irisinnia
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Post by irisinnia on Nov 12, 2019 4:44:03 GMT
Day 12 - Practice Hunger Tolerance
For today’s exercise you are supposed to (yesterday, today, or someday soon) skip lunch, but eat breakfast and dinner at normal times in normal portions.
The purpose of this exercise is to show you that you CAN tolerate hunger. That way when you are hungry, but it’s not time to eat, you can say, “That’s okay, I can wait.” This phrase can be applied for a multitude of situations in which you’re eating off schedule or don’t have a healthy option available and could wait until you can find a healthy one.
For this exercise you’re supposed to create a My Discomfort Scale on page 123 and use it to fill out the My Discomfort Chart on page 124. *Remember to track how uncomfortable you are NOT how hungry*
How often do you experience true hunger?
Do you see hunger as an emergency?
What have you learned from practicing hunger tolerance?
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irisinnia
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Post by irisinnia on Nov 12, 2019 4:44:13 GMT
For those who haven’t done it in awhile, or are unsure about trying it, I did the hunger tolerance experiment yesterday and kept a little journal to share…
MY HUNGER TOLERANCE JOURNAL:
I usually eat at 6 am, 10 am, 2pm and 4 pm
6:30 am - I am very hungry because I ate late. Not my fault, the kids got distracted so we fell behind.
7 am - Finished eating a filling breakfast of eggs and smoothie. Feel great!
7 - 9 Was getting out holiday decorations with the kids. Wrestling with my 6 yo on the floor. Not even thinking about food. I usually don’t at this time.
9 am - DH takes the kids to his parents to spend the day, I look at the mess in the living room and want to snack, probably just stress eating. I start to think about lunch, but realize that lunch is not coming. “Oh well” - chore time. My discomfort isn’t really bad, not even a 2. I’m really not hungry, I just want to eat.
9 - 10:45 - Talked with DH, took a shower. Again wasn’t thinking about food.
10:45 am - DH mentioned snack bags for soccer and the word “snack” triggered me to think about snacks and food. I’m definitely hungry also but the hunger does not “hurt”. It’s more like something annoying, like if someone was tapping me on the shoulder.
10:45 - 12:45 Playing outside with the dogs. Talking to DH about plans for the week. Time flies when you’re having fun!
12:45 - Thought about food, but I was just thirsty from being outside in the heat. Grabbed some water and started some online shopping. The hard part is over I feel like I can do anything. I’ll have no problem surviving until dinner.
12:45 - 3 More decorating, spent some time with DH, got the kids, and went to my parent’s house for a barbecue. Honestly, I was so busy I wasn’t thinking about food.
3 pm - Food was cooking and snacks were available, I was definitely hungry and wanted to eat, but the worst of it was over, and I was so close to dinner at 4 that I figured I could wait
4:30 - We ate a little later but it was delicious and I didn’t eat like I was desperately hungry. I might have eaten a little more than I would’ve at home but that’s typical of my parents’ food. Where do you think all my weight came from in the first place?
Highs and Lows - The worst parts of the day were (1) the stress-eating desire, (2) lunch when DH was eating in front of me, and (3) the snacks right before dinner. Keeping busy was a great tool for not thinking about hunger. And the water really helped as well. Finally, making a rule that I was going to wait for dinner and being “No choice” about it worked for me.
Closing thoughts - I feel so empowered every time I do this. I’m scared at first, but when I realize that it’s not that hard, and that I can survive hunger, then I feel like I can do anything! Even something crazy like making a plan and sticking to it!
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Post by cathygeha on Nov 12, 2019 6:51:52 GMT
I don't usually do this exercise. I have been hungry and know what it feels like. I am currently doing a whole food plant based vegan diet and it is interesting that I don't get hungry between meals but I have been getting hungry later in the evening after I have eaten dinner. I find that if I drink water and ignore the hunger (growling and grumbling stomach) I am fine and it is MUCH easier if I ignore it by going to bed  Hunger is not an emergency and I have learned that food usually is available if I am really in need of it. |
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ladymajky
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Post by ladymajky on Nov 12, 2019 15:47:28 GMT
I will do this tomorrow. I have done it before. I have found, like irisinnia, that if I stay busy and don't think about food, I can go much longer that I think I can. The hardest part is being around someone else, like DH, while he is eating. I don't like to just plop his plate on the table and go off somewhere and ignore him. He wants to socialize with me while he is eating. I'll try to sip on a cup of tea while he is eating. |
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Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 12, 2019 17:17:24 GMT
I have done this twice. Once I became super grouchy and the next time I was fine. I found I have to schedule things for me to be doing to keep my mind off of eating. I won't be doing the exercise this time. Currently there are times during the day that I do feel hungry and I just wait until the next time to eat. If I'm out I have the tendency to eat something if I think I am hungry. That is because I'm never sure what my mood will be like if I get real hungry and then am around people. There have been times that has happened and I wasn't very pleasant. Also hunger can cause me to get teary-eyed another thing I don't want to do in public. irisinnia, Good job. |
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Post by surfgirl on Nov 12, 2019 19:57:46 GMT
I will do this today too along with irisinnia and ladymajky. I find this exercise to be INVALUABLE! I tried to pass it off as I didn't need to do it for many rounds, but when I actually did it last time, it was a great experience and really helped me to re-calibrate myself and my eating habits better. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet done it. irisinnia, I love that you did it yesterday so you could show us a journal of your thoughts/feelings throughout the day! You are an excellent leader, thank you! |
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Post by bbbearsmom on Nov 12, 2019 20:32:21 GMT
You are an excellent leader, thank you! , I agree. |
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Post by luvvinlife on Nov 12, 2019 23:40:33 GMT
This exercise I found to be the most valuable to me. I used to get anxious and hangry when I had to go longer than expected without eating. Then I'd use it as an excuse to binge. Now, I'm able to travel without snacks in my bag or in the glove compartment and know that hunger is not an emergency. My stomach cannot hold twice the usual amount just because I skipped a meal. What a relief!
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Post by surfgirl on Nov 13, 2019 3:11:07 GMT
Another fasting day in the bag! This gets easier and easier to do each time. Today I got a late start and I decided to have some toast and cheese, and that's it until dinner time. I ended up walking into town to drop off a return package at the post office, and then walked over to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and walked home. I liked doing a different kind of walking instead of the treadmill today, up and down some hills as well. I walked for about an hour and I am fine...I'm looking at the positive side of not eating lunch, I can eat two enchiladas without worrying about going over on my DPs! |
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Post by lani on Nov 13, 2019 15:56:18 GMT
You are an excellent leader, thank you! , I agree. Me too! |
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irisinnia
Transcendent Member
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Posts: 1,222
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Post by irisinnia on Nov 14, 2019 3:15:38 GMT
You all are too sweet! Thank you! |
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Hunger is not an emergency and I have learned that food usually is available if I am really in need of it.
