What do you do when you feel hungry?

when Im hungry I always make to sure to eat but I found my trick is to keep hearlty food around me. I keep cut up veggies and dip, v8 cans, fruits all handy and at close reach that way if I am hungry that will be what I eat first and I wont feel guilty about it!

I eat 5 small meals a day now, so I'm eating frequently enough that I am never starving.

However, if you are "plowing through" food and eating when you aren't even hungry, as you say, then you are likely eating for emotional reasons. Until you get that under control, it will be hard for you to sustain healthy, normalized eating.

I eat. However, I have designated snack foods that are prepackaged or easy to grab. Once a week I cut up a bunch of veggies, split them into single serving tupperware, and put them in my fridge. I have easy to grab string cheese, and if I buy cottage cheese I divvy it up into individual containers as well. I always have easy to eat fruit on hand (apples, oranges, bananas - quick to grab and not a lot of prep needed), banana chips, almonds, and protein bars. If I'm eating veggies or fruit, I try to make sure to couple it with a protein or a healthy fat to make sure my appetite is satiated.

Basically, I make it as easy as possible to grab a single serving of something and eat it. Because I know its a single serving I know that when I'm done, I'm done. If I grab food out of a bag its easy to underestimate how much you've eaten, or to keep eating after you've consumed what you should. And I know that for myself whenever I have to prepare a meal I'm more likely to snack a little here or munch a little there in the process of making it. I just eliminate that problem as much as possible.

I try to build snacks into my days--I almost always preplan--specifically for this reason. I generally eat small things every few hours during the day and then reserve most of my calories for dinner/dessert (which makes for an interesting time when I do a workout just before dinner, but that's life). I shoot for small, high-protein snacks. Beef jerky. Edamame (just discovered steamer bags of it at Costco and am temporarily in love). Protein bars.

Because I plan it out this way, it usually means I'm able to eat when I'm hungry. I already have a thing on my list. Check out my diary if you'd like.

When I'm hungry, which is usually mid-afternoon or in the evening, I use to start eating something healthy but followed it with anything and everything in the house. Not good! Now I go to my water pitcher and pour myself a glass of water to tie me over till dinner. In the evening a cup of hot tea usually will get me to bedtime. Otherwise, have those healthy snacks on hand; fresh veggies, pre-counted bags of rice snacks or fat free pudding.

I chew gum or drink coffee with skim milk.

I first determine if I am really hungry or bored...if I know that a full meal is right around the corner, I brush my teeth. Something about brushing my teeth keeps me from snacking needlessly.

Also - I always keep baby carrots in the fridge...this really helps!

If I am genuinely hungry, as in, it is uncomfortable or would keep me awake, then I have a piece of fruit, cottage cheese, nuts, Greek yoghurt or a hard boiled egg. I tend to only have one main meal anyway and the rest of my food is comprised of the above snacks, when and as I need them. It works for me.

I drink when I'm hungry. Sometimes the 'hunger signal' is really just that I am dehydrated and need water. I also do coffee, or a sugar free drink with lots of Sonic ice. Sometimes I just need something to crunch.