Life on Empty

Have you ever heard of a diet plan that advertises the fact that you will be hungry? I am not aware of one. Usually a diet encourages us to fill up with “free foods” so we don’t feel hungry. (Think sugar-free candy, chewing gum, calorie-free popsicles, etc.).

What’s wrong with being hungry?

Here are some questions that I have asked myself. Is it ok to feel hungry? Is hunger a positive thing or a negative thing? What happens when I feel hungry? How long can I wait to eat when I feel hungry? What feelings come up for me? Comfortable? Uncomfortable?

I’ve found there is a lot to learn from feeling hungry. If I truly pay attention my hunger will tell me exactly what to eat. I can differentiate between wanting an apple or a pear – a whole, a half or even a quarter of it.

We are so programmed not to feel hungry that we lose touch with our body signals. Next time you feel hungry listen to what comes up for you.

If you are hypoglycemic, have low blood sugar, or have been instructed by a physician not to get to the hunger state then this does not apply to you and there are other ways to be mindful about what you are eating.

However, if you do not have a medical condition and can play with this idea of being hungry, then asking the questions I posed earlier is a first step.

So many of the diet plans emphasize that on their plan you won’t feel hungry. What’s so bad about feeling hungry? What happens when you feel hungry? What feelings come up for you? What thoughts do you have? How do you handle feeling hungry? Does feeling hungry make you want to take action to eat or can you simply sit with hunger?

All good questions. Will you join me in asking them?

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This entry was posted on 23. May 2009 at 11:31 and is filed under Healthy Body. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.