Coming across this hunger scale was a game-changer for me. I have struggled with hunger cues my whole life. I tend to eat a little bit constantly so that I never feel hungry, or eat so little that I always feel hungry. Finding balance has always been hard for me. I have always lived in a world of extremes when it comes to food--feast or famine, no in between.
One day it occurred to me that I wasnāt even sure when I should be eating. When I used to count calories, eating became just another math problem for me to solve. It had nothing to do with hunger, or nutrition, or my health. I realized I was missing the big picture, and started asking myself questions. How hungry should I be before I eat? When should I stop? I did some searching and came across this hunger scale. I keep it on my phone as a reminder.
Iām still learning that being overly hungry is not a good thing, just as being overly full is not a good thing. Iām learning how to keep balance, to eat when Iām hungry but before I get ravenous, and stop when Iām satisfied but not uncomfortable. Iām learning that itās important to give yourself time to get hungry. Iām learning to be satisfied with just enough.
I am surprised by how much I want to succeed with this. It is so much more than wanting to see a number on the scale, or fit into a certain pair of jeans, or look a certain way. I want to develop a closer relationship with my body, to listen to what it needs, to protect it from the things it doesnāt. For so long, my body has been an obstacle to my weight loss goals, but now it is the shining objective.
This is what I have done in order to find foods that help me lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. Every once in a while, when I feel like I need to shake things up a bit, I go back to these steps and re-evaluate what Iām eating. It also helps me to make sure bad ālittleā habits that arenāt āthat badā donāt creep up on me. The scariest part of gaining weight, to me, has always been how slowly these bad little habits add up and take over. When I reach my goal, I plan on continuing to do this so that that doesnāt happen again.
Make a list of all the foods you eat on a normal day-to-day basis. (Donāt include things that you have on rare occasions.)
Put a star next to the foods that stick out in your mind as being very enjoyable. Itās very unlikely that attempting to suddenly cut out these foods from your diet will be a lasting change. (However, once you start to change the rest of your diet, these foods might not taste as good as they once did and you will start to find other favorites. Example: my favorite food and biggest problem used to be fried food, especially fried chicken. Now, not only is it not my favorite, I donāt even like it anymore. I donāt like how it tastes and it makes my stomach feel awful. This took time with a lot of small changes, but it is possible!) If the foods youāve starred are good for you, thatās great news! Try to focus on eating more of these things. If they are fattening however, figure out how often you really need them. Donāt try to cut them out completely, but perhaps you want to reserve them for a special treat. The long-term goal is for most or all of your starred foods to be healthy foods.
Of everything on the list that is left, cross out the foods that you didnāt enjoy at all, especially if it made you feel like crap physically. These might be things your friends or co-workers push onto you. It might be something you eat out of convenience. Or it might be something you eat just out of habit. You donāt need these foods in any way. Eliminating these foods will cut out a significant number of calories, and you will be unlikely to miss them after you cut them out of your diet. When you do, you will realize that it is better to eat nothing than something that you donāt enjoy.
The foods that are neither starred nor crossed out are what I call āmeh foods.ā These are the second easiest to change, because you donāt feel very strongly about them. If they are already healthy, great! If not, think of different things to could try to replace them with.
After youāve finished your list, try to see if thereās anything missing from it. Try new things in order to fill in the nutritional gaps.
The whole point of this exercise is to take a step back and look objectively at what youāre eating. Having a candy bar every day after school (like I used to do) can seem not so bad in the moment--itās only 250 calories! But when youāre going through this list, really think about each food you write down. Is it helping you get where you want to be? Is it helping your body thrive? If not, ask yourself why you habitually eat this particular thing. For me, the answer was almost always simply ābecause it tastes good.ā When I got it through my head that other foods that are much better for me also taste good, it got easier to Ā eat those things less and less...and eventually hardly ever.
See my current list below the cut for an example. Hope this helps! ā”
ā„Southwestern Vegetable Soup (Good for me, Iām happy this is a favorite.)
ā„Butternut Squash Soup (Good for me, Iām happy this is a favorite.)
