Intuitive Eating - What do you think about it?

rediscovermyfigure
rediscovermyfigure Posts: 8
in Chit-Chat
Rejecting the diet mentality, and making peace with food sounds good!

Will counting calories, and having conditional permission to eat certain types of food likely to backfire on me???

Replies

  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    That depends entirely on you. My intuition tends to tell me that I want more steak, a couple of beers, and two bowls of ice cream. This works well for gaining but I count when I'm cutting.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    That depends entirely on you. My intuition tends to tell me that I want more steak, a couple of beers, and two bowls of ice cream. This works well for gaining but I count when I'm cutting.

    Yup. Right now my intuition is insisting that I would rather eat three or four cookies than my bag of carrots. I'm telling it to shut up.
  • Bernadette60614
    Bernadette60614 Posts: 707 Member
    Our son, who is 12, eats intuitively.

    You can give him his favorite food, but if he's not that hungry, he'll eat a couple of bites and just say he's not hungry anymore.

    We never urged him to finish his food, we never gave him lectures about starving children...we just told him to eat until he didn't feel like it anymore.

    Now, I was raised with parents who believed the opposite...if Mom made it, you ate it, even if you didn't want to.

    They meant well, but I don't think I can ever eat intuitively.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    As I understand it, it's basically the way I've been doing things for the last 4 years and it's worked pretty well. There's a lot of bad habits to break and they still come back on me now and then but at least the indulgences are only once every month or two instead of once a day like they used to be.

    Ultimately, for weight loss, as long as you stay within your calorie goal, you will lose weight regardless of what you eat (there are no "bad" foods). Intiuitive eating is more about also considering your health and trying to build better eating habits and being nicer to yourself.

    Good luck!
  • _JPunky
    _JPunky Posts: 508 Member
    Intuitive eating is how I topped out at 185 pounds. AKA It's not a good idea for me.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I think intuitive eating can work for maintaining weight if you have self control and a good understanding of portion sizes and the calorie content of foods.

    Intuitive eating to lose weight sounds a lot harder, because bodies don't really like getting fewer calories than they need. Of course it can be done, but counting calories gives me a very clear picture of my energy and nutrition needs, and I like not having to struggle or over-think it. I've also managed to reject the "diet mentality" and make peace with food while counting my calories, so I don't believe they're mutually exclusive. Calorie counting is just a tool. :smile:
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    I think if it works for you, use it. :-)
  • rediscovermyfigure
    rediscovermyfigure Posts: 8
    Thank you all so much! Intuitive eating or (excessively eating intuitively) is what topped me off at 240lb. I think I will stick with counting calories until I develop a greater sense of control when it comes to food.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Will counting calories, and having conditional permission to eat certain types of food likely to backfire on me???

    If you're counting calories, that is not intuitive eating. I spent a good 6-7 months counting calories and learning about proper nutrition as well as portion control and moderation and that has served me well in a year plus of maintenance just eating intuitively. I've also lost a few Lbs recently eating intuitively but that's largely attributable to the fact that I'm training for an event and my fitness is outpacing my energy consumption, but if I really needed to drop some Lbs I would most definitely log.

    I find it very easy to maintain eating intuitively, but that's what my body naturally wants to do...losing weight is not natural or intuitive.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    My intuition tells me to eat cookies... lots and lots of cookies.

    It's not really conducive to my goals.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    Throughout my life my intuition in general has been about 50-60 % right. When it comes to food and nutrition that is not good enough for me any more......I obviously became overweight by eating intuitively. Now I eat a planned and mostly healthy diet, feel better and am losing weight.
  • vanillacoffee
    vanillacoffee Posts: 1,024 Member
    Not a good idea for me. I get cravings all the time, and a lot.
    MFP + calorie goals helps me to eat in moderation.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    i think it really works for some people

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