Intuitive eating AND calorie counting?
I'll be honest and say that I know very little about intuitive eating - I have a hold placed on the book at the local library, so I'll be reading it soon.
I've recently entered maintenance. My weight loss was achieved through calorie counting, and I expect to continue calorie counting during my maintenance. It works for me, and I don't mind tracking and planning - I view it as empowering.
However, I have noticed that calorie counting, for me, has some drawbacks. Specifically, I don't think I've really re-learned anything about my body's own natural hunger signals. Instead, I plan when I'll eat, what I'll eat, and stick to the plan. I generally eat for volume, so I'll plan meals (especially dinners) with lots and lots of veggies that leave me feeling very full - not stuffed, of course, but definitely full. Because I've calculated out my meals in advance, I clean my plate at every meal.
I don't think there's anything wrong with this method, but what I've noticed is that, in situations where I'm not in direct control of what's served or can't plan ahead (eating at friends' places, restaurants, etc.) I still feel the desire to clean my plate even when I'm full, OR I feel unsatisfied with a lower volume of high calorie food.
Another issue that I've only recently noticed is that I'm occasionally eating planned foods I don't really want, but stick with because they're planned. For example, I know I'm hungry and need a snack, and eat my planned Greek yogurt even though my Greek yogurt isn't what I want, but I can't figure out what I actually DO want to eat.
I guess what I'm saying is that the idea of intuitive eating (as I understand it) of listening to your body's hunger signals, and feeding it what it wants, sounds really good to me. Again, not as a substitute for calorie counting, or as an excuse to eat brownies all day, but as a supplement for what I already do.
Have any of you had success with both? Would you recommend the book? Or have I totally missed the point of intuitive eating?
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