Why intuitive eating doesn’t work for the average person.

How often do you eat because you are hungry? If you were to truly sit down and give yourself and honest answer, I’m willing to bet that is probably one of the last reasons you actually eat.

Boredom, stress, chilling on the couch, watching tv, a certain time of day, social events, just got home from work, walking into a certain room

What’s the one thing all these things have in common? They are all cues that trick our body into signaling hunger. Making us think we are hungry when we’re NOT.

How often do you sit down in front of the tv after dinner and before you know it or even realize it, you are staring into the refrigerator or cabinet for something else to eat. Or when was the last time you went out with friends and didn’t end up eating or drinking something?

Our world is full of external cues that we develop habits of eating around. In which we do not need to be truly hungry in any way shape or form. To the point that we can have literally just eaten but we then go somewhere or see something that then re-signals to the brain, “we’re hungry”.  And before you know it you are scarfing down a 3-scoop ice cream sundae after having just put down a 16oz steak, baked potato, side salad and roll. Resulting in 2317 calories being taken in in a matter of 53 minutes.

My point here is, in today’s highly palatable, ultra-available, calorie dense world of food production, most people have no idea what true hunger really feels like anymore.

Therefore, intuitive eating, for most people, does NOT WORK!

And why my opinion is that EVERYONE should spend some time tracking and controlling the foods they eat. As to develop an understanding of what their appropriate intake level is. And to redevelop an understanding of what real hunger feels like.