DAY 3 of the Breathe First Food Tune-Up: Let's Talk About Hunger... "Am I TRULY Hungry?"

So yesterday, I woke up hungry.  This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for me…it was!  

Why?  

Well, as you know, I’ve been indulging over the summer.  So most days when I woke up, I wasn’t hungry.  Like, not at ALL! 

Maybe it’s because I ate too LATE the day before. 

Maybe it’s because I ate too MUCH the day before. 

Maybe it’s because I ate and drank a bunch of hard-to-digest junk food and it was still sitting in my gut like a giant boulder! 

Who knows?!  But what I DO know, is that yesterday (and today) I woke up hungry….and it felt great!

It’s important to tune into how our body feels when we're trying to eat healthy.  Hunger is one of those feelings to tune into and observe with curiosity.  

For example, do you ever eat when you’re NOT hungry? 

Maybe you eat because “it’s time” to eat. (I did a LOT of THAT over the summer...especially when it came to breakfast!).

Maybe you eat when you’re bored, stressed, or attempting to avoid a difficult task. 

Maybe you eat because of something physical, like thirst or fatigue.   

When we get the urge to snack (or even grab seconds!) it’s important to ask ourselves, “Am I truly hungry?”  Because if we’re noshing for another reason (boredom, stress, procrastination, thirst, fatigue…) we’re not really scratching the right itch and we’ll keep on eating in an effort to fill a void that can’t be filled with food. 

THOSE voids need to be filled by the right things–boredom can be fixed by finding something to do, stress can be tackled by facing a problem, procrastination can be eliminated by getting “it” done, thirst can be satiated by drinking a glass of water, fatigue can be fixed by taking a rest….get the idea?  

When we’re curious about our hunger signals it can help us figure out what we REALLY need to feel satisfied–whether it be food, or something totally different!

  

Another reason to tune into hunger signals is so that we eat the right amount.  We should never ignore hunger until we feel like we’re STARVING.  Ravenous territory is NOT a good territory to hang out in!  Because once we DO get our hands on some food, it can get ugly!  LOL!

So, over the next few days.  Notice your hunger.  Eat when you’re hungry.   Be observant of your feelings and give your body (or mind) what it needs to be content!

Good luck!  Feel free to share your experiences below!