What IS Am I Hungry?® Anyway???

by Michelle May, M.D.
http://www.AmIHungry.com

Many people who contact us say they have "tried EVERYTHING!" to lose weight and/or adopt a healthier lifestyle. However, when they describe their past attempts, it is obvious that they were founded on fear-based motivation, restriction, hyper-vigilance, emotional eating that had not been effectively addressed, and a focus on what to eat rather than why.

So what is the Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Approach?

The short answer is that it's a system to help you with the hundreds of decisions you make every day that affect your eating, activity, weight, and overall health. Although it is a deceptively simple title, the question "Am I hungry?" is actually a doorway into a greater understanding of why, when, what, how and how much you eat, and where you invest your energy. Am I Hungry?® teaches you how to be completely in charge of every decision you make without having to resort to rules and restriction.

So the real question is, could Am I Hungry?®  help you--even if you think you've tried everything? And the answer to that question is...more questions! Here are the type of questions Am I Hungry?® helps you answer.

Why? Why do I eat?

• Why do I think I eat?
• Am I really aware of all the situations and/or emotions that trigger me to want to eat when I'm not hungry?
• Do I find myself eating even though I said I wouldn't?
• Have I tried a lot of diets? What happened? How did they work for me long term? Why?

When? When do I feel like eating?

• How often do I feel like eating? Why?
• How do I know if I'm hungry?
• How can I tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger?
• How could I redirect my attention away from food until I'm hungry?
• What could I do to cope better with my emotional triggers for eating when I'm not hungry?
• When does "I want a brownie" really mean "I want a break?"

What? What do I eat?

• What do I eat in a typical day? Would a food diary for a few days help me recognize patterns?
• What types of foods do I feel like eating when I'm eating for emotional reasons? Why?
• Do I restrict myself from eating certain foods-then later give-in and overeat those foods?
• Do I feel guilty when I eat?
• Am I afraid of losing control when I eat certain foods?
• What health issues do I need to be aware of when deciding what to eat?
• What could I eat that would help me feel better and become healthier?
• Are there any areas of my diet that I could improve right now?
• What specific change would I like to make at this time?
• What kind of foods could I keep on hand to eat when I'm hungry?
• How could I make the perfect food choice every time to satisfy both my body and my mind?
• Is it really possible to eat anything but not everything?

How? How do I eat?

• Do I eat while I'm distracted?
• Do I truly eat as though I love food?
• Do I eat fast, barely tasting my food?
• Do I eat differently in private than I do in public?
• Could I write an article for a gourmet magazine about the last meal I ate?

How Much? How much do I eat?

• How do I typically feel when I'm done eating?
• Do I like that feeling?
• Do I usually clean my plate?
• If I'm not hungry when I start eating, how do I know when to stop?
• What situations or emotions trigger me to overeat?
• What could I do to address my triggers for overeating more effectively?
• What do I do after those times I eat too much anyway?

Where? Where do I invest the energy I consume?

• Am I physically active?
• Do I watch too much TV or spend too much free time in front of computer?
• How do I feel about exercise?
• Do I exercise? What do I like to do?
• Do I use exercise to punish myself for eating or to earn the right to eat?
• What else do I do with my energy (i.e. play with my children; work on my hobbies; volunteer; travel; spend time with friends...)?
• Is there anything else I'd like to do that I'm not doing now?
• What are my goals for my relationships, my career, and my life?
• Do I practice regular and meaningful self-care in order to buffer myself from life stress?
• Does my life reflect wellness and wholeness in body, mind, heart and spirit?

As you can see, there is a lot more to it than just trying to eat when you're hungry! So back to the first question, "What is Am I Hungry?®" It is an 8-week program that guides you toward addressing all of these questions (and many more) effectively. Until you do, there's no diet or surgery that will free you from overeating or the need to diet chronically in order to control your weight. The result of this approach is:

• Freedom from dieting and overeating
• A positive, peaceful and enjoyable relationship with food and physical activity
• A renewed sense of wellness and wholeness

As for the second question, "Will it help me?", read an email we got from Mike:

I was a "Career Dieter." After all of the medically supervised program experience that I've had, I found that "Am I Hungry?" ties together the BEST of those programs as well as provides (and inspires) new insight into under lying issues.  I am a Systems Analyst and in the IT industry, after a major systems outage, we search for the "Root Cause" of the problem. Once the cause is discovered, we work to install safe guards to prevent the problem from occurring again. I think that "Am I Hungry?" helps people get to "Root Cause" and therefore implement real solutions.

Thank you!
Mike

Michelle May, M.D. is a recovered yoyo dieter and the award winning author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle (download the first chapter free). She conducts corporate workshops and speaks throughout the country on mindful eating and vibrant living.