Intuitive Eating

If you’re done with yo-yo dieting, then join the growing ranks of intuitive eaters. Intuitive Eating is a behavioral approach that encourages you to tune into your body’s hunger and fullness signals (like we did when we were young children). The upshot: You get to ditch diets, weighing yourself and all the guilt that comes along with it. While there have been plenty of books and programs based on intuitive eating since the 90s, it’s regaining traction because of its link to greater self-esteem, optimism and well-being. It may also help tame emotional and disordered eating, while helping to stave off weight gain. One of the key tools is the hunger scale. To use it, give a quick check of your hunger levels before every meal. Simply ask yourself how physically hungry you are from 1 to 10, with 1 being eat-your-shirt ravenous and 10 being post-Thanksgiving stuffed. Aim to start eating at a 3 or 4, and stop when you’re satisfied and ever-so-slightly full, or around a 6 or 7. The concept entails learning how to trust your body’s signals. That means there’s no guilt, deprivation or regrets.