The 3rd courses of your Taste of Food Freedom is It’s Not About the Food. We’ll explore options when you feel like eating but you’re not hungry.
I’m NOT Hungry – What Now?
As you learned in the last lesson, whenever you have an urge to eat, pause and ask yourself, “Am I hungry?”
If you’re like most people we work with, you’ll quickly realize there are a lot of times you want to eat (or continue eating) when there are no physical signs of hunger.
You’re in charge of what you do next!
One of the most important ways that mindful eating is different from dieting is that you’re no longer dependent on external rules about when, what, and how much to eat. By increasing your awareness, you can choose your actions.
Notice how different that is from trying to stay in control. Being in control means you do things even when you don’t want to, and you don’t let yourself do other things even when you really want to!
Control is what you need to follow the rules of a diet.
Being in charge means you get to make choices.
What Are My Options?
So, when you want to eat (or keep eating) and you aren’t hungry, you have three choices:
- Eat anyway
- Redirect your attention
- Meet your true needs
When you’re in charge, you can choose from any of these options freely, depending on the circumstances. In other words, one is not “better” than another!
Option 1: Eat Anyway
Yes! This is an option!
Think of people you know who don’t struggle with food. They sometimes eat for pleasure, distraction, or convenience.
The difference is they don’t feel guilty and it doesn’t trigger more eating!
Option 2: Redirect Your Attention
When you take your mind off the food for a little while, the urge to eat often passes, especially if the trigger was something in your environment, like a commercial or because you are bored.
You’ll eventually become hungry then enjoy eating even more.
Can you find something else to do until you forget about eating, get hungry, or decide to eat anyway?
Option 3: Meet Your True Needs
When you want to eat even though you aren’t hungry, you may decide to figure out where the urge to eat came from then take a small step(s) toward meeting your underlying needs.
This is the most challenging option – but not surprisingly, identifying and meeting your true needs leads to the best long-term results. However, you may need to develop some new awareness and skills.
Food for Thought
Take a few moments to consider your answers to the following questions. It may be helpful to write out your thoughts.
- Reflect on a time when you felt like eating when you weren’t hungry.
- Try to identify possible triggers. (More on that in the next lesson!)
- Come up with a few ideas for how you could respond differently next time.
Hungry for More
There’s more to learn when you begin to uncover the reasons you feel like eating when you aren’t hungry and decide to meet your true needs! Here are some examples of new skills you can learn! How to:
- Identify underlying thoughts (like “You need to get your money’s worth!”).
- Identify and naming emotions.
- Cope with stress.
- Effectively communicate and set boundaries for healthy relationships.
- Learn self-compassion and self-acceptance.
- Address body image concerns.
- Meet your true needs.
Click here or the image at the bottom to learn more!
Recipe for Success
- Notice when you feel like eating (or continuing to eat) without physical hunger.
- Consider your options: Eat anyway, Redirect your attention, or Meet your true needs.
- Make a list of activities you could do to redirect your attention. Include activities that are enjoyable, available, and a require varying amounts of time so you have a number of options to choose from.
Ready for your next helping
Want to learn more about your true needs?
Coming right up! Your Fourth Course: What Am I Really Hungry For? AND a big reward for completing this mini-course!
Back for seconds
Click below to review previous lessons:
First Course: In Charge, Not In Control
Second Course: Trust Your Body Wisdom
Dessert?
I promised a surprise when you finish this mini-series… I will answer your questions LIVE!
Read tomorrow’s post for the details and link to free Group Coaching on Saturday and Monday!
