A month or two ago I started counting macros using My Fitness Pal. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a trend! And before I finished the first day, I was fascinated. For the first time in a long time I was seeing how many calories I was eating and the breakdown of carbs/fat/protein. The intoxicating feeling of control started to take over and I thought I was falling in love with it.
Then, I started noticing little things like how I’d choose not to sprinkle hemp seeds or cut another veggie for my salad because I didn’t want to measure and record it. Packaged foods started have more of an appeal because all I had to do was scan the bar code and eat- no measuring or weighing. When I found myself calculating how many calories I had burned and trying to factor that into the equation it was like a giant red flag and I quit cold turkey.
I’ve never had an eating disorder. But, I have gone through periods of unhealthy habits. I used to wear the fact I could predict how many calories were in any given meal with a frightening level of accuracy like a badge of honor. Let me say that inherently there is nothing wrong with that, but when meal time starts to occupy 80% of my thoughts in any given day, I call that unhealthy. And so I started down a long path of learning how to eat intuitively.
I call it a journey because switching from counting and calculating to trusting my body didn’t happen overnight. The process can’t be summed up in a quick paragraph because it is different for everyone, but I can say my journey started when I really decided to commit to it. I started paying attention to how I felt before, during, and after eating. Which foods energized me? Which foods made me want to nap? How much was enough to fill me up but not enough to make me unbutton my pants? And while I was learning I forced myself to let go of the guilt I had so long associated with “unhealthy” foods and trust the process. It was not always easy but my desire to be in a place of food freedom won out over the perceived control of a life of tracking.
It took me years to fully get the counting out of my head, but I finally did. Let me say I don’t think counting calories or macros is bad. In fact, I think it can give great insight into eating habits and put a person in control of their health. I even realized that I should focus on upping my protein a bit! But when it starts to rule our days and feel obsessive, that is when it is not healthy.
I tell you all of this to preface my answer to the following question:
How do you practice self control and not indulge so often? I know that sounds weird but you eat so healthy all of the time. I recently went plant based in order to feel healthier and control symptoms of my auto immune diseases (and it’s working!) but all I dream about it pizza, steak, etc. Last weekend I couldn’t help myself and kind of went crazy eating a lot of food at a BBQ. And trying to not indulge in wine so much! Any tips for self control would be much appreciated!
I love getting questions from you because they usually lead to great conversations! I’d love to share my insight and hear yours as well. So let me share with you three things ways that I practice intuitive eating and how I’ve made it stick. Because at this point, it really isn’t about self control for me; it’s knowing what decisions are going to make me feel my best.
Three Ways I Practice Intuitive Eating
ONE: I am committed to the idea of intuitive eating. That initial commitment is hugely important because when I when I first made the switch to intuitive eating I would find myself staring a basket of chips and salsa in the face. It was so tempting to calculate how many chips would be “OK” to eat because it felt like safety. But what I slowly realized is that if I did the math to see how many I “could” have, I’d eat exactly that many. However, as I forced myself to let that mentality go, I’d eat just what I really wanted, which sometimes was far less. And for full transparency, sometimes it was more, but intuitive eating has taught me to look at the big picture over each individual food choice. In the Mexican food example, I’d find it would naturally balance itself out because I wouldn’t be as hungry for the meal and naturally eat less.
Intuitive eating doesn’t mean eating every treat you want. It means listening to how you feel after eating different foods and making choices moving forward with that knowledge in mind. It’s knowing that avocado toast and an egg make me feel good most mornings, but if I’m craving pancakes with syrup, to go that route without calling it a cheat meal or feeling any guilt.
TWO: I work out because I love my body, not to burn calories. When I stopped thinking about how many calories I burned, it also freed me to move my body in a lot of different ways: yoga, walking, strength training, hiking- these are all things that may not give the highest calorie burn in any given session, but they are wonderful for my body and mind. I also learned to prioritize sleep over exercise when it felt right. When I started trusting my intuition with eating, it was natural to start trusting it when it told me to move or to rest.
This one is big for me because I never really loved working out. However now I think a big part of it was that I viewed it as a necessary evil; something I had to do. But now it feels like a privilege to get to exercise. I found exercise I enjoy and I love how it makes me feel. However I also honor the weeks my body craves more rest or walking over high intensity workouts.
