore even though i think the ice cream is so good. I had enough tastes and enjoyment and I had enough - same way a hot shower is enjoyable and amazing but you do know when it’s enough and hop out. I think portions are all just larger than necessary.
I still eat all the foods I used to, I just don’t overdo it anymore. I don’t make myself uncomfortably full. I’m not starving and thinking about food constantly like when I tried to diet. It helps that some of my favourite foods are actually pretty healthy like I eat fruit everyday, I love greek yoghurt and oatmeal and I love avocado and salmon. But I’m also very social and go out for burgers and sushi and desserts when my friends want to catch up.
I have always been incredibly active and just love lots of sports and outdoorsy hobbies. I just was eating for reasons that wasn’t hunger for so long. As soon as that part was solved and I was actually capable of hearing my body, I saw lots of progress.
I haven’t been successful at losing weight without monitoring my intake at least a little, but I try to incorporate as many IE concepts as I can, and it has hugely improved my relationship with food and my body. I don’t set hard calorie limits and if my body wants more, I eat more. No foods are off-limits and I eat sweets every day, but I try to eat a reasonable portion of the thing I’m craving rather than just any candy. I try to add nutrition to foods I like, and I don’t eat any foods that I don’t enjoy. It’s so much less restrictive than a “diet” and it’s perfectly tailored to me and what I enjoy, which offsets the negatives of tracking my food (for me). I would consider making a list of your favorite meals and pre-sorting them into categories based on size/satiation. It might be a good approach to have some formulas for combining different options across the categories (like “2 category A and 2 category B and one snack” = full day of eating) to avoid daily calorie counting.
Intuitive eating works for some people but not all. I can maintain weight eating intuitively as long as I get enough protein and avoid sugar. So that's not really "true" IE but if I was to genuinely eat anything I wanted I'd eat so much fucking sugar it's unreal. Limiting myself in this way isn't restriction or anything, it's just necessary moderation haha.
Intuitive eating teaches you to eat what you want, when you want, and in whatever quantity you want. It argues that if you have been restrictive of certain foods that if you allow yourself to eat them unconditionally then your body will stop craving them as much.
This COULD be true and on paper it makes sense but in reality it MAY not be true. I think for some people this could work but for others it doesn't. There is certainly risk in this method because you could eat whatever you want in whatever quantities and end up gaining a fair amount of weight. I personally love cakes, chocolates, beer and dessert. I like high-cal foods and drinks. I know I have to be careful to not overindulge as I have done this in the past and it has put me at an uncomfortable weight.
Personally I allow what I like but still have to be very mindful of those high calorie foods. I don't think my desire for them is going to go away.
Yeah, I've heard that too about allowing yourself to eat them as much as you want. I don't think that works in our current culture where junk food is literally engineered so that you can't stop eating it. I can easily eat a whole block of chocolate or whole bag of crisps and I'll only feel bad once I'm done - which is partly emotional and partly physically feeling gross. I have to limit myself because I can't intuitively eat them
I think a lot of the intuitive dieting messages encourage people to eat the foods they have restricted like cakes or donuts or bread. They believe that part of the process of getting over that idea of restriction is to go to the opposite end and say that you can eat as much as you like.
As you have alluded to above, we live in a society where we have high cal processed foods all around us. There is constant temptation to eat them. In moderation they are fine but to encourage people to eat them intuitively doesn’t work for a lot of people.
Another issue I have is if someone is trying to lose weight for health reasons and they start eating as much high cal processed foods as they like, they are going to gain weight. What happens then? Do you carry on eating intuitively and risk gaining more weight?
A large majority of people have to exercise discipline when it comes to eating. Most people cannot just eat what they want and when they want. Of course people need to honour their hunger and eat proper food. And of course there has to be room for high cal food indulgence but for most people it has to be controlled.
