Intuitive Eating
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AnnaBellQ14
Posts: 109 Member
I have been thinking a lot lately about what I would be doing when in maintenance . I have lost 28 pounds so far, and I have another 20 to go. I'm only set to lose 1/2 pounds a week, so I'm going very slowly. It took me over a year to get here and it might take me another year to my goal. I don't think I want to count calories in my maintenance phase. But I also feel like I haven't learned any skills that would help keep the wait off (other than counting).
My husband and one son are naturally thin. They eat when hungry and stop when full. My son would pretty much leave any food on his plate once he is full, including any favorites. My husband as well. I cannot understand how they can leave like a bite of food on the plate. Where as I have the need to finish everything on my plate, full or not. Especially if the calories fit into my calorie goal.
I have been introduced the Hunger and Satiety Scale a while back, such as the one below, but I haven't really put it into practice. The other day I got the book, Intuitive Eating out of the library and I have been reading it. I also printed up a Hunger and Satiety Scale and posted it in the dinning room. For the past few day I have been trying to follow the eat when hungry stop when full (counting calories all the while, of course).
I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?
Hunger and Satiety Scale
0 - Ravenously hungry.
1 - Feel like ordering everything on the menu.
2 - Preoccupied with hunger, everything on the menu looks good.
3 - Feel hungry and the urge to eat is strong.
4 - Feel a little hungry. Can wait to eat.
5 - Neutral, not hungry, not full.
6 - Sense food in your belly, could eat more.
7 - Hunger is gone. If you stop here, you may not feel hungry for 3 to 4 hours.
8 - Not uncomfortable, definitely full belly.
9 - Moving into uncomfortable.
10 - Very uncomfortable, maybe even painful.
Source: Karin Kratina, Moving Away From Diets Adapted for A New You by Wellness IN the Rockies and Univ. of Wyoming Coop. Extension Service, Family & Consumer Sciences. IFAFS award 0004499, USDA. www.uwyo.edu/wintherockies
My husband and one son are naturally thin. They eat when hungry and stop when full. My son would pretty much leave any food on his plate once he is full, including any favorites. My husband as well. I cannot understand how they can leave like a bite of food on the plate. Where as I have the need to finish everything on my plate, full or not. Especially if the calories fit into my calorie goal.
I have been introduced the Hunger and Satiety Scale a while back, such as the one below, but I haven't really put it into practice. The other day I got the book, Intuitive Eating out of the library and I have been reading it. I also printed up a Hunger and Satiety Scale and posted it in the dinning room. For the past few day I have been trying to follow the eat when hungry stop when full (counting calories all the while, of course).
I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?
Hunger and Satiety Scale
0 - Ravenously hungry.
1 - Feel like ordering everything on the menu.
2 - Preoccupied with hunger, everything on the menu looks good.
3 - Feel hungry and the urge to eat is strong.
4 - Feel a little hungry. Can wait to eat.
5 - Neutral, not hungry, not full.
6 - Sense food in your belly, could eat more.
7 - Hunger is gone. If you stop here, you may not feel hungry for 3 to 4 hours.
8 - Not uncomfortable, definitely full belly.
9 - Moving into uncomfortable.
10 - Very uncomfortable, maybe even painful.
Source: Karin Kratina, Moving Away From Diets Adapted for A New You by Wellness IN the Rockies and Univ. of Wyoming Coop. Extension Service, Family & Consumer Sciences. IFAFS award 0004499, USDA. www.uwyo.edu/wintherockies
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Replies
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Well give it a shot.0
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Eat when hungry stop when full won't work for everyone. Some people maintain the sensation of hunger well past the point of actually taking in what is required to maintain their weight. While paying attention to how hungry you really are before eating is a good thing, it's not perfect. When I eat at maintenance calories, I probably feel between a 0-6 the entire day. Unless I am having a free day, I rarely reach 8 or higher. For that reason, intuitive eating would fail me. I just have a big appetite, I realize I have a big appetite, and I do what I need to do to prevent that from getting in the way of my goals. It's certainly worth a shot but monitor your weight carefully if you do it. Another technique might be to intuitively eat for the day, then tally the calories at the end of the day and see how you did. If you are consistently coming in around maintenance, it's probably safe to stop counting all together.0
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AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?
