by Megan Ostler, MS, RDN
Many people struggling with nutrition describe their experience as a lack of willpower that leads to mindless snacking. More often than not, it's not necessarily a lack of willpower at play, but more likely a biological response to hunger. When you skip or skimp on a meal, you end up eating in excess as your body responds to hunger by releasing chemicals to move you to eat. Let's Honor Your Body by learning to listen to your hunger and fullness cues.
In my Positive Plates Program, I teach that your plate should be filled with fibrous carbs, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables. This helps to helps to show you how to create balanced, healthy meals. Once you solidify these habits on what to add to your plate, it's time to listen to your body to know how much! On the day to day, our bodies will tell us how much we need... if we listen.
Honoring Hunger and Fullness
Everybody’s hunger cues look a little different. You might experience a growling stomach, irritability, lightheadedness, headaches, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating.
It’s harder to recognize these cues when you’re busy, distracted, or have made a habit of ignoring them. That’s when you’re more likely to transition from subtle cues to strong biological reactions, where overeating is almost inevitable.
To help avoid this scenario, you want to catch those subtle hunger cues and eat before you get overly hungry.
Use this page to help you track your hunger and fullness. Start to pay attention to your unique hunger and fullness cues.
Emotional Eating
 The connection between food and your emotions is stronger than you may realize. In fact, this relationship began on the very first day of your life. When you were emotionally soothed while being physically fed. As a hallmark of every culture, food is used to comfort, celebrate, symbolize, reward, and distract.
It’s normal to eat emotionally on occasion. For instance, you might find comfort in chicken noodle soup when you’re sick, even if you’ve lost your appetite. Emotional eating becomes problematic only when it becomes your primary coping mechanism. I like to say emotional eating is a tool for coping, but you need other tools in your tool belt.
Before you eat, stop and rate your hunger. If you are not biologically hungry, consider what you’re feeling. Are you stressed, bored, lonely, sad, angry, tired, or trying to fit in with others who are eating?
Remember that you can make the choice to eat something when not physically hungry, but have that be a mindful choice. Are you eating to celebrate, explore a new food, or maybe try a friends new recipe? Making that choice isn't bad. The goal is to avoid is mindless emotional eating.
These guidelines were not designed to be rigid rules. If you are finding that you are extra hungry one day, add more protein, fiber, and vegetables then normal. If you are not hungry you don't have to finish that plate of food just to hit your veggie goals. Part of Honoring Your Body is to listen to the hunger and fullness cues it gives you.
Looking for support and accountability in your movement and nutrition journey join Megan and Kim HERE.
Comments