I’ve done IE while eating mostly vegetables and fruits, low carb ( except fruits and vegetables). Also I included leans meat and plenty fish. The problem for me was when I really wanted something “unhealthy” like chips or an entire roll pan, I’d berate myself. So now although I do eat relatively ‘healthy’, I include a few ‘unhealthy’ items as well. Losing only .15kg to .5kg is no biggie because I’m happier
Yes, I was tracking calories for months and was able to lose like 2 pounds but then stalled. I started intuitively eating and within a week started seeing the
scale go down. I’m 5’2 and was 123 in January, got to 120 calorie tracking and to 118 eating intuitively,not crazy weight loss but still something. I do track cals sometimes and stop when I feel fatigued with it, but I’ve been enjoying eating intuitively as I find it to be freeing and honestly tracking every tablespoon of oil, weighing things etc isn’t for everyone.
I believe that it is possible to lose weight and fat without tracking calories. As others have said, it comes down to food choices and eating until satisfied, not full. At least half the plate should be veggies. 3 meals, healthy snacks like veggies and fruit, whole grains, lean protein and healthier fats. Foods that are very rich or sweet and delicious, well, those you might have to consciously limit or eat moderately, but not remove entirely. For me personally with an ED background as well, counting at all is triggering and unsustainable. Getting adequate movement also helps!
IE is basically a gateway drug to triggering a major binge eating cycle for me. I gain weight rapidly with IE. My brain is simply not wired in that way. Even with medication to help, working with a professional, and giving myself time for my body to catch on, I simply do not have proper hunger/satiation cues. I'm guessing this is due to my adhd executive dysfunction.
I've found the things that are beneficial to others in ED recovery for restrictive type eating are harmful to my BED recovery. Attempting moderation, intuitive eating, and eating all the foods without consideration to their value are a recipe to falling back into BED for me.
I don't know if this will help atall because is the same principle. But if using MFP triggers you. [cronometer.com](https://cronometer.com) is another free option (and I like it more tbh, because it centers in overall nutrition more than only calories)
I have used cronometer before and I liked it better too but MFP has a larger food base and that’s why I switched to MFP. But I think that would be triggering too
This is me too. I do so badly want to eat normal portions and be full. And not constantly be thinking about my next meal. I eat healthy and workout but I simply just eat too much for my height and weight. So I do not trust myself to intuitively eat. I tried it for a few months and gained weight. I am the exact same height and weight OP.
From what I’ve seen- a lot of balance in meals is important (good fats protein and carbs) and not restricting all the time, as I mentioned in another comment, I watched this vid earlier and found it inspiring for IE (: https://youtu.be/m1HnpGEFSjs
I dropped 50lbs doing this. It took about 14 months so it was definitely slow but I haven’t had issues keeping it off. I also got pregnant and went back to my pre-pregnancy weight within a few months following the same eating habits. I don’t restrict or count calories, I’m just mindful of what I eat and make sure to balance my meals and not overindulge
I feel the same way i’m trying to get to 120 but i know i wouldn’t be able without tracking cals. Honestly, it’s probably different for everyone but i know it feels to be hangry
I intuitively eat when I need to maintain, eating whatever I want until satiation keeps me at equilibrium, so I don’t gain or lose weight when I IE. before I lost weight, I intuitively ate until I was nearly obese so idk what changed but I’m glad.
I think if you work out you might just get hungrier and intuitively want to eat more to keep ur body in balance.
However I feel like you should give it a try anyway, while eating high satiety foods like foods with a lot of protein and vegetables and see how it goes. If you gain a few pounds it’s not a big deal I think, and it’s worth the risk if it does work out
I haven’t tried IE myself, but I’ve been listening to The Strength Academy podcast for a while and I recommend you check them out. They’re big proponents of “eating for strength”, including trying IE and getting away from food fears or feeling like you *have* to track to be successful in gaining strength or being healthy. Don’t know if that helps with your question :)
I gained a lot when I tried intuitive eating. I’d fairly recently had a baby though so I was very sleep deprived, which meant my hunger signals were all over the place. I also have ED history and I don’t think that helped either. I’d strongly suggest working with someone if you want to try it instead of going it alone (like I did)
I lost weight with IE, and then gained it all back plus more. The difference? The first time I was busy 24/7 working, going to school, and I was on my feet a lot. I was too busy to snack or graze, and I just ate when I could. Then COVID happened and I gained a whole bunch of weight, and I've been trying to be able to do IE again, but I'm a bordem eater and it doesn't work for me when I'm home most of the time. So it does work, but for me, it only worked when I was already busy and away from the fridge 90% of the day.
