Newbie - coming from intuitive eating

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charlottetaylor123456
charlottetaylor123456 Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, my name is charlotte. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I go from eating strictly to binge eating. A month a go I discovered intuitive eating and it has reminded me to enjoy my food and learn when I am hungry however I am at least 3 stone overweight so have decided to restart calorie counting but higher my calories so I may find it easier to stick to and less likely to binge. Any tips would be very helpful x

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  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    charlottetaylor123456 wrote: »
    Hello, my name is charlotte. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I go from eating strictly to binge eating. A month a go I discovered intuitive eating and it has reminded me to enjoy my food and learn when I am hungry however I am at least 3 stone overweight so have decided to restart calorie counting but higher my calories so I may find it easier to stick to and less likely to binge. Any tips would be very helpful x

    In order to lose weight, you need to eat a calrie deficit. Set your goals up in MFP or any weight loss app to lose your desired pounds each week, stick to that and you will lose weight, whether you choose intuitive eating or not.

    You can do this!
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    You know that if you cut too dramatically, you binge. So, make a gentle cut. 3 stone is 42 pounds, so you should be able to safely aim for a 1 pound/week deficit. Also, increasing your activity level (by, for example, walking more if you don't already walk a lot) allows you to have that deficit while eating more.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    I advise also working out so that you can increase calories out without having to eat so little that you can't stick to it.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    I want to say that I disagree with eating intuitively. I do not "crave" vegetables and lean protein the same way I craves junk and sugar. Furthermore, research has shown if we eat more with friends, while distracted (ie, watching TV), or when we eat out of bigger packages we eat more. Our appetite is stimulated by the sight and thought of food. There are just too many variables for me to trust my body.

    With that being said, and while some people may disagree with this advice, if you want to eat intuitively don't try to stick to a caloric limit but just add everything you eat. Sometimes just knowing how many calories are in something may deter you from eating it. For example, I used to eat tortilla chips a lot. Then I measured out a 1 oz serving (1 oz for 130 calories). I was probably eating 3-5 oz every time I ate tortilla chips, so I was eating 390-650 calories in tortilla chips as a "snack". I stopped eating tortilla chips.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    ugofatcat wrote: »
    I want to say that I disagree with eating intuitively. I do not "crave" vegetables and lean protein the same way I craves junk and sugar. Furthermore, research has shown if we eat more with friends, while distracted (ie, watching TV), or when we eat out of bigger packages we eat more. Our appetite is stimulated by the sight and thought of food. There are just too many variables for me to trust my body.

    With that being said, and while some people may disagree with this advice, if you want to eat intuitively don't try to stick to a caloric limit but just add everything you eat. Sometimes just knowing how many calories are in something may deter you from eating it. For example, I used to eat tortilla chips a lot. Then I measured out a 1 oz serving (1 oz for 130 calories). I was probably eating 3-5 oz every time I ate tortilla chips, so I was eating 390-650 calories in tortilla chips as a "snack". I stopped eating tortilla chips.

    I have no opinion on intuitive eating.

    However, as to the tortilla chips, the other option after finding out how much you are eating is to weigh it and eat only that serving. Seriously.....take chips out of bag, weigh out 28 grams, put bag away and eat said serving. It's that easy, and this comes from a former binge eater. :)
  • charlottetaylor123456
    charlottetaylor123456 Posts: 36 Member
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    Thanks all. I appreciate your comments and help. I can see where you are coming from and do agree with you on the intuitive eating. I am not going to get to goal on it but can see me using that tool for when I eventually start to maintain. Thank you for your help x
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Do not try to go directly from bingeing/restricting to intuitive eating. Use MFP to learn to eat like a normal person. Plan your meals and stick to your plan. Hit your calorie goal every day. If you have specific non-nutritious trigger foods, don't buy/keep them around. When you feel that you no longer need to track your food, and you respond healthily to your hunger and satiety cues, you are eating intuitively.

    I would advice against exercising to eat more. That is the fast track to using exercise as punishment for eating. Instead, exercise to feel good/relax/get stronger/meditate/have fun, and eat food you like in appropriate amounts (MFP tells you how much that would be).
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
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    However you are eating at the moment (intuitive, restrictive, whatever eating plan you like to follow) I would personally recommend that even if you don't want to change anything right now, you start logging everything you eat.
    For me this was an easy way to see where I could trim some excesses, but it didn't start me off with lots of rules or limits. I could then see the whole picture and choose which parts of my diet I was happy to reduce and which things I was determined to keep and fit them into my calories.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
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    jo_nz wrote: »
    However you are eating at the moment (intuitive, restrictive, whatever eating plan you like to follow) I would personally recommend that even if you don't want to change anything right now, you start logging everything you eat.
    For me this was an easy way to see where I could trim some excesses, but it didn't start me off with lots of rules or limits. I could then see the whole picture and choose which parts of my diet I was happy to reduce and which things I was determined to keep and fit them into my calories.

    I like this .. first step measure .. second cut
  • izzyrhunt
    izzyrhunt Posts: 25 Member
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    When you feel like binging you can look at yourself in the mirror and remember why your trying to lose weight
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I would advice against exercising to eat more. That is the fast track to using exercise as punishment for eating.

    I don't totally agree with this. I mean, it is a risk that's worth being mindful of, but I think you can "exercise to eat more" without it turning into a purging-type activity. Just be watchful if you have that tendency. Guilt should have nothing to do with eating, it is not a moral activity. If you eat more than you intended one day, draw a line under it and move on.
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
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    You can try cutting way back on refined sugar. I cut my from 40 to 50 grams / day (10 - 13 teaspoons) to about 10 grams / day (2.5 teaspoons) and my hunger went way down. The sugar cut was only 100 to 150 calories but the rest of the desert and the snacks counted for more. I've been adding calories back, but only healthy foods. Since I started this a little over 4 months ago I've lost 8 kg and 15 cm around my waist. The number one benefit is much lower hunger. What it really means is you end up not eating as much processed food.

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