Fitness Friday: Are You Hungry?

"Are you hungry?"
(shrug) "Meh. I could eat..."

We have this conversation often around our house. Sure -- let me eat when it's convenient or when there's food, but when I'm hungry? What's that? I find that we even plan to avoid hunger -- eat now so that I'm not hungry later; wonder what will happen if we get hungry...?

Obviously, hunger is an empty stomach. The pain or burning you feel is your stomach being hopeful of food coming its way and dumping acid in preparation for eating. Have you ever gone to bed stuffed to the gills, almost ill, from WAY over-indulging, promising yourself to NEVER eat again only to wake up so hungry you start eyeing your bedcovers? Your stomach is a fast learner! Overeat at one meal, and the next time your stomach is empty it dumps much more acid than usual in preparation for another enormous meal. The result is an almost painful hunger feeling. Fortunately, it learns the other way, too! Start eating smaller portions and your hunger sensation is still noticeable, but not nearly as uncomfortable.

Most of us can identify hunger, but seem to take great lengths to avoid it. It's simply a signal like so many others of your body. And, if you are eating small portions, it isn't horribly painful. My biggest obstacle to feeling that hunger is mindless eating. We all know that many people with big weight struggles can be emotional eaters, but I think the vast majority of us are simply mindless eaters.

I know I can be guilty of: snacking my way through the pantry while I decide what to eat; being completely satisfied or full from dinner and eating the kids' leftovers while I clear the table; snacking while I cook dinner so that I sit down to a meal not hungry in the least; eating everything (or most of it) in front of me just because I was hungry -- but not necessarily THAT hungry (I never stopped to think about how hungry I was); eating just because it's 'time to eat'.

Studies and research come out time and again that shows that every successful dieter writes down EVERYTHING they put in their mouth. The reasoning is mainly that the dieter becomes AWARE of what s/he is consuming, and the (caloric) cost of all of it.

Fitness Friday will alternate between nutrition and exercise posts, so next week will be about exercise. For this week, I would encourage you to evaluate how well you are listening to your body's cry for food: are you physically hungry? Are you uncomfortably hungry? If so, can you eat a little less this time to become less hungry next time? Are you really enjoying what you eat? More than anything, I will try to pay attention to what I'm eating. God blesses us with some AMAZING food that we inhale too quickly to notice sometimes.

Until next Friday, be fit!