Understanding Intuitive Eating to Determine If It's Right For You

There’s so many different types of eating plans that are out there today. We often hear about low-carb eating plans, Paleo, low-carb high-fat, Keto, Mediterranean, diabetic, and there are so many more.

One of the ones I had heard about was called Intuitive Eating. I wasn’t really sure what they meant by that so I thought I would do a little research.

Understanding Intuitive Eating to Determine If It’s Right For You

It turns out that intuitive eating is the basis for actually controlling our food and when we decide to eat.

Many of us may eat under stress or maybe eat out of boredom. Maybe we even eat because someone’s cooking something good and we decide to have it even though we’re not hungry. We may not even realize that we’re eating for these reasons.

That is where intuitive eating comes into play. Here is some info.

What is Intuitive Eating

When you’re not hungry and you eat anyway, it’s a bit like giving your body energy and calories that it neither wants nor needs. As a result, the pounds start to add up, especially if you gain weight more easily than others anyway.

Intuitive eating is the idea that you don’t eat until your body actually needs food. When you feel hungry, then you eat.

For most people, the feelings of hungry start around 3-4 hours after your last meal, depending on the size of the meal, so that makes it easy to fit in your regular 3-4 meals per day. Or it may be that your body only wants or needs 2 meals a day.

Benefits of Intuitive Eating

The main benefit of intuitive eating is that you’re not going to eat more calories than you body needs. When you do want to eat, you should eat an amount that is comfortable for you. You don’t have to deprive yourself of food, if you’re still hungry. But be wary of eating too much.

On a calorie-controlled diet, you may feel like you’re not allowed to eat the foods that your body wants, and for many people, they don’t eat enough calories.

There is also the idea that feeling hungry is good for your body as it must be burning fat. This isn’t necessarily true, since your body needs to burn fat in healthy ways, not by starving yourself.

How to Start Intuitive Eating

First of all, listen to your body.

Are you feeling hungry?
Are your feelings of hungry so strong that they are starting to interfere with your routine?

Don’t let your body get to the point where you feel like you’re going to faint from hunger.

Another good habit to get into is to make sure you drink water regularly – sometimes your body is trying to tell you that you’re thirsty, not hungry!

The Bottom Line

It is a good place to be when you can decide if you are hungry or not. We don’t have to be driven by the clock. We don’t have to eat because it is breakfast time or dinner time. We should become in tune with our body and determine if we are hungry and then eat to satisfaction, not to fullness.

Yes, this is easier said than done. With children in the house, it may be more difficult. We are used to eating at certain times. It may be easier to detox for a few days and then start fresh. It is an interesting concept that I would be anxious to try.

Being in control of food and the eating process is a wonderful goal for those who are overweight. What are your thoughts on understanding Intuitive Eating? Would it work for you?