Hunger real or not?

[Sally]

Hi Gillian

Firstly apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, I am going back through the webinars as work took over my life since the series began.

So I feel much better in that I have stopped calorie counting or following a diet plan (although having done it since age 11 you can’t completely forget!). However I am getting a bit confused about hunger signals (as I think in one of the webinars it was said this is not always a good indicator) as I am wondering if I am not eating enough during the day – again I think you gave an example of perhaps eating lunch early when you are not hungry as that was the time that fitted in with a work schedule (i.e, 1pm meetings).

To explain the issue, when I start getting hungry, usually on the journey home from work (Pavlov’s dog?) I start to get panicked and then when I get in I reach for food in a panic and usually its bread, and I will have one piece in my hand which I am eating whilst throwing another piece in the toaster. I just cannot seem to intervene with myself at that point or use the technique.

My question was going to be am I really hungry or is it addictive behaviour and by writing this down I wondered if I have answered it, as the behaviour ie. eating one slice of bread whilst toasting another does not sound that of someone in control?

[Gillian]

What a good question, Sally. Are you really hungry or is it addictive behaviour? How about both at the same time?

I have two suggestions, and you may want to try one or both of these. One is to have some kind of snack available towards the end of your working day or on the way home as you may well be hungry then, whether you feel it or not. Good quality nuts, fruit, bit of cheese is what I’d have with me.

My other suggestion is to make sure there’s a similar snack available when you get home. Your addictive desire is for the carby bread, so you could work through that, while consuming something more healthy and less addictive.

Let me know if you try either of these and have any trouble with it.

[Lizzie Rockman]

Thank you Sally for posting the question, I’ve found myself doing the same on a regular basis too. Will be trying Gillian’s planned healthy snack suggestion this week.

[Sally]

Hi Gillian (and Lizzie)

Even though not a work day I tried out the nuts/cheese and I thought I was going into diet mode by weighing out the nuts to see what a 30g portion would look like. So its funny it just came up on Week 4 webinar about overeating on nuts. So I understand that the missing piece (for me) is to understand I have a choice (i.e, I could eat all the nuts or chose a sensible portion).

And bread is my “thing” so I my intention is to work through that addictive desire next time it arises.

[Author]

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