Eat when you're hungry.

Hey friends! Today I want to talk to you about learning how to eat when I’m hungry. This sounds really silly. You may even think, “but I only eat when I’m hungry.” I thought that, too. I thought getting to be overweight was just who I naturally was. I thought I was eating healthy and only what I needed. I was very wrong. I started feeling sluggish and tired all the time. I would be constantly thinking about food. Ever feel this way? If so, I'd like to share some things that made me realize what real hunger actually is, and why we avoid feeling it.

There is wrong way to think about food

I soon learned that what I thought was hunger was really just me wanting food. I had tied my emotions to my food. You might notice you do this if you say things like “I deserve this,” when it comes to eating. If this doesn’t make sense, think of food in terms of going to the bathroom. It is a biological need. Everyone has to do it to live. Do you think, “oh gosh, I emotionally need to go to the bathroom right now,” or "I deserve this trip to the bathroom"? Probably not… if so we may need to talk about some deeper issues ;). (If you have a little nugget you hide from in the bathroom that is different, I get it mama!)

You probably feel the initial urge to use the restroom and keep going around doing things until it becomes more urgent. We rarely treat hunger that way, though. The initial pang we think, “OH MY GOSH I’m STARVING. I probably need 7 Olive Garden breadsticks right now!” Well okay, maybe that was just me, but hopefully you get what I am saying.

You do not have to eat at the first sign of hunger

You can feel that initial pang and keep going on with your day. Get distracted by other things until you actually feel real hunger.

Biology is fighting against us. Our instincts tell us to eat right now. That’s because our ancestors did not always know when their next meal would be.. You, on the other hand, don't have to worry about hunting down your food and wonder if you'll find or catch anything like our ancestors did. Chances are good you can go look in your pantry and find something to eat, so you probably don't need to down that pack of m&ms this second. Just chill, wait until it is necessary to eat. Then don't gorge yourself, just eat slowly until you begin to feel full.

Only eating when actually hungry is challenging

Your body naturally wants to maintain the status quo. If you want to lose weight your brain is going to fight you and say you are starving. If you want to lose weight for your health you need to fight back. It will be hard. You did not put on weight overnight, even if this seems this way, so it will be hard to get it off. Previously I have mentioned what helped me stay on track. LoseIt! is an app that allows you to put in your current weight, your goal weight, and how many pounds you want to lose a week---.5 a pound to 2 pounds a week. Any more is unsafe to average, and unlikely you would keep it off. I hate those “lose weight fast” advertisements. They typically mess with something in your system and are often dangerous. LoseIt! allows you to plug in any exercise you do and gives you a daily caloric intake. Then you can chose the foods you eat throughout the day...and get this you can choose the foods you like!

Budget your calories how you would (or should) your money

I started by just plugging in what I was already eating, then found out toward the end of the day I was finishing with nothing left. I’ve previously said my family is a dessert family. I like ending with dessert. Still, as a healthy triathlete, I end with dessert. I learned to budget my calories how I do my money. I would plan it out at the beginning of the day. Then I figured out certain foods just did not make me full. Drinking my calories is typically pointless (unless training for an Ironman). After a while it became natural. Sometimes I will skip meals because I’m just not hungry (don't skip if you are hungry!!!). Sometimes I will eat 7 meals in a day because I am just that hungry.

LoseIt! taught me what being hungry is, and not to panic at the first feeling. I have not used it in a while, mainly because I haven’t needed it. It is responsible for helping me go from being overweight to a healthy weight. I feel great. I hope this will help you feel that way, too.

Peace out!

#fitness #healthy #schedule #simple #weightloss #workout