Who's Hungry?

I’ve had the following advice about when to eat:

1.       Eat five small meals a day; don’t allow yourself to get hungry.

2.       Eat three meals a day and don’t eat until you feel hungry.

3.       Eat two meals, lunch and dinner, and then fast through breakfast.

4.       Eat your biggest meal at breakfast.

5.       Don’t eat after 5:00 p.m.

6.       Eat just before a workout.

7.       Wait to eat for an hour after your workout so your body burns fat.

It goes on and on.

I did not hear these things from friends at the coffee shop.  These are conflicting recommendations from doctors, sports nutritionists, health bloggers and authors of best-selling diet books.  It’s mind-boggling.  And I’m not even touching the subject of what to eat.  Just the simple question, “Should I eat now?”

At this point you may be wondering why I would consult professionals – scientists, even -- to tell me when to eat.  I am not alone.  I recently read about a computer you wear all day on your arm.  It tells you exactly how many calories you’ve burned, and when and what to eat next.  (“You have 25 calories available now; eat a cucumber.”) 

I made a commitment not to count for 30 days.  But without the Mad Girl Math, how am I supposed to know when to start eating?  And when to stop? 

What if I just eat when I’m hungry, and stop when I’m satisfied?  Because, as my friend Kyla says, “This is anarchy.”

I run a company, consult others on how to run theirs, raise a child and file taxes.  Surely I can trust myself to know when I’m hungry.  Google the phrase, “What does hunger feel like?” and you’ll find scores of entries from counters like me who don’t know if they’re hungry or not.  Worse, we don’t actually care if we’re hungry or not – we just want to know whether or not it’s OK to eat now.  Do we get to eat now? 

I’d like to issue a challenge.  Let's get in touch with the feeling of hunger.  And for the duration of this 30-day test, let’s eat when we’re hungry.  And then, let’s eat until we’re satisfied.  Not full.  We don’t need to be full.  We need to be satisfied.   Because if we’re taking care of ourselves – if we’re giving ourselves what we deserve – isn’t satisfied what we’re after?   

And if we’re eating when we’re not hungry, let’s ask ourselves this question:  What pleasure am I getting from this? This is the question, my friends.  I have a feeling the answers might be painful.  But the truth is, the numbers don’t stop me from eating.  They just give me a reason to beat myself up when I do eat.  The numbers aren’t working, and they are wearing me out.

Who's hungry?