How Hungry Are You?

Listen to your body.  

Wait for hunger cues.  

If you are like me, it has been a long time since you felt real hunger.  Our senses are often stimulated by the clock, thoughts of food, dehydration, stress, advertisements or even boredom.  With a backpack full of snack options, meals on every corner, and scheduled meal times, that grumble of hunger can be a foreign feeling.

The gentle reminder of a grumbling tummy plays an important role in regulating a neutral energy balance, which is essential for weight management.  

Embrace hunger cues and respect the design of your body’s internal communication.

• Wait to feel hunger pangs before eating.  Avoid eating just because the clock says that it is mealtime.  

• Choose to view hunger pangs as a positive sign of health.  Your body is telling you that it needs food and is ready to eat.

• Eat within 30-45 minutes of feeling hungry in order to avoid the frenzy of getting desperate and eating the wallpaper off the wall.  Rather than grabbing something sugary, eat whole food and  protein to stabilize your blood sugar.

• Evaluate your level of thirst and start with a glass of pure water.   Dehydration is often misinterpreted as hunger.

• When food comes to mind, ponder whether it is a just want or truly a need.  The physical sensation of hunger pangs will help you clearly evaluate this.  If it is just a want, distract yourself with a hobby, a walk, or a conversation with a friend.    

Food tastes better when you are hungry but it is counterproductive to skip meals until you become ravenous.  Extreme hunger can figuratively turn off your brain and lead to food choices that you may later regret.

Nevertheless, eating in the absence of hunger is most possibly overeating.  Remember, it takes about 20 minutes to feel satisfied once you begin eating.  Embrace hunger cues and then take time to fully enjoy your food.  Give your body the goodness that it was designed for.  You can do it.  I will help you!