As a formally obese person, I've tried almost everything and that includes intuitive eating. I'm not going to say it's bunk because of course people who are not dieting have operated by this idea their entire lives and it's worked. I will say though, it didn't work for me.
The main issue is, unless you've fully fixed your relationship with food, you're always going to have moments when you eat when you're not really hungry. I tricked myself so many times thinking "yep, that's legitimate hunger. I should eat" when it was actually just the extreme desire to snack/boredom/thirst/gas/etc....
And if you are really paying attention to your physical cues, it takes a lot of mental energy. So much mental energy, that I would argue weighing and logging is easier; at least then, you can get it off your mind while knowing exactly where you stand for the day.
But, that's just me. I'd love to get to the point where I could do something as simple as eating without a phone app - I just know myself enough to realize that logging (at least of some sort) is going to be a semi-permanent thing for me if I want my changes to stick.
Hope it works out for you!
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Thins is it is easier to eat like this while in maintenance more than bulking or cutting.0
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Eat when hungry stop when full won't work for everyone. Some people maintain the sensation of hunger well past the point of actually taking in what is required to maintain their weight. While paying attention to how hungry you really are before eating is a good thing, it's not perfect. When I eat at maintenance calories, I probably feel between a 0-6 the entire day. Unless I am having a free day, I rarely reach 8 or higher. For that reason, intuitive eating would fail me. I just have a big appetite, I realize I have a big appetite, and I do what I need to do to prevent that from getting in the way of my goals. It's certainly worth a shot but monitor your weight carefully if you do it. Another technique might be to intuitively eat for the day, then tally the calories at the end of the day and see how you did. If you are consistently coming in around maintenance, it's probably safe to stop counting all together.
I think I will try your approach once I reach maintenance. For now, I think I will do both, because I don't trust myself yet. Growing up, I was never thin, but a nice solid figure. I always loved to eat. Once I hit my teenage years to the time I graduated college, I steadily gained wait. Then I lost 40 pounds and kept it off for about 3 or 4 years. Then with pregnancies and life in general, I have been up and down, while reaching an all time high of 206 pounds. I think I would have just gained and gained, had I not put a stop to it by starting to count calories again.0 -
When I get to maintenance, I'm strictly going by the scales. If I gain a pound or two, I'll exercise more and eat less until the needle is back where it belongs.0
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When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.0
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ManiacalLaugh wrote: »AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »I want to learn to eat like the thin people eat. They never worry about counting calories. What is their secret? I think I know, eat when hungry, stop when full, and move. That's where I want to be a year from now. What are your thoughts?
As a formally obese person, I've tried almost everything and that includes intuitive eating. I'm not going to say it's bunk because of course people who are not dieting have operated by this idea their entire lives and it's worked. I will say though, it didn't work for me.
The main issue is, unless you've fully fixed your relationship with food, you're always going to have moments when you eat when you're not really hungry. I tricked myself so many times thinking "yep, that's legitimate hunger. I should eat" when it was actually just the extreme desire to snack/boredom/thirst/gas/etc....
And if you are really paying attention to your physical cues, it takes a lot of mental energy. So much mental energy, that I would argue weighing and logging is easier; at least then, you can get it off your mind while knowing exactly where you stand for the day.
But, that's just me. I'd love to get to the point where I could do something as simple as eating without a phone app - I just know myself enough to realize that logging (at least of some sort) is going to be a semi-permanent thing for me if I want my changes to stick.
Hope it works out for you!
Yes, I'm going to have to see if it would work for me. Right now, I'm going well losing with counting, I don't want to mess that up. I'm also learning about how it feels to be hungry and full. So far, I go between ravenous and not really knowing if I'm full or not. I keep asking my husband when he eats, what number he is and what he is feeling.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »When I get to maintenance, I'm strictly going by the scales. If I gain a pound or two, I'll exercise more and eat less until the needle is back where it belongs.
I think where I went wrong before too is I didn't weigh myself everyday and I just let myself go. I won't let that happen again. I like your approach.0 -
I agree. Unless you want to weigh every little bit of food for the rest of your life, which some people do but I really do not, you will have to learn how to eat without the scale at some point. Why not now?
