OK, well my Intuitive Eating experiment was a big bust. I've ended up gaining more weight than I bargained for, and I'm not pleased.

I still think the principles can help people learn to have a more normal relationship with food, and I think it's overall a good and healthy place to end up, but what I don't appreciate is that it ignores the fact that people with obesity generally got there because their intuition got broken somewhere along the way.
I got pissed off because I had to resort to purchasing some little button extenders because my pants were all too tight and I need to be able to wear them to work this Winter. I was like, "Something isn't working," and decided to re-evaluate what I was doing. I decided that I can integrate the positive and healthy things I learned from Intuitive Eating (basically, learning to relax more with food and not have a lot of anxiety about eating and body image, along with mindful eating), and integrate it with portion control and tracking. I also realized I'd gotten a bit slack in my exercise routine and could afford to kick it up a notch.
That's why 2 weeks ago I began to measure my portions and keep a food journal (just writing down anything I eat or drink that has calories in it), with the rule that if I was still
genuinely hungry I could eat a
little more, slowly, until I felt satiated. I applied some principles of Intuitive Eating as well. Eating slowly, taking a little break mid-meal to allow my brain to catch up to my stomach, not eating while distracted (like watching TV or browsing online, reading, etc.), and taking inventory of how "valuable" to my overall feeling of well-being the food I was choosing was going to be. I didn't count calories, but I did measure portions with measuring cups and my kitchen scale based on USDA portion size recommendations. I also just stuck to mostly whole, non-processed foods. With more processed foods I did reference the calorie count to help me make a decision about what portion I would give myself. I found that I was able to feel satisfied and not hungry doing this, and it resulted in me eating substantially less than I was previously, even when I was really gung-ho, mindfully eating without measuring.
I amped up my fitness program by adding more exercise in, and I purchased a pedometer (not a cheap, pendulum style one, but one that's fairly accurate where you can't "cheat" by jiggling it around - it mostly only counts actual steps) with the goal of getting to 10,000 steps daily if possible, and I use Fitbit to track my steps and other fitness activities. I have found that having the pedometer helps me. I find myself often getting off the bus farther away from work or home, a distance far enough that I get more walking in and up my step count, but close enough as to not make me late to work.

I have lost 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks since changing my habits to include tracking what I eat and measuring portions, along with a more aggressive exercise program. I don't really have a specific goal weight in mind, but I am going to keep doing this. It works better for me. I do one day hope to be an Intuitive Eater, without the aid of scales and cups, but I realize that somewhere along the way my intuition got broken and I have to "re-set" in order to get it back. I know some people can learn how to "eyeball" the right portion for them when they choose something to eat, but I realize I'm still a long way off from that. I still think Intuitive Eating has a lot of value to it, especially for people who suffer from eating disorders, and I will apply the things that work for me and not apply the things that don't (like not measuring portions). I think for special occasions I'll just try to eyeball portions since it would look weird that I'm bringing measuring cups with me to a party.

I read that you can use your palm, fist, and thumb to kind of eyeball certain things. One big positive of IE I've taken away is that I can attend a gathering and not be really anxious about the snack table, knowing that I have permission to eat the things I want. I have found that now I focus more on the gathering and the people around than pigging out and then worrying about how I'm going to "make up for it later."
That being said, I've learned IE is not really something for weight control or loss, but more to help people who have a bad relationship with food and body image (and thinking of weight and food as being something tied to your moral character or worth as a person). I came away feeling empowered because of the book's great ability to help with those issues. But I do still want and need to lose some weight for medical reasons. Being as heavy as I am is no fun from a mobility standpoint. I can still get around fairly easily because I'm still young, but I do get a fair amount of pain in my joints, and I have some wonky bloodsugar issues which I can tell kind of resembles pre-diabetes. I want to have a decent quality of life and be able to get around without too much pain. I know when I get older I'll have aches and pains anyway, but I want to enjoy the rest of my youth without too much pain.