I've recently seen a nutritionist that told me about intuitive eating and asked me to try it and see how it feels. Well I did...and I really like the empty feeling in my stomach. But I just have a couple of questions and concerns...

She said that I should only eat when I'm hungry and not for any other reason. Well that completley cotradicts what another nutritionist I've seen has said. That you should eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism in full gear.

You see, I don't know what's wrong with me but I NEVER feel hungry at all. I've been waiting for hunger to come all day today but...nothing so far. I only ate a subway sandwich without cheese and a couple of grapes for the sake of having something because I was NOT gonna go all day without food in my system just so I could wait for hunger to come.

So I don't know if intuitive eating is right for me. I noticed in the past that I start to feel dizzy and groggy before I finally start getting hunger pangs. But I'm not gonna start eating every time I have a headache...

I don't know anymore. I'm so confused. I don't know what to do with my body anymore

Its possible you just are not in tune with what hunger really feels like. It isnt just a stomach thing.

I know there are a whole group of intuitive eaters in the general diet section.

hi there, I wonder if I should be adressing this post at all int he sense that I have never seen a nutritionist! OUr bodies and how we react are so unique! I have learned how mine responds and what it responds best too (through trial and error). I just simply have learned what works for me.

Just wondering? the first nutritionist said only to eat when hungry and not at other times. What exaclty was meant? It could be that she/he meant to try to eat when hungry but avoiding emotional hunger? In other words, only eating when truly hungry. hmmmmmmm, as for eating every 3 to 4 hours to keep metabolism in gear, goshhhh,. I cannot say how many times I have read this. I think perhpas the first nutritionist was maybe trying to say not to eat when truly not hungry or for emotional reasons. As for the second, they have scientific back up that little mini meals in such a way speeds metabolism. I do think we are all different though and just need to find what works best for us. As for the 2nd nutritionist, my understanding of such frequent and small meals is not of like say a lunch or dinner!, but rather snacks. For example, a fruit would count as one....even half a fruit, and so on and so forth.

I think we all need to find what works best for us and take into consideration all the above forementioned, but yet find our own way and what works for us. With me for example ( hardly food during day, yet big dinner at night) , I totally threw my metabolism off whack! I dont exactly follow the literature of 3-4 times a day but certainly bring it into play. When I feel a bit hungry, I have a snack (carrots, cucumbers, etc.) but by no means do I force myself to eat when I am not up to it. I did though have to make a consience effort at first to retrain myself to eat a bit during the day. It can be confusing, I know, but I think it best to take all of our knowlege (and yes it will be contradictory) and ultimately put it to the test on ourselves and see what works best for each and every one of us.

As for not being hungry and waiting for hunger to come, having a sub, later a dinner and not hungry inbetween? I absolutely cannot see pushing oneself to eat inbetween if not hungry, my thought is they meant to spread the cals out more? I will be interested to see what the ladies here say. The best recommendation I ca n make is to make a compilation of your knowlege and just do what works best for you! We are all different, and though there are some common standards, I think it's a matter of fine tuning them to meet our needs........physically as well as psychologically. Oh gosh, I am exhaused, going to bed. I highly recommend keeping a food journal : ) and this way you can see what you ate, how you felt, and how it affected you....both mentally and physically!

Ya know that dizzy and groggy feeling? Well that's hunger!

For me, sometimes it's a burning in my throat, it can sometimes be just an uncomfortable empty feeling in my tummy. Around my solar plexus can feel a bit odd and uncomfortable. Also when I start thinking about food (this is probably a sign for people who are fairly practiced at IE) and wondering what I can eat and those thoughts interrupt what I'm doing, then that's another sign of hunger.

I know about the metabolism thing, eating every 3 hours etc. The body-builder in me says "Eat dammit you're burning muscle!!!!" But the person in me who wants to be "normal" and eat like a "normal" thin person says, "Overeating is overeating, even if it's carrots, protein, or whatever! If you aren't hungry then you are overeating!"

I think if you want to look into Intuitive Eating some more, then check out some books, google "Intuitive Eating". The only book I can really recommend is "Beyond Chocolate" it's an English book and I think is probably expensive to get shipped to the states, but I'm loving it so far.

If you scroll down the main forum page and look for General Diet Plans, then click on that and find Intuitive Eating #4 - that's where we all hang out! We're growing in number!

