If you’re like more than half of Americans on a mission to lose weight or keep it off, you’re familiar with the up and down physical and emotional roller coaster of weight control.

In comes the word “diet,” bringing along with it feelings of misery, depletion, insatiable hunger and irresistible temptation. It comes as no surprise that more than 80 percent of diets fail!

A Revolutionary Approach

Diet pitfalls exist everywhere, from the ravenous growl of our stomach to outright boredom. Instead of being things you “just have to deal” with, what if they’re actually part of the problem?

Experts studying intuitive eating and the physiological connection between brain and body suggest that to find success with weight control and maintain it, we should look inward.

No, this doesn’t mean defaulting to willpower or self-control, because doubt and shame can wreak havoc on our good intentions. Rather, the trick is to do more listening to your body.

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is a sub-component of mindfulness that rejects dieting in favor of psychological awareness. It challenges all of us, not just dieters, to tune in to our bodies and become more sensitive to signals of hunger, fullness, discomfort or ease/relief.

To demonstrate intuitive eating, ask yourself:

• Have I ever eaten to the point of feeling nauseous or too full?
• Have I ever continued to eat a food, despite pain or discomfort?
• Do I stop eating when I’m satisfied, not bursting?
• Do I eat for fuel or to satisfy an emotional want/need?

With this approach, you treat your body as a confidant that let’s you know how to eat, when to eat and what to eat. Instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” or putting a cap on how much you can consume, intuitive eating alleviates eating pressure and puts you back in control.

Tips to Eat Intuitively

These self-regulating eating tips can help you practice intuitive eating:

• Ask yourself, “Why do I really want to eat right now?”
• Eat slowly, taking more time to breathe and chew.
• Cut-off distractions such as T.V. shows or movies.
• Rely on the hunger-fullness scale (1- ravenous; 10 – extremely full).
• Let your intuition guide your food choices and portion sizes.
• Cut-out judgement (it will only lead to feelings of failure).

For more information on eating intuitively, check it out on MindBodyGreen.com.