sxc.hu: mattox

Knowing when you’re hungry may seem simple, but have you really got it sorted?

If you’re going to be successful with your diet, you need to be able to recognise when you are truly hungry.

Perhaps you often eat for reasons other than hunger. If that’s the case, it begins to get very difficult to maintain a healthy calorie intake.

Eating when you are hungry, and only then, means you’ll be listening to your body’s hunger cues, and fuelling it when it’s time to eat.

Here are 3 ways to avoid eating when not hungry:

1. Keep a hunger journal
This is one of the most helpful things you can do to begin recognising when you’re hungry, and get to know your body’s signals.

This is where you write what you eat, when you eat it, and any thoughts or feelings you have while you do so.

You should also include, on a scale of one to ten, just how hungry you think you are before you begin eating. Use the hunger scale to help you work this out.

What does all of this teach? Well, by doing this, you learn to spot patterns in your eating habits which may signify you’ve been eating for reasons other than hunger.

For instance, if you write down thoughts, such as “worried” or “anxious”, yet you’re still rating your hunger at a moderate level, it’s likely you are eating as a result of the anxiety, rather than hunger.

#2 Stay well hydrated
Many people mistake thirst for hunger. But, by making sure you’re drinking at least eight glasses of water each day, you’ll avoid eating when you’re not hungry.

So, when you feel that “hunger daemon” coming on, drink a glass of cold water first, then see how you feel in five minutes.

Here are some tips on drinking more water.

I promise you’ll be surprised how quickly it kills your appetite

#3 Take a short walk
This may seem like a strange way to avoid eating when not hungry, but sometimes just getting the blood flowing through the body, helps you realise you aren’t as hungry as first thought.

Also, exercise itself tends to suppress the appetite, so you’ll probably find that walking around cures any hunger cravings you were having anyway.

Plus, you’ll also burn off some additional calories — great if you’re trying to lose weight.

Bonus tip
Keeping yourself busy during the evening hours can be a huge help. Evening is often the time when people eat for reasons other than hunger, such as boredom or loneliness. So, by planning to stay busy, you’ll prevent this from happening.

Even if you have no other plans, find something to do that keeps your hands and your mind occupied.

Needlework, painting your nails, reading a book, taking a night class, or doing an evening workout — these are all great options. If you’re really ambitious, consider cleaning your house, or mowing the lawn

Remember, if you plan for success, you are planning to succeed.

What are your tips to avoid eating when you’re not hungry?