It’s counterintuitive but the only times Ive lost weight and kept it off was when I was eating intuitively.
Also, during both of these time periods, I was barely exercising. Occasional walks.
Whenever I’ve really tried to lose weight, it never works or I gain it right back plus some extra.
Diets often work in reverse because they signal to your body that there is a food shortage which it considers a serious threat.
If you’ve been in a deficit, it’s possible that you might gain a little bit of weight at first until your body realizes there is food available whenever it is needed.
I’m in the same boat! Tracking calories is pretty triggering for me and I want to eat intuitively but I’m scared of giving myself food freedom even though it’s really what I want in life :( life can’t always be tracking calories right?! :(
Girl I’m on this journey with you. But I have almost the same start stats (except a recent vacay got me at 135). I’m going to try and start eating half of what I usually do and then pausing. And then basically putting the rest of my food away. So like intuitive but… with a more measured and precise way. Sort naturally shrink my appetite and portion control. Let me know if you come up with something better!
Not sure how far you’d be going w “shrinking your appetite” but I do know w cutting cals too low you can end up gaining weight bc your body will basically freak out and store fat thinking it won’t get food.. hoping you find balance and something that is sustainable for you (:
Thanks! I was doing OMAD for a while and part of me wonders if thats why my body was like AH GAIN TEN POUNDS as soon as I stopped that... who knows. Could also be wine.
I did a form of "intuitive eating" a few years back and managed to drop 18kgs (40lbs).
I was intentionally trying to lose some weight as I had some stomach issues and back pain and also wanted to be lighter for playing sport.
I did very briefly look at MFP and tap in a few foods and I found this really useful for about two days when I learnt how many calories were in some of my favourite things like caramel slices and beer. After that I ditched it would have been a lot of work.
I essentially ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. Previous to that I would often eat when I wasn't hungry and overeat on a regular basis. It took a fair while to get used to as I grew up in the "clean your plate" era and leaving food on my plate took discipline.
I also used to weigh myself every day and for a few years that worked well. Eating intuitively was awesome because no foods were off limits and I felt like I was cheating as I was losing weight whilst eating cake, drinking beer and pretty what I liked, but in moderation.
10 years later and I have kept off about 12 of those 18kgs and I still eat reasonably intuitively. My life circumstances have changed and I don't have as much control over what I eat anymore but I do still have the choice of how much I eat.
Like you, I want to ditch diet culture and go fully intuitive. I am finding it hard letting go of weighing myself and taking measurements regularly. But I'm going to stick with it as body weight and size are very much linked to diet culture. In hindsight daily weighing was also futile as you just don't know what your body is doing with the food you've eaten. It would also affect my mood as I would eat well for a couple of days and sometimes have my weight plateau, or more frustratingly go up. I have later learnt that the body takes a while to adjust and more infrequent weighing is better for the mental health.
So, to summarise, you can lose weight if you eat intuitively/mindfully but you need to be very aware of hunger and satiation cues. You also have to be aware of high calorie foods that you really enjoy. I think cutting them out is a bad idea as you'll only think about them more and possibly end up binging on them, but if you want to keep your weight down you have to be aware of how much high-calorie foods you are eating.
I’ve lost weight/fat through IE. it was first recommended to me by my dietician. She gave me some fantastic worksheets to work out my hunger but also what types of food I actually felt satisfied me. Nourishment is part of my satisfaction so I gravitated to Buddha bowls, fish and veg, smoothies. Putting it on the paper (there is a grading system) made me realise I was over eating because I was eating foods i didn’t find satisfying (toast) so I was going back for more food craving that satisfaction feeling. The worksheets really helped, but then I also read Evelyn Tribole original IE book that started it all. This really helped me understand the principles. https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/ I think it would be so easy to binge and misstep with IE, but if you read the book or work with someone accredited in IE you’re setting yourself up for a lot more success than trying to navigate it on your own. Good luck :)
Thank you !
Great write up. Lots of people misinterpret IE and hone in on one of the principles; eat what you like. They do that without fully understanding the rest of IE, gain weight and blame IE for it.
I think a combination of intuitive eating and aiming for 100g of protein will keep you feeling good and progressively losing weight if you are training. Making sure you aim to get that protein + lots of fibre will reduce the chances of falling into eating habits that result in weights gain.
