Eating When Not Even Hungry

We've ALL been there.

You reach for something you were not even hungry for.

Maybe it's because you're stressed, bored, irritated, or procrastinating (my personal favorite)...ha.

You can have the best intentions for how you want to eat, but when an urge strikes, it can be hard not to give in to it.

If you do this, don't worry, there is nothing wrong with you! This is just your brain's current habit.

Although an urge to eat can feel really powerful and out of your control, the truth is that: urges are just intense feelings of desire. They have no real control over you.

Next time you experience an urge, try doing this:

Take a pause and acknowledge the urge.

Don't try to resist or avoid it.

Breathe into it and notice how it feels in your body.

Allow it to be there WITHOUT immediately answering it.

Talk to yourself a little bit. What's going on?

Oftentimes, it will pass.

I had the urge for ice cream the other night in bed. I had already brushed my teeth. Luckily I was too comfortable and (lazy) to actually get out of bed and go get it, BUT I did talk to myself and... we (me and my inner self) decided that I wasn't even hungry and I definitely didn't need to get up and go get it.

The more you do this, the more your brain realizes that answering the urge is actually not necessary at all. You teach yourself that an urge is powerless, and that YOU really do have complete control whether you answer it.