There's also some other internet forums about IE, but I'm not sure I can post a link here, feel free to PM me for it though.

Is IE something you want to do, or something you've been told to do... Cos ya know, we are each our own best "expert".

Oh and FWIW my natural hunger patterns tend to lead me to eat 5-ish times a day

If you're feeling groggy and dizzy, yup I'd say that's hunger or just plain old lack of food in the system. I personally despise that feeling and DO NOT wait til I feel that way to eat. Intuitive eating does not work for me. I keep to a scheduele. I don't like that ravenous feeling at all. Staying to a scheduele keeps me from getting too hungry and from overeating, therefore keeping me on plan. The only time intuitive eating comes into play for me, is when I stop eating. I never, ever get too full anymore.

I think you have to decide for yourself if this is the route you really want to go. No nutritionist or anyone else for that matter can tell you how you should eat. You must decided for yourself what is best for you. What you can stick with and what you are most comfortable with.

"Intuitive eating" sounds as though it assumes we all know when to eat "down deep inside." I've never tried it, I hasten to add.

Dizzy, groggy? That's hypoglycemia, which means your blood sugar has dropped too far. So that is beyond hunger.

You would kinda have to know before that that it's time to eat, and your body's signals must be pretty subtle. But over time you might learn to pick up on them. Not everyone's stomach growls.

In the morning I am "not hungry," especially after I drink some coffee. If I'm really busy I have to consciously stop and make myself eat something for breakfast. I feel and do a lot better if I eat then.

I stick to a 3 meals, 2 snacks, 1 snack in evening pattern. I have learned what hunger feels like, but I just need my "food life" to be more structured.

Jay

I haven't read through everyone's posts, so if I repeat something sorry..

I've been doing IE since Aug and just like any "plan" I think there is an adjustment period while you become more in tune with what you're body is saying to you. Also I think it is counter to everything we've been told about weightloss it may take time to unlearn the diet behavior. Just like everyone isn't a low carb-er or a calorie counter everyone isn't going to be into IE.

The idea is you eat when your hungry you stop when your satisfied. It seems simple, but it really requires you to ask yourself WHY am I eating what I am eating. In the beginning You'll be asking yourself this question constantly and sometimes you'll be eating out of hunger and sometimes you will be eating out of other reasons.

Everyones internal hunger cues aren't the same. SO if you are feeling wobbly or not well. Eat or drink a little something and see how you're feel. If the wobbly feeling goes away eat until your satisfied. If you are still feeling wobbly it isn't hunger and think about what else is going on.

Funny thing my feeling of thirst isn't a dry mouth it is feeling sick to my stomach. Wacky.

As 2frus mentioned we have an ongoing IE thread. Just as with any plan it works if you work it.

Here is the link to the thread.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...105438&page=15

There are several intuitive eating books, but I think the most fundamental is the Overfed Head. If you're interested in the link PM me.

Lastly I would like to say all the weight I've lost, and no it isn't a lot. Has been due to IE so I know it does work, but in the end you need to do what works for you.

I would definitely ask your nutritionist about what to do in the morning. I know that our bodies can be in the overnight fast mode for quite a while and so you may not feel hungry until you actually eat. If you eat in the morning, it may kick start you for the rest of the day. I usually eat something pretty light in the morning.

Currently, I'm trying to learn with a little hunger. I have hypoglycemic episodes though so if I wait too long to eat, I will start to feel nauseous, dizzy and I read that it is possible to enter into a coma if blood sugar drops too low. So for me, I try to keep my blood sugar up by eating regularly but I also try to let myself be a little hungry.

I think it would be quite easy for some people to not know when they're hungry. It's no different than people who can't distinguish their real hunger from their emotional hunger. That would be me. I do the mini meals routine. And I'd swear sometimes I'm starving. I try to keep my mind occupied so I forget to eat for awhile, but sometimes, if it just doesn't work, I go ahead and eat more, I just keep it to healthy foods. But personally, I sometimes feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry. So its not unreasonable that someone might feel as if they're never hungry. Its just that neither of us have learned how to figure out what real hunger feels like to our bodies. So we have to work with that. For me, its eating those mini meals so I don't feel like I'm starving for long. And I just shoot for a general amount of calorie intake. You may need to do the same, and just aim for a healthy caloric intake, if you can't figure out how to read your body's cues.

