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Last updated on December 15th, 2023 at 05:28 am
Do you ever feel like you’re not hungry, but want something to eat?
What is this all about anyway?
Hunger is the combination of:
- Physical sensation
- Environmental cues
- Emotional connection to food
- Opportunity to eat
- History of food experiences
- Taste preferences
You might find yourself wondering if it’s okay to eat if you’re tummy isn’t grumbling.
Let’s explore why it’s important to eat at different levels of hunger, with different types of hunger, and when trying an alternative activity to eating might be more appropriate.
Should You Eat If You’re Not Hungry
It depends.
Hunger is not black and white.
When assessing hunger and choosing to eat consider:
- There are many levels of hunger
- There is more than one type of hunger
- There is no right or wrong portion of food
- There are no rules about whats a snack vs. meal
- Boredom is a valid reason to eat
- Mental restriction can lead to physical hunger
Most of us have gotten messages from diet culture that there is a “right” and “wrong” way to be hungry.
When you realize that there are dozens of experiences a person has with hunger and fullness in a given day, each playing an important biological role in the body.
When Should I Eat
You should eat if:
- You are craving a certain food
- You know you won’t get the opportunity later
- You’re having a difficult emotion
- You’re feeling happy and want to celebrate
- The type of food you want isn’t always available
- You want to try something new
- You’re enjoying eating as a connection tool at a social gathering
While you might not physically be at a level you are used to eating at, you are likely still experiencing some sort of physical hunger if you want to eat. It’s important that when this happens, you go for it!
If you don’t eat when the desire strikes you might find yourself spinning into a binge restrict cycle.
Why Do I Want To Eat When I’m Not Hungry
Some reasons you might want to eat if you’re not physically hungry include:
- Difficult emotions
- Cravings
- Fear of food scarcity
- Boredom
- Availability of favorite foods
- Food smells
- Associating food with a certain time of day
- Associating food with physical locations
- Associating foods with certain people
All of these are valid reasons to eat. However, if you feel like eating is your only way to cope with emotions, or you can’t stop thinking about food, this might be a symptom of an eating disorder or a greater underlying problem.
Eating even if you are not physically hungry can help to:
- Improve mood
- Allow you to trust your body and emotions
- Avoid extreme hunger
We need to establish a relationship of trust with our body so that we feel confident we can make sound decisions about what our body needs to eat.
What Should I Eat If I’m Not Hungry But Wan’t To Eat
If you want to eat but you’re not hungry ask yourself these questions:
- Is there something that I’m craving?
- What will my body feel like in an hour after I eat this?
- Can I add something to what I’m creating to create more balance?
Some easy foods when you’re not hungry but want something to eat include:
- Sandwiches with meats and veggies
- Yogurt with granola and fruit
- Eggs with veggies
- Smoothies
- Frozen entree’s
- PB & J Sammie
- Quesadilla
- Cereal
If you are simply craving a certain food, go for that food. Eat the food until you are satisfied both physically and emotionally and then move on with your day.
However, if you are starting to feel out of control with the food, you might be experiencing some binge eating.
If you are feeling like you can’t stop eating, try urge surfing or trying an alternative activity to soothe emotional hunger cues.
Ultimately, discontinuing binge eating will involve breaking the binge-restrict cycle.
Why Do I Eat When I’m Bored
Wanting to eat often involves more than simply seeking food because a person can’t find another activity to engage in.
Boredom eating could also refer to:
- Using food to soothe anxiety
- Putting off another activity for the immediate pleasure of food
- Using food to distract yourself
- Feeling depressed and a lack of desire to do any activity
- Using food as a reward
- You are tired
If you think you are boredom eating, you might want to dig deeper into some of the true emotions you are experiencing. Also take note of mealtime behaviors like eating too fast and eating to uncomfortable levels of fullness.
It’s okay to eat when you’re not finding motivation for other activities, but you want to check in with yourself and make sure that food isn’t always your go-to activity. Be honest with yourself about the reasons you are seeking food and potentially avoiding other activities.
How To Stop Boredom Eating
If you find yourself going for food in place of all other activities, it might be time to make some behavior changes. This way you can make the conscious choice of whether food is the best option during times of boredom or if another activity could be equally satisfying.
It’s important to know that food is a powerful reinforcer, and it might take some time before another activity feels as satisfying as food. This is especially true if you frequently find yourself in a diet cycle.
When you want to stop boredom eating, you often need to try other activities several times before the reward feels equal to food.
7 Tips to stop boredom eating include:
- Change up your daily routine (for example, if you’re always snacking after work can you check out a park instead).
- Look for associations between activities and eating and challenge them. For example, If you always eat while studying, try taking your study sessions to a coffee shop to break the routine.
- Practice hands-on activities with immediate rewards (knitting, playing an instrument)
- Practice a new activity more than once(3+ weeks). Know it’s going to take practice for the new activity to
- Check in with your emotions. Are you feeling happy, sad, afraid, or grief when you go for food? Try addressing the emotion before you go for food.
- Practice intuitive eating
- Use journal prompts to help break boredom and binge eating habits.
It’s important to give yourself unconditional permission to eat, even if you are boredom eating. However, if you find that food is your only solution to soothe emotions it might be time to explore some activities besides eating.
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