THREE: I honor my hunger. Our bodies are so smart, y’all. They will tell us when they are hungry and when they aren’t. Our job is just to listen. Sometimes I’ll eat a full portion and still be hungry, so I eat more, even though I “should” be full. And if I’m not hungry, I don’t eat, even if it’s been “X” number of hours since my last meal.
I also try to ask myself what it is that I want to eat. When I used to try and suppress a craving, it would consume me. Then I’d go crazy and give in. But I’d feel like I better gets my money’s worth because after the “cheat meal” I’d have to go back to eating “healthy.” That would lead me to downing over half a pizza! Now we have pizza every week and I usually have a slice or two and feel totally satisfied.
Experiencing this kind of mental shift means I never feel deprived. Never is a strong word, I realize that, but when I gave myself the freedom to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, it took away the allure of “sinful” foods. I’ve realized there are no good and bad foods. There are foods that fuel my body best and some foods that fuel my soul. Trusting my body to guide me has served me well.
What are your thoughts on intuitive eating?
What methods have you tried over the years to eat healthy?
Which one works best for you?
Haley says
Yes to everything in this post! I eat a good amount of fats and avocados, which are higher calorie but so good for you. Years back, I also had to switch my mindset as well. And I also agree about being active. I love doing a ton of different things for exercise. And as I’ve gotten older, I work out less because I don’t want to push my body too much and it react by actually lowering my immune system. Also, with a baby who is waking multiple times at night, I’ve given myself a lot of grace when it comes to the times I do go to the gym. I do less intensity but instead just focus on moving my body. Aging really has changed my perspective on a lot the past year and I tend to think more long-term now about how I want to keep myself healthy as I get older versus focusing only on my body at the present.
Brittany Dixon says
You make such a great point that age probably has a lot to do with it. Focusing more on my health for the long term over my body at the present makes a big difference. And I’m the same with not pushing my body too far because it does lower my immunity too. Thanks for your comment!
Laura says
I’m proud to say I have been an intuitive eater for most of my life, other than a brief stint in high school when I obsessed over fat grams (90s evil) and calories. Going to culinary school at age 18 in downtown Pittsburgh taught me that fat is flavor and I learned to appreciate cooking and eating prime rib, hollandaise, and pastry dough in the morning hours. I stayed in the restaurant business through my mid twenties, and trust me that no self respecting chef is worrying about or mentioning calories when cooking in a 5 star kitchen. It’s really a healthy environment when it comes to the pure love of food and eating and it was a wonderful time in my life. Even though I don’t cook professionally anymore, I have really never looked back, and enjoy good food and eating for the pleasure of it (which could literally be anything- I love an amazing salad and eat one most days for lunch with a healthy dose of olive oil and some salmon on the side if I’m lucky). I eat both the healthy fats and so called “unhealthy” fats. If I watch a show on food, it’s going to be something like Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat or Eat the World, or anything with Anthony Bourdain-something that celebrates food and the universal joy it brings to cultures around the world. Oh- last thing- I made that olive oil gelato with Himalayan pink sea salt, like the one you introduced to me to from your vacation. It was paired with a chocolate sorbet and tiramisu for a dessert course I was in charge of for a progressive dinner with my neighbors. There was literally a collective groan when everyone (including the kiddos) tried it. Everyone raved about it, and just had never had anything like it! I’m so glad you introduced me to that idea, thank you!!!
Brittany Dixon says
Ok, this feels out of line but I must ask… if we make our way back to Colorado, can I come over for dinner?! Your comment and description of the food has me drooling! I agree, I love watching anything with Anthony Bourdain because food is such a window into the soul of a culture. I look forward to mimic his approach in the future when we do more traveling!
Laura says
Yes, totally! 😀
Kara says
Your story sounds just like mine! I became interested in macro counting, but felt like a slave to the numbers. I was eating when I wasn’t hungry and was generally making boring choices just to stay within my set boundaries. Last year, I met with a registered dietitian in the hopes to get some good ideas on how to better fuel myself during marathon training. She introduced me to Intuitive Eating and whoa, mind blown! IE has (still is…a work in progress) wholly changed my view of and relationship with nutrition. And bonus, will hopefully be an example to my kids (especially my daughter) that food is meant to be enjoyed and listening to our bodies is SO important.
