Combining "intuitive eating" with MFP?

thatATLgirl · December 2019

Hi guys- after two years of weight gain, I am back.

I have been working with an “intuitive eating" coach for a few months and have gotten to the bottom of some of the “why” behind my emotional eating.
Some of the things I've learned:
1. My love for particular foods, like tortilla chips, goes back to childhood.
2. Loneliness and acute stress are triggers for me for emotional eating.
3. If I stop exercising, I feel like crap, and want to eat more.
4. My thinking is very black-and-white... I don't have to be perfect all the time.
5. Stopping automatic negative thoughts like "my stomach is UGLY" and changing that thought to "this is a HUMAN stomach."

However, I’ve gained 15lb since starting that program, and I've hit my so-called rock bottom. At 31, I'm now 5'5" and about 204lb.

So... I want to use MFP and combine it with the principles of IE. The IE folks would tell me I’m going against IE by doing calorie counting. But anyone else had success doing both?

psychod787 · December 2019

kalamarikm wrote: »

Hi guys- after two years of weight gain, I am back.

I have been working with an “intuitive eating" coach for a few months and have gotten to the bottom of some of the “why” behind my emotional eating.
Some of the things I've learned:
1. My love for particular foods, like tortilla chips, goes back to childhood.
2. Loneliness and acute stress are triggers for me for emotional eating.
3. If I stop exercising, I feel like crap, and want to eat more.
4. My thinking is very black-and-white... I don't have to be perfect all the time.
5. Stopping automatic negative thoughts like "my stomach is UGLY" and changing that thought to "this is a HUMAN stomach."

However, I’ve gained 15lb since starting that program, and I've hit my so-called rock bottom. At 31, I'm now 5'5" and about 204lb.

So... I want to use MFP and combine it with the principles of IE. The IE folks would tell me I’m going against IE by doing calorie counting. But anyone else had success doing both?

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. I am trying something like this. I track some days, and others I don't. Or, I will track what I eat just to keep myself honest. If I cant finish a meal, I don't. If I am hungrier I eat more. Balance I think is a key. You have to find what works for you. I don't eat many things that I know will cause me to over eat MOST of the time.

breathebelievejen · December 2019

I think it's possible to eat more mindfully whilst also calorie counting.
It's interesting you mentioned black-and-white thinking because I don't believe we have to either only eat to fit our calorie/macro goals and disregard our emotions, hunger signals etc or just eat 'intuitively'. Calorie counting is a tool, amongst many others, that is not 'good' or 'bad' in itself.
Better awareness of our eating habits and emotional and spiritual work is important. Maintaining a healthy body weight (effectively done through calorie counting for many of us) is also important. I think you can combine different approaches if you are willing to accept that not everybody will agree with that. At the end of the day, this is your path- take what you need and leave the rest. Anybody who claims that their path is the only way, in my opinion, is close minded and potentially threatened by the idea that something that doesn't work for them does work for somebody else.
The way I see it, counting calories is one way to maintain my physical wellbeing. That doesn't mean that I disregard other parts of my health. I use it alongside other tools that serve my emotional, mental, spiritual, social (etc etc!) wellbeing too.

thatATLgirl · December 2019

Yes - ironically my black and white thinking is playing into this too. You’re right- I should do what works for me.

breathebelievejen · December 2019

thatATLgirl wrote: »

Yes - ironically my black and white thinking is playing into this too. You’re right- I should do what works for me.

Do and revise

do a little experiment, see how it goes and then you can change things up to suit your needs. You don't have to commit yourself to either for life!

MikePTY · December 2019

thatATLgirl wrote: »

Hi guys- after two years of weight gain, I am back.

I have been working with an “intuitive eating" coach for a few months and have gotten to the bottom of some of the “why” behind my emotional eating.
Some of the things I've learned:
1. My love for particular foods, like tortilla chips, goes back to childhood.
2. Loneliness and acute stress are triggers for me for emotional eating.
3. If I stop exercising, I feel like crap, and want to eat more.
4. My thinking is very black-and-white... I don't have to be perfect all the time.
5. Stopping automatic negative thoughts like "my stomach is UGLY" and changing that thought to "this is a HUMAN stomach."

However, I’ve gained 15lb since starting that program, and I've hit my so-called rock bottom. At 31, I'm now 5'5" and about 204lb.

So... I want to use MFP and combine it with the principles of IE. The IE folks would tell me I’m going against IE by doing calorie counting. But anyone else had success doing both?

I certainly think that you can incorporate some aspects of intuitive eating into calorie counting. I am glad to hear that it has helped you get to a better place emotionally and of self acceptance. But it doesn't seem like from a weight loss standpoint, intuitive eating is not for you, as you are still eating a calorie surplus while intuitive eating.

But I incorporate aspects of it into my calorie counting. I don't track every single day. Some days I just try to manage what I eat to a reasonable amount. Other days, I have to estimate calories becuase I eat a lot of food cooked by others, so I don't know how much or what exactly I'm eating at all times.

But the general principal of calorie counting is important for me to lose weight loss. If I "intuively eat", I overeat, so it's always going to be the primary thing for me.

Combining "intuitive eating" with MFP?

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