Always Hungry? Why Intuitive Eating Didn’t Work for Me
September 26, 2025
Here’s what I’ve been reflecting on lately and what I learned about food, freedom, and finding balance.
Back in late 2014 or early 2015, I readIntuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. For me, it was a mistake. Within three weeks, I had gained 12 pounds, and by the end of the third month, it was closer to 17.
The book itself isn’t the problem. It’s built around 10 core principles designed to promote a healthy, balanced relationship with food. Things like honoring your hunger, letting go of food guilt, and finding satisfaction in what you eat. It encourages people to stop dieting, tune into their bodies, respect fullness, and even enjoy movement without obsessing over calories.
When Intuitive Eating Doesn’t Work
At that point, I had already lost nearly 50 pounds with Weight Watchers in two years, but I was mentally exhausted. Hunger dominated my thoughts. I tried everything: clean eating, increasing whole grains, cutting carbs, upping protein, cutting out artificial sweeteners, Atkins, and years earlier even vegetarianism. Nothing quieted my hunger. I was weighing myself obsessively (morning and night), and my cheat day (usually on Saturday’s) had become the highlight of my week. I knew it wasn’t sustainable.
When I found Intuitive Eating, I thought I’d discovered a mental reset. I threw away my food scale, banished my regular scale to the back of my closet, stopped dieting and counting Weight Watchers points, and decided to simply “eat when hungry, stop when full.” At first, it felt freeing. I ate until I was comfortable (not stuffed, not binging). I exercised by going for long walks by the lake, and I finally felt calm.
But here’s the problem: what felt like “comfortable fullness” to me didn’t match the calorie intake my body needed to maintain a healthy weight. My portions had always been bigger than what left my siblings satisfied, and following my natural hunger cues only pushed my weight back up.
That’s why I say this: Intuitive Eating may work for some, but if your natural hunger drives you past your body’s calorie needs, it can backfire and lead to weight gain.
What’s Working for Me Right Now
Fast forward to today, and my experience with GLP-1 has been very different. For the first time, smaller portions actually leave me satisfied. I can go to bed with mild hunger without it spiraling into overwhelming mental urges. That’s something I never managed before.
My biggest question now is sustainability. What happens when I stop taking GLP-1? Will my body adapt to smaller portions, or will the extreme hunger return?
What I do know is this: I refuse to go back to the rollercoaster of “no carbs, only carbs, no meat, only meat” extremes. This time, I’m focusing on portion control and long-term habits. Because restriction and obsession don’t work, but neither did eating “intuitively.”
If you’ve had similar experiences, I’d love to hear from you. How are you navigating hunger, portion sizes, or dieting mindsets in your own life?
If you’d like to explore more about Intuitive Eating and healthy, sustainable weight habits, check out the official Intuitive Eating website for the full list of principles, or visit Weight Watchers to see how structured programs compare. You can also read evidence-based tips on maintaining a healthy weight directly from the CDC.
Want to read more about real experiences on a GLP-1 journey? Read my article: My Honest GLP-1 Journey and What I Learned.
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