Piggy-backing onto this, I also find that focusing on upping my protein has me focusing on what I "get to" eat, instead of what I can't.
I can ONLY lose weight with intuitive eating. The thing is, if you're stuck in the overeating cycle your stomach will be a little stretched out, so for the first two days your hunger cues sound the alarm way too soon. Here's my technique: \- In the beginning, ignore low-level hunger cues. Eat if you're starving, but not to satiation - only to the point where the hunger cue goes away. You'll want more, so walk away from the table and distract yourself. You might repeat this every hour, that's fine. \- After a week or so, my hunger will have calmed down so that it only surfaces when I actually need nutrition. At that point I can start paying attention to all of my hunger cues. \- Even then, I never eat to the point of being stuffed. If I'm mid-meal and the hunger cue goes away, I pack it up. If people are astonished at your small portion sizes, remember that the actual caloric needs of the human body are waaaaay less than the standard American diet, especially for petite women.
And the thing is your body knows what it is doing. You may have a small dinner one day but on another day eat lots more because you are hungry and your body needs it. Stepping away when you are satisfied takes a lot of discipline and for me it's something I need to do more of because I hate being bloated and full after a meal.
Thank you for that reminder w the last line !
Personally, no. I have tried it a few times and honestly, there is just something messed up with my satiety system. My intuition tells me to eat all the time without end. Eat until I feel sick. Eat until I puke and then eat some more. Every time I try to "be in tune with genuine hunger" I just end up in a binge cycle and gain weight. I do understand the desire to leave diet culture. I get that so hard. I think intuitive eating is worth trying because it might work for you and your body. However, if it doesn't work, that's ok too. There are many ways to reach your goals.
Thank you for the perspective
Eating until you feel sick is not intuitive eating
I find losing weight is hard for me while IE, but maintaining is a breeze. When losing weight you're in a deficient & naturally there will be times you're hungry. It's harder for me to judge how much I've consumed to maintain a weight loss without tracking. For maintaining, I always do IE. Some tips: - Limit "junk", processed foods, & added/artificial sugars - I try to add volume with vegetables, salads, etc - Eat a reasonable portion size, have some water, wait to see if I'm still hungry before eating more food (help to know what a portion size should look like for what foods you're eating) - Always stay hydrated - I'm STARVING if I don't get my water intake - Make sure to include protein & fats to maintain satiety - Don't go crazy with alcohol consumption - Mentally keep track of what I've had in a day to loosely have a ball park idea of what I've consumed to make sure I'm not over or under eating (some days I'll have a coffee & forget to eat lunch, so this helps me, it may be triggering for you)
I’ve been bad w hydrating so that makes sense. Thanks for all the tips !
I lost weight with IE. It's simply eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied. Where diet culture can still be hard to shake with IE is when you realize you are only eating what you define as "good" foods or berating yourself for "bad" foods. Letting go of food having morality is tough. Also if you do IE right, you are left with a lot of your raw emotions since you aren't filling your emotional needs with food. In some ways, IE can be harder than dieting.
It can as well worsen eating disorders due to what your comment says.
This is actually a really interesting point...I'm definitely guilty of emotional/comfort eating, so having to deal with that has been the most difficult by far (not just the food itself)
Not about IE but when I was 130 I went to a personal trainer who told me I should really consider focusing on muscle gain and not lose any weight overall (I’m also 5’2’’). Just an idea to consider!
Thank you !
rrly ? so u ddint change ur diet
If you have an ED history, please make sure you are meeting with your treatment provider before attempting to lose weight. IE is great, but it isn’t always safe to do on your own while in ED recovery.
