“I was concerned that if I ceased monitoring my macros, I would lose my body shape.”
After many years of meticulous macro monitoring, Dr. Fundaro finally came to the realization that the approach was no longer beneficial for her. Still, she was hesitant to let it go.
If anyone should be assured in their dietary decisions, it would be Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro. After all, Dr. Fundaro holds a PhD in Human Nutrition, has over a decade of experience in nutrition coaching, and has participated in six powerlifting competitions.
However, upon deeper reflection, Dr. Fundaro recognized that she felt anything but secure with her food choices. For years, she had relied on macro counting to maintain her eating habits.
And it was effective… until it stopped working.
After years of macro monitoring, Dr. Fundaro grew weary of it all. She was fatigued from ensuring her macros were perfectly aligned. She was frustrated by her inability to simply choose anything from a menu and savor the meal, confident that her health and physique wouldn’t falter as a result.
Yet, the thought of not tracking terrified her. Each time she stopped keeping track, she found herself worrying:
“What if I don’t consume enough protein and lose all my muscle mass?”
“What if I overindulge and gain weight?”
“What if I lose my ability to nourish myself without macro tracking? And what does that imply about my expertise in nutrition?”
The more Dr. Fundaro struggled with macro tracking, the more she sought an alternative.
Something that would align with her nutritional aspirations while also providing her with a sense of liberation and tranquility regarding food.
Calorie counting would not suffice. It was just as confining as macro counting—possibly even more.
Intuitive eating didn’t feel suitable either. Intuitive eating depends heavily on a person’s capability to listen to their internal hunger and fullness signals to inform their food choices and quantities. After years of depending on external indicators (like her macro goals), Dr. Fundaro felt too uncertain about her own instincts; she craved more organization.
Meanwhile, at the gym, Dr. Fundaro began training using the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale—a system that assists individuals in evaluating the amount of effort they exert during a specific movement or activity. It is regarded as a useful resource to guide people in training safely and effectively based on their capabilities and objectives. (More details on this soon.)
While applying the RPE scale in her workouts, Dr. Fundaro discovered that she was both gaining strength and recovering more effectively. There was something about this blend of structure and intuition that simply clicked.
Then it struck Dr. Fundaro like the apple falling on Sir Isaac Newton’s head:
If the Rate of Perceived Exertion could enhance her training, couldn’t a similar framework assist her eating?
Thus, the RPE-Eating Scale was conceived.
Dr. Fundaro has since utilized this alternative approach to assist herself and her clients in regaining confidence and self-trust in their food choices; enhancing nutritional awareness and skills; and liberating themselves from food tracking.
(Indeed, Dr. Fundaro now trusts her eating decisions—no macro tracker involved.)
In this article, you will discover how she accomplished this, plus:
- What the RPE-Eating scale entails
- How to engage in RPE-Eating
- How to implement RPE-Eating for weight loss or gain
- Whether RPE-Eating is suitable for you or your clients
- What to consider if you approach the concept with skepticism
What is RPE-Eating?
Created by Gunnar Borg in the 1960s, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a scale designed to assess an individual’s subjective level of effort or exertion during physical activity.
While Borg’s RPE uses a scale ranging from 6 to 20, many contemporary scales operate on a 0 to 10 basis (which is the