Are you hungry right now?
How do you know?
Take a minute. Check-in.
Put your hand on your belly. What do you feel?
Do you need to eat right now?
Do you want to eat right now?
Do you feel like you should eat right now?
If you're having trouble with this, you're not alone. Most of us have forgotten what it's like to feel truly physically hungry (or satisfied).
So make a game of it as you practice.
Touch and go
Imagine this. You've just been shipwrecked on a desert island.
Would you be the guy who starts to freak out once his stomach starts rumbling?
Or would you be the guy who shrugs, gets to work making some pointy sticks, and hangs in there until he can spear a tasty island rat for chow? He knows that hunger isn't an emergency. Because he's been practising his 80% full.
Yeah, being hungry kinda sucks. But you'll survive.
Your muscles won't dissolve if you don't get dinner by 6 p.m.
And being a little hungry puts you in fat-burning mode.
Hunger comes and goes in waves.
Most of the time it's just a little uncomfortable. Nothing you can't handle.
Try "touch and go" with being hungry, or anything else you notice today.
Pause. Observe it for a few minutes.
Then move on.
Like this:
"Man, I could totally go for a cheeseburger right now! This is a serious craving! Huh. That's interesting. Am I really hungry? [waiting] Kind of. OK, I'll wait a little while longer and see how it goes."
Think about stopping at 80% full — and observing your hunger and fullness — as merely pausing.
It's not forever. Touch and go.
Try playing the hunger game.
When you notice yourself wanting food, pause for a moment.
· Are you physically hungry?
· What are the body cues that would tell you?
While you're eating, pause.
· Are you satisfied?
· What are the body cues that would tell you?
We don't want you to starve. We simply want you to pause.
Wait. Check-in.
Notice what your body is saying.
What You Can do today
1. Ask yourself: Am I physically hungry?
Sense in. What cues tell you if you're physically hungry or full?
2. Eat slowly.
You can't sense hunger or fullness when you rush. Help yourself learn your body cues by slowing down.
3. Play the hunger game.
Experiment. See what happens when you pause before eating. And during eating. And after eating.
Huh. That's interesting.
4. Be patient.
Take it easy on yourself. You're learning a new skill. (And un-learning decades of cultural conditioning.)
Give yourself time to get the hang of this. Just do your best today.
5. Stop eating at 80% full.
Don't worry about getting this perfect. Just try your best.
Your Health Coach, Chris