Has anyone tried it
fitplundy
Posts: 47 Member
Real talk, has anyone on MFP tried intuitive eating and found results in maintaining weight/ losing the last couple pounds. Seems a lot better to listen to my body than to constantly track and log... please don’t bash me I’m just wondering
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Replies
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A more descriptive title and different placement would probably give your interesting question more attention. Maybe the mods can move it. But anyway, I have worked on "listening to my body" from around the time I joined MFP (more than 4 years ago), I've been maintaining a healthy weight for more than three and a half years, and I still have to interpret what it's telling me, I still find planning/logging food a great help. What I don't do, however, is over-restrict or aim for perfection. I try to be flexible, and kind, and at the same time have sensible boundaries. I'm happy with this arrangement and these terms, and I don't think of myself as struggling anymore.4
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For me, personally, I find it augments but does not replace logging. Depending on where you're getting your info, some brands of this method are outright rigid. It's okay to be hungry sometimes, and it's okay to eat for reasons other than hunger. It's okay to plan your meals, be overfull sometimes, eat for social connection...etc etc. I find pausing to ask myself if I'm full every minute takes away from the food experience. Knowing how many calories my meal has allows me to not worry about it while eating and fully focus on my food satisfaction.
Some proponents insist that if the body doesn't lose weight on intuitive eating then you shouldn't be aiming for weight loss. In fact, this approach was developed to heal a turbulent relationship with food, not for weight loss or as yet another diet. They were very clear that weight loss is just a side effect that may happen for some people, but you shouldn't be focusing on it or even pay attention to it. While I agree people need to eat in a sustainable way and maintain a weight that is realistic for them to maintain (even if it happens to be overweight), outright giving up without even attempting to acquire weight management tools sounds silly. There is a lot to learn about eating through logging or at least conscious intake watching: what foods are more worth it than others, what foods are more filling for the calories, how often you can enjoy a higher calorie item without sabotaging weight management....etc. Falling back on "mah genetics don't want me to lose weight" is defeatism. I'm all for not being overly anxious about food and I strongly advocate it, but I feel the way they're approaching it is a little bit extreme and can create its own anxieties and guilt cycles.
They're also against any kind of calorie monitoring or making diet-informed choices. Choosing something over another for the calories is sometimes worth it when the eating experience doesn't really feel different (diet vs normal soda for me, for example) or when you forgo one choice to have another choice you enjoy even more (like having a light breakfast in order to have a heavier lunch I really enjoy).
With that said, I do use the hunger scale to make food decisions often because being hungry too often isn't pleasant, and being overfull too often robs me of the calories I could be spending when I do need them. It's just common sense. I try to strike the right balance for me in terms of hunger, enjoyment, socialization, sustainability, and nutrition.
You don't have to log your food if you're one of the lucky people who can manage their weight without logging, but you can do that on your own terms based on your own experiences and from an informed place instead of trying to squeeze into yet another generic predefined box of rigid rules. Reading the book to see if there is something you'll find useful isn't a bad thing, just don't treat it as gospel.
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I maintain with intuitive eating and do find it really helps create a positive relationship with food for me. My body seems good at eating what it needs when and I eat a varied balanced diet.
It did take a while to learn again to eat intuitively and I did gain some weight at that point which later dropped away naturally over the course of a year
I’m tracking at the mo to lose vanity lbs which possibly puts my weight a little lower than it would remain if I ate intuitively.
Each have there place1 -
It was my plan nearly every time before this time. It never worked out for me.5
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It has never worked for me in the past. Possibly down the line when I’ve been in maintenance for a while.1
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Mindful and intuitive eating. My original factory settings worked in childhood but my adult hunger cues are complicated. My brain doesn't care if I slide back off the goose. My brain doesn't care what I eat or if I sit on the couch at the speed of zero. My brain doesn't care.
Body. Mind. Spirit. The only part of me that cares is my spirit. My spirit moves me to care about myself and others.3 -
i got fat eating intuitively.
however i lost 100 pounds and maintained that for 2 years without logging hardly ever, but that was AFTER 2 years of weighing and logging EVERYTHING. So... I had learned a lot.
Im now on to losing the last bit of weight, and am back to logging.3 -
I've noticed both of my daughters eat until they're full then stop regardless of what might still be on their plate.
I, on the other hand, have a strong compulsion to clean my plate even when I'm stuffed full. Intuitive eating would be difficult for me because I can't read the signals like they can.
I could work hard a long time to possibly rewire my brain or I can log and make my eating decisions that way.
