On Feeling Hungry

Posted on January 29, 2015

Today is the last day of my business trip - I fly home this evening. I feel reasonably good about my success regarding making good food choices, there were some bumps in the road, but I didn't totally mess up or anything. Its been interesting eating a little bit less (and definately more healthy) than I used to...I believe actually that I can reduce my portion sizes further and not be hungry, especially if I have some healthy snack available incase I get hungry between meals.

I seem to have some underlying "fear" of feeling hungry. I have no reason to have such fear...its not like I'm on an island, and need to hunt for my food! Food is plentiful and almost always available.

I feel hungry this morning, which I realize is a pretty rare sensation for me. Clearly it would be a problem if I constantly were hungry, but I believe its also a problem that I very rarely feel hungry. I feel like I have such a history of eating too much food that the true sensation of hunger is quite foreign to me. Part of my journey I think is to reacquint myself with hunger - not in a crazy unhealthy way, just in a rational way and being more aware of my own body.

Let me be REALLY clear - I'm not promoting the idea of constant hunger pain or constant under-eating - I know that would be a disaster. But I'm saying, hunger is a natural feeling - its your body telling you its time to eat. If I never feel that feeling, I'm possibly eating too much, even when my body doesn't actually need food. I'm eating because of habit or stress or some other reason. I think a more healthy balance is to listen to my body more, and perhaps as I get more aware of myself, I can learn the feeling of "almost" being hungry, and eat at THAT moment so I don't feel real hunger. But for now, I want to get familar with the feeling again.

I also decided to open up my actual weight in my diet bet profile. So my weight is now visible to all of you. Yes, I started this bet at 250 lbs. I figure with this blog, I don't really have much to hide, so I'll put myself out there and hold myself accountable.

Thanks to all of you for your comments and support. I enjoy reading other blogs on here (Kaya - yours is great), so I hope something I write will help others too.

Its been a super busy trip, and today will be especially challenging. I look forward to getting home tonight. Have a great day all!

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Ruby541

01/29/2015 7:02AM

I also used to scared of being hungry to the point where I would never work out unless I had eaten. I would also eat on time and never push through til later. My trainer helped me break those boundaries. I don't eat before work outs anymore and can now go without an afternoon snack, get home, work out and then make dinner.

Laura

01/29/2015 6:43AM

I started feeling hungry about a week or two ago (I've been eating more healthily since Jan 1st). It also occurred to me when I felt it the first time that I couldn't remember the last time I felt properly hungry. I agree that it's healthy to feel hungry - and that it's a good basis on which to understand whether each meal is adequate (do you feel starving hungry before the next) or too much (still bloated and full when the next meal time arrives). I think for dieting it's simple enough to follow a plan and to calculate everything you are eating and exercising as in/out but if we are to maintain the loss - and I really hope I maintain it this time - listening to our bodies is key.

Ruby541

01/29/2015 5:41AM

Congratulations on opening yourself up ... It can take a lot of courage! I love that this place is so non judge-mental ... I am very introverted too. This is my first time sharing publicly in so far as to the group. I wouldn't even share this typically on Facebook.