Intuitive eating.. your opinions?

angiechimpanzee

I am on the worlds biggest seesaw when it comes to my relationship with food. Sometimes I feel like, if I don't delete certain foods from my diet completely (cookies, chocolates, desserts, & on some occasions chips, fries, pizza, etc) I'll binge on them endlessly and become huge (& yes I've had this fear become reality many times before, & it's always involved those same foods). If I aim to eat only healthy foods 100% of the time, I will never have to worry about binging & the weight will fall off effortlessly. Last year when I lost almost 10 pounds in two months, that was how I did it. I had a few days of slip ups, but after those I got right back on the "100% healthy food train". & it worked. Until the holidays came around.

Sometimes, I think I can join the whole "moderation" club, and permit myself to have x amount of aforementioned food items x often if it fits into my calorie limit. I've never been able to successfully carry this out though, because that "just one cookie" has most often turned into 2, 3, 4, then the whole box, for whatever reason. Hence why I usually find myself running back to the abstinence mindset.

And sometimes, especially more recently, I'm just like, screw calorie counting altogether because I know I can't be doing this my whole life. I want to learn to eat like a normal person. Small/reasonable sized portions, paying attention to hunger, never eating out of boredom or emotions. Managing my eating habits in ways that don't have to do with numbers & counting & constantly thinking about food.

Lately I've come across the theory of "intuitive eating", which centers around giving yourself permission to eat whatever you want whenever you want. The theory states that when you detach guilt and anxiety from any foods, and just trust yourself & listen to your hunger signals, you'll be able to stop overeating and stop obsessing over food while still being able to lose weight.

I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean the thought of telling myself "Okay, Angie. Eat WHATEVER you want" scares me into thinking that most days I'll be living off of Golden Oreos and Burger King. At the same time though, I know from eating like that in the past that it not only gets old, but I don't feel very good either when I'm eating really poorly. I get constipated, tired easily, headaches, extreme bloating, moodiness. and I start eating for no reason instead of because I'm hungry, i start feeling like a slave to the food. And I think thats where the whole "listening to your body" aspect of intuitive eating comes to play. If I was truly listening to my body & paying attention to how I felt the whole way, there's no way I could bring myself to eat a whole package of oreos or half a pizza.

Still, I'm a little skeptical. But I'm ready to pursue a new set of eating habits & a better relationship towards food. Any opinions/experience with this?

AngryDiet

Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.

BaconMD

I gave myself permission to eat however much I wanted, of whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it.

Then my weight stopped registering on my scale (see image in my ticker).

Then I started exercising and tracking my food and eating an appropriate amount of food for my body composition, and my weight is going back down again.

That's my experience.

angelams1019

There is a book called Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. I would suggest reading it. My therapist suggested it to me a couple years back

skylark94

There is a book called Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. I would suggest reading it. My therapist suggested it to me a couple years back

I've read it. I think it's a great idea for folks who are very self aware, but for many (myself included) it could be disastrous.

samhelen

In a sense that's how I eat now only I'm aware of calorie content. It its soemthing i want, I eat it. I just record everything so I am accountable to myself about the reprecussions. I also take note of how i feel when I have x, y, or z that I've been craving and if I do eat what it is that I want when I want it, I find it a lot easier to eat a more moderate amount of it than if I keep telling myself no I can't have it. It takes time to get used to listening to what your body wants but it can be done.

darrensurrey

Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.

Pretty much what I was going to reply with.



One thing to consider - if intuitive eating is eating when you are hungry and not eating when you aren't, if I'm engrossed in a computer game, I can go without eating for hours then have a nibble and go to bed. Great! Not really - I'll massively under-eat and you know what happens then.

I still haven't decided what the best way of maintaining is. Perhaps practising IF regularly and eating everything you fancy whenever you want?

Reza151

Intuitive eating has helped me alot. I dont obssess over numbers and get terribly stressed and I notice how food affects me. People dont realize that intuitive eating has alot to do with listening to what your BODY wants, not just your mind. It;'s about removing that special power that certain foods have over you, so that carrots can equal the same as ice cream, and therefore youd be more likely to moderate.

HealthyBodySickMind

Intuitive eating works for me. I don't recommend it for everyone.

dawnemjh

Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.

agreed!

Davina_JH

Intuitive eating with a healthy and viable intuition is great. You need to change your thought process and your views about food in order for anything to work. You may have one cookie "because you can", but then you find yourself eating six more. Your true reason for eating them may be different. Stress, loneliness, fear, guilt, etc. Can't go wrong with therapy! :flowerforyou:

NYCNika

You forget how processed so many of those desirable foods are (cakes, cookies, bread) are.

