Eat When You're Hungry, Stop When You're Full

Why do you eat? No really, why do you eat? We eat because the food is there, because it looks good, smells good, tastes good...we eat because the TV's on...because we're alone, because we're sad, because we're happy, because we're celebrating!!! We eat because it's raining, because it's cold or hot. We eat to fill up. We eat because we're bored. We eat because someone else is eating. We eat because its polite. We eat to run away. We eat to forget. We eat because it feels good...and then because it feels bad. We eat at work and we eat to reward ourselves. We eat and eat and eat and eat. Do we ever fill up?

What about eating because we're hungry?

I'm writing about eating because I think we have issues. I know I do. But if there's one thing I've become free from over the years, its food. Yes, I did just say that... free from food. Why do I say it like that? I guess because I hear the conversations every day all over the place...people obsessing about what they eat and how much they eat. I think its great to have healthy conversation about nutritious foods, but its when food takes over people's thinking and they become a slave to it- that's what worries me.

What if we only ate when we were hungry? What if we waited to eat, not because it was 'time' to eat, but because we actually felt an ache in our stomachs? And then, what if we only ate until we were (politely) full? "Politely" does not mean we're moaning in pain, paralyzed and unbuttoning our pants because we've gorged ourselves. Politely means we're satisfied...just enough...to the point that we're not hungry anymore.

Sounds simple, huh...but I know... real life is harder. And that's why I'm writing this. I just don't want us all going through life without ever thinking things through. Just stop for a few minutes and really think about your eating habits. Do you eat because its habit? Mindless eating? Or do you eat because you're hungry? Ask yourself why. Do you eat when you're anxious or nervous? What are you anxious about? Do you eat because you're bored? Why are you bored? Do you eat because you're sad and you're trying to fill up? A friend of mine about knocked me over when she told me that she sometimes eats to procrastinate. I've totally done that before...I remember in college raiding the fridge before I had major research papers to write.

I think we eat too much and too much of the wrong crap. I think we overeat for lots of reasons but I would argue that one big, fat reason has to do with self-worth. What's going on with your self-worth? Do you value yourself enough to take care of yourself? Do you treat that beautiful body of yours as a temple? I'm being serious here. Was there something in your past that happened that damaged your self-worth and are you medicating now with emotional eating? Deep questions...but have the courage to ask them.

We try and control the intake one of three ways: we beat ourselves up (shaming ourselves), we pump up our self-will, or we eat because we physically have to. Often we have the attitude that if we're in a low place, we might as well give in to whatever we're at odds with and be low because that's who we feel we are. Sad. Its like the hungover alcoholic that says, I've drank so much and feel so worthless so what's the point in stopping now?

This quote by author Alan Wright addresses this mindset beautifully, "The way that we resist temptation is neither through harnessing shame nor through pumping up self-will. The way to avoid sin is to become so secure that we will not need the sin and, for that reason, the thought of sin becomes utterly inconsistent with our self-image."

Alright, I guess I've gone way deeper than addressing just eating issues here. Maybe, I meant to do that.

I guess what I'm seeing here is that maybe it's all about self worth. Do I value me? Does what I do show that I value me? I can remember coming home from Jr. High and stuffing copious amounts of Swiss Cake Rolls and strawberry cakes down my mouth. I now cringe at the memory. It's simply not me anymore. My self-worth is so much greater. I care about what goes into me. I care about me. I've come a long way baby. I'm free from the grips of food.

I feel like there's a lot more of this left on the table, but what I might leave you with is two things. Stop and ask yourself what's behind the eating? If you're good to go...great... if not, ask what's going on with your self-worth and where did it go wrong?

And the small piece of advice to live by...to eat by... is eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full.

This concept of eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full comes from a program I completed over 10 years ago called WeighDown. Its certainly not rocket-science but I wanted to give credit where credit was due.