Intuitive eating for healthy weight loss.

You might want to rethink diets where counting calories is involved. According to new research, this isn’t the best way to lose weight, especially compared with approaches that focus on sustainable habits like ways to lose weight naturally.

Although his study is too small to be definitive, a Brigham Young University researcher states that “intuitive eating” will help you shed those pesky pounds – sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

In the small study, conducted by food sciences professor Steven Hawks, 15 female college students were identified as intuitive eaters, and 17 were not. Both groups were then tested to determine how healthy they were.

Test results showed that lower body mass index, lower triglyceride levels, higher levels of high-density lipoproteins (which carry cholesterol through the bloodstream), and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease were all found to be significantly related to intuitive eating. Since heart health can be influenced by many lifestyle factors, it also helps to pay attention to things like salt intake and overall dietary balance.

Most people have great success with intuitive eating and find that they feel free around food, eat what they want without feelings of withdrawal, attain and maintain their natural weight, and eat healthily, often by focusing on real nourishment and avoiding fake healthy foods that can derail progress. But most importantly, there comes a feeling of vitality and acceptance of one’s body.

The 3 main steps to intuitive eating for healthy weight loss:

• Embrace body acceptance and a view that dieting is harmful.
• Learn how not to eat for emotional, environmental, and social reasons—if convenience food is a frequent trigger, these ways to break the fast food habit can help.
• Interpret your body’s signals, cravings, and hunger while responding to them in a healthy and positive way (and don’t forget simple supports like drinking plenty of water).