You might get a "full" signal from eating unsweetened steel cut oatmeal, but throw in sugar and processed foods and it hit your "signal's" snooze button. Sugar suppresses leptin production and you will in fact want to eat more.

We are not eating the same way. Food is not produced the same way. Our environment has changed greatly from what is was thousands years ago when those body mechanisms developed. But our brains and bodies did not change much. So this won't work in a modern diet. You have to be aware, read, learn and calculate. Especially if you are already overweight and as one is getting older. That is an unfortunate truth.

CynthiaCollin

I love food....all types...healthy , fast food.... you name it, I love it. I was successful losing weight because I didn`t give up the foods I love.... I eat 1200 calories a day....made of of good choices.... and I exercise to earn my treats... I like to finish off my day with a counted bowl of chips or popcorn and a nice 1/2cup of ice cream.... so every day I go to bed, I don`t feel deprieved....and for me that is key.

darrensurrey

Intuitive eating works for me. I don't recommend it for everyone.

Interesting. Do you never fancy eating more than your requirements as per your daily targets? What about eating at restaurants?

MissNordicLight

I have exactly the same thoughts as you. I think I would really like to be an intuitive eater, but I just want to lose some weight first ... and apparently that kind of thinking is just keeping me in the diet-binge cycle. I'm afraid, I'll admit it, that if I let myself eat what I want when I want I would be very obese. However, it's not eating when I'm hungry that got me overweight in the first place, it's the emotional eating (for me).

If you want to make it work I think you have to be super super careful and really listen to your body. At the same time you have to deal with all your hidden feelings/issues behind your emotional eating.

Right now I'm re-reading a great book:
'Overcoming Overeating' by Hirschmann and Munter

'Fat is a Feminist Issue' is also a great book and of course anything by Geneen Roth.

dubird

Just as a personal note, I don't track calories as much when I'm deciding what to eat, unless it's something new. I've been doing this long enough that I know (at least aproximatly) what certian foods will be, so I'm not sitting there mentally calculating it. I still track it, simply because when I'm hyper-focused on something I can munch and not always realize how much, but I don't have to obsessivly track like I did when I first started. So, maybe after time, it will become eaiser because you'll learn what your favorite foods will be and can adjust accordingly.

HealthyBodySickMind

Intuitive eating works for me. I don't recommend it for everyone.

Interesting. Do you never fancy eating more than your requirements as per your daily targets? What about eating at restaurants?

Haha, I often eat more than "my requirements". There are days that I eat close to 4000 cal and there are days that I eat less than 1300. I never try and hit any goal. I just eat and log. My "goals" in my diary are just averages of my daily intake for calories and macros. I probably should have refrained from commenting here as I'm more interested in maintainance. I thought that might be where the OP was, too, since she only has a few pounds to lose according to her ticker.

NikoM5

I eat intuitively 99% of the time. I only use MFP tracking for the first couple weeks when I have a new weight goal. I try to mostly eat meals that have a good portion of protein in them and moderate carbs. There are exceptions for sanity of course but I make a mental note of those and try to correct for them over the next day or so.

wannalose25

The 1st problem, in my opinion, is those "edible food like substances"! That juke we crave that makes us FAT and SICK! If we ate only vegatables, fruit, whole grains, and beans-kept as close to natural as possible, then we could all eat as much as we'd like. And we wouldn't have to spend hours working out each day, a nice, daily stroll would suffice.

The 2nd problem is chosing a healty lifestyle when nearly everyone around you has not.

It's not easy. I think about food way too much, but counting calories is the only method that works for me. there are days when I thought I hadn't eaten much, but in reality I probable consumed 2500 calories.

I pray I can stick with MFP this time!

MissNordicLight

You forget how processed so many of those desirable foods are (cakes, cookies, bread) are.

You might get a "full" signal from eating unsweetened steel cut oatmeal, but throw in sugar and processed foods and it hit your "signal's" snooze button. Sugar suppresses leptin production and you will in fact want to eat more.

We are not eating the same way. Food is not produced the same way. Our environment has changed greatly from what is was thousands years ago when those body mechanisms developed. But our brains and bodies did not change much. So this won't work in a modern diet. You have to be aware, read, learn and calculate. Especially if you are already overweight and as one is getting older. That is an unfortunate truth.

