There are lots of ways to describe hunger--one being internal hunger vs. the other being external hunger. Internal hunger is real, physical and best dealt with by eating nutritious food. Think of breakfast, lunch, dinner and healthier snacks. On the other hand, external hunger is opportunistic--it is based in what you happen to see or smell in the moment. This is where the animal in us just pounces at whatever it sees. With all the desserts, cookies and extras available this time of year, this can be a real problem.
One way to tame this tiger, is to stop, slow down and ask yourself whether you are internally hungry? If so, then of course eating makes sense. If what you choose is mostly healthy and right-sized portioned, and you stop eating when you are satisfied, this is NOT where weight gain will come from. If you find yourself tempted just because opportunity presented itself, the food looked good, it was sitting there, everyone else was eating, etc., then you might consider whether you really want to eat or whether this is just one of 200 opportunities in the course of the day. This is precisely where weight gain comes from. The opportunistic bites are so often full of calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt.
As thinking adults not animals, we can endeavor to get better at slowing down long enough to decide what's right from moment to moment. Eating meals and planned snacks at regular intervals will certainly help. Not letting hunger get too primal will also help. We can't help but forget our smart human brains when hunger becomes primal, and the tiger comes scratching.
It's holiday time, and there is a lot competing for our attention. It's a great time to slow down the pace and gather the energy inward to focus. Focus on what's important. Focus on what matters. Let go of what is getting in the way. And most importantly of all, keep going. Keep showing up for your heart's desires. It will help make this work of adult life worthwhile. Something a wild tiger really cannot grasp.
This is excellent Karen and very helpful. External hunger is very primal, you hit the nail on the head. And it's never satisfied. Stopping to think is the crucial exercise, but so is asking yourself the right questions... thank you for supplying them and helping us think this through!
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