For now and probably for a very long time that's what I plan to do.1 -
I've gained (on purpose), maintained and lost weight without tracking. I did track for around a year or so to get the hang of it and become more calorie/macro aware. Sometimes I still check in (mostly to make sure I am getting enough protein) but I use the scale in a trend weight app and adjust accordingly. Is it for everyone? No. Is it the easiest way to do it.. not always, it does require some trial and error to get the numbers right. Many people would rather just track then waste time adjusting. If I was competing or trying to get ultra lean with a set deadline, I might go back to it so it's good to know it's always there if I need it.1
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I've gained (on purpose), maintained and lost weight without tracking. I did track for around a year or so to get the hang of it and become more calorie/macro aware. Sometimes I still check in (mostly to make sure I am getting enough protein) but I use the scale in a trend weight app and adjust accordingly. Is it for everyone? No. Is it the easiest way to do it.. not always, it does require some trial and error to get the numbers right. Many people would rather just track then waste time adjusting. If I was competing or trying to get ultra lean with a set deadline, I might go back to it so it's good to know it's always there if I need it.
I think I would waste even more time adjusting somewhat blindly. In other words, if the scale shows i am slowly losing, my adjustment to eat more would likely make me start gaining at a higher rate than I was losing. I would notice that and cut back, again somewhat blindly...
Tracking and using goals, I can make small adjustments more accurately. Well, until I have to start using voodoo with exercise numbers. But if I am exercising somewhat consistently, I can dial in pretty accurately.
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CarvedTones wrote: »I've gained (on purpose), maintained and lost weight without tracking. I did track for around a year or so to get the hang of it and become more calorie/macro aware. Sometimes I still check in (mostly to make sure I am getting enough protein) but I use the scale in a trend weight app and adjust accordingly. Is it for everyone? No. Is it the easiest way to do it.. not always, it does require some trial and error to get the numbers right. Many people would rather just track then waste time adjusting. If I was competing or trying to get ultra lean with a set deadline, I might go back to it so it's good to know it's always there if I need it.
I think I would waste even more time adjusting somewhat blindly. In other words, if the scale shows i am slowly losing, my adjustment to eat more would likely make me start gaining at a higher rate than I was losing. I would notice that and cut back, again somewhat blindly...
Tracking and using goals, I can make small adjustments more accurately. Well, until I have to start using voodoo with exercise numbers. But if I am exercising somewhat consistently, I can dial in pretty accurately.
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CarvedTones wrote: »I've gained (on purpose), maintained and lost weight without tracking. I did track for around a year or so to get the hang of it and become more calorie/macro aware. Sometimes I still check in (mostly to make sure I am getting enough protein) but I use the scale in a trend weight app and adjust accordingly. Is it for everyone? No. Is it the easiest way to do it.. not always, it does require some trial and error to get the numbers right. Many people would rather just track then waste time adjusting. If I was competing or trying to get ultra lean with a set deadline, I might go back to it so it's good to know it's always there if I need it.
I think I would waste even more time adjusting somewhat blindly. In other words, if the scale shows i am slowly losing, my adjustment to eat more would likely make me start gaining at a higher rate than I was losing. I would notice that and cut back, again somewhat blindly...
Tracking and using goals, I can make small adjustments more accurately. Well, until I have to start using voodoo with exercise numbers. But if I am exercising somewhat consistently, I can dial in pretty accurately.
Yea that's why my method is definitely not for everyone.
I typically don't make too many adjustments until I see a clear trend. If I am losing close to 1lb over two weeks, I know it's time to add back in a snack or adjust portions. If I am losing less than 0.3lb per week, I typically will decrease my refeed days, or lose a snack or increase my activity. It is kind of like taking shots in the dark.. but with really good hearing, haha. But logging consistently/accurately is not for me so this is how I found a way that works.2 -
I can't do it. I have a poor relationship with myself and with food, and my hunger/full cues are, at best, a little off. At the very least, I need to mentally count/track cals. I can be pretty good at that.4
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In the past when I was not calorie counting I could maintain my weight fairly well for long periods but also gradually gained. I could not lose weight consistantly without calorie counting. If I stopped logging today I could probably maintain because I have a pretty good idea of portion sizes and calorie counts of many foods. It would not be intuitive eating so much as just doing what I currently do except no logging. I like logging though so I'm going to keep doing it.
There are many people who lose weight without tracking what they eat. With not much to lose you only need to cut 250 or so calories off your normal consumption. That might be changing a snack, not taking a second helping, skipping a fancy coffee drink- not big changes. It could be useful for you to track for a couple of weeks at least though to see where your calories go.0 -
I ate intuitively. My intuition led to an 8lb gain.0
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I've tried many times to stop logging.
what happens is I do okay for a while, then start eating more and more low-nutrition foods.
Some people are likely very good at intuitive eating, I'm just not one of them.0 -
Nope. There were two years of my life when I didn't own a scale, didn't go to the doctor and ate when I was hungry, foods that seemed generally healthy/reasonable (I don't have a bingeing issue or anything.) That was when I was in graduate school, and very busy and walking all over campus, too, without much money for restaurant food. Total gain was 15 lbs over 2 years. Now I weigh in weekly, track what I eat and weigh/measure food. Haven't seen that weight (except pregnancies) since then and am almost 20 years older now than I was then.0
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There are all kinds of eating protocols. Some firmly tell you to throw the scales out, don't weigh or measure, don't even think about counting your calories or track your data points or stats. But upon further reading the finer print and observing what was really going on, I could clearly see some of these protocols are a cover for disordered eating.
