Based on my other blog posts, I’m sure many of you have already caught on that I’m not a fan of restrictive diets. I’m all about gradual changes that will last a lifetime. I have been using intuitive eating strategies for a while now in my practice, and wanted to give one of the biggest tips about breaking free from a restrictive dieting cycle—listen to your body!

I know many of you think this idea is crazy but trust me. When you track every ounce of food, weigh yourself multiple times per day, and eat certain foods at certain times, your body can get confused. 

Take it back to the basics and ask yourself if you’re hungry. I usually start by writing a scale of 1-10 (1 = starving and 10 = stuffed) and have the patient tell me at what level they feel before and after eating. Many people wait until they are at a level 1 and end up overeating to an uncomfortable level of 9 or 10. Other people may eat when they are actually not hungry at all, but think they have to otherwise they’ll go into “starvation mode” (don’t get me started on this). 

Generally, it is best to eat around a level 3 (when your stomach starts to growl), and eat slowly, enjoy your food, until you feel satisfied (around a level 7). This will help you key in on your hunger cues that you may have never thought about listening to in the past. 

Sometimes, people are time restricted in their eating windows due to external factors, and that’s ok. You can just start by listening to your body and realizing you do have a hunger scale. Everyone is different, but I just thought about discussing this piece of information for those that are wanting a more intuitive eating approach for managing their weight.