Is Intuitive Eating Effective For Weight Loss?
There is a new trend in the health and fitness world known as intuitive eating. Intuitive eating, by definition, is the practice whereupon you simply listen to your body, and satisfy your earnings, and cravings. Some people in the fitness and wellness industry had cited studies, though flawed, which have shown that if you only listen to your body, as opposed to the endless outside bombardment such as the advertising of fast foods, alcohol, sweets, etc, you will lose weight.
Ignoring the endless radio and television calls to burgers, fries, onion rings, cakes, beer, whiskey, etc, can certainly be beneficial, but in the end, is that enough to help you lose weight? Ultimately, no.
Research was done at a Texas University recently, that demonstrated within 16 participants, 8 of which were on the intuitive plan, so to speak, and the other 8 were monitored and advised scientifically of the recommended caloric intake needed for their bodies, as well as the recommended source of those calories, and the results were not surprising.
In the beginning, both groups tended to do relatively well, but please note, that in the beginning of any dietary change or exercise regimen, your body will need time to adapt before results will be apparent. Not surprisingly, after 3 weeks, the control group that was told exactly what to eat, when to eat, etc, started to shed weight, and not just weight in general, but body fat percentages we’re going down as opposed to just the shedding of water weight. On the other side of this experiment, the group of intuitive eaters stagnated rather quickly and ultimately, weighed more at the end of the study then when they had started the study.
What’s the lesson here? The lesson is obvious that science is science, and your cravings, no matter how delicious sounding, relieving, wonderful, and tasty, are no match for balanced nutrition coupled with exercise and above all, moderation. This is not to say, however, that you should never have a piece of pie or a cold beer, but rather that within the grand scheme of things, indulgences need to be limited and proper nutrition needs to be at the forefront if you want to lose weight.
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Andy
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