You certainly got a point there, the way food is produced has changed and also the access we have to it. It's around us all the time and we don't have to do a thing to get it.

But, I do believe that if we REALLY listened to our body, we wouldn't want to eat the crap, because it makes us tired, bloated and so on. Eventually, we would naturally select what's good for us. And if we do want something that is not so 'good' we would eat it in moderation, because we don't like the way it makes us feel. As I said before, I think it might work, but you have to be very aware and sit down to every meal and eat it mindfully and frankly I don't know if I could make it.

darrensurrey

Intuitive eating works for me. I don't recommend it for everyone.

Interesting. Do you never fancy eating more than your requirements as per your daily targets? What about eating at restaurants?

Haha, I often eat more than "my requirements". There are days that I eat close to 4000 cal and there are days that I eat less than 1300. I never try and hit any goal. I just eat and log. My "goals" in my diary are just averages of my daily intake for calories and macros. I probably should have refrained from commenting here as I'm more interested in maintainance. I thought that might be where the OP was, too, since she only has a few pounds to lose according to her ticker.

I think your comments and insights are valuable here. It's something I've been thinking about in the long term. I expect that at some point in the future, I won't have the time nor inclination to log. Counting can't be the only way. I'm sure not every lean-but-healthy person logs.

angiechimpanzee

Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.

Those were exactly my thoughts in the beginning. Eating what you want for most people = eating copious amounts of fattening crap food.

Bettyeditor

I have read the Intuitive Eating book (my nutritionist recommended it) and I am practicing it. Note of caution: Intuitive Eating is NOT "eat whatever you want whenever" and it is not mutually exclusive with close tracking (I am a diligent MFP logger).

*~*Think of it this way: When you master a skill like piano, you can play with expression and you can improvise, because the "rules" of piano are so instinctual to you . But you can't just mash on the keys any way you want and expect a symphony.*~*

Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize true hunger (physical sensation) versus appetite (emotional/psychological).
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize subtle signals of fullness.
Intuitive Eating is about learning to trust your body *because* of your good healthy habits.

Personal example: I make a point to eat well, healthy, and often (my diary is open, btw). I don't undereat (I'm averaging 1650 cal/day right now). I eat healthy (4-8 servings of vegetables every day, 1-3 servings fruits, whole grains, high-quality protein, etc.). I am careful to ensure that I'm feeding myself the right amount of protein/fats/carbs. I take a lot of supplements to try to avoid vitamin deficiencies. I eat 5-6 times a day so I'm never overly hungry. ..... THEREFORE, when I get hungry before a snack, I trust my body and eat. When a meal does not satisfy, I eat more. Because I maintain good habits, I can trust that if my body gives me a true growl-ache-twinge of hunger, then it is asking for fuel or nutriets or both, and I need to respect that request and obey it.

As I have done this, I had two days in the last two months where my calories intake spiked up to 1900 calories. That was a bit scary for me, but I kept trusting my body. Later when I went back to look at trends, I noticed that the two days after each spike has less calories (around 1,400) and that the weeks with the spike 1900-cal days still averaged the same: about 1,600.

So my point it, our body is very smart and it is a mechanism that is designed for survival and balance, so it will not lead us down an unhealthy path.

BUT, the prerequisite to making this work is to be consistent with healthy choices. In my experience, the best sequence is:
#1 - Establish a very healthy balanced eating routine over an extended time period (at least 1-2 months)
#2 - Start practicing Intuitive Eating

What doesn't work so well is to start from a place of being a mess about food and expect Intuitive Eating to work. Because your body will be in transition, will be confused, will be out of whack... in order to trust your body to be the amazing maching that it is, you first have to allow it to be calibrated to a good/healthy place. So if you are eating too few calories or are inconsistent in your eathing habits, best to work on that first. Learn the "rules" of healthy eating first, then your body can lead you Intuitively.

But remember, it is always a partnership between Intuitive and Good Judgment: When I get hungry, I respond (Intuitive Eating), but I respond with a high-quality, nutritionally dense appropriate food (Good Judgement). For example, I finished dinner 20 minutes ago and I am still hungry and I feel like something sweet. Good use of Intuitive Eating is to reach for a 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added canned peaches or one gluten-free cookie (or one of my other favorites healthy desserts). Bad Intuitive Eating would be to reach for a box of Oreos and munch on them without thinking, without a plan. (I don't even have stuff like that in my house anymore). Even when I follow a craving based on Intuitive Eating, I eat more of the types of things that I have already planned. For example, I might grab one of the 150-calories 15-net-carb snacks I have already portioned out.

