Which Is Better for Your Body?

Intuitive eating and calorie counting are both methods used to lose weight. The better choice for sustained weight loss depends on each person, their reasons for not already being at their desired weight, and their unique needs.

Which Is Better for Your Body?

Between intuitive eating and calorie counting, the method that works for you is better for your body. It depends on what your body needs most and what you are able to follow through with.

For example, people experiencing type 2 diabetes need to lose weight to lower the risks of serious health concerns, and to do that, they need to watch their sugar intake, shift their nutrient balance, and exercise more.

In this case, counting calories may be better for someone who needs more awareness around what they are consuming.

At the same time, intuitive eating may be better for someone who is able to effectively eat less when listening to hunger cues.

Which Is Better for Sustained Weight Loss

Intuitive eating is not a weight-loss strategy, though the practices may be helpful for some in losing weight.

Calorie counting is intended more for short-term weight loss.

Sustained weight loss occurs when long-term lifestyle behaviors are changed.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, can help with long-term behavior changes, such as nutrition and physical activity, that lead to sustained weight loss.

What Is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is not a diet. Instead, it is an approach to eating that is intended to focus on listening to the body to meet health needs. It was created by two dietitians and popularized by their book, Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach.

There are 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating:

1. Reject diet culture – stop believing there is a food plan that will work.
2. Honor your hunger – eat before hunger becomes excessive to prevent overeating.
3. Make peace with food – allow yourself all types of food to prevent feelings of deprivation.
4. Discover the satisfaction factor – learn to enjoy the experience of eating.
5. Feel your fullness – focus on bodily signals to stop eating when enough food has been consumed.
6. Challenge the food police – be aware of negative thoughts about food so they can be released.
7. Cope with your emotions with kindness – know that emotions are normal and food won’t solve emotional challenges.
8. Respect your body – have realistic expectations of your unique body.
9. Movement-feel the difference – notice how it feels to move your body and be active.
10. Honor your health, gentle nutrition – focus on overall wellbeing and make choices that promote health for you.

Additionally, the practice of listening to the body to eat when hungry and stop eating when full may be considered intuitive eating, even when not following all of these principles.

Intuitive Eating Benefits

Research has shown that intuitive eating is associated with:

• More positive body image and self-esteem
• Wellbeing
• Fewer eating concerns
• Fewer mental health concerns

This research does not show causation, meaning it is unclear whether people with higher self-esteem, body image, and health and wellbeing are more likely to naturally eat intuitively, or whether the conscious act of eating intuitively and following intuitive eating principles leads to these results.

Is Intuitive Eating Safe for Me?

Eating processed and sugary foods can alter food cravings and the natural signals that communicate hunger and satiation.

For example, sugar addiction is a prevalent concern that involves sugar consumption leading to a dopamine response that increases sugar cravings, consumption, and reliance.

The body and brain need to be free from food addictions and from relying on food to buffer emotions, before food desires can accurately signal when food should be consumed to promote health.

Otherwise, intuitive eating can lead to overconsumption of foods that increase the risk of disease.

Who Could Benefit from Intuitive Eating?

Although this doesn’t apply to everyone, some research suggests that women in Western culture may be less likely to eat intuitively without professional guidance, potentially due to negative body image.

That said, intuitive eating varies by factors like age and cultural background.

While the evidence doesn’t show that one group benefits more than another, it does highlight differences that may be worth considering when implementing intuitive eating.

Those who have a history of disordered eating behaviors, have experienced sugar or other food addiction, eat emotionally, or find it challenging to understand or reply to hunger and satiation cues may benefit from additional support or other strategies before relying on intuitive eating practices to decide what, how much, and when to eat.

What Is Calorie Counting?

Calorie counting involves knowing and tracking the amount of energy, in the form of calories, that is in the food consumed.

Eating too much over time leads to weight gain and weight-related health concerns.

Calorie counting can help raise awareness of the amount of energy consumed, preventing unknowingly overeating.

This is especially beneficial as some foods, drinks, and meals may contain far more calories than expected.

Potential Benefits of Calorie Counting

Tracking calories can aid in healthy behavior changes beyond food. For example, research has shown that using an app to track calories can lead to an increase in physical activity.

Possible benefits of calorie counting include:

1. More awareness of the food and beverages consumed.
2. Increased physical activity.
3. Short-term weight loss.
4. Setting and tracking goals.
5. More balanced nutrition.
6. Motivation and accountability.

Is Calorie Counting Safe for Me?

Being overly concerned with calorie counting and using tracking technology to monitor calorie intake are associated with symptoms of disordered eating.

This does not show causation, however. Those with a tendency toward disordered eating may be more likely to use devices to track.

Counting calories alone also doesn’t necessarily account for the big picture of macro- and micronutrient balance.

Who Could Benefit from Calorie Counting?

Weight gain can occur when you unknowingly eat more calories than you need, even when eating healthy foods, which can be frustrating.

Those seeking more awareness of the food and beverages they consume can benefit from calorie counting.

It is essential to use the information gained by calorie counting mindfully and to promote health.