The Hunger Games

One of my biggest goals as a coach is to teach clients to be deeply aware of their bodies. This ability is highly valuable to understanding things like your HUNGER cues, how your EMOTIONS drive your movement and eating decisions, and how STRESS manifests in your body.

One of the activities titled: "Hunger Games" helps clients get in the habit of finding and tuning into hunger and fullness cues so they can distinguish "need to eat" from "what to eat" or "should eat"

It begins by taking notice of how you feel before, during, and after eating by ranking your physical hunger on a scale from 1 (no hunger) to 10 (worst hunger ever). You would begin by writing down what time you eat, rank your hunger when you start and when you finish, and include any notes during that time (for example, I was on a stressful conference call and ate chocolates as soon as I got off even though I wasn't hungry, was starved so I overate and now I'm bloated, etc).

HOUR 0: Immediately after eating

To be 80% full, shoot for about 2 or 3 on the hunger scale. Pause for 15-20 minutes before you eat more. This will give your brain time to catch up. You want to feel satisfied, not stuffed. The goal is eat slowly and stop when you are 80% full.

HOUR 1: One hour after finishing

You should still feel physically satisfied with no desire to eat another meal

HOUR 2: Two hours after finishing

You may start to feel a little hungry, like you could eat something, but the feeling isn't overwhelming

HOUR 3: Three or four hours after finishing

Check in. You may be getting a bit hungry, perhaps 4 to 6 out of 10. If you're around a 7, eat. Not really hungry yet? That's OK.

HOUR 4: Four or more hours after finishing

You're probably quite hungry, like nothing is getting between you and the kitchen. If you're around a 7 or higher, eat. You also will need to act fast and have an option on hand just in case your emotion trumps your logic. Physical hunger cues: sense of stomach emptiness, lightheaded, headache, irritability, shakiness, etc.

Additional contributing factors include:

-What was your sleep like the night before?

-Are you relying on snacks instead of actual meals? Protein bars are not meals and do not provide enough satiety.

-Do you have meals/food prepped and easily accessible on days you are busier?

-What's your stress level like?

-Are you finding yourself emotionally eating?

-What's your environment like when you are eating? Are you on a conference call, in front of the TV, roaming in the kitchen because you're bored?

One thing that’s important to remember: Like any other skill-building, this stuff takes time. This is why some of us need coaches to help us identify our blind spots and provide us with objective feedback.

Need help developing your skills + understanding your relationship with food? Team Align can help.