Intuitive Eating Principle #2: Honor Your Hunger

Many of my clients fear hunger as if it is an enemy.  Diet culture has led people to believe that hunger should be feared and more so that you cannot be trusted to make the “right” choice.  I like to tell my clients that the absence of hunger is what worries me.  If my clients can go more than 5 hours during the day without feeling hungry or if they go throughout the day stating they “always” feel hungry, it is a sign of disconnection and distrust with the body.

Hunger is a biological cue from the body, it is a basic need of survival.  What's more, you do not need any rules or system to tell you when to eat.  When you learn how to tune in to your internal hunger cues you have all the information necessary!

If you have felt out of tune with your hunger, here are a few tips to get you back in tune and listening to your body again:

Observe what does hunger feel like to you? Where in your body do you feel it?  How does hunger progress in your body(emptiness in your stomach, gnawing sensation, headache, fatigue, light-headedness, irritability, etc.)?

Notice how your hunger changes before, during, and after a meal.  Were the sensations pleasant or unpleasant?  Would you want to feel that way again?

Does your hunger change based on the environment or situation?  Does hunger change when you are stressed, anxious, tired, etc.? Where do you notice these feelings in your body?

   
Intuitive Eating is all about getting curious and regaining connection with your own body.  Bring awareness to how hunger and food feels in your body.  Get to know what hunger feels like in YOUR body.  

When we honor our hunger we can start to build trust with our body again.