Intuitive Eating

Silkysausage

I'm back to a vegan diet, cooking from scratch and adding in great protein and micro's along the way. Hitting my macros within 20 cals some days, some even less.

I'm starting to cut after a bulk of 18 pounds and have entered my 3rd week reducing cals but only by 200 so far.

I've been I'll with a virus for a week so no gym lately. I lift 4 days a week upper/lower split.

Today in particular I'm doing well with tracking but still hungry. I have one more whey smoothie to go (still on whey as other types send my IBS crazy) but could do with more food. For instance my lunch had some roasted greens amongst other food types but I had to limit the portion....I mean come on it's veg...in moderation.

I've come across intuitive eating but wondered how this would work out. One YouTubers bodybuilding female said that she doesn't track fruit and veg.

Please ask more questions if you need them!

sijomial

Mindful eating without food logging works for me, intuitive eating sees me overeat by about 500cals a day.

quiksylver296

What is your question? Will you lose weight eating intuitively?

No one can know but you, by trying it.

Silkysausage

quiksylver296 wrote: »

What is your question? Will you lose weight eating intuitively?

No one can know but you, by trying it.

Ah right, I knew I'd miss something out. I just want to feel satiated whatever I do, bulking/cutting/maintenance.

Cutting back on fruit and vegetables just seems wrong...I haven't eaten a satsuma lately because it would take me over my 'allowance'.

sijomial

If it helps my son is a genuine intuitive eater and maintains fit, strong and at a healthy weight without thinking about calories or his weight.
His eating is incredibly erratic both in timing, quantity and frequency and also quite different during the working week and at weekends.
When he eats he tends to eat a hell of a lot. What most people don't see is that when he's working (at a very physical job BTW) he may not eat at all until the evening.

Silkysausage

sijomial wrote: »

Mindful eating without food logging works for me, intuitive eating sees me overeat by about 500cals a day.

What's the difference?

sijomial

Silkysausage wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Mindful eating without food logging works for me, intuitive eating sees me overeat by about 500cals a day.

What's the difference?

Intuitive is not thinking about your eating and eating to hunger cues.
Mindful eating is consciously and rationally considering your needs and wants.

My wants unfortunately are more than my needs. Greedy would be another word for it I guess!

I'm losing a little weight after Christmas and New Year so I deliberately make different food/snack/drink choices to create a calorie deficit. I'm mindful of my calories and nutrition although I don't need to track my food.

sijomial

See you have amended your OP a bit.
Not tracking fruit and veg sounds more like a weight watchers plan rather than intuitive eating, a very distant cousin perhaps, partially intuitive?

Guess it depends on how tight you want to adhere to your daily macro and calorie goals but having set goals and trying to hit them precisely is really the opposite of intuitive. There's also the conflict of having a set calorie goal but not tracking all foods with calories.

Is it just a case that eating in a deficit is a real PITA?

Silkysausage

sijomial wrote: »

See you have amended your OP a bit.
Not tracking fruit and veg sounds more like a weight watchers plan rather than intuitive eating, a very distant cousin perhaps, partially intuitive?

Guess it depends on how tight you want to adhere to your daily macro and calorie goals but having set goals and trying to hit them precisely is really the opposite of intuitive. There's also the conflict of having a set calorie goal but not tracking all foods with calories.

Is it just a case that eating in a deficit is a real PITA?

I just liked the idea of being free of going with how you feel from one day to the next, eating when you're hungry and eating enough to cover that feeling. Logging is obviously good to see where you're going but seems restrictive on other accounts.

When I bulked until the end I was no longer feeling hungry, ever. That combined with sweating, bloating and the thought of having to dissect everything I ate to log it all made me think of if there was a better way.

Plus do I really want to track calories for the rest of my bodybuilding life...no is the answer so maybe I'm ready to let go of the bind.

jseams1234

Silkysausage wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

See you have amended your OP a bit.
Not tracking fruit and veg sounds more like a weight watchers plan rather than intuitive eating, a very distant cousin perhaps, partially intuitive?

Guess it depends on how tight you want to adhere to your daily macro and calorie goals but having set goals and trying to hit them precisely is really the opposite of intuitive. There's also the conflict of having a set calorie goal but not tracking all foods with calories.

Is it just a case that eating in a deficit is a real PITA?

I just liked the idea of being free of going with how you feel from one day to the next, eating when you're hungry and eating enough to cover that feeling. Logging is obviously good to see where you're going but seems restrictive on other accounts.

When I bulked until the end I was no longer feeling hungry, ever. That combined with sweating, bloating and the thought of having to dissect everything I ate to log it all made me think of if there was a better way.

Plus do I really want to track calories for the rest of my bodybuilding life...no is the answer so maybe I'm ready to let go of the bind.

Hey, I can completely understand what you are saying. I go through the same thing when I bulk and having to track so thoroughly when I cut is really a pain at times. However, for me at least, "intuitive" eating means chronicallly undereating. I spent a large portion of my life underweight and super skinny. Once I realized what the problem was and I was able to incorporate proper programming I was able to put on significant mass... still, my appetite doesn't support the mass I have and I absolutely *know* that if I intuitively eat I'll lose a lot of what I have gained. So, I like the idea mentioned above of "mindful" eating. I do know now basically how much I need to eat to bulk and how much I need to eat to cut. I think I may be able to keep it balanced at some point - once I've reached my goals. Right now though, I'm still short of where I want to be and I've realized that as much as a pain logging is it's necessary for those goals.

sardelsa

Most of my life I was an intuitive eater I guess you could say. I would fluctuate around 5lbs, never really thought about it. My hunger cues were always pretty spot on. Now that I am more focused on bodybuilding/aesthetics, I can't really just "wing it" anymore, I have to be more mindful of my eating especially keeping protein levels high and making sure not to undereat.

For my first bulk/cut I tracked/logged all my food for about a year or so which gave me good macro/calorie awareness. Since then I have run two bulk and cut cycles without logging my food. Is it easy? For me it is, but I also have rules/regulations I set, as well I have to track my weight daily and use a trend weight app in order to know what my next steps are, I don't go based on hunger necessarily.... it can be a lot of trial and error (which could drive some people crazy). In a cut keeping protein high and making sure my snacks or meals have at least 20-40g of protein helps, also I have a limited choice of foods I can eat during the day.

letsgain01

Intuitive eating is not for the person who is focusing on numbers, in any capacity.

At it's core, you eat how much you need to eat AND consider how your body feels after those foods. It actually goes a step PASSED mindful eating.

Mindful eating is only about how you feel while you're eating. It has nothing to do with how that food make you feel.

If you have goals that go passed just health (i.e weight, or bfp), then intuitive eating probably won't work for you because intuitive eating implies stopping tracking. I mean, how intuitive can your eating be if you're tracking calories or macros and such?

I can't tell you if you should try it b but I can give you the facts about what intuitive eating is.

Silkysausage

I think by scrapping one protein smoothie a day and replace it with solid food will allow me to fit in those 'missing' items that I want....maybe then the second will get replaced in the long term especially as cals reduce in cutting further.

Thank you everyone 🙏