I haven't read any Intuitive Eating books, but from what I read here it sounds like this is, "Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full," which makes sense to me. A lot of people have mentioned that they do it and like it.
I go a day without checking calories and then log everything at the end of the day or the next morning. I can usually tell by how I'm feeling if I was way under, under, over or way over the goal, but am still working on single days. I find that I'm still focusing on the portions and calories as I dish stuff up. Hadn't planned to, but it's hard to stop, lol. This transition - tougher than I'd imagined! I'm glad I started early and have time.
The plan is to stretch these no-logging periods out further and further so that when I'm done losing I am not saying, "What do I do now?!" but am prepared to live my life, having learned to eat without the crutch of the scale. Like intuitive eating.
I don't know about leaving food on the plate, lol. I always ate all the food because I was chowing. Now, I eat all the food because if I'm counting those calories, I'm sure as hell eating them! I am going to have practice leaving food on the plate. Thanks for bringing that up!
I don't really give my hunger numbers, but I started paying attention to eating when I was hungry around the time I began all this, so I kind of have that part down.
The vast majority of people are not weighing food. They're no smarter than I am. I can figure this out, too. 0 -
I agree. Unless you want to weigh every little bitfor the of food for the rest of your life, which some people do but I really do not, you will have to learn how to eat without the scale at some point. Why not now?
I haven't read any Intuitive Eating books, but from what I read here it sounds like this is, "Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full," which makes sense to me. A lot of people have mentioned that they do it and like it.
I go a day without checking calories and then log everything at the end of the day or the next morning. I can usually tell by how I'm feeling if I was way under, under, over or way over the goal, but am still working on single days. I find that I'm still focusing on the portions and calories as I dish stuff up. Hadn't planned to, but it's hard to stop, lol. This transition - tougher than I'd imagined! I'm glad I started early and have time.
The plan is to stretch these no-logging periods out further and further so that when I'm done losing I am not saying, "What do I do now?!" but am prepared to live my life, having learned to eat without the crutch of the scale. Like intuitive eating.
I don't know about leaving food on the plate, lol. I always ate all the food because I was chowing. Now, I eat all the food because if I'm counting those calories, I'm sure as hell eating them! I am going to have practice leaving food on the plate. Thanks for bringing that up!
I don't really give my hunger numbers, but I started paying attention to eating when I was hungry around the time I began all this, so I kind of have that part down.
The vast majority of people are not weighing food. They're no smarter than I am. I can figure this out, too.
Maybe I can start earlier, I have to think on this. I want to be also ready for the transition. You don't necessarily have to leave food on the plate, but I think that's part of the process.0 -
I'm still tracking, but heading toward maintenance and have thought about intuitive eating. I am someone who gets full and often brings food home from restaurants, leaves food on my plate, etc. I've been wearing a FitBit HR which tracks my calories used based on activity level during the day and I have noticed that if I eat a big breakfast, but am not active, I look at the FitBit and it says I've only burned, say 500 calories all day, and I realize why I'm not that hungry. On another day, when I've worked out or been on my campus, on my feet all morning, climbing stairs carrying my huge my roller bag, etc., and I see 800-1000 calories used by lunchtime, I know why I'm so ravenous. It's very interesting. I guess my only issue is related to food choices. There are very fattening foods I could choose that might not fill me up, but be high calorie. For instance, I could eat a bag of chips and 3 cookies for lunch and not feel full, so I still have to keep in my mind how many calories are in foods so I'll make good choices.0
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I found and started using the Hunger and Satiety Scale because I didn't have a clue how full and hungry felt like - or, I wasn't able to detect the stages inbetween ravenous and completely stuffed. I use intuitive eating and calorie counting at the same time. I'm not sure if I want to stop weighing food, because it is not just about the calories, but also a part of my meal planning - inventory check - shopping routine that prevents waste, saves money and creates the predictability I need to feel relaxed around food supply and eating, and helps me eat well and have a varied diet.
