How hungry are you? As I work with nutrition clients over time, the two habits that they appreciate the most and struggle the most with is eating according to their hunger and eating slowly.
On the surface of these two habits they sound pretty simple, even easy. They are tempting to breeze past believing that they are too simple. When practiced mindfully these habits reveal layers to be mastered. If you are curious what that means ask yourself these questions pertaining to your hunger and eating habits.
Come in for your nutrition coaching sessions!
When you get too hungry, how do you behave?
- moody
- tired
- lower self-control
- frustrated
- eat as fast as possible
How does your body feel when you are hungry? What are your physical cues in your body?
- gurgling or grumbling stomach
- light headed, dizzy, tingly
- clumsy
- weak feeling in arms, shoulders, legs
How do you know when to stop eating?
- the feeling of your stomach against your clothes
- food is gone
- you feel satisfied
- you feel overfull
- the clock says so
- everyone else says so
How often do you begin eating at hunger levels that are moderate?
- every time you eat
- one meal a day
- when you are at home
- when you aren’t distracted
How often do you stop eating when you are satisfied?
- every time you eat
- one meal a day
- when you are at home
- when you aren’t distracted
- when you aren’t over hungry
You answers to these questions can vary greatly. These are just some examples from my and my clients’ experiences.
Get Curious!
Are your answers generally internally driven or driven by your physical sensations? Or are they driven by your environment outside of you?
The more you are operating according to *your* cues and the less of the outside world’s cues the more you will feel like you have control and awareness over your hunger, cravings, and satiety.
Feedback from client’s that eat according to their hunger scale
“I became aware of when hunger began to approach and instead of letting it sneak up on me to the point I would get too hungry and devour anything in sight I realized I was hungry. If I made a smart choice when I was moderately hungry I was way less likely to cave to something quick, highly processed, and easy an hour or two down the line.”
“Eating to moderate fullness feels very freeing. So often in the past I would eat until I was uncomfortable. As exercise became more a part of my life I couldn’t overeat and feel like I wanted to workout. Now when I am eating I check in with myself; ‘If I keep eating, will I feel like working out in an hour or two?’ After most of my meals I feel satisfied and refreshed instead of tired and uncomfortable like I used to”
“I realized I never used to eat when I was hungry. I may actually have never really let myself get hungry. I usually only ate according to my schedule.”
“Once I started eating to 80% full I quickly saw my portion sizes split in half. Just by stopping when I was feeling satisfied I cut a large part of my caloric intake down. I didn’t feel deprived because I was still eating foods I would before, just a lot less.”
Want to make the change to eat according to your hunger?
- As you go through the rest of your week answer the questions above, see what you learn.
- Slow down at your meals
- Check in between bites to see how your body is feeling
- Check in with your physical hunger as thoughts about eating arise
- Learn your physical hunger cues, they are different for everyone
What is happening when I want to eat and I am not physically hungry?
Most people who have battled excess weight, have a hard time losing weight, or are pre-occupied with their weight experience this often. There are many factors that lead to feeling hungry and eating when we aren’t truly in need of food. Stay tuned for more articles addressing this or come in for your nutrition coaching sessions and learn how to break your cycles!
