Understanding you hunger is a key component to overcoming emotional eating. It’s essential work for my clients -often something they have never really thought about.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Physical, bodily hunger can be identified when you feel the sensation in your body – often your stomach. Perhaps it’s a hollow feeling, or light headedness. Your stomach sends this message to your brain and you will feel it whether or not you see or smell food.
Head hunger however, is affected by external cues. For example, you may walk past a bakery. You can see and smell freshly baked pastries and then think – I’ve really got to buy some of that. There are no physical symptoms – it may be the pure fact that you’ve seen it and it looks good. It may habitual (ie you pass the same bakery every day and it has become your default behaviour to stop off and buy the pastry on your way home. Or you may be feeling sad, stressed, anxious, fed up or angry and think – that is exactly what I need to make me feel better.
If what you are experiencing is in fact head hunger– this isn’t a sign of weakness or something to fear. It is very often a signal that we have an unmet need. Learning to understand these signals with self-compassion is a key part of the process of creating positive change.
And what if you feel true bodily hunger all the time?
If your hunger is real and you experience it all the time, this is also something to embrace. It is your body’s way of telling you it needs nourishment.
Many of the women I work with have experienced intense hunger after they finish their meal. Often this is purely because they have not been allowing themselves to eat enough, following a self-imposed rule of how much they 'should' be eating.
Many of my clients express disbelief when they realise what a difference it makes to eat three balanced meals a day and give themself permission to have more if required. Following this they no longer needed to snack or binge in the evenings and are able to enjoy their eating experience.
What if you just don’t know?
We are all born to innately respond to hunger, fullness and satiety. Think of how babies and toddlers eat when they are hungry and push food away spit it out or throw it on the floor when they are not. They instinctively know. Sadly, over time this skill becomes eroded by the influence of our environment, mass media and diet culture -Have you ever been on a diet that focuses on your hunger and satiety?!
The good news is that this skill can be relearned. It takes work and focus to start listening to your body to then be able to trust and respond to it. But it can be achieved. I have seen my clients change the way they think about food and eating, liberate their mind and make incredible life transformations.
FREE DAILY SUPPORT
If you are you struggling with your eating and your relationship with food + your body, head over to The Food Freedom Collective free group, for daily support and weekly live videos to tackle your challenges
If any of these resonate then this community is for you :
💠You are on and off diets all the time
💠You find yourself binge eating
💠You are an ‘emotional eater’
💠You restrict food in order to lose weight
💠 You can’t stop thinking about your weight, appearance or food
💠 You feel overwhelmed and confused no longer knowing what you ‘should’ eat