Connecting to Your Hunger 101

How do you know when you’re hungry versus just craving food? How do can you  tell when your body is in need of food?  How do you know if it’s hunger, or mindless eating? Is it even possible to understand  your hunger?

YES! It is possible to understand your hunger cues and be in touch with what your body needs…  but it won’t always come easy. It’s funny, actually, because we are all born intuitive eaters. Our bodies are designed to tell us when we  are hungry, and what type of food source we need in order to best fuel our bodies.  However, media and culture have shaped the way we view food, and thus have led us to being less intuitive and more concerned with societal norms and diets. 

It has become “normal” to control, count,  and track our calories and food intake. It has become “normal” to restrict when we eat and how much. If you take a step back from what society has told you is normal, ask yourself- does that actually seem like a normal thing to control? We can certainly  have a healthy balance  of feeding our bodies what it needs and craves, while still enjoying treats, and still eating a healthy diet (aka intuitive eating).

How do we get to this magical place? Well, the first step is to start getting better in tune with your hunger. One of the ways to do this is so keep a journal. We  aren’t talking about calorie tracking in the MyFitnessPal app, we’re talking about a pen to paper journal where you can track your intake to see patterns around when you  feel more hungry. Do  you get more hungry after a big workout or during your menstrual cycle?  Or are you eating more when you experience stress? Tracking these patterns can help you get back in touch with your body. 

Another idea is to schedule check ins for yourself. This might look like setting a reminder on your phone a couple of times a day where you will pause and check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Are you hungry? Fatigued? Energized?  Checking in with your body will help build trust with your body and again, get you back in tune.

It can take a while to get back in touch with your hunger after dieting because you’re not used to listening to your actual hunger cues. Remember,  it may be trial and error for a while, but the more you listen to your body, the more you’ll recognize your body’s signals of hunger  cues.

As always, I  am here to help and would love to help you take the steps needed to connect to your body and live your best life!