HONOR HUNGERGoing for the 3 Increases: Increase in Health, Increase in

Happiness & Increase in Energy

Strategies for Success in Weight ManagementBy: James J. Messina, Ph.D.

Mechanisms that Trigger Hunger

Hunger is a biological drive heightened by food deprivation resulting in:

Heightened digestion - resulting in increase of salivation & digestive hormones

Carbohydrate craving - Neuropeptide Y – chemical in brain triggers drive to eat carbohydrates which are primary & preferred source of energy for body

ATP triggering hunger – ATP is universal energy for cells derived from carbohydrates, protein & fat & is triggered if deprived of food

You First Must Stop Dieting & Food Deprivation Model of Life

You need to reclaim world of normal eating and must free yourself from dieting & food worry

Your body needs to know that it will have access to food & that dieting & deprivation have ended

You must recondition your body from the dieting model of deprivation

How you have silenced your hunger by any of the following:

Numbing - some quell & avert hunger pangs by using calorie-free beverages

Dieting - denying hunger eventually tunes out hunger

Chaos - chronic pattern of ignoring hunger by putting out the fires in your life

Skipping Breakfast - way of allowing body to feel hungrier the rest of the day

Self-Analysis to determine if you are hungry

Am I hungry?What’s my hunger level?When was the last time I ever felt

hungry?

Look for these sensations of hunger:

Mild gurgling or gnawing in stomach Growling noises Light-headedness Difficulty concentrating Uncomfortable stomach pain Irritability Feeling faint headache

Rate your Hunger on 0-10 scale

0 = Completely empty1 = Ravenous3 = Hunger set-quite hungry4 = Hunger pangs-first awakenings of hunger5 = Neutral – neither hungry or full7 = Satisfied8 = Full9 = Stuffed10 = Sick

Major Guideline of Honoring Hunger!

Go no longer than five working hours without eating!

We must fuel the carbohydrate level in the liver which runs out every three to six hours

Different types of Hunger

Taste Hunger – sounds good or the occasion calls for it

Practical Hunger – Planning ahead being practical & not rigid eating based on schedule of events to avoid overeating later

Emotional Hunger – to comfort feelings of loneliness, boredom, anger, etc…