ā„Asian Sesame Salad (Good for me, Iām happy this is a favorite.)
ā„ Steak tips. (Itās not often that I have this, maybe once every week or two. I think at this frequency itās a good thing to have. I donāt think itās something I should have all the time. The problem is with the sides. Eat all the steak first, and order vegetables for the side.)
ā„ Jericho Mountain Chicken Wrap (Not the worst. At least the chicken is grilled and thereās plenty of vegetables and mushrooms. Remember, itās okay to eat the filling and leave some of the wrap if you start getting full.)
ā„ Butternut Squash (A good side dish that I really love. I feel good about this.)
ā³ Turkey, Lettuce & Black Olive Sandwiches (These are great, but I need to remember to ask for light meat because the regular size is way too much and I can never finish.)
ā³ Bananas
ā³ Pomegranate
ā³ Broccoli
ā³ French Vanilla Coffee, Black (I do enjoy this coffee a lot. Some days Iād much rather indulge in a caramel latte, but I need to stay away from those except as a very special treat. Having one almost every day was expensive and sooooo much sugar. But for the love of God stop drinking it at dinner time, you know youāre gonna be up all night.)
ā³ Green & White Tea (Iāve been using it as a mental cue that the meal is concluded. After eating I can sip on my tea, rather than picking at random snacks.)
ā³ Tater Tots (Not the best, not the worst. But I could probably find something that is better for me.)
ā½ Toast (Switched to whole grain oatmeal bread and now white bread tastes so boring, go me! Just have to be careful not to have 23,340 slices. Still, I have to try to find other things that have more nutritional value than bread.)
ā½ Peanut Butter Sandwiches (Replaced bread with whole grain, but I think if I had a half of one it would be better. Peanut butter calories add up real quick. However, this is a good choice if I know Iām going to have a busy day and not much time to eat. Better to have this and be satisfied, that wait until Iām murderously hungry at the end of the day and devour a horse whole.)
ā½ Larabars (Not so bad but still calorie dense, save for when I donāt have time to eat a full meal.)
ā½ After Eight Candies (I chose these to keep around because of their size. Not so bad if I just have one. Better to have one 50 calorie chocolate than a huge candy bar or bowl of ice cream or some other big, dense desert. I have to make sure I donāt get too hungry before dinner, or I will want to eat waaay more than one. Iāve been thinking I mostly enjoy these because of the minty flavor. Maybe I can try having a mint tea after dinner and see if it has the same effect.)
ā Sweet tea. Daaaamn. I used to be obsessed. I still love sweet tea, but itās not as necessary to my soulās vital essence as I thought. I find unsweetened tea almost as rewarding now, and it is time to switch it out.
ā Chips! Why do I even bother?! I donāt really like them. They add way more calories to lunch. I get full before Iām done with my real food anyway, and the last thing I need is these taking up room.
ā Peanut butter crackers. Not the worst. But has little nutritional value. I can find something better. Maybe bring a banana to work in case I want a snack.
ā Those free cookies that come in our office supply deliveries need to be someone elseās problem from now on. Not today, Satan!
ā Things my coworkers give me that I donāt even like and need to leave for someone else to enjoy: twizlers, woopie pies, cookies, had candies.
2. donāt be obsessive over calorie counting. If you canāt work out how many calories are in the biscuit - eat it anyway. Itāll taste good.Ā
3. fitness matters a lot more than a number on a scale. Being able to swim 10 more laps is a much bigger deal.Ā
4. Try and find other rewards that arenāt food.
5. Try and find other ways to self-soothe and comfort, that arenāt food.Ā
4a/5a. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes with these two.Ā
6. Know that any week/month weight goes on, it can always come back off again. Maybe all it means is that week you lived a little.Ā
7. The point of healthy living is to have a life to enjoy, not to have a life lived by rules and regulations.Ā
8. Working out is worth it, even though itās so much effort. Using your body to its capabilities (whatever they may be), is a fantastic thing not to be taken for granted.Ā
ŠŗŠ¾ŃŠ¼ŠøŃŠµŃŠŗŠ°Ń Š¼ŃŃŃ @acosmicmouse - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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