Intuitive Eating For Weight Loss

The intuitive eating method encompasses paying attention to your body and its relationship to food, according to a 2005 study by Linda Bacon and colleagues in "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." You learn to understand when you are hungry and when you are full, instead of eating due to boredom or emotions.

Identification

The goal of intuitive eating is to allow you to accept yourself for who you are instead of constantly trying to diet and lose weight, according to Bacon. Intuitive eating involves understanding that health and wellness are not only about weight loss but include many components, including emotional, spiritual and social areas of your life. Within this plan, you learn how to eat both to nourish your body and to enjoy food. As well as eating, this method educates you on increasing your physical fitness in a way that is not only focused on weight loss, but also on health and happiness.

Benefits

Even though intuitive eating teaches you to let go of control and regulation, researchers have found that it boosts your ability to control your eating patterns and stops you from engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors, according to Mary Koithan in a 2009 article in "The Journal for Nurse Practitioners." By paying more attention to your body and mind related to eating, instead of focusing on regulating calories and other aspects of health, you learn your eating habits, the reasons for them and how to break them.

Function

In the book "Real World Recovery: Intuitive Food Program Curriculum for the Treatment of Eating Disorders," Valeria Penela, Psy.D., explains that intuitive eating can help people with eating disorders when combined with psychotherapy. It assists them to "break dysfunctional eating patterns" while psychotherapy works on mental issues related to the eating problem, explains Penela. If you have an eating disorder, see a mental health professional instead of trying intuitive eating on your own.

Considerations

Some health professionals are unsure about this health method, according to Bacon. The reason is that participants are expected to trust their instincts instead of regulating themselves and because this method could lead to accepting bodies that are unhealthy since it is about loving your body at any size. The main concerns are that this method can cause unhealthy eating habits and obesity, notes Bacon.

Expert Insight

The 2005 article by Bacon and colleagues studied 30- to 45-year-old obese women over the course of six months and followed up with the women for two years after. The researchers found that, unlike dieting methods where rebound weight gain is likely, the intuitive eating method helped participants increase their health for the long term.