How to eat only when hungry?
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I don't wait until I'm hungry because then it becomes a battle of wills between what I want to eat and what I should eat. I preplan my day with meals and snacks. It doesn't always work out but if I have a snack midmorning I'm less likely to be ravenous at lunch. Midafternoon snack keeps me from eating too much at dinner. Evening is just a battle of wills!
See for me lately its been odd, i've found that if i can ...wait out the ravenous phase I am more willing to eat that healthy meal I have and I don't feel like i have to stuff my face but it is much harder to wait it out than to eat ahead of the feeling.0 -
I'm hypoglycemic and my hunger mechanism is screwed up. If I relied on physical indications I wouldn't know to eat until I couldn't focus, was nauseous or dizzy. I try to eat 5 times a day and spread my calories out as even as I can. That way I know my energy is constant. I've only had one episode of my blood sugar dropping so far. So it's working pretty good.
So being hungry isn't a factor with me.0 -
It's easier for me, as a Type II diabetic. I test my blood sugar (finger stick) 2-3 times a day. When I wake up, I expect my blood sugar to be <120; if not, I eat a very light breakfast (<100 kCal) and get some exercise (walk, bike). I test again before lunch; if not under 140 kCal, I postpone lunch for a while, getting some more exercise. Same thing at dinner. And (one of my weak points) I try to limit snacking in the evening, when I'm tired and my will power is shot. Better to go to bed and cuddle my partner. Bottom line: I don't "eat by the clock", and I pay attention to my body. That takes time and practice. My body had been a "neglected child" for a long time; it took a while to win back trust. My body will tell me what it needs, if I listen, and if I don't tempt it with fake, non-nutritive substitutes for healthy food.
Cherish your inner friend!0 -
As a practitioner of the 5:2 way of life, I find that the "fast" (500 cals 2x a week) days have gotten me very well acquainted with actual physical hunger. As a result, I have naturally become much less likely to eat for other reasons. Since I eat (pretty much; I slip up once in awhile) only when hungry (including the 5 "non-fast" days), I don't eat very often; usually 2 meals maybe one snack, and I anticipate by thinking about what I'll eat when I do get hungry--helps avoid the "cramming whatever is closest" into my mouth syndrome. BTW, that doesn't mean only broccoli and water, since the beauty of 5:2 is you can eat what you want...For example, yesterday was a fast day; I had a little less than 500 cals. Today is a non-fast day, it's almost 1pm and I haven't eaten yet; thinking about it. I plan on having strawberry shortcake when I do eat...got local strawberries and a scone from the co-op, will have full fat yogurt instead of cream 'cause that's what I have around. In 7 weeks, I've lost 12 lbs; but the main thing is, this WOL is sustainable. Try it, you'll like it! (see the forum and info at www.fastday.com)0
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My hunger meter is broken I need to reset it!
Your meter isn't broken. It's doing what it is supposed to do.
The problem is that you are treating the signal as "time to eat" instead of "time to think about eating sometime in the not too distant future", which is what it is actually saying.
If you want to understand what a real "EAT NOW, GODDAMMIT!" signal feels like, go on a three day fast. The vast majority of people from developed countries have never actually experienced real hunger.0 -
As a practitioner of the 5:2 way of life, I find that the "fast" (500 cals 2x a week) days have gotten me very well acquainted with actual physical hunger. As a result, I have naturally become much less likely to eat for other reasons.
I tried out intermittent fasting for about a month. I only ate between 2 pm and 10 pm. That's not nearly as dedicated as your version but there were days when I had worked out in the morning, hadn't eaten since 8 the night before and you really start feeling a physical sensation of needing food that goes beyond the typical emotional state of feeling hungry. I don't know that this works for everyone but it was an interesting thing to try out. Some days I wasn't even hungry at all but 2 pm.The problem is that you are treating the signal as "time to eat" instead of "time to think about eating sometime in the not too distant future", which is what it is actually saying.0 -
different stokes for different folks
Eating smaller meals throughout the day never works for me because I still want to eat big dinner...
It takes some practice but I think I am on the right track to listen to the true hunger signals...0 -
I like this topic. A lot of us say we're hungry when we really aren't. We're just used to eating too much.
I try to eat at mealtimes and then a snack in the evening if I haven't hit my calories yet. I've realized how much better food tastes when you are actually hungry for your meal.
In between meal times, I drink a lot of water and keep myself busy. And willpower.0 -
My hunger meter is broken I need to reset it!
Your meter isn't broken. It's doing what it is supposed to do.
The problem is that you are treating the signal as "time to eat" instead of "time to think about eating sometime in the not too distant future", which is what it is actually saying.
If you want to understand what a real "EAT NOW, GODDAMMIT!" signal feels like, go on a three day fast. The vast majority of people from developed countries have never actually experienced real hunger.
Yes to all.0
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