Early in the weight loss process I decided I wanted to think (and act) like a naturally slim person. I've been in maitenance for nine months now and I think it's working great.1 -
i love that whole philosophy. and i would hope one day to be able to eat that way. i do practice a bit of mindful eating mostly when i want to eat something when I've eaten already. like understanding head hunger v. belly hunger. i still use MFP to keep me on track.0
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No one is "naturally thin." Their relationship with food and activity level is, as you said, just better than those who are or have been overweight. I'm in maintenance and I don't count calories. I also recognize that because of a period in my life when I didn't have enough to eat, I can't leave food on the plate. So for me, its not really about eating until I'm full and stop. I just make pretty good decisions in what I choose to eat and how I fill my plate and it all seems to balance out. I've been around the same weight range for almost 2 years and am very active. You don't have to count for the rest of your life.0
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I sortta do that now, but I still log to make sure I'm on track. Do I go over sometimes? Yes, especially when we have a special dinner. Which is why I still log. It's not 100% accurate, but it gives me an idea where I am and where I can go for the day, and keeps me from eating too much most of the time. Is that intuitive eating? I dunno, I just know that this what works for me. What works for you might be something different. The trick is to retrain your brain and body, which is still something I'm working on!0
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Most thin people have a HABIT of not eating very much, first of all. They have a routine of foods that generally fit within their balance.
They also have key pieces of clothes that tell them when they need to eat a little less. They also know what they SHOULD look like and feel like. When you have a thin friend complaining about being fat, it's probably because 1) she noticed changes in the mirror, 2) they noticed changes in their body as they move, 3) they noticed changes on the scale, or 4) their "skinny clothes" aren't fitting well. Then they eat less for a while.
I had all 3. If I sat down and had a little pooch at my waist, that meant I was eating too much. If my thighs brushed as I walked in heels, I really had to cut down. If certain pants got tight, I needed to cut down. If my stomach didn't look flat in the mirror, I needed to cut down.
HTH!0 -
When I was thin, I did not eat when hungry and stop when full. I ate at my assigned meal times and if I liked the food I ate it, if I didn't, I just didn't eat. Instead, I'd eat at the next meal.
This is like me. I've never intuitive eaten in the sense of eating until not hungry. I was always a good little child who cleaned my plate unless I hated my meal.
I was average weight unlike my mid to late 20s since I was active and didn't have a lot of choice over my meals until I was out of school. I got a job that involved lots of fancy restaurant meals and stopped being as active and I put on weight pretty fast. When I decided to lose that time I mentally figured out what appropriate servings were for me (and the mix of foods I should eat) and lost weight without counting, but based on controlling portion size and being mindful. I also got active again. I maintained this way for 5 years, and then regained when my life went kind of crazy and I stopped being active again.
I count now (although I've been experimenting with not), but it's basically just to confirm that my choices are within the calories I am aiming for, roughly--I know how to choose to make sure I'm eating the right amount of food. But that's not about hunger, it's mental. I don't stop eating when I'm not hungry anymore, I stop eating when I've eaten the appropriate amount of food, which is something I decide when I put it on my plate.
Sure, I wish I didn't have to think about it, but I suspect I always will. It's not particularly burdensome, or wasn't when I was maintaining before or losing this time or since March when I've been maintaining again.0 -
This whole conversation is really interesting to me. Until I hit my 40's, I was always naturally thin. I just always ate until full, leaving food on my plate when I was done. I really just can't overeat very much because I feel very uncomfortable if I do. I did gradually put on 10 lbs once having kids that I am currently trying to get rid of, but I am still not overweight, just at the high end of my normal BMI. My husband on the other hand, who is overweight by about 50lbs will just eat whatever is in front of him, and he will never leave food on his plate without an extreme force of will. It is amazing to me how differently people react to food and eating, and the psychology and physiology of why people are so different isn't yet well understood.0
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When I was younger, and later in college, I was thin. Probably too thin, to be honest, but I was fine with my weight. I didn't monitor my food intake, just ate what I wanted when I wanted it, and I didn't gain anything. Then, I stopped working at the restaurant and got a desk job. And suddenly, what activity I was doing didn't come close to burning off what I ate, and that's when I started to gain weight. So for me, it wasn't that I watched what I ate. My diet was horrible (kinda still is, TBH), and I had gotten used to eating many times a day. That's why I gained weight when I changed jobs. So for me, it wasn't intuitive eating, it was habits. And if I had kept active after quitting the restaurant, I probably wouldn't have gained the extra weight. I didn't realize it at the time, hindsight is 20/20 after all!0
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