Feeling Hungry
“I could never do that.”
Is the first thing most people think when they, or anyone else suggests making a dietary shift of some kind.
Their brains immediately go to the pain and discomfort that will inevitably follow any kind of adjustment or giving up anything and they cringe internally. Understandable. Especially if a doctor, nutritionist or trainer is suggesting they change all at once, cold turkey.
GRADUAL PROGRESSION
That would be like seeing a sculpted, lean fitness trainer and deciding all at once to change what you do and copy everything they do, so you could look like them. First off you’d probably make yourself sick trying to exercise at that high an intensity and second, the routine they currently use is not the one they started with.
Our bodies don’t handle extreme changes well which is why I always recommend baby steps. Start with a small modification in your diet so that you only experience a small discomfort. Psychologically, it will be much easier to move toward and therefore the likelihood of sticking with that one change permanently is much higher than if you tried to do it all in one fell swoop.
FEELING HUNGRY … SOMETIMES (WHILE EATING THE SAME AMOUNT)
If you’ve read other posts on this blog you’ll know that one of the tools I advocate people use is intermittent fasting. Basically skipping one or two meals and then eating whatever was skipped later on in the day so that you are eating the same amount of food you normally would.
The difficulty with this lies in the discomfort of skipping breakfast. Not being used to it, your body will feel a tad stressed, maybe shaky and a little off. You’ll also feel hungry even if you ate lots the night before – meaning your body doesn’t really need the calories. That’s because you’re used to eating certain amounts at certain times and so to your body a change like that means that something’s off.
But if you stay with it for awhile and allow your body to adjust, eventually you’ll get used to the hunger and all that comes with it and it ends up being not that bad.
Enjoying your Diet
YOU’RE HOOKED
After some more time you will even come to like it. You’ll feel light and have an even amount of energy through the day. No more energy dips or needing a nap after lunch, just pure drive and endless energy to do all you want to do with your time.
It becomes addicting.
What’s even better is that you know your food is waiting for you at the end of the day. You’re using the stick in the daytime and the carrot in the evening and the anticipation of a good meal makes it easier to stick to the plan.
And don’t worry, you can still have your cheat day and eat all the foods you love every now and then. Taking these breaks to enjoy some comfort food feels good. The hangover afterwards doesn’t which is fine because that unpleasantness makes you more than ready to get back to it.
FORMULA & RESULTS
Getting yourself used to hunger allows you to take both the positive and negative elements of that process, and use them to propel you forward.
The energy that comes with feeling (and being) light throughout the day, the anticipation of a large meal in the evening, the cheat meals (with hangover) and the new discipline you’ll have developed all feel good. And we know that whatever feels good is something that we want to do again and again.
Oh yeah, you’ll lose weight too. Seeing the needle change on the scale every month may be a motivating factor as well.
Like the game show hosts like to say, “All this can be yours!” But first you need to learn to get used to being hungry, just a little at a time.
Once you do, you’ll see winter coming, and instead of dreading it, you’ll be ready to thrive.
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THE EATING LOVE GUIDE (FREE)
The Eating Love Guide has helped many people regain control of their eating patterns, resulting not only in weight loss but also better health and improved self-esteem. To read it online, click here.
SUBMIT A POST!
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