I’ve had some really interesting conversations with the RD regarding ‘gentle movement’ and endurance training.
I HIGHLY recommend the books Intuitive Eating (Tribole, Resch) and the companion workbook. There are so many awesome resources online, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I’m glad you’ve discovered IE!
Brittany Dixon says
Another recommendation for the book Intuitive Eating; it must be great as I’ve heard many recommendations for it! Thanks 🙂
I love your testimony and how freeing it’s been for you. Thank you so much for sharing it!
John J. Stathas says
You’ve come a long way since the Papa John”s college days :). You have such a great intuition in general; no surprise that it hit your eating style.
John J. Stathas says
By the way, how were the burgers? Veggie or real? 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
They were REAL. 😉 Had some in the freezer to use up!
Amy says
I am so happy to hear that you’re not counting macros anymore. To be honest, I cringed when I read that you were trying that recently. As a woman who has recovered from anorexia, I worried about what ideas (inadvertently) that would give your daughters about how they should eat. I highly recommend reading the Intuitive Eating book. There is so much more to EI than just hunger and fullness. EI means sometimes eating past fullness because something tastes good and you want an extra bite. It sometimes means eating at a certain time because you know your body needs fuel even though you’re not hungry yet. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. Diet culture has seeped into the brains of most people and we need more people sharing stories like yours.
Brittany Dixon says
Such good points about how IE is more than this fullness and hunger- thank you for your insight on that! And for the book recommendation. I’ve heard good things about that one!
Lara says
Also a commenter with young daughters… there’s a pattern here!
I’m quite curious how you’d explain doing that “cleanse” a while back. I don’t even remember the name because I find that sort of thing unhelpful at best and eating disorder promoting at worst. It seemed extremely disordered and in stark contrast to true intuitive eating. Your thoughts?
Brittany Dixon says
I first want to say that I don’t think all cleanses are unhelpful or promote eating disorders; I have several friends that use them every few months as a reset and it works really well for them. To each their own!
In my case with the Woman Code Cleanse, it was sparked by my willingness to try altering my food to see if it made a different with cramps, fatigue, and other symptoms I was experiencing around ovulation and my period. I don’t think it’s harmful to alter your diet if you suspect your body isn’t doing well with a food. In fact, I think that is right inline with intuitive eating. Same as someone eliminating dairy because they feel better without it.
Again, to each their own and I strongly believe “healthy” eating varies from person to person.
Kelli Harrison says
Ok I will go against the grain here and say I count calories have for 15-18 years? It’s helped me gain a “healthy “ 25-30 pounds during both my pregnancy and has helped be keep
Accountable as a whole . That being said, I started the macro counting and that was way to complicated but did open my eyes to more protein. I wish I could say I can IE but I’ve been the same weight for the past 20
Years at the ripe age of 42 😜it works for me but I can see it’s not for everyone!
susan says
I love this post. I am a big believer that your body will tell you what you need. For me the trick is to just have lots of yummy healthy foods. I can get the same comfort from a bowl of miso soup as a cup of cocoa. And you are so right to notice what your body is telling you. Thank you again and to the commenters for the book recommendation.
Jamie says
I have really tried a couple of times to embrace IE but after a few months, I’ll see that my weight is up and freak out. I’m currently on WW after my last experiment with IE. I’m still trying to respect my hunger and will eat more on the days I’m really hungry but I’m also down 8 lbs. I just feel better when I’m not “overweight”. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to let go of that
Brittany Dixon says
I don’t think there is one right way for anyone to be healthy, so if WW works for you, I think that’s wonderful! For me the counting makes me too crazy, but I totally get that that is just me, not everyone 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Faiy says
Would love to ask about vegetarian foods + bloat. Didn’t you have problems with beans or pulses before?
And how did your garden go this year – haven’t heard much about that lately, with the colder weather and all.
Brittany Dixon says
I did have issues with too many beans before and I still do now if I eat too many in a single day. I noticed after about two weeks my body adjusted some, but I still try to keep beans/lentils to one meals a day.
The garden was so-so this year. A ton of cherry tomatoes and snap peas! A couple cucumbers and the squash was a total bust. We only got one; haha! It was fun though 🙂
Emma says
I just stumbled across this post and wanted to say thank you!! These words are just what I needed to read today <3