Its like dancing: You need to learn the "moves" first (net calories of your fav foods, what your protein/carb/fat needs are, etc.). Then you can create your own choreography.

I hope that all made sense. :flowerforyou:

cwolfman13

My hope is that eventually, this journey will come full circle and bring me to a point where I can eat intuitively again. I used to...I was always lean and fit growing up...athletic, etc. Somewhere along the line I just got lazy.

I watch my friends who are "naturally" lean and fit (i.e. they're not on a diet or counting calories)...I watch the way they eat and compare it to what I used to do and what I used to think. Watching them has helped me see where I went so wrong.

My best buddy is a great example...he's lean and relatively fit and doesn't really work at it. He eats pizza (maybe twice per month)...and burgers and fish 'n chips and fried chicken (maybe a couple of times per month. He indulges in deserts and sweats (on occasion, not daily and not after every meal).

Conversely, back in my "prime" I could put down some fried chicken for breakfast, 1/2 a pizza for lunch, and follow it up with a burger and bratts for dinner...topped off with about 3 servings of ice cream. My diet pretty much looked similar to this abut 7 days per week...and that doesn't even include my snacks and sodas.

So, like I said...it is my hope that when all is said and done, I can return to being an intuitive eater...I believe MFP has taught me a lot and I've learned a lot just watching my friends and starting to simply care more about what I do to myself. I think ultimately, I'll be ok.

angiechimpanzee

I have exactly the same thoughts as you. I think I would really like to be an intuitive eater, but I just want to lose some weight first ... and apparently that kind of thinking is just keeping me in the diet-binge cycle. I'm afraid, I'll admit it, that if I let myself eat what I want when I want I would be very obese. However, it's not eating when I'm hungry that got me overweight in the first place, it's the emotional eating (for me).

If you want to make it work I think you have to be super super careful and really listen to your body. At the same time you have to deal with all your hidden feelings/issues behind your emotional eating.

Right now I'm re-reading a great book:
'Overcoming Overeating' by Hirschmann and Munter

'Fat is a Feminist Issue' is also a great book and of course anything by Geneen Roth.

I agree very strongly with your first two paragraphs. I know eating when I was hungry isn't what made me gain weight, eating for emotions/boredom/fun is what made me gain weight - and intuitive eating tackles the whole emotional/boredom eating thing.

Mindful eating when it comes to real food doesn't seem too hard for me, stopping when I'm full wouldn't be difficult if all I had was meat and greens and brown rice on my plate. But when you throw cookies and cakes and chips and carby cheesy gooey snacks into the picture, then I feel like that's a WHOLE 'nother ballgame.

cwolfman13

Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.

Those were exactly my thoughts in the beginning. Eating what you want for most people = eating copious amounts of fattening crap food.

Intuitive Eating =/= just eating what you want. Eating intuitively is all about being in tune with your bodies needs from both a caloric standpoint and nutritional standpoint. Good intuitive eaters know the difference between actual hunger and being bored and just eating to pass time...they understand and can feel when their bodies are depleted of some nutrient...and they will crave it and go on a broccoli binge or whatever to get it. Children are prime examples of intuitive eaters, as are many athletes.

I think Intuitive Eating is being confused with Compulsive Eating.

vanessapreston66

I think intuitive eating is possibly a natural way to eat, but you have to be mindful of the years and years we probably used food for reasons other than just to sustain life. I know when I need protein, I just go crazy mad for fish.

If you do decide to go ahead with it, look to challenge how you deal with food. Why have you become overweight? What was it in certain foods which made you overindulge? Sort out the issues and you can be confident of the success.

Enjoy your food, taste it and pay attention to it. Stop when the flavour changes, its your bodies way of letting you know its becoming full. Always remember, stomach hunger over mouth hunger.

angiechimpanzee

I have read the Intuitive Eating book (my nutritionist recommended it) and I am practicing it. Note of caution: Intuitive Eating is NOT "eat whatever you want whenever" and it is not mutually exclusive with close tracking (I am a diligent MFP logger).

*~*Think of it this way: When you master a skill like piano, you can play with expression and you can improvise, because the "rules" of piano are so instinctual to you . But you can't just mash on the keys any way you want and expect a symphony.*~*

Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize true hunger (physical sensation) versus appetite (emotional/psychological).
Intuitive Eating is about learning to recognize subtle signals of fullness.
Intuitive Eating is about learning to trust your body *because* of your good healthy habits.

