I was really hungry at lunch time. I just returned from the gym and ate some 6 hours prior. 

Here’s what I did;

I ate my prepped lunch and added 1/2 bag of spinach to it. I’m now very satiated. And yet. This is not where I could have gone.

I could have;

• Munched something down whilst I was waiting for my food to cook.

• I could have added something more decadent like cheese or dressing. 

• I could have said fuck it and just grabbed something more immediate from the burger place near my house.

• The list goes on.

The reason I didn’t do this is because of my definition of hunger at this moment in time. I’m not saying this from a place of high and mighty self aggrandizement (tone is hard to convey in social media posts). But, our personal definition and the lens in which we view our feelings of hunger through is really important.

Defined globally as “discomfort or weaknesses due to lack of food coupled with a desire to eat”, it’s usually a lot more than this to us as individuals. 

To some people I work with, hunger means;

• Indulgence; I’ve earned it so I should treat myself.

• Restriction; hunger means I’m doing my diet right, so why not double down on things that make me hungry. 

• Pity; why do I have to feel this way? Nobody else feels this hungry when they are working out. 

• Resignation; I’m hungry but my body isn’t changing as fast as I want it too. I’ll never succeed. I should quit.

In this moment, hunger to me was defined as the need to feel more fullness. Not more calories, not more tasty food, not variety, not even fuel, but fullness. 

When I categorized my hunger in this way, it made my choice of adding low cal high volume spinach to the meal much more obvious. That was the principle goal for me, so I chose the food that matched that best without negating or bringing along other reasons for the ride.

Pausing and reflecting is a simple but not easy skill. 

It takes practice to be able to identify a trigger/feeling/emotion like this and make an informed decision that actually serves us and meets our needs — which makes it even more important to start practicing right now. 

Take a beat before you respond to your emotions around food. Work to categorize why you’re feeling the way you are and consider multiple solutions before you act. 

The more you practice, the simpler this will become and the stronger this mental muscle will become. 

Recap;

• Feeling hungry? Define your hunger before you act on it. 

• What does hunger mean to you at this moment? Why are you hungry and how do you want to satisfy it?

• Consider multiple options before acting.

• Practice this skill often to build the mental muscle of deliberate decisions around food when hungry.