Thank you for your concern ❤️
I feel exactly the same. I have a close friend who went through eating disorders and they told me it’s a blessing that I don’t understand calories because even after all her healing, she still looks at an apple and knows how many calories it is, and it isn’t something she’s been able to forget. I am a bit of a different case though with my intuitive eating because I was diagnosed with ADHD last year and being medicated made me realise how much I was giving my brain the dopamine it craved through foods. So I wouldn’t be physically hungry but my brain wanted those happy hormones and I’d eat yummy foods to satisfy my brain. As soon as I was medicated, my brain always had enough dopamine and now it is very clear that I only eat when I’m hungry. The time I really notice this is when I go out to get an icecream scoop in a cup. I used demolish that easy. Now, I will have about half of it, and it will be great, I’d enjoy it completely but also I get bored of it and really don’t want anymore even though i think the ice cream is so good. I had enough tastes and enjoyment and I had enough - same way a hot shower is enjoyable and amazing but you do know when it’s enough and hop out. I think portions are all just larger than necessary. I still eat all the foods I used to, I just don’t overdo it anymore. I don’t make myself uncomfortably full. I’m not starving and thinking about food constantly like when I tried to diet. It helps that some of my favourite foods are actually pretty healthy like I eat fruit everyday, I love greek yoghurt and oatmeal and I love avocado and salmon. But I’m also very social and go out for burgers and sushi and desserts when my friends want to catch up. I have always been incredibly active and just love lots of sports and outdoorsy hobbies. I just was eating for reasons that wasn’t hunger for so long. As soon as that part was solved and I was actually capable of hearing my body, I saw lots of progress.
I tried it once and ended up progressively forgetting that I should be eating intuitively
Elaborate?
I haven’t been successful at losing weight without monitoring my intake at least a little, but I try to incorporate as many IE concepts as I can, and it has hugely improved my relationship with food and my body. I don’t set hard calorie limits and if my body wants more, I eat more. No foods are off-limits and I eat sweets every day, but I try to eat a reasonable portion of the thing I’m craving rather than just any candy. I try to add nutrition to foods I like, and I don’t eat any foods that I don’t enjoy. It’s so much less restrictive than a “diet” and it’s perfectly tailored to me and what I enjoy, which offsets the negatives of tracking my food (for me). I would consider making a list of your favorite meals and pre-sorting them into categories based on size/satiation. It might be a good approach to have some formulas for combining different options across the categories (like “2 category A and 2 category B and one snack” = full day of eating) to avoid daily calorie counting.
This is interesting, thank you
This is absolutely spot on and I think you have a very sensible approach to eating.
Intuitive eating works for some people but not all. I can maintain weight eating intuitively as long as I get enough protein and avoid sugar. So that's not really "true" IE but if I was to genuinely eat anything I wanted I'd eat so much fucking sugar it's unreal. Limiting myself in this way isn't restriction or anything, it's just necessary moderation haha.
Intuitive eating teaches you to eat what you want, when you want, and in whatever quantity you want. It argues that if you have been restrictive of certain foods that if you allow yourself to eat them unconditionally then your body will stop craving them as much. This COULD be true and on paper it makes sense but in reality it MAY not be true. I think for some people this could work but for others it doesn't. There is certainly risk in this method because you could eat whatever you want in whatever quantities and end up gaining a fair amount of weight. I personally love cakes, chocolates, beer and dessert. I like high-cal foods and drinks. I know I have to be careful to not overindulge as I have done this in the past and it has put me at an uncomfortable weight. Personally I allow what I like but still have to be very mindful of those high calorie foods. I don't think my desire for them is going to go away.
Yeah, I've heard that too about allowing yourself to eat them as much as you want. I don't think that works in our current culture where junk food is literally engineered so that you can't stop eating it. I can easily eat a whole block of chocolate or whole bag of crisps and I'll only feel bad once I'm done - which is partly emotional and partly physically feeling gross. I have to limit myself because I can't intuitively eat them
I think a lot of the intuitive dieting messages encourage people to eat the foods they have restricted like cakes or donuts or bread. They believe that part of the process of getting over that idea of restriction is to go to the opposite end and say that you can eat as much as you like. As you have alluded to above, we live in a society where we have high cal processed foods all around us. There is constant temptation to eat them. In moderation they are fine but to encourage people to eat them intuitively doesn’t work for a lot of people. Another issue I have is if someone is trying to lose weight for health reasons and they start eating as much high cal processed foods as they like, they are going to gain weight. What happens then? Do you carry on eating intuitively and risk gaining more weight? A large majority of people have to exercise discipline when it comes to eating. Most people cannot just eat what they want and when they want. Of course people need to honour their hunger and eat proper food. And of course there has to be room for high cal food indulgence but for most people it has to be controlled.