Intuitive eating - I've never read anything on it but it sounds all right. I think all the advice people have given is good as well. I'm somewhere in the middle with my thoughts on this. I'm a morning snacker. I love breakfast but I also have as many as three healthy snacks through the course of the morning. Whether its yogurt or granola bars, apples, oranges, bananas....Then I find that I don't gorge myself as much at noon. I guess it's just a matter of finding what's right for you. Good Luck!
Tam

Intuitive eating is in several psychology books I've read.

It's eating like we were born to eat. Babies eat at certain times of the day (i.e. the 5 times a day thing.) and they naturally eat small portions. They don't eat any more than they need to, and they enjoy their food. Of course it takes getting used to, but your body does become accustomed to the schedule, just like a baby!

Intuitive eating is the most natural way to eat...obviously! That's what makes it the best form of diet. It returns you to your natural weight.

I think at one point in our lives, intuitive eating could work for everyone. Unfortunately from what I've read (and accounts of those who have been morbidly obese) is that the morbidly obese "natural weight" as you refer to it is obese. There are those who have lost the weight and struggle against the constant hunger. I'm not sure what happens in those that have gained a lot of weight but it seems as if a switch is turned on that their body wants to be overweight and fights with constant hunger signals.

Now that isn't to say that someone morbidly obese couldn't lose a certain amount of weight by using intuitive eating just that in order to get to their goal, they may have to battle and fight the hunger signals at some point.

Currently, I'm trying to live with hunger signals as I lose weight just because my body seems to want me to eat more than I should. Even with a high fiber, whole foods diet with no added sugar, the hunger signals exist.

There was another thread about this topic a while back and someone posted this scale or continuum of hunger and satisfaction..something along the lines of:

stuffed - full - satisfied - peckish - hungry - starving

I think there were a few more levels of hunger and fullness in there but you get the idea.

Anyway, I think the point is to start eating when you get to say the peckish or hungry stage, rather than the starving stage. By then you're feeling weak, or getting a headache or whatever other symptoms they listed. So if you're doing this you need to know what the signs are for YOU that you're starting to get "peckish" (this is a British term but hopefully you get its meaning). Most people's stomach growls, and others know by the clock that they'll be getting hungry at a certain time (and sure enough, they really are hungry at particular times in the day). But don't wait until you're at the very hungry to starving stage, because you'll surely eat way more than intended.

Thanks for all your replies everyone!

Okay, I've seen three nutritionists.

The first one was the one who told me to eat every 3 to 4 hours and all my main meals have to consist of one serving of each portion. That drove me mad and overstuffed, trying to incorporate all these rules.

The second one said to concentrate on eating as much vegetables as possible.

And the third one suggested intuitive eating. I really like the feeling of being in control, eating whenever I want to and not living by a scheduel. But she emphasized to eat only when I'm hungry.

Now that I got that feeling dizzy is a hunger symptom, I guess I'll start feeding myself. I mean, I start off the day by eating a light breakfast whether I'm hungry or not, and try to rely on my body the rest of the day. But my body is so out of tune, it's really hard. I'm a collossal grazer. No wonder I never felt hungry!

She also said that I can eat whatever I wanted. She didn't like how I had all these rules in my head (snack has to have one serving of dairy and fruit, lunch has to have protien etc.). If I wanted a cookie for lunch, I'll have a cookie for lunch. I didn't like how she put it. I mean, I NEED some form of vegetable or fruit. I know that if I had the choice to eat anything I wanted, it would not be healthy. I only scarf down brocoli and brussel sprouts for the sake of my health, not my taste buds.

And what about after a workout at the gym? Shouldn't I eat something to replenish my lost energy? But I'm never hungry after! Does that mean I can't eat?

What about my metabolism?? Eating every 6-7 hours really kills it, no?

Oh I'm going insane with all these different rules, notions, theories and diets. It makes me constantly wish that my parents had passed some good genes onto me and I'd have been simply naturally thin!!!

The male perspective on that comes from my hubby who says if he was sucking on that, he'd enjoy his food too.

Remember, I think anyone who held themself out to be a nutritionist and told me to eat whatever I wanted would be last on the list of people I'd go to for advice in the future.