How to Honor Your Hunger & Stop Feeling Deprived

No one enjoys feeling deprived. I associate deprivation with punishment, and it feels lousy to me. That's why diets don't work, IMHO...a dieting body is a starving body.

I can still remember it; I was on the Fat Flush diet, sitting in my kitchen frantically obsessing about my next meal. Starving and irritable. I went from just living day to day, eating as I pleased, when I was hungry, totally happy go-lucky; to feeling like a crazy lunatic, not enjoying my days, voracious appetite, impatient, wanting to find a way out of my newly committed diet.

Experiencing intense hunger, wanting to binge or hide and binge, eating much larger portions in some meals. I became a slave to food and eating. I spent exorbitant amounts of time, meticuloulsy planning meals, searching for recipes and food shopping. Buying new cookbooks and kitchen gadgets that were recommended for every new diet plan.

So many times I'd commit to a diet plan, go buy all the stuff for a week of a regimented meal plan, then never finish because I was too overwhelmed, life got in the way and then I wasted my time, energy and money. I became a recipe collector/hoarder not to mention because I was so uptight about food, my mindset impacted all those close to me. My family had to deal with my food policing ways... and let's just say that didn't go over so well.

That cycle lasted for almost a decade of my life. Until I finally rejected the diet mentality once and for all (read; "How to Ditch 'The Perfect Diet' Mentality For Good").

Here's the thing; research actually shows that eating off a food list is not a sustainable way of pursuing health. Even with the best intentions, most people end up frustrated and in a vicious yo-yo dieting cycle. And, yeah that certainly was my experience.

You see, it's important to keep your body nourished and biologically fed with adequate energy and carbohydrates. (Yes, I believe in CARBS ). Otherwise, if you don't eat enough for your current physiological needs you can trigger an innate drive to OVEREAT. When you get to the point of being 'hangry' or obsessing about food so bad you want to binge, all your best intentions of even eating a balanced healthy diet will fly out the window.

This is why it's so important to learn how to honor your hunger. It's this first step that leads you to success around eating healthfully. Which in turn will allow you to rebuild trust with yourself and with food.

So let's talk more about the benefits of honoring your hunger, shall we?

#1- Balanced blood sugar

So, you might be saying right now; "what on earth is blood sugar and why does it matter?"

I realize some people may not even understand what their bodies blood sugar does or why it matters. Perhaps you only think someone who is diabetic needs to worry about their blood sugar, but that’s not actually true. We all need to have balanced blood sugar levels for optimal energy, moods, sleep and just all around good health. (Not to mention, to avoid getting diabetes).

When you deny your true hunger to stay true to your diet plan, you could be sabotaging your bodies blood sugar balance.

For example, if I'm counting my calories on a diet plan I'm on and I'm only supposed to get 1800 calories and I eat half that in one meal because I am SUPER hungry and had been very stressed or physically active, it's going to be very difficult on me mentally/physically to stick to counting out the remaining 900 calories stretched out for the rest of the day.

Blood sugar is tightly regulated by the body and everyone's is going to be in different place based on their current health. But if you have to skip a meal or eat less than you are hungry for in a given meal, just to stay within your allowed calorie intake for the day or allowed food plan amounts for the day, your blood sugar could drop too low and cause you to feel very poorly. On the flipside you may then want to binge and eat a ton of carbs and that could very quickly raise your blood sugar too high.

Then you may feel tired/lethargic. You may even feel bad or guilty that you did that and then feel like you shouldn't eat. Problem is, this can become a vicious cycle that wreaks havoc on your entire body. And for what? So you can say you stuck to your diet? And who does that ultimately serve? You aren't in a competition here.

Your body is complex and ever shifting. To sum up, your diet plan can't compete with your biology. And your body needs energy, and energy comes from food. Which leads me to my the next benefit, and that is simply;

#2 - Meeting your bodies basic primal needs

Your body needs to know that it will continually have access to food for nourishment and energy. Otherwise, in a diet mode, your physiology will always be on alert, ready to avert any (self-imposed) food deprivation.

If energy comes from food (nutrients from carbohydrates, protein and fat) then you should just eat when you are hungry so your entire body can function. Your body is equipped to survive a famine, but to do so it lowers it's energy requirements. This means you won't have optimal energy. and not just to get through your day, but to allow your body to heal at a deeper level.

When your body signals to you that you are hungry it's really generated by the overall energy need of your cells. Your cells work hard to keep your entire body functioning, healing and preventing problems from occurring. Your cells POWER you!

I know, most people certainly aren't walking around thinking about cellular health. But I see the downside of poor cell health every day as I work with clients via their Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis programs.

It shows up in a myriad of ways, low energy, adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, poor detox which leads to mood issues, sluggish bowels, skin issues and so much more. Low cellular energy affects you as a whole person; body, mind and emotions.


Now I do realize it's possible to lose touch with your true hunger. Adrenal fatigue and low cortisol caused me to lose my appetite for awhile. I had to recalibrate my body. Reactive hypoglycemia also messed up my appetite and made me ravenous because I could not get glucose into my cells fast enough. So, there are definitely reasons why you can get out of sync with your hunger. And I've had to help many clients to get to the root of their appetite, or lack thereof, so we could get them on a sustainable path to healthy eating.

Once you do get more in touch with your hunger as your body heals, it's so much more liberating. You won't feel the need to force some kind of rules upon yourself to to feel control in this area of your life. You'll learn to trust yourself as you recognize your hunger and try to see what it's really telling you. This is a process for sure, it's something I teach my clients in my Balance & Thrive program.

I've learned to listen to my hunger and honor my cravings. My body is wise. In the photo above, I had been craving seafood; oysters, roe, salmon. When I allow myself to eat what I crave, it's better than following a diet book because my body is asking for something in those foods particularly at that time for a reason. Sometimes I can connect to the why behind (I am a nutritional therapist after all), but sometimes I can't. As long as it feels good in the moment and after, and my health doesn't suffer, I consider it all well and good.

 

If you are looking for support to empower you further than you can on  your own, I invite you to book an intuitive breakthrough session with me.  A breakthrough session is designed to provide you with clarity, confidence and learn how my coaching will provide you with effective tools to move beyond the challenges you are facing (aka: YOUR BREAKDOWN) so you can start creating a life you love.

Now, I would love to hear from you... have you struggled with food deprivation and thinking you needed a restrictive diet to heal yourself?  Did this post resonate with you in any way? Share in the comments below…