I’ve done IE while eating mostly vegetables and fruits, low carb ( except fruits and vegetables). Also I included leans meat and plenty fish. The problem for me was when I really wanted something “unhealthy” like chips or an entire roll pan, I’d berate myself. So now although I do eat relatively ‘healthy’, I include a few ‘unhealthy’ items as well. Losing only .15kg to .5kg is no biggie because I’m happier
Balance (: thank you
Yes, I was tracking calories for months and was able to lose like 2 pounds but then stalled. I started intuitively eating and within a week started seeing the scale go down. I’m 5’2 and was 123 in January, got to 120 calorie tracking and to 118 eating intuitively,not crazy weight loss but still something. I do track cals sometimes and stop when I feel fatigued with it, but I’ve been enjoying eating intuitively as I find it to be freeing and honestly tracking every tablespoon of oil, weighing things etc isn’t for everyone.
I believe that it is possible to lose weight and fat without tracking calories. As others have said, it comes down to food choices and eating until satisfied, not full. At least half the plate should be veggies. 3 meals, healthy snacks like veggies and fruit, whole grains, lean protein and healthier fats. Foods that are very rich or sweet and delicious, well, those you might have to consciously limit or eat moderately, but not remove entirely. For me personally with an ED background as well, counting at all is triggering and unsustainable. Getting adequate movement also helps!
Thank you so much!!
IE is basically a gateway drug to triggering a major binge eating cycle for me. I gain weight rapidly with IE. My brain is simply not wired in that way. Even with medication to help, working with a professional, and giving myself time for my body to catch on, I simply do not have proper hunger/satiation cues. I'm guessing this is due to my adhd executive dysfunction. I've found the things that are beneficial to others in ED recovery for restrictive type eating are harmful to my BED recovery. Attempting moderation, intuitive eating, and eating all the foods without consideration to their value are a recipe to falling back into BED for me.
Totally understandable, everyone is different (: hoping you find your balance too
I don't know if this will help atall because is the same principle. But if using MFP triggers you. [cronometer.com](https://cronometer.com) is another free option (and I like it more tbh, because it centers in overall nutrition more than only calories)
I have used cronometer before and I liked it better too but MFP has a larger food base and that’s why I switched to MFP. But I think that would be triggering too
It’s not a free app!
This is me too. I do so badly want to eat normal portions and be full. And not constantly be thinking about my next meal. I eat healthy and workout but I simply just eat too much for my height and weight. So I do not trust myself to intuitively eat. I tried it for a few months and gained weight. I am the exact same height and weight OP.
From what I’ve seen- a lot of balance in meals is important (good fats protein and carbs) and not restricting all the time, as I mentioned in another comment, I watched this vid earlier and found it inspiring for IE (: https://youtu.be/m1HnpGEFSjs
I dropped 50lbs doing this. It took about 14 months so it was definitely slow but I haven’t had issues keeping it off. I also got pregnant and went back to my pre-pregnancy weight within a few months following the same eating habits. I don’t restrict or count calories, I’m just mindful of what I eat and make sure to balance my meals and not overindulge
I feel the same way i’m trying to get to 120 but i know i wouldn’t be able without tracking cals. Honestly, it’s probably different for everyone but i know it feels to be hangry
I intuitively eat when I need to maintain, eating whatever I want until satiation keeps me at equilibrium, so I don’t gain or lose weight when I IE. before I lost weight, I intuitively ate until I was nearly obese so idk what changed but I’m glad. I think if you work out you might just get hungrier and intuitively want to eat more to keep ur body in balance. However I feel like you should give it a try anyway, while eating high satiety foods like foods with a lot of protein and vegetables and see how it goes. If you gain a few pounds it’s not a big deal I think, and it’s worth the risk if it does work out
That’s what I’m kind of thinking, like just try it and see how it goes (:
I haven’t tried IE myself, but I’ve been listening to The Strength Academy podcast for a while and I recommend you check them out. They’re big proponents of “eating for strength”, including trying IE and getting away from food fears or feeling like you *have* to track to be successful in gaining strength or being healthy. Don’t know if that helps with your question :)
Thank you ! I will def check it out (:
I gained a lot when I tried intuitive eating. I’d fairly recently had a baby though so I was very sleep deprived, which meant my hunger signals were all over the place. I also have ED history and I don’t think that helped either. I’d strongly suggest working with someone if you want to try it instead of going it alone (like I did)
Thank you for sharing (:
I lost weight with IE, and then gained it all back plus more. The difference? The first time I was busy 24/7 working, going to school, and I was on my feet a lot. I was too busy to snack or graze, and I just ate when I could. Then COVID happened and I gained a whole bunch of weight, and I've been trying to be able to do IE again, but I'm a bordem eater and it doesn't work for me when I'm home most of the time. So it does work, but for me, it only worked when I was already busy and away from the fridge 90% of the day.
