“Intuitive eating” is an approach pushed by the health-at-all-sizes movement, but this flawed approach can really make you gain unhealthy fat weight.
If you’ve taken any pledges or have simply visited a website that promotes the so-called intuitive eating approach, you may now be wondering if this is your calling.
Though some elements of this approach make sense, such as don’t eat past the point of satiation, and don’t eat for emotional reasons, it leaves the door open for overeating, because “Eat when you are hungry” (one of the tenets) could spell trouble for many people.
Today’s sedentary lifestyle and processed foods are making people hungrier than ever.
“We live in a ‘manufactured’ food environment,” says Richard Kelley, MD, a practicing physician in Texas for 20+ years, and author of “The Fitness Response,” “The Three-Hour Appetite” and the ebook, “The Fitness Response ‘Diet’ for Women.”
Dr. Kelley says nearly 70 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. “Many of these individuals are eating intuitively.
“Intuitive eating in the food environment, in which we live, just doesn’t help most people stay at a healthy weight.”
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The approach to weight loss should be integrated with fitness. “The most successful individuals among us, where losing weight is concerned, don’t just eat intuitively,” says Dr. Kelley.
“These individuals know and understand the macronutrients that comprise the components of food, and they eat in a very consistent and strategic manner, to maintain their weight and develop the physical bodies that most of us would associate with being ‘fit’ or in great shape.”
The main macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fats, such as chicken, pasta and peanut butter, respectively.
“I believe this is just one of the areas where people struggling with their weight, simply miss the mark,” continues Dr. Kelley.
“They have little understanding of how the food they eat really affects their bodies.
“Consequently, the idea that intuitive eating leads people to a healthy weight, is a nice philosophical stance; however, in my opinion it is a stance that is unsupported in reality.”
Eating is one part of the weight loss equation. The other part is exercise, and I don’t just mean “movement.”
The movement needs to include intense strength training and cardio if you want permanent weight loss while enjoying your favorite foods and not having to stick to unrealistic rules like avoiding eating at night.
Don’t let the catchy term “intuitive eating” throw you off course. Becoming a slave to this approach can result in polishing off a plate of donuts.
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Richard Kelley, MD, is an author, speaker, fitness expert and transformation coach.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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