Are You Really Hungry?

Knowing when you’re actually hungry and when your mind is just playing tricks on you can be a huge challenge. Add in boredom and stress, and it gets even more challenging and although your body is a master communicator, it’s really easy to get confused and misinterpret its cues.

Growing a deeper connection to your body and learning how to tell if you’re really hungry or falling for a common eating trigger is an important skill for maintaining a healthy weight and taking care of your overall health. 

Here are a few tips to help you better understand your body’s messages:

1- Hunger cues: 
Like most things, hunger cues really depend on each individual person. You and I can eat the same meal, you can be full halfway through and I can still have room for more at the end.
When you're really  hungry, you'll experience true hunger cues. Your stomach starts growling, you may feel low in energy or a little fuzzy and you may even experience headaches and have a hard time focusing on what you’re doing.

Your nutritional needs depend on many factors but the key is to listen to – and try to understand – your body’s communication and hunger signals.

2- Food diary:
Having a food diary can be a great way to learn more about your eating patterns, both good and not so good ones.You can create a simple food diary on your notebook, phone or computer with these categories:

1- What you eat
2- What time you eat
3- What mood were you in and what were you doing when eating

After a few days of taking notes, you’ll be able to recognize some patterns that are signs of misinterpretation of hunger cues and also when your eating seems to come from true hunger cues.

3- Check in with your body:
Some of the ways in which you can check in with your body about your hunger levels:

1- Pause and ask yourself: Am I hungry? And do your best to be honest with yourself.
2- Scan your body head to toe and check in on your physical and emotional state.
3- Eating slowly and allowing your body time to let you know when it’s full.
4- Drinking a glass of water, going for a quick walk or… Somehow distracting yourself with something other than food.

Connecting with your body and creating healthier habits is not an overnight process, so be patient with yourself and your body as you adjust and learn.
You’ll notice that over time you understand your body and it’s needs better and please make sure you celebrate every step of your success.

Don’t forget to leave room for flexibility and know that whether  it takes days or months to connect with your body and learn its hunger cues, you’re already well on your way to a healthier and happier you.

Love,
Nousha