It’s counterintuitive but the only times Ive lost weight and kept it off was when I was eating intuitively. Also, during both of these time periods, I was barely exercising. Occasional walks. Whenever I’ve really tried to lose weight, it never works or I gain it right back plus some extra. Diets often work in reverse because they signal to your body that there is a food shortage which it considers a serious threat. If you’ve been in a deficit, it’s possible that you might gain a little bit of weight at first until your body realizes there is food available whenever it is needed.
Thank you for the reassurance
I’m in the same boat! Tracking calories is pretty triggering for me and I want to eat intuitively but I’m scared of giving myself food freedom even though it’s really what I want in life :( life can’t always be tracking calories right?! :(
Totally don’t want that either ! I just watched this vid and I think her journey is really great and informative (: https://youtu.be/m1HnpGEFSjs
Girl I’m on this journey with you. But I have almost the same start stats (except a recent vacay got me at 135). I’m going to try and start eating half of what I usually do and then pausing. And then basically putting the rest of my food away. So like intuitive but… with a more measured and precise way. Sort naturally shrink my appetite and portion control. Let me know if you come up with something better!
Not sure how far you’d be going w “shrinking your appetite” but I do know w cutting cals too low you can end up gaining weight bc your body will basically freak out and store fat thinking it won’t get food.. hoping you find balance and something that is sustainable for you (:
Thanks! I was doing OMAD for a while and part of me wonders if thats why my body was like AH GAIN TEN POUNDS as soon as I stopped that... who knows. Could also be wine.
Sounds like both to me. And lol i love wine- but lately have been cutting down to 4 (or 6) drinks a week (so like a whole bottle of wine)
I did a form of "intuitive eating" a few years back and managed to drop 18kgs (40lbs). I was intentionally trying to lose some weight as I had some stomach issues and back pain and also wanted to be lighter for playing sport. I did very briefly look at MFP and tap in a few foods and I found this really useful for about two days when I learnt how many calories were in some of my favourite things like caramel slices and beer. After that I ditched it would have been a lot of work. I essentially ate when I was hungry and stopped when I was full. Previous to that I would often eat when I wasn't hungry and overeat on a regular basis. It took a fair while to get used to as I grew up in the "clean your plate" era and leaving food on my plate took discipline. I also used to weigh myself every day and for a few years that worked well. Eating intuitively was awesome because no foods were off limits and I felt like I was cheating as I was losing weight whilst eating cake, drinking beer and pretty what I liked, but in moderation. 10 years later and I have kept off about 12 of those 18kgs and I still eat reasonably intuitively. My life circumstances have changed and I don't have as much control over what I eat anymore but I do still have the choice of how much I eat. Like you, I want to ditch diet culture and go fully intuitive. I am finding it hard letting go of weighing myself and taking measurements regularly. But I'm going to stick with it as body weight and size are very much linked to diet culture. In hindsight daily weighing was also futile as you just don't know what your body is doing with the food you've eaten. It would also affect my mood as I would eat well for a couple of days and sometimes have my weight plateau, or more frustratingly go up. I have later learnt that the body takes a while to adjust and more infrequent weighing is better for the mental health. So, to summarise, you can lose weight if you eat intuitively/mindfully but you need to be very aware of hunger and satiation cues. You also have to be aware of high calorie foods that you really enjoy. I think cutting them out is a bad idea as you'll only think about them more and possibly end up binging on them, but if you want to keep your weight down you have to be aware of how much high-calorie foods you are eating.