“I feared that if I ceased tracking macros, my physique would diminish.”

After years of meticulously monitoring her macros to sustain her physique and wellness, Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro arrived at a pivotal moment. With over ten years of nutrition coaching experience, a PhD in Human Nutrition, and various powerlifting competitions to her name, Dr. Fundaro “seemed to have everything figured out.” At least, that was the perception.

However, beneath the facade, anxiety was present. In spite of her vast knowledge and professional accomplishments, she harbored a fear of food. Every morsel demanded calculation. Relishing a spontaneous meal without a scale or tracking application felt daunting—even immobilizing.

However, a change was necessary. “I recognized that I was exhausted,” comments Dr. Fundaro. “The incessant tracking, the inflexibility—it was not only tiring; it was hindering my enjoyment of food, my trust in my body, and my ability to be present.”

That’s when she devised a new approach: RPE-Eating, a blend of intuitive and structured strategies for nourishing the body without rigid tracking—liberating herself from the mental strain of macros while still achieving her physique and health objectives.

In this article, you’ll discover:

• Why tracking macros can lose its effectiveness over time
• How RPE-Eating offers a sustainable alternative
• The foundational steps of RPE-Eating, and how to implement it
• When RPE-Eating is most effective—and when it may not be
• How to modify RPE-Eating for weight loss or gain

When Macro Tracking Becomes a Dependence

Macro tracking—the practice of quantifying grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats in meals—can be a useful method for grasping nutritional requirements, cultivating muscle, or shedding fat. For Dr. Fundaro, it initially served that role well.

Yet over time, tracking became a source of anxiety. Social events, travel, or unforeseen schedule changes would trigger immediate stress. Nourishing her body shifted to becoming more about reaching numerical goals rather than acknowledging hunger or savoring food. Even as a nutrition specialist, she felt vulnerable without her MyFitnessPal application.

“I was concerned that if I stopped tracking, I would either under-eat and lose muscle, or overeat and gain fat,” Dr. Fundaro confides. “I wasn’t able to trust myself any longer.”

Structure Without Inflexibility: The Creation of RPE-Eating

Eventually, Dr. Fundaro drew inspiration not from nutrition, but from her training. As a powerlifter, she frequently utilized the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale—a scale ranging from 0 to 10 that assesses how strenuous an exercise feels at that moment.

This scale does not depend on external metrics (like weight lifted), but rather on the athlete’s own sensations. It grants autonomy while ensuring the athlete remains within limits suitable for their goals and energy levels on any given day.

“It occurred to me,” Dr. Fundaro remembers. “What if eating could function like this as well?”

Why not establish a system that assists you in tuning into your nutritional requirements, just like RPE enables you to gauge your training intensity?

Introducing the RPE-Eating Scale

The aim of RPE-Eating is to cultivate awareness of your hunger and fullness signals, using these internal cues—rather than tracking macros or calories—to guide your eating choices.

Like its fitness counterpart, this scale connects structure with flexibility. It offers you a “framework” for making decisions, without depending on external trackers or calculations.

How to Engage in RPE-Eating

Just as RPE in strength training requires…