Intuitive Eating?

[Izabella]

(Sorry I searched this forum and couldn't find anything on this subject).

Who here does intuitive eating?

I just read the book and am super interested in following it. I've been "dieting", whether consciously or subconsciously, since I was ~14 years old so it'll definitely be hard to break the diet mentality. Recently, I've been counting calories and it's only led me to binge-ing a few times a week. So I'm definitely ready to jump off this diet train and just start eating when I'm hungry and listening to my body. Anyone here with me?

[Stagger]

I try to do that but you only have the food available to you yaknow? How does it work with grocery shopping and convenience food?

[satansbabe]

I recently got the book off Amazon and haven't had the time to start it yet.
I'm excited to though, dieting is to stressful especially when you have quite a few family/friend events
or get-togethers frequently and can't count every single calorie or weigh out every single gram.

[slgnouasgou]

It only works if you're instincts aren't messed up to begin with. For example, if you're eating a diets super heavy in salt, things that are made with less salt won't taste good to you. You kind of have to reset your taste buds. Same with if you're eating really large portions of foods, the smaller portions aren't going to fill you up until you get used to it. Also if you having a craving for something sweet, you need to substitute it with healthy options. So if you're craving brownies try some fruit. If you're craving fried chicken, try a healthy protein like chickpeas. If you're still craving it after that, then eat it.

In the end, losing weight is calories in versus calories out. If you're consuming more calories then you're burning, you're not going to lose weight. There are different ways to practice self control. Some people do keto and cut out all calories from carbs. Some people do low fat and cut out calories from oil. Some people do the intuition diet, in an effort to satisfy their cravings so they don't binge. It depends on what works for you.

[Kristy M]

Haven't tried yet but I think It's very effective way to be healthy and lose weight. One of my friends advised me to try this and now I'm seriously thinking about it.

[kofi]

I get why it works for so many people, but as a person who is still recovering from eating disorders, this is just not for me. Most days I have to force myself to eat lunch, as I'm rarely hungry by then, and if I followed an intuitive eating lifestyle (diet? idk how to call it) I would start skipping meals and restricting my food intake.
Special cases aside, I love how this approach isn't obsessive about food and nutrients and how it makes people learn portion control. Also, eating more often but smaller meals increases your metabolism, so if you pair that with a decently healthy eating, it won't be difficult for you to lose weight

[cristalmina]

I do it and it works for me
I'm recovering from an ED and it took me time to listen to my body and to know when I'm actually hungry and when I'm just anxious/bored
Although I'm not saying it's bad to eat when you are bored, but for me that's too close to a binge I guess
I am pescatarian and I try not to eat processed foods, I do eat lots of vegetables and seeds, healthy fats, leggumes, I think that's an 80% of my diet

[Philomena]

I do it and it works for me
I'm recovering from an ED and it took me time to listen to my body and to know when I'm actually hungry and when I'm just anxious/bored
Although I'm not saying it's bad to eat when you are bored, but for me that's too close to a binge I guess
I am pescatarian and I try not to eat processed foods, I do eat lots of vegetables and seeds, healthy fats, leggumes, I think that's an 80% of my diet

I echo the exact same sentiment with it. I pretty much practice intuitive eating, except the only thing I am mindful of is hitting my protein target every single day. I'm 120 lbs, so I try to get my protein intake in the triple digit range. I also try to eat lower GI, "healthy" carbs when I am given the option.

I am also recovering ED, and for me it works, because I feel like my ED has been centered around a lack of self-love and self-discipline, thus consequently punishing myself for "bad behavior" every time I indulged. It's taken a lot of self-discipline, training my brain to be mindful of my actions in a compassionate way, versus self-hatred. I think of indulgent meals as awards, though I am aware this is extremely difficult for a number of reasons. It has taken me a lot of time and support from others to help me get to this point.

Generally, I've had to teach myself to take care of me as someone I care about; I have to remind myself every day that I'm my own best friend, lover, and confidante. I've had to disconnect all the bad shit that's been put into my head from a young age and split that view of me from the real me (this includes no contact with narc family). I know this is getting wishy washy, but this is truly how I've managed to find peace with myself and love myself. It's tough.

[annagreenang]

I do it and it works for me
I'm recovering from an ED and it took me time to listen to my body and to know when I'm actually hungry and when I'm just anxious/bored
Although I'm not saying it's bad to eat when you are bored, but for me that's too close to a binge I guess
I am pescatarian and I try not to eat processed foods, I do eat lots of vegetables and seeds, healthy fats, leggumes, I think that's an 80% of my diet

I echo the exact same sentiment with it. I pretty much practice intuitive eating, except the only thing I am mindful of is hitting my protein target every single day. I'm 120 lbs, so I try to get my protein intake in the triple digit range. I also try to eat lower GI, "healthy" carbs when I am given the option.

I am also recovering ED, and for me it works, because I feel like my ED has been centered around a lack of self-love and self-discipline, thus consequently punishing myself for "bad behavior" every time I indulged. It's taken a lot of self-discipline, training my brain to be mindful of my actions in a compassionate way, versus self-hatred. I think of indulgent meals as awards, though I am aware this is extremely difficult for a number of reasons. It has taken me a lot of time and support from others to help me get to this point.

Generally, I've had to teach myself to take care of me as someone I care about; I have to remind myself every day that I'm my own best friend, lover, and confidante. I've had to disconnect all the bad shit that's been put into my head from a young age and split that view of me from the real me (this includes no contact with narc family). I know this is getting wishy washy, but this is truly how I've managed to find peace with myself and love myself. It's tough.

Thank for the info

[sae08]

It's hard to succeed in intuitive eating if you have a past of eating disorders but honestly it's SO worth it. Nothing wrong with counting macros or meal plan, but I'd recommend to first try to find your balance and be able to eat intuitively, without this I don't consider anyone recovered.