How can hunger help us in our journey to a healthier weight?  It can tell you when you need to eat — and what you need to eat.

Well, duh.  You would assume that to be obvious.  But is it?

Those of us who have struggled with excess pounds of blubber are notorious for eating for the wrong reasons.  We eat because we are bored, because we are stressed, because it is time to eat, because the food is there, or just out of habit.  Our bodies are giving us signals about our food supply, but we have taken the phone off the hook.  We just don’t listen.

That’s a pity, because if we did listen and feed our bodies only what they need when they need it — we wouldn’t have a problem.  Naturally thin people live like that.  They wait until they feel hunger before they stop to eat.  They don’t eat recreationally or medicinally or addictively.  They eat because they are hungry.

So how do you pull this big switch and start acting like a thin person?  First, get your conscious pilot in line with your autopilot and determine to listen to your body’s signals.  Start paying attention to how you actually feel.

Plan ahead and carry pre-prepared, reasonable, low-glycemic snacks and meals with you.  When you first notice the pangs, stop and slowly eat your food.  Don’t wait until you are overwhelmed and ready to stuff your face with everything in sight.  Think about how you feel and notice how your body responds.

Some of us are so messed up that we don’t really know if we are hungry or not.  You may need to press your hunger signal “reset button.”  Try fasting for a day or so — or doing a juice fast with mostly vegetable juices for a few days.  That will help put the phone back on the hook.

Hunger isn’t the enemy, but a tool for taking care of your body.  Pick up the phone and listen to what your body is telling you!

Eating to live and living for Christ,

Susan Jordan Brown