How Do I Honor My Hunger?
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you may have seen posts about honoring your hunger and thought “Okay, uhhh but how?” In this post, i want to break down what exactly that means and how to do so.
When you think about it, eating sounds pretty simple. In theory, if you start to have hunger pains, you eat something, and then move on to the next task. However, with our diet plagued culture we are encouraged to believe that it is okay for you to not eat when you feel or hear your stomach growling.
Think about it, how many times have you ignored your hunger pains? How many times have you gotten another cup of coffee to calm those cues? We do crazy things to ignore our bodies telling us that it needs energy, fuel, food, anything! The only way to satisfy physical hunger is by eating.
Hunger is a biological process. Hunger is normal. Having consistent and regular hunger signals can be a sign of overall good health. Hunger is controlled by various hormones and neurotransmitters that send signals between organs and the brain. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone. I was taught in school that the G in ghrelin goes with a growling stomach. Helps you to remember it, right? Ghrelin is secreted by the stomach. Ghrelin receptors are located in the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus is responsible for appetite. The more you ignore those signals, the more ghrelin gets secreted and the more your body fights back.
So when you don’t complete that 16 hour fast like you are “supposed to” on your diet, it is not because you are a failure or have a lack of willpower. It literally means your body is telling you it needs food the only way it knows how.
If you have been dieting for a long time and have followed said diet by not eating when you felt those hunger pangs, your signals probably have dwindled over time. Your body views the ignored cues as “a waste” and stops sending them. So if you don’t feel hunger pangs as intensely as you once did, that could be one explanation for why.
So, what can you do to try and get those consistent hunger signals from your body? Here are a few suggestions on what you can do to honor your hunger:
Ditch The Clock.
Often times we only eat breakfast at 8am, or we can only eat lunch after 11am, or dinner time is strictly 6:00pm. When we follow diet rules or food rules we have created for ourselves we restrict ourselves and once again, put those internal cues on the back burner. No matter what time of the day it is, if you are hungry, EAT! You are your own expert. Only you know if you are hungry. If you are still hungry after a meal, get another serving or allow yourself to have some dessert. I am thankful for this tip because I used to think I could only eat lunch after 11am, but guess what!? If I’m hungry at 10:30 am you may catch me driving through a Chick-Fil-A or heating up leftovers from the night before.
Recognizing Your Hunger Symptoms.
There is no right or wrong way to feel hunger. Everyone is different so this may not be the same for everyone, but being aware of why you’re feeling a certain way may help tune you into what your body is telling you. Some hunger cues include:
Growling noises
Uncomfortable stomach pain
Headache
Thinking of food
Shakiness
Moodiness (hangry anyone?)
Lack of concentration
Notice How Your Hunger Changes.
One way to help you tune in to your internal signals is by paying attention to your hunger before your meal, during your meal and after your meal. A commonly used tool is the Hunger/Fullness Scale. This is a scale that ranges from 1-10, and helps you rate your hunger from the beginning of the meal, to the middle, and to the end of the meal. Here is what the scale entails:
1- Painfully hungry- physically ill, nauseated.
2- Extremely hungry- ravenous, gnawing in stomach, moody.
3- Very hungry- low energy, stomach continuing to growl.
4- Hungry- stomach slightly empty, ready for food.
5- Neutral- Not hungry or full.
6- Mild fullness- Feel some sensations of fullness but can still eat.
7- Comfortably full- Feel content and satisfied.
8- A little too full- Uncomfortably full
9- Very full- Really uncomfortable, stuffed. Think a meal like Thanksgiving?
10- Painfully full- Feel nauseated or sick, physically ill.
It is generally recommended to eat when you’re at about a 3-4 to prevent you from feeling 2-1. Similarly, you should eat until you feel comfortably full, a 6 or 7 on the scale. Your fullness and satisfaction cues are just as important as your hunger cues.
This scale is just one tool to help with your hunger. As I said, there is no right or wrong and everyone is different. If this tool seems overwhelming you can use a scale of uncomfortably hungry to comfortable- to uncomfortably full. The main goal of honoring your hunger is to be less scared of hunger and for you to reconnect with your body by listening to and respecting it consistently. Hunger is not the problem. Hunger is a sign that we are alive. Your body is keeping you alive. Hallelujah to that!