Personal example: I make a point to eat well, healthy, and often (my diary is open, btw). I don't undereat (I'm averaging 1650 cal/day right now). I eat healthy (4-8 servings of vegetables every day, 1-3 servings fruits, whole grains, high-quality protein, etc.). I am careful to ensure that I'm feeding myself the right amount of protein/fats/carbs. I take a lot of supplements to try to avoid vitamin deficiencies. I eat 5-6 times a day so I'm never overly hungry. ..... THEREFORE, when I get hungry before a snack, I trust my body and eat. When a meal does not satisfy, I eat more. Because I maintain good habits, I can trust that if my body gives me a true growl-ache-twinge of hunger, then it is asking for fuel or nutriets or both, and I need to respect that request and obey it.

As I have done this, I had two days in the last two months where my calories intake spiked up to 1900 calories. That was a bit scary for me, but I kept trusting my body. Later when I went back to look at trends, I noticed that the two days after each spike has less calories (around 1,400) and that the weeks with the spike 1900-cal days still averaged the same: about 1,600.

So my point it, our body is very smart and it is a mechanism that is designed for survival and balance, so it will not lead us down an unhealthy path.

BUT, the prerequisite to making this work is to be consistent with healthy choices. In my experience, the best sequence is:
#1 - Establish a very healthy balanced eating routine over an extended time period (at least 1-2 months)
#2 - Start practicing Intuitive Eating

What doesn't work so well is to start from a place of being a mess about food and expect Intuitive Eating to work. Because your body will be in transition, will be confused, will be out of whack... in order to trust your body to be the amazing maching that it is, you first have to allow it to be calibrated to a good/healthy place. So if you are eating too few calories or are inconsistent in your eathing habits, best to work on that first. Learn the "rules" of healthy eating first, then your body can lead you Intuitively.

But remember, it is always a partnership between Intuitive and Good Judgment: When I get hungry, I respond (Intuitive Eating), but I respond with a high-quality, nutritionally dense appropriate food (Good Judgement). For example, I finished dinner 20 minutes ago and I am still hungry and I feel like something sweet. Good use of Intuitive Eating is to reach for a 1/2 cup of no-sugar-added canned peaches or one gluten-free cookie (or one of my other favorites healthy desserts). Bad Intuitive Eating would be to reach for a box of Oreos and munch on them without thinking, without a plan. (I don't even have stuff like that in my house anymore). Even when I follow a craving based on Intuitive Eating, I eat more of the types of things that I have already planned. For example, I might grab one of the 150-calories 15-net-carb snacks I have already portioned out.

Its like dancing: You need to learn the "moves" first (net calories of your fav foods, what your protein/carb/fat needs are, etc.). Then you can create your own choreography.

I hope that all made sense. :flowerforyou:

See, I get that. And what you're saying is basically what I was saying in the first paragraph of my original post. I cut out all junk food. I got to a place where healthy healthy healthy was the norm, all I ate was the "good for me" stuff. THEN I was able to lose weight effortlessly. I was still tracking my calories but I wasn't necessarily forcing myself to eat a certain amount every day. The numbers just fell where they needed to be when I was only eating healthy foods. I never had the urge to eat more than necessary.

But intuitive eating says NOTHING is off limits. Foods that I "like" (& often binge on) which aren't healthy for me, according to the research I've done on intuitive eating, SHOULD be included in my diet. You SHOULD keep oreos in the house. You SHOULD go out to "bad" restaurants like fast food places, if you like them. And you should be able to "trust yourself" not to overeat despite being exposed to fattening/sugary/unhealthy foods. & that's the part that concerns/confuses/scares me the most.

MissNordicLight

Thank you Bettyeditor, your post was very helpful to me. I will definitely try to do step 1 and then step 2 as you suggested.

angiechimpanzee

Most of the people here are here because of intuitive eating.

Those were exactly my thoughts in the beginning. Eating what you want for most people = eating copious amounts of fattening crap food.

Intuitive Eating =/= just eating what you want. Eating intuitively is all about being in tune with your bodies needs from both a caloric standpoint and nutritional standpoint. Good intuitive eaters know the difference between actual hunger and being bored and just eating to pass time...they understand and can feel when their bodies are depleted of some nutrient...and they will crave it and go on a broccoli binge or whatever to get it. Children are prime examples of intuitive eaters, as are many athletes.

I think Intuitive Eating is being confused with Compulsive Eating.

Very good point, especially about children & athletes. I had similar thoughts after my initial, "everyone would just binge all the time then" interpretation.

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