Are you hiding from "Hungry"?

Pull down the blinds!  Close the drawers!  You don't know where you might find "hungry."  Alert the authorities; adults are feeling themselves hounded by a little creature and by the sensation of hunger!

You may seen commercials on television urging you to guard against the presence of an annoying little creature.  Almost if "stalked" by hunger...it is likened to an eating disorder symptom where hunger never goes away despite one's best efforts.  While healthy eating is suggested in the commercial, the message overall is disturbing.

Hunger is natural. That we must not ever forget.  In an eating disorder, a plethora of emotions accompany the presence of hunger.  The commercials mimic some of the very thoughts one might have.  

In this world we use the word "hunger" in many contexts, but to admit hunger for food and listen to our body's own signals for hunger is something that we often pervert through mindless eating, dieting, restricting or overeating.  If you hear yourself say, "I can't be hungry yet; I'm mad that I'm already hungry; or I wasn't hungry, but it was so good that I had to have more" those are signs of manipulating hunger.

Mindful eating is about eating when hungry and stopping when full.  Eat without distractions.  Listen to your body.  Don't hide from hunger.  Don't hide from anything anymore.

Peace be with you.

Comments

[Julie Duffy Dillon]

Thank you for posting this and I couldn't agree more. I want to find a way to rescue the "orange monster" and allow it to be free!

[Leslie Murray]

Thank you. Despite what it feels like sometimes, hunger isnt a monster...its our body's way of letting us know that nutrients are needed.  

[Emily4RaderPrograms]

I find I am constantly comforted by like-minded individuals: ) I have seen and thought about many of the things mentioned in this blog. I am so glad I am not the only one!!
"The spoon slid down into the now empty container, as the last swallow of strawberry ice cream slipped down her throat. A gallon gone, in about two minutes. Full of ice cream and feelings of shame and anxiety, she crumpled to the floor, confused. Months of barely eating suddenly felt undone, erased, and wasted. She'd been so "good", so "strong", steadfast, so strict, and restrictive. She could not comprehend, explain, or understand what had just happened. She remembered retrieving the carton from the freezer, to study the nutrition facts. She was planning to calculate the calories of a single spoonful, and then exercise it off. But when she lifted up the lid, and took a tiny taste, it was as though something else took over, and eating became an out-of-body, out-of-control, fast-paced race...

During World War II, a study was conducted at the University of Minnesota by Ancel Keys and his colleagues to demonstrate and document the effects starvation has on the mind. 36 young men, volunteers who had opted to participate in the study instead of engaging in military service, were initially observed for a three month period of time while they followed a normal diet. Behavior, personality, and eating patterns were studied in detail. After obtaining information about how each functioned while receiving an adequate diet, the men were then subjected to six months of being given half their former intake. On average, the men lost 25% of their body weight. The effects of starvation did not stop there. In addition to the significant physical, social, and psychological implications experienced by the participants, the study also demonstrated that binging is a natural response to a restrictive diet!

So what does this mean for people with eating disorders today??

When your body is not receiving the sustenance it needs to function properly, you are essentially setting yourself up to binge. It is not surprising, based on the findings of this study alone that up to 30% of people with Anorexia Nervosa will binge and purge on occasion or may even end up developing Bulimia Nervosa.

It is important to remember that your body continues to recognize what is missing, what it is not receiving, or what it needs, even if you do not. Binging after a period of starvation is not a breakdown of willpower, it is more like your body speaking up for itself! When we are denied the nutrition we need, both our bodies and minds are affected, and this may cause conflict. The nature of eating disorders pits these two against each other. So when your body is suffering the consequences and repercussions of starvation, your mind may launch a counter-attack in the form of a binge.

When you continually deny yourself something, it may actually give what you are attempting to avoid more power and influence over your thoughts. For example, if you never allow yourself to eat ice cream, thoughts of ice cream may interrupt and consume your thoughts, becoming a fixation. The more you try to push a craving from your mind, the more it can build and build until it gives way to a binge. Recovering from an eating disorder is complicated. For many of us, it can feel as though we are learning to eat for the first time. Binging may be part of our process. Like the vast majority of other things in life, it is about finding a balance, a middle-ground."

[Leslie Murray]

Thank you, Emily for your wonderful response.  The Ancel Keys study has helped us understand the physiological, nutritional and psychological mechanisms eating disorders. Best to you!