To achieve and maintain a healthy body weight for life we are going to need to re-learn how to eat within the boundaries of hunger and satiety. We were born with this ability, but for a variety of internal and external reasons we learned to eat for other reasons.
Some of us are so far from this habit that we don't even know what hunger feels like. We have lost touch with our body. We eat because we want to, because it's time to eat, because others are pushing food on us, habit, etc. We need to develop a new habit, a new mindset. Before putting each bite in our mouth we need to ask, "Am I hungry?" If not, put it down and wait until later.
The process of discovering the reasons why you eat when you're not physically hungry and finding other ways to meet those needs other than food is the most important task you have in this program. It may not easy. It may not be quick. You may need help in order to do it well and thoroughly. But it is crucial. If you ignore this habit you will chronically fail in your weight loss or weight maintenance efforts.
Following are a list of possible reasons/triggers and solutions. These are meant to get you thinking. But it is up to you to figure out your unique reasons and solutions.
Possible Internal Reasons/Triggers
- anxiety
- depression
- self-hate
- punishing someone else
- stress
- lack of meaning and purpose in life
- lack of joy
- boredom
- loneliness
- rewarding yourself
- sadness
- habit
- mouth hunger
- conflict
- advertisements
- peer pressure
- wanting to please someone
- someone bringing food into your surroundings
- restaurants
- social situations
- special events
- customs
- trigger foods in the home
- exercise
- talking to friends
- working on your relationships
- counseling
- psychiatric medication
- spirituality
- life balance
- stress management
- turn off the TV
- confront those that push food
- support groups
