Feed Your Life

Nobody can do without food, and nobody should try. Feed Your Life is a blog about providing yourself with the nourishment that will help your body feel and function better. And remember, nutrition and feeding your life aren't just about food - we require many kinds of nourishment, and this blog will cover those as well. You have to Feed Your Life, and this blog will show you how.

More posts

How to Identify What You Really Want

by Sara Armstrong, MS, RN
January 18 2010

Sometimes it can be a challenge to figure out, Am I hungry?  And, if so, what for?  Emotions can mask themselves as hunger, and it can be a helpful exercise to check-in emotionally when you find yourself standing in front of an open refrigerator door or pantry.

First: Check In With Your Feelings

Actually, you may want to check in with yourself before opening the refrigerator door.  When you feel the urge to eat, ask yourself, am I …
•  Hungry
•  Angry
•  Lonely
•  Tired

You may also want to think about the last time you ate – was it more than 2 hours ago?  Did you eat enough?

Second: Eat if You Are ‘Belly Hungry’

If you realize that you are truly ‘belly hungry,’ not just bored or stressed, think about what you are hungry for.  What would be satisfying?  What would boost your energy?  Which foods are aligned with your health goals?  And then set yourself a plate at the table and relish your snack or meal.

Third – Meet Your Emotional Needs

If you realize that you really aren’t hungry, but are looking to meet your emotional needs with food, consider finding other ways to satisfy your unmet needs.  All forms of hunger should be honored!  Try one of the following:

•  Angry?  Spend a few minutes expressing your anger in your journal and develop a plan to address your grievance with the person with whom you are angry.
•  Bored?  Take a break from what you are doing and tackle a task that demands a bit more creativity.
•  Lonely?  Call a friend and set a lunch date … or call a family member and remind them of how much you love them.
•  Tired?  Pour yourself a glass of water with lemon or consider turning up the tunes and taking a 10 minute dance break.

Most Importantly – Be Kind to Yourself

Although emotional eating can lead to unnecessary snacking, don’t be too hard on yourself if you find yourself eating for reasons other than ‘belly hunger.’  Food is a quick and easy way to feel better.  As you gain more awareness around your eating, you will discover your own unique ways of getting your needs met!

To learn more about emotional eating, check out one of Geneen Roth’s fabulous books.  One of my favorites is, When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair.  Check out Geneen’s website to learn more.

I’m thrilled to be here as the More of Me to Love Nutrition Expert, and I hope that you’ll share your experiences this week as you ask yourself, “What Am I Hungry For?” in the comments below.

Brought to you by: Plus-SizeBra.com

Sara Armstrong is the owner of Zoi Wellness Consulting. In addition to wellness coaching, Sara specializes in health education seminars, diabetes prevention and management, Health for EVERY Body, and worksite wellness design. You can email Sara for a free wellness consultation at sara@zoiconsulting.com.

Comments

• disgruntledpenguin | posted January 19, 2010

  Welcome aboard!  Here is some inaugural complaining:

  This sounds like dieting advice.  That doesn’t mean it is, but it sounds like it.

  “When you feel the urge to eat, ask yourself…” Aren’t you really just a greedy glutton because you don’t REALLY need to eat yet.  (Does anyone who isn’t recovering from an eating disorder really have such trouble figuring out if they’re actually hungry?  Well, I guess that IS the topic of the post.  This would sound less like dieting if there was a disclaimer that sometimes you really DO want that cupcake/donut and unless you are deathly allergic to it that’s fine.)

  “Which foods are aligned with your health goals?” Which foods contain no calories/carbs/whatever? Make sure you’re eating a GOOD food, like celery, not a BAD food, like a bagel.  (What, there are “health goals” aside from weight loss?  Maybe you could explain in more detail what you mean by “health goals.”)

  It’s not that it’s bad advice (even lists of dieting tips can contain good advice, so it’s probably just overlapping with that), but it sounds eerily like the lovingly-phrased accusations of mindless eating we are faced with in dieting advice all the time.  Your “I am not advocating food restriction” sidebar doesn’t show up in the Notes feed, and without that it could be a post on a weight loss blog.

• Sara Armstrong, MS, RN | posted January 19, 2010

  Thanks to you both - Disgruntledpenguin and Eszter.  I am honored that you have taken the time to read my post and share your reactions to my thoughts.

  I really like your recommended disclaimer, DP - sometimes you really DO want that cupcake/donut - by all means have it!

  Perhaps a bit of introduction would also be appropriate at this point - I am a registered nurse and work in the area of health improvement and wellness at a small community hospital (in addition to my private wellness coaching practice).  In the hospital setting I teach a 12-week Health @ Every Size program for interested community members.  And I never advocate weight loss dieting to my clients.

  My intent for the post was to encourage people of all sizes to become more intuitive eaters and relearn how to listen to their bodies.  I believe when we eat more intuitively, we learn what foods make us feel good - satisfied and energized.  In addition, when we check in with ourselves emotionally, we may discover that something IS bothering us.  That awareness can lead to changes that bring more joy, more life.

  You may find over the course of future blogs that I do believe that some foods are better for your health.  And I will encourage people to try them.  However, I don’t believe that foods are “good” or “bad” - or that there is a wrong choice.

  Thanks again for the feedback.

• Jay Solomon | posted January 19, 2010

  Funny enough, I found that I had a similar experience as Eszter before I started to learn to eat intuitively. I used to stand up every 20 minutes and walk into my kitchen and get myself a handful of goldfish crackers. All I could think was that I had an insatiable appetite.

  Then I learned about intuitive eating and when I got up to go get my crackers I said, are you really hungry? It turns out I wasn’t. I was just bored. I didn’t want to sit at my desk writing and working anymore. I wanted something else that kept me sitting. After I figured that out I was able to work on my work situation and became much less bored and much happier.

  Great advice, Sara!