{"id":692,"date":"2019-12-02T11:48:11","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T18:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/?p=692"},"modified":"2020-01-14T15:44:16","modified_gmt":"2020-01-14T22:44:16","slug":"when-hunger-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/when-hunger-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"When Hunger Strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"You\u2019re in class and your stomach is growling. Can the person sitting next to you hear that? Ugh, when is this class going to be over? It\u2019s impossible to concentrate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have all had moments during the day where we are so hungry, there is little else we can think about. These moments are often followed by other moments where we eat so much that by the time we realize we are full, it hurts.<\/span><\/p>\n

These signals our body sends throughout the day are not to be ignored. In fact, it\u2019s totally amazing when you think about how awesome your body is for having this little built-in hunger-fullness system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you know when it\u2019s time to eat? Your stomach will tell you.<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you know when it\u2019s time to stop eating? Your stomach will tell you. AMAZING!<\/span><\/p>\n

Who needs to count calories? Not me! Simply allow your stomach cues to guide your decisions about when and how much you eat and you will eat the right amount of food for your body.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I’M HUNGRY\u2026. I think?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Restricting what you eat, even when your body is telling you to eat, can cause you to feel irritable, hangry, and it can be hard to focus. Plus, it\u2019s hard to eat a balanced normal-sized meal when you\u2019re starving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A vicious cycle will take place – you\u2019re starving, and you\u2019re gonna grab whatever food you can, and lots of it. This often results in feeling an uncomfortable bloating afterwards. Food comma. THAT CYCLE STOPS HERE!!<\/span><\/p>\n

And it starts with eating when you\u2019re gently hungry instead of waiting until you\u2019re ravenous. Now, this might require planning ahead just a bit. The key is figuring out where you\u2019re gonna be when you will start to get hungry, and bringing food along so you can eat before you\u2019re so hungry that you\u2019ve lost your ability to make rational decisions. (And if cash-flow is an issue, and you have empty cupboards, stop by Louie\u2019s Cupboard on campus for some free food.)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

HUNGER SATIETY SCALE<\/b><\/h3>\n

You might be wondering, \u201cHow can I gauge what is starving and what is just hungry?\u201d Well, aren\u2019t you in luck! There are many versions of the simple number scale to help you gauge what you are feeling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"10- Extremely stuffed, nauseous, low energy<\/span><\/p>\n

9- Stuffed, very uncomfortable<\/span><\/p>\n

8- Overfull, somewhat uncomfortable<\/span><\/p>\n

7- Full but not uncomfortable<\/span><\/p>\n

6- Satisfied, but could eat a little more<\/span><\/p>\n

5- Neither hungry nor full<\/span><\/p>\n

4- Gently hungry, stomach starting to feel empty<\/span><\/p>\n

3- Noticeably hungry, stomach may growl<\/span><\/p>\n

2- Very hungry, low energy, weak and dizzy<\/span><\/p>\n

1- Starving, no energy, very weak<\/span><\/p>\n

Aim to start eating when you are at a 3 or 4, this way you still have your wits about you and can try to find something more filling and healthy.\u00a0 Aim to be at a 6 or 7 after eating. Be sure to check in periodically when eating to listen to those special cues. And of course, we’re all human, so plan on the fact that eating won’t work out perfectly like this every time. It’s OK!!<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-compassion is a very important ingredient on this journey towards eating more intuitively. Part of being a “normal” eater is eating too much sometimes, or accidentally forgetting to bring your lunch. It happens. Learn from it, and move on. Another important ingredient on this journey is mindfulness. You have to NOTICE your hunger and fullness for this whole thing to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MINDFUL EATING vs MINDLESS EATING<\/b><\/h3>\n

Mindful eating means you\u2019re tuning in. You\u2019re eating with attention and without judgment.\u00a0 Bringing your attention to the experience helps connect to your body and notice what it needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some ways to practice mindfulness when eating:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Check in.<\/b> Ask yourself why you are eating\u2026is it because you\u2019re bored, sad, anxious or hungry? Simply notice what you\u2019re feeling and make a conscious, deliberate decision. At times, food will be the answer to solve emotional struggles, and at other times, there might be a better coping tool to try out. The key is simply noticing what\u2019s going on, and not beating yourself up about it.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Focus on the food. <\/b>When you have a meal, sit down and focus on eating the meal. Just eat the meal – no watching TV, checking your phone, cleaning the house, or doing homework.\u00a0 When you try to multitask, it is harder to pay attention to your body\u2019s cues.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Slow down.<\/b> Try not to scarf down your food. Slow it down a bit and let your body catch up to your brain. There is a delayed reaction from your stomach after you eat food. So, you may keep eating and not realize you are full until you have overeaten and feel sick.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Eat when you are hungry…not starving. <\/b>\u00a0When you have worked up an appetite, you are still able to think straight and consider what you are putting in your body instead of just trying to fill that void with whatever foods pass you by.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Remember: We all have busy lives and cannot stop to contemplate every single piece of food we eat. Instead, try making a goal to practice mindful eating once a week and gradually move up to twice a week or even every day. Again, key to mindfulness is self-compassion. Try not to be so hard on yourself or to be perfect every single meal. Every time you eat is a learning experience – an opportunity to experiment, adjust if needed, and move on. Perfection is elusive and not necessary to gain a healthier relationship with food and your fullness.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n \n \n \"\"\n \n Ashley Wilson, UCAN Manager<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/a><\/span>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    You\u2019re in class and your stomach is growling. Can the person sitting next to you hear that? Ugh, when is this class going to be over? It\u2019s impossible to concentrate.\u00a0 We have all had moments during the day where we are so hungry, there is little else we can think about. These moments are often […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":717,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions\/717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/ucan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}