In today’s episode, Eric responds to a few pieces of listener feedback, then covers two popular nutrition topics. In the first, he discusses the utility of calorie counting or diet tracking, and how to make the process as feasible and effective as possible. After that, he provides a thorough overview of mindful eating, while addressing some common misconceptions along the way. While many people think that mindful eating is the same thing as intuitive eating, or that mindful eating is incompatible with weight loss goals or diet tracking, neither of these popular perspectives are true. In reality, mindful eating and diet tracking can be used synergistically when pursuing a variety of goals, including weight loss. Today’s episode discusses how to use both of these evidence-based strategies in a complementary fashion. SUPPORT THE PODCASTJoin the Research Spotlight newsletter: Get a two-minute breakdown of one recent study every Wednesday. Our newsletter is the easiest way to stay up to date with the latest exercise and nutrition science.MacroFactorIf you want to learn more about our MacroFactor diet app, check it out  here.To join in on the MacroFactor conversation, check out our Facebook group and subreddit.CoachingGet personalized training and nutrition plans from our expert coaches: Learn more hereMASS Research Review Subscribe to the MASS Research Review to get concise and applicable breakdowns of the latest strength, physique, and nutrition research – delivered monthly.SponsorsBulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements,  be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order at BulkSupplements.com.Sports Nutrition Association: Learn more or become a member of SNA. The Sports Nutrition Association is dedicated to ensuring the sustainable prosperity of the Sports Nutrition Profession, and they offer a unique pathway to robust insurance coverage for your sports nutrition business. TIME STAMPSIntro/Announcements (0:00)A clarification about intrinsic motivation (9:42)https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020_RyanDeci_IntrinsicandExtrinsic.pdfDoes diet tracking “work?” (24:06)What are the major challenges that threaten the effectiveness of diet tracking or calorie counting? (31:33)https://macrofactorapp.com/problems-with-calorie-counting/How to make diet tracking as effective and enjoyable as possible (41:27)https://www.strongerbyscience.com/goal-setting/https://macrofactorapp.com/behavior-change/https://macrofactorapp.com/cheat-meals/The relationship between diet tracking or calorie counting and eating disorders (53:34)https://www.strongerbyscience.com/diet-tracking/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34427188/Mindful eating (1:05:47)Mindful eating versus intuitive eating (1:06:51)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33279464/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556586/How is mindful eating actually implemented? (1:10:23)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556586/Is mindful eating a weight loss strategy? (1:16:36)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31368631/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24854804/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950329318300582https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30591684/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20351697/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4238039/Psychology-related applications of mindful eating (1:38:08)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24854804/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32551798/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27862826/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32549835/Can mindful eating and macro tracking co-exist? (1:43:28)Episode summary and conclusions (1:49:21)