“I was concerned that if I ceased tracking macros, I would lose my physique.”
After years of diligent macro tracking, Dr. Fundaro eventually acknowledged to herself that the approach was no longer effective for her. However, she was apprehensive about letting it go.
If anyone ought to feel assured in their food selections, it would be Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro. After all, Dr. Fundaro holds a PhD in Human Nutrition, boasts over a decade of nutrition coaching experience, and has participated in six powerlifting competitions.
Yet, in a moment of true honesty, Dr. Fundaro recognized that she felt far from self-assured regarding food. For years, she had relied on macro counting to remain “on track” with her dietary habits.
And it was effective… until it wasn’t.
After years of tracking macros, Dr. Fundaro grew weary of the entire process. She was exhausted from ensuring her macros were meticulously balanced. She longed for the ability to simply choose whatever she desired from a menu and relish the meal, confident that her health and physique wouldn’t suffer as a consequence.
However, the thought of not tracking sent her into a panic. Each time she stopped tracking, her mind raced with worries:
“What if I don’t consume enough protein and lose all my muscle?”
“What if I overindulge and gain fat?”
“What if I can’t figure out how to nourish myself without tracking macros? And what does that imply about my expertise in the nutrition field?”
The more Dr. Fundaro struggled with macro tracking, the more she sought an alternative.
Something that would support her nutritional ambitions while also providing her with a sense of freedom and peace concerning food.
Calorie counting wouldn’t suffice. That was just as confining as counting macros—perhaps even more so.
Intuitive eating didn’t seem like an ideal match either. Intuitive eating relies extensively on an individual’s ability to tune into internal hunger and satiety signals to guide dietary choices and quantities. After years of depending on external indicators (like her macro goals), Dr. Fundaro didn’t feel sufficiently confident in her instincts; she craved more structure.
Meanwhile, at the gym, Dr. Fundaro began training using the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale—a system that aids individuals in quantifying the effort they exert during different exercises or activities. It’s regarded as a valuable resource for helping people train safely and effectively based on their abilities and objectives. (More on that shortly.)
While applying the RPE scale in her workouts, Dr. Fundaro discovered she was both growing stronger and recovering more effectively. There was something about this blend of structure and intuition that simply worked.
Then, it struck Dr. Fundaro like an apple falling on Sir Isaac Newton’s head:
If the Rate of Perceived Exertion could enhance her training, couldn’t a comparable framework assist her in eating better?
And thus, the RPE-Eating Scale came into existence.
Dr. Fundaro has since utilized this alternative approach to aid herself and her clients in regaining confidence and self-trust around food; enhancing nutritional awareness and competence; and liberating themselves from food tracking.
(Indeed, Dr. Fundaro now trusts her food choices—no macro tracker needed.)
In this article, you’ll discover how she accomplished this, plus:
- What the RPE-Eating scale entails
- How to implement RPE-Eating
- How to apply RPE-Eating for weight loss or gain
- Whether RPE-Eating suits you or your clients
- What to consider if you’re doubtful of the concept
What is RPE-Eating?
Created by Gunnar Borg in the 1960s, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a scale utilized to gauge an individual’s perceived level of effort or exertion during physical activity.
While Borg’s RPE employed a scale ranging from 6 to 20, many contemporary scales utilize a 0 to 10 continuum (which is the