You likely know that, when it comes to what you eat, listening to your body is a great goal to have. Is it ideal? Sure. But easy? Definitely not.
In a nutshell, listening to your body gives you the opportunity to honor your hunger, fullness and cravings. It means eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re full, and enjoying that pizza/cookie/cake when you really want it. But realistically, it’s also much more complicated than simply “eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full.”
There are many situations that make the concept of “eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full” so much more complicated than it sounds. I mean, if it really were that easy, wouldn’t we all just be doing it?!
Below, let’s review some common situations that come up and may interfere with that idea and how to go about them:
Your family has set meal times that don’t always align with your hunger.
I’ve heard this one countless times since quarantine started. A lot of people are home with their families, which may mean also following their meal times that don’t always line up with your own hunger.
The positive here: you get to eat dinner with your family! How fun is that?! If you’re in college or have since moved out, you probably haven’t had this much QT with your family in a long time.
The fix: firstly, recognize that you don’t always have to eat 100% according to your hunger. Situations will arise, and it’s really okay if you’re not fully hungry for that meal with others.
In this situation, honor your hunger at best as you can. Try to eat even a little so that you’re able to enjoy the meal with your family. Definitely do not skip the meal just because you aren’t hungry – there’s nothing enjoyable about someone sitting at a dinner table not eating, for all parties involved.
Instead, recognize that it’s okay if you’re starting out a little less hungry and end up a little more full. Were you going to have a snack after dinner? Maybe you can skip that. Or maybe you’ll go to bed a little more full, both are okay.
Additionally, if you know that dinner is at a certain time, try to plan ahead. If family dinner is at 6pm and you usually have a snack around 4pm, can you move your snack up a bit? Can you make your snack a little smaller? The best part about honoring your hunger and fullness is that it comes with flexibility – no rigid rules here.
You try to stop eating when you’re full, but you hate wasting food.
I totally hear you on this one. It’s especially common if it was a theme growing up: your parents might have told you not to waste food on your plate when there are hungry children elsewhere (which is valid!). It’s so interesting how themes like this can subconsciously stay with us.
There’s no benefit to wasting food, truly. And you probably already also know that I do not agree with people who say things like “better in the trash than on your hips!” (insert 1000 eye rolls).
Instead, what are some things you can do with leftover food once you’ve realized you’re full? If you’re at a restaurant, can you ask for a to-go box and take some home for leftovers? If you’re at home, can you put some in Tupperware? If you’re eating with someone else, can you see if they want some? (Personally, my husband loves finishing any meal I don’t finish!).
And, if you’re not too keen on leftovers, think of ways you can repurpose them: leftover veggies can be sautéed into a stir fry, leftover chicken or fish can be made into fried rice. Get creative in order to make the meal more appetizing.
And lastly, at the end of the day, if there’s truly no way to salvage the meal, try not to stress too much about it. You have 2 options when you’re full but don’t want to waste food: 1) eat past the point of fullness or 2) waste a little food. And guess what? While neither one is ideal, I promise, when it happens occasionally, neither option will be that catastrophic in the long run 🙂
You’re about to head out for the day and aren’t sure when you’ll get a chance to eat, but aren’t hungry right now.
There’s a concept called planned hunger: obviously, hunger that we plan for. Let’s say it’s 10am and you’re about to go on a long walk or see a friend (with a mask on) or any other situation where you might not have immediate access to food, but, you’re not hungry right now.
This is when planned hunger comes into play. Plan ahead by having a little snack at that time, even if you aren’t super hungry for it. By anticipating your hunger now, you can prevent excess hunger from hitting around 12pm and being totally out of luck without any food on hand.
Also, it’s never a bad idea to bring snacks with you. I definitely don’t think anyone needs to walk around with their entire pantry with them. But, especially right now, while limited stores are open and you may be practicing social distancing, it can never hurt to have some small snacks in your purse, car or even pocket.
Some simple favorites include snack bars, fresh or dried fruit or even a small package of nuts. All are small enough to easily carry with you, and can hold you over just a little until you can have your next meal.
You’re not always hungry for 3 big meals/6 small meals (or whatever myth you’ve heard) per day.
I already spoiled the answer a little bit by using the word myth. If you’ve heard that you should eat 3 big meals or 6 small meals per day, those ideas are just that: myths. There is no rule about how many meals or how many times you should or shouldn’t eat per day.
If you’re not hungry for a meal, you don’t need to eat it. If you’re hungry for a snack instead, eat a snack instead. Similarly, if you’re hungry soon after a meal but it’s not “snack time,” eat the damn snack. Set meals and snacks are subtle rules that you may subconsciously follow and prevent you from following your own hunger and fullness. Try to ignore them and let your hunger guide you instead.
As a caveat here, I’m hesitant to tell you to skip a meal if you’re not hungry. Skipping meals is almost never a good solution, unless you ate a super large meal before and truly aren’t hungry. Please, please keep in mind that hunger is normal. Hunger is GOOD. It’s not a bad thing to feel hungry. In fact, it’s a necessary tool for survival in order for us to know when to eat.
If you’ve been ignoring your hunger and fullness cues, or eating according to rules for a while, it may be difficult at first to discern what true hunger and fullness feel like. Hunger is a physical feeling in your stomach of wanting food, and also a mental feeling of starting to think about food and feel ready to eat it. When you feel it – no matter the time – honor it!
Some days, you might end up eating 2 big meals for the day and that’s it. Other days, you may feel better having 7 or 8 small, frequent snacks. Trust me, as a dietitian, I’ve done both of these based on how I was feeling for the day, and there’s nothing wrong with either one.
When you learn to honor your hunger and fullness, you’ll also start to easily remove any subconscious rules or doubts about what you eat. Instead of eating according to how you think you should eat, you start to eat based on how you feel, which in turn, helps you to feel your best.
Keep in mind, like with anything else, there’s no perfection here. Know this now: you will never eat when you’re perfectly hungry and stop when you’re perfectly full 100% of the time. Life happens. And part of honoring your hunger and fullness and eating in a more mindful way also means removing the pressure to be perfect and getting rid of any unnecessary judgement on yourself.
Learning to honor your hunger and fullness, and do so in a non-perfect way, gives you the ability to enjoy life. It lets you enjoy dinners with friends and family, social events and meals out – all without letting thoughts about food get in your way. Because at the end of the day, you’ll never regret enjoying those times fully. There’s no reason thoughts about food should cloud them in any way.
Want more tips on how to listen to your body and create a healthy relationship with food? Check out my membership program, All Foods Fit, with 12 thorough lessons to teach easy ways to create a healthy relationship with food. Or, check out my e-book, 7 Days to Make All Foods Fit, to learn a step by step guide to create a healthier relationship with food in just 7 days.