They may tell you to eat the fat, fat, fat. Fat is where it's at! But I didn't see anything that indicated they were eating one lick of fat. Noo. I saw one bowl of food eaten daily upon a bed of lettuce. A sprinkle of ground turkey or ground chicken with a splash and dash of some fancy sauce. Day after day and year after year.
Rigid and regimented eating under the guise that they had all of the answers for me and you. Crying when a bite of a donut was eaten or literally falling apart over some commercial snack that was eaten. I knew I had been duped.
I tried to convince myself that just because you rephrase all of the old dieting terms with new words that it made it different. A real miracle cure and the answer to all of my weight problems. It wasn't the answer at all.
I've read all of the books that indicate you are a very particular personality type and you fit exactly into their bias or how they manage their own disordered eating. A common theme was always there between the lines, they had the cure for you. All wrapped up neatly within the confines of their thinking for you and me.
But I'm not so easily led. I know how to think for myself.
So I threw out all of the dieting books and I mean all of them. I don't look to them for the answers. I joined MFP and I started reading the forum long before I posted anything here. I found some actual people who had been down in the trenches. People who had been to hail and back and put through the wringer.
I kept reading and loved what they had to say. The perfect mix of common sense and brains. They're my heroes and they don't even know me. It's alright. I had to learn to motivate and be accountable to myself. 100%. No one can do it for you. No one has all of your answers. You have to find them on your individual pathway to healing and recovery and making peace with food.
I eat what I want. I move how I choose. No one has to live in my body. I am able to stay within my normal river banks by using MFP. When I meander too far, I just read some posts written by my unsung heroes.
Your thank yous may not be forthcoming as you tool along but I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
For the love of all things anonymous, no names, titles or programs were used or will be acknowledged, now or in the future.3 -
This is my third attempt at losing weight. The first two times I counted everything, to the point where I would go in the basement and do jumping jacks/jogging in place/active movement to try and keep myself at or just below my target. I lost 30lbs the first time and 20lbs the second time. sadly I gained them back
This time I am actually not counting anything, but I'm using what I learned from my first two experiences. I still glance at the calories on a container, I look at the portion size I want and make it a bit smaller, etc. I've also started having a day where I eat fairly minimal (usually Sunday)...I'm very sedentary usually one day on the weekend and I might only eat 500-1000 calories that day intentionally so that I have a bit more wiggle room throughout the week. I know there's some conflicting feelings over this, but it works for me.
My weight loss has been slow, I started around the beginning of may and I'm down about 5lbs with 90lbs to go. Although its slower, I find it easier this time around, so far, because I don't feel tied to the numbers.1 -
intuitive eating is how i gained the 40lbs back
so yes, i tried it. no, it did not work2 -
I experimented with it for a couple of weeks after being in maintenance for a couple of years. It didn't work well for me.
For one, I can tell myself wishful stories and "forget" what I've eaten, and food is tasty, so I over-eat. For two, I do like a nice craft IPA or glass of wine when I have the calories, and the beer or wine can pretty severely distort my intuition about food (mmm; Cheese! etc.). For three, I start to worry about what my protein intake is, and can err in the too-much direction in the name of being sure I get enough (I'm vegetarian, so this is an area that needs my attention).
Logging only takes a few minutes now that I've gotten good at it, and works well for me. I don't log every single day, and am more likely to skip difficult ones (group potlucks - yikes!), but logging most days is a useful mechanism for me.
YMMV.
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I guess if your body is "telling you" to eat lots of vegetables and lean protein, maybe. Mine usually tells me to eat chocolate.6
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I don't do as well when I eat intuitively. The scale, measuring cups, smaller plates, and eating out strategies (don't drink your calories, only eat half of what is on the plate, make only one trip at a buffet, and say no to bread and chip baskets) help keep me on track. The only intuitive technique I follow (after portioning out my food) is to stop eating just as soon as I feel full. Not for everyone, but worth it for me.2
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I envy my naturally skinny son, who can eat two bites of a luscious chocolate cake, put down his fork, and say, "I am done, that is enough." But I know my weaknesses, so I only eat chocolate cake or cookies when I am out of the house. If I kept it in the house, I would eat the whole cake!
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Real talk, has anyone on MFP tried intuitive eating and found results in maintaining weight/ losing the last couple pounds. Seems a lot better to listen to my body than to constantly track and log... please don’t bash me I’m just wondering
I'd like to listen to my body more, but I don't think we speak the same language ...6 -
The signals from my brain completely overwhelm the signals from my body, such that it's basically impossible for me to tell whether I'm 'genuinely' hungry or not.
Plus, in the week before my period my body is screaming with unsatisfiable hormonal hunger.
For some people, 'intuitive eating' is just never going to work, because their 'intuition' is broke.0
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