“I feared that if I ceased tracking macros, I might lose my physique.”

After years of meticulous macro monitoring, Dr. Fundaro finally acknowledged to herself that the approach was no longer effective for her. Nevertheless, she was reluctant to abandon it.

If anyone ought to have confidence in their food choices, it’s 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.

However, during a moment of self-reflection, Dr. Fundaro recognized that she felt far from secure when it came to food. For many years, she relied on macro counting to maintain her eating regimen.

And it was effective… until it wasn’t.

After extended periods of macro tracking, Dr. Fundaro grew weary of the entire process. She was fatigued from ensuring her macros were perfectly aligned. She longed to be able to select anything she wanted from a menu and relish the meal, trusting that it wouldn’t negatively impact her health or physique.

Yet the thought of not tracking sent her into a panic. Each time she stopped counting, she found herself anxious:

“What if I don’t consume enough protein and lose all my muscle?”

“What if I overindulge and gain weight?”

“What if I forget how to nourish myself without tracking macros? And what does that imply about my expertise in the nutrition field?”

The more Dr. Fundaro grappled with macro tracking, the more she sought an alternative.

Something that would aid her nutritional objectives while also providing her with a sense of freedom and tranquility around food.

Calorie counting was not the answer. That was just as confining as macro counting—perhaps even more so.

Intuitive eating didn’t appear to be a suitable option either. Intuitive eating heavily depends on an individual’s ability to listen to inner hunger and fullness signals to make food decisions and portion sizes. After so many years of depending on external signals (like her macro goals), Dr. Fundaro didn’t feel confident in her own instincts; she desired more guidance.

In the meantime, at the gym, Dr. Fundaro started lifting based on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale—a method that aids individuals in quantifying their effort in a specific exercise or activity. It is viewed as a helpful tool for ensuring safe and effective training based on one’s capability and goals. (More on that shortly.)

While employing the RPE scale in her workouts, Dr. Fundaro discovered that she was both gaining strength and recovering better. There was something about this blend of structure and intuition that simply worked.

Then, it hit Dr. Fundaro like the apple on Sir Isaac Newton’s head:

If Rate of Perceived Exertion could assist her in training more effectively, couldn’t a similar framework help her eat more wisely?

Thus, the RPE-Eating Scale was created.

Dr. Fundaro has since utilized this alternative method to assist herself and her clients regain confidence and self-trust concerning food; enhance nutritional awareness and skills; and liberate themselves from the confines of food tracking.

(Indeed, Dr. Fundaro now has faith in her food choices—no macro tracker in view.)

In this article, you will discover how she achieved this, plus:

• What the RPE-Eating Scale entails
• How to practice RPE-Eating
• How to implement RPE-Eating for weight modification
• Whether RPE-Eating is suitable for you or your clients
• What to consider if you have doubts about the concept

What is RPE-Eating?

Formulated by Gunnar Borg in the 1960s, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a scale utilized to assess an individual’s perceived intensity of effort or exertion during physical activity.

Although Borg’s RPE employs a scale ranging from 6 to 20, many contemporary scales utilize a range of 0 to 10 (which is the