Both traditional diets and intuitive eating can help you lose weight, but people who eat intuitively tend to weigh less without dieting, according to a 2005 study published by Steven Hawks in the "American Journal of Health Education." Intuitive eating is based on the concept that your body "knows" what sustenance it needs and signals those needs through appetite. Intuitive eating may also be able to lower triglyceride levels, increase high-density lipoprotein levels and reduce overall risk for cardiovascular disease, according to the Hawks study.
Identification
To eat intuitively, according to Steven Hawks, professor of health science at Brigham Young University, you'll need to be attuned to your body's natural hunger signals, eat sensibly and allow your body occasional treats. Traditional dieting for weight loss focuses on consuming fewer calories than you burn. Dieters can do so by eating less, exercising more or both. Some diets, such as the Atkins diet, encourage increased or decreased intake of certain food groups or foods. Some suggest counting calories, fat grams or carbohydrates. For instance, people who follow low fat diets aim to make fat calories a small percentage of total calorie intake.
Causes
Intuitive eating is purported to cause weight loss because it eliminates restriction, which sets people up for binge-eating, according to Hawks. He said that traditional diets tend to fail because they work against biological urgings. Traditional diets are effective at causing weight loss if they require people to eat less than they burn. Some diets, like high-fiber diets, tend to be successful, according to a 2003 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Fad diets are more likely to be unsuccessful because you quickly regain lost weight, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Features
Intuitive eating has several components, according to "Intuitive Eating," a book by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA. Those who use the concept are asked to reject the diet mentality and listen to biological hunger and satiety signals. No foods are considered "good" or bad." Tribole and Resch also suggest that you learn to deal with emotional issues without turning to food. The features of a traditional diet will depend on the plan, but unlike intuitive eating, the emphasis is on consumption of specific foods. For instance, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, according to MayoClinic.com. The DASH diet plan consists of mostly fruits and vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy.
Effects
In a 2005 study of obese, female chronic dieters published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Linda Bacon and colleagues found that those who used an intuitive eating approach showed improvement in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, depression and self-esteem. While some people have been concerned that intuitive eating would lead to overeating and weight gain, the women maintained their weight for the duration of the study. The intuitive eating group was matched up against a group of women that tried traditional dieting. Almost half of the diet group dropped out, while most of the intuitive eating group stayed with the program. Those that stayed in the traditional diet group did lose weight, but weight was regained and little improvement was sustained.
Exercise
Both intuitive eating and traditional diets incorporate exercise into the plan. Hawks said that exercise is beneficial because it strengthens the connection between mind and body. Traditional diets incorporate exercise because it burns calories, stimulates the metabolism and builds lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat.
References
- CNN: Common Sense Approach to Eating
- Journal of the American Dietetic Association: Size Acceptance and Intuitive Eating Improve Health for Obese, Female Chronic Dieters
- American Journal of Health Education: The Relationship Between Intuitive Eating and Health Indicators Among College Women
- Intuitive Eating: What is Intuitive Eating?
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Relation Between Changes in Intakes of Dietary Fiber and Grain Products and Changes in Weight and Development of Obesity Among Middle-Aged Women
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Nutrition for Weight Loss: What You Need to Know About Fad Diets
Member Comments