“You know when you are hungry because your body starts telling you, gently at first, then in no uncertain voice, that it needs food and needs it now.” ~ Geneen Roth
Hunger begins as a very quiet voice that slowly gets louder as needs go unmet. Unlike fullness, which steadily builds, hunger comes in waves, especially in the early stages.
These hunger waves make [private_membership circle]sense in terms of survival and our natural instincts. When hunger signals are ignored, the body understands that we either are busy with something more important or that food is not available. So the signal goes away for a while, no longer distracting us. We can finish what is more important (driving safely through a rain storm or reading the last pages of a story to our child).
But the receding of that hunger wave does not mean we are no longer hungry! If we believe that we are not actually hungry when the hunger wave recedes, we miss out. We miss the message. Then, when the wave rolls back in a bit more loudly, we may figure the first wave went away, so this one will too. And, temporarily, it does. But then suddenly, it returns, more urgent and even louder than before. Without the understanding that we are actually hungry when the wave recedes, we will feel confused, scared, and out-of-control as the stronger waves roll in. “Where did that come from? I wasn’t even hungry.” But actually, we were hungry; we just didn’t understand our body’s signals.
When we realize that hunger comes in waves and that these waves are signals from our body to help us take good care of ourselves, we can begin to pay closer attention to them. Regularly responding to our body’s hunger waves allows us to feed ourselves with confidence, again and again.
Tip: Tune into your body’s hunger waves. When does the first one roll in? How strong is it? How long until the second wave hits? Feel a difference?
Affirming Statement: “I dive in and respond to my hunger waves.”
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Nutrition therapists Amy Tuttle, RD, LCSW and Karin Kratina, RD, PhD provide no-diet articles and resources including “Stay Attuned: The E-zine for Nourishing Connections” at their Nourishing Connections website. www.nourishingconnections.com
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