Are you really hungry?

By Carol Harblin (CHHC)

Let's face it...there are many obese people in our country. BUT it's not their fault. We are the victims of our issues and our emotions. Our emotions can dominate and run rampant in our heads and make us do things we don't want to do such as EAT!

Eating is a very comforting practice. It is something that we've done with our parents since infancy. We've associated eating with comfort and nurturing.

In this messed up world, who doesn't want to be nurtured and comforted?

Listen to your body. Your body really does know best - if you let it.

If you are in a restaurant or the food court and are overtaken by the aroma around you - Stop. Don't buy anything just yet. Wait and think. Are you REALLY hungry or are you just drawn in on the aroma of the environment?
Did you know that sometimes smelling the food can be more satisfying than actually eating it?
Our taste and our smell are two completely different senses and more often than not we eat with our noses and not our tastes.

The food we eat has a smell. That smell has a memory attached to it - good or bad. Our memory decides whether we eat it or not. If it's an irresistible smell, we will most likely want more of it and gorge ourselves in an addictive way until we are full.

Why do we make ourselves the victim of our own mess?

Next time you are at your next meal, sit with yourself and be present. How hungry are you anyway? Take your time to chew your food. Realize what you are eating. Is it cleansing or is it comfort food?

Next time you are munching on popcorn or chocolate think about your own life. What is suffering? Career? Relationships? Finance?

Sometimes we eat to fill the void of something that is lacking or is a major problem. Someone may be having a hard time at work because they have been wanting that promotion for a year, and their boss doesn't see how hard they've been working and gives the promotion to someone else. At lunch, they eat their usual lunch, but for dessert they go to the vending machine and buy 10 peanut butter cups. They didn't really want to eat the peanut butter cups, but they felt that they had to fill the void inside where the promotion would have filled.

If you have a craving, drink a glass of water or distract yourself with something else and you most likely won't have that craving anymore. Sometimes cravings can be very powerful though. Indulge in a little bit of your craving and then sit with yourself. Ask yourself, "Why did I NEED this?"

Questions for you to answer:
Am I really hungry? If no, I must be hungry for something other than food.

• I need to be nourished with a job that stimulates me and with people who respect me.
  
• I need to be with friends.
  
• I need to meditate and be with just myself.
  
• I need to focus on my finances and balance my checkbook.

Decide how hungry you really are when you sit down at meal time too. Eat until you feel satiated. Don't keep eating until your pants are too tight and you say, "Why did I have that last bite?"