The Dos and Don'ts of Learning Your Hunger Signals

If you are an overeater you know that hunger signals are very hard to read. Becoming a healthier you who is in control of your eating habits takes time and practice. Many of us are emotional eaters and have 'programmed' ourselves not to pay attention to real hunger signals. But there is hope; you can learn the Dos and Don'ts of your hunger signals and be well on your way to controlling your habits for a healthier you.

Don't become famished

The danger in letting yourself become famished (or very hungry) is that you will overeat. If you come home from a long day at work starving, chances are you aren't going to wait for a healthy, well-balanced meal to be whipped up; you are going to reach for chips, candy, and anything that is quick. You are probably not thinking what you are eating or how much. Usually this becomes a binge session and you don't feel good emotionally or physically afterwards.

Instead of letting yourself get to this dangerous range of hunger, keep small snacks (healthy ones!) on you at work. This will help curb your hunger to a reasonable level so you can put together a quick, yet decent, meal for dinner.

Don't skip meals

Skipping meals is just about the worst thing you can do. If you are prone to skip breakfast, than your metabolism never gets a proper start on your day. If you skip lunch, you are likely starved by the time you get to dinner. Although this follows a similar pattern as the last Don't, it is a little different in what it does to your mental state. Skipping meals makes you think that you can eat whatever you want for the other meals. The problem with this is that it simply isn't true. You still have to pay attention to your hunger signals and only eat till you are satisfied, not full. Most people will have in their head that they didn't eat anything all day so they can splurge on their next meal and go for dessert. If they track their calories and fat intake they will likely find that this splurge will cost them more than their daily calorie allotment.