“I feared that ceasing macro tracking would lead to losing my physique.”
After years of meticulous macro tracking, Dr. Fundaro ultimately acknowledged that the approach was no longer effective for her. However, she was reluctant to let it go.
If anyone should have confidence in their dietary choices, it would certainly be Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro. After all, Dr. Fundaro holds a PhD in Human Nutrition, has over a decade of nutrition coaching experience, and has participated in six powerlifting competitions.
Yet, in her moments of true honesty, Dr. Fundaro came to realize that she felt far from assured when it came to food. For years, she had depended on macro counting to maintain her eating habits.
And it worked… until it no longer did.
After years of tracking macros, Dr. Fundaro had grown weary of the entire process. She was exhausted from ensuring her macros were always perfectly balanced. She was frustrated by her inability to simply select whatever she fancied from a menu and savor the meal, trusting that her health and physique would remain intact.
Yet the thought of not tracking sent her into a panic. Every time she stopped tracking, she would fret:
“What if I don’t consume enough protein and lose all my muscle?”
“What if I eat too much and gain fat?”
“What if I lose the ability to nourish myself without monitoring macros? And what does that imply about my expertise in nutrition?”
The more Dr. Fundaro grappled with macro tracking, the more she yearned for an alternative.
Something that would align with her nutritional objectives while also providing her with a sense of freedom and tranquility regarding food.
Calorie counting would not suffice. It was just as restrictive as counting macros—possibly even more.
Intuitive eating also didn’t seem to be an ideal solution. Intuitive eating heavily depends on a person’s capacity to listen to internal hunger and fullness signals to guide food selections and portions. After years of relying on external signals (like her macro targets), Dr. Fundaro felt too uncertain about her own instincts; she craved more structure.
At the same time, Dr. Fundaro began utilizing the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale in her workouts—a system that aids individuals in assessing the exertion level they are applying during a particular exercise or activity. It’s regarded as a beneficial tool for helping people train safely and effectively based on their capabilities and objectives. (More on this shortly.)
Through employing the RPE scale in her training, Dr. Fundaro discovered she was becoming stronger and recovering more effectively. There was something about this blend of structure and intuition that simply worked.
Then, it struck Dr. Fundaro as clearly as the apple that fell on Sir Isaac Newton’s head:
If Rate of Perceived Exertion could enhance her training, why not apply a similar framework to her eating?
This realization led to the creation of the RPE-Eating Scale.
Since then, Dr. Fundaro has utilized this alternative approach to assist herself and her clients in regaining confidence and self-reliance regarding food; enhancing nutritional understanding and skills; and liberating themselves from food tracking.
(Indeed, Dr. Fundaro now trusts her food choices—no macro tracker in view.)
In this article, you’ll discover how she accomplished this, along with:
- What the RPE-Eating scale entails
- How to practice 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 idea
What is RPE-Eating?
Developed by Gunnar Borg in the 1960s, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a metric used 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 0 to 10 range (which is the