Am I Hungry?

Last month, we talked about the 3 second approach to bettering your nutrition habits. If you need a refresher on what this three second approach is all about, read it here: http://whatsupathfa.blogspot.com/2016/03/3-second-guide-to-better-nutrition.html . Hopefully though, you don’t need a refresher because you have been using the approach for the past few weeks. Today we are going to talk about question number one in detail. That question is, “am I hungry?”. Let’s jump right in.

The very first thing you should ask yourself before putting anything into your mouth is “am I hungry?”. Well, are you?

If the answer is no, but you are still wanting the food in front of you, congratulate yourself for recognizing that you are in an “emotional eating” situation. Now that you are aware of the situation you are in, you are in a better position to make a better decision.

If the answer to the question is yes, then we turn to the hunger scale. How hungry you are before and after you eat are critically important factors for controlling your weight. If you wait too long between meals, to the point that you are extremely hungry, it can lead you to binge eating and weight gain. On the other hand, over stuffing yourself to the point that you are over full can also lead to weight gain. For best results, you should keep your hunger at a happy medium.

Our bodies are designed to tell us when to eat and when not to. If we listen to our body, it can help us to manage our weight. The best way to do this is to use the hunger scale from 0-10. This can help you understand when to eat based on your body signals.

To keep yourself between a 3 and a 5, eat several small meals throughout the day, such as 3 meals and 2 snacks. When you ask yourself the “am I hungry” question, think of the hunger scale. If you find yourself at the bottom of the scale, eat very slowly and monitor your hunger rating as you eat. Because it takes about 15 minutes to feel full after we are actually full, eating slowly can help you avoid becoming “stuffed” from eating too much before your brain can register that you have had enough. If you focus on multiple small meals and snacks throughout the day, you lessen the chance of your hunger going outside of the 3 to 5 range. So make it a practice to never skip meals, especially breakfast.

The other challenges of not following our hunger messages are cravings, emotional eating, and temptations. These all fall into the category of eating without thought. If you ask yourself “am I hungry”, you are now entering the realm of thoughtful eating so you can now recognize when you are facing an emotional craving or temptation.

The next few things we will discuss are powerful approaches that are backed by scientific research to help you reduce cravings and achieve your goals.

Are You Hungry or Just Thirsty?

You know water is good for you, but did you know that what you drink has an impact on how full you feel? Also, did you know that what you drink can also help you to burn calories?

A ground breaking study found that water actually helps the body burn more calories. The scientists found that drinking water increases the metabolic rate by 30%.

Water also helps you to feel full. One study found that subjects that drank two glasses of water before a meal felt fuller during the meal. So, while you are burning more calories with water, it can also quench your hunger. And of course, it will also help you to stay hydrated.

In addition, sometimes our bodies confuse thirst for hunger; therefore, drinking more water can help you to quench your hunger in more than one way.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Did you know that putting tempting foods right in front of you will make them hard to resist? Of course you did, that’s why restaurants bring out dessert trays and waive them in front of you.

Researchers did a study on how much candy was eaten by women office workers when candy dishes filled with chocolate kisses were placed in a clearly visible spot versus in covered bowls. These women ate 2.2 more candies when the bowls were uncovered and conveniently located. While 2.2 more candies might not seem like a lot, that’s 275 extra calories over a five day work week, and 4 pounds of fat accumulated during the course of a year. Other researchers have shown that when more food is put on people’s plates, they eat more.

The message with these studies? When we see more food, we eat more food. The good news is that there are several things we can do so that we are less “tempted”.

1.      Be aware of the foods around you. Avoid surrounding yourself with foods that are too tempting or do not support your goals. Throw away the foods that you overeat with when you’re stressed or bored.

2.       Don’t buy foods at the grocery store that you think will be too tempting. If it isn’t in your cart, you won’t take it to the check out. If you don’t take it to the check out, you won’t buy it. If you don’t buy it, it won’t end up in your home. If it doesn’t end up in your home, it won’t end up in your mouth.

3.       Not on your plate, not in your mouth. The same is true about the food on our plates.  There are three ways to accomplish this. First, use smaller plates. Second, put food on the plates then serve meals. Leave the serving dishes and the rest of the food in the kitchen. Also, if you eat out, ask the staff to cut your entrée in half before it comes out to you and bring half of it out on the plate, and the other half in a to-go bag.

4.       Don’t leave high calorie foods out in your home. If you need to have candy, cake, and high calorie foods out in your home for special occasions, put them way out of sight until the limited time that they need to be out.

Changing your nutrition habits can seem like a hard and daunting task, but starting with the 3 second approach to eating and changing the way you think about food can make it much easier.

Keep practicing asking yourself the three questions before putting anything into your mouth over the next few weeks (1. Am I Hungry, 2. Is It Smart, and 3. How Much Do I need), and I’ll be back in a few weeks to discuss, in detail, the “is it smart” question.

Until next time,

Miranda Harris, CSCS, HFS

mharris@mvhospital.net