Principle Two - Only Eat When You're Physically Hungry

I woke up this morning; looked at the clock and yep it was breakfast time, so I thought about what I wanted to eat. Maybe some toast with jam or peanut butter, a hot cross bun or two, pancakes perhaps?  Thinking about food I felt the desire to eat; I could even imagine how those foods would taste…yum!

Then I did something many of us (particularly if we struggle with excess weight) have lost touch with doing… I took a moment to check in with my body to ask whether it was hungry or not.  Was I feeling a physical sensation in the area of my stomach?  Um…that would be no. 

I used to struggle with my weight. I was a binge eater, I ate in secret in my room and after eating too much I would try and starve myself to ‘balance’ things out. I was fat, frustrated and miserable.  That was also 10 years ago, and now I am slim. Now I chose to eat like naturally slim people do, and as I believe nature intends for us.  I eat intuitively by listening to and trusting my body to guide me on when, what and how much to eat…

The first principle we teach on the pathway to intuitive eating is to ‘Only Eat When You’re Physically Hungry’.

So why is this important? 

 

Hunger is the physical sensation of desiring to eat food. It is a natural, normal signal that tells our bodies we're getting low on energy and it’s time to refuel. If we eat when we’re physically hungry, our bodies are ready to process and use that energy. Eating when we’re not hungry signals our bodies to store the excess energy as fat.

In our ‘Intuitive Eating’ workshops we often ask people to put up their hands if they felt physical hunger today.  Usually about 20% of the room raise their hands, the rest look about sheepishly to see where they fit in with the group.

In our culture it has become ‘normal’ to eat 3 meals a day, about 8am, 12pm and 6pm sometimes with snacks in between, sometimes not. Instead of using our internal cues to know when to nourish ourselves we are using external cues to guide us. This is leading us to struggle with excess weight and obesity.

So how do I get started?

You need to know what they physical sensation of hunger feels like for you and you need to wait to feel it before you eat.

What does hunger feel like?

Many people describe it as an empty feeling, a gnawing in the stomach, a grumbling or rumbling sensation. Sometimes you can actually hear your stomach ‘growl’. Whatever it is for you, if you haven’t felt it in some time you’ll need to stop eating and wait until you can discern it. This may mean starting the day by skipping breakfast, possibly even lunch too. We’re had women go a whole day just drinking water until they felt true physical hunger. Trust that you’re body will provide a signal and when it does it’s time to eat.

So you’re going to give this a try? Great, you’re on your way to eating like a naturally slim person.  

But…,there are two more guiding principles that you need to know about and practice to be a true intuitive eater.

They are:

2.       Stop eating when you’re satisfied 

3.       Eat anything you’re body truly wants to eat

Next week we’ll talk more about Principle 2.