This will most likely be one of my most controversial articles in a long time…
The reason is because I’m about to tell you something that although true runs contrary to what we’ve been conditioned to believe.
Here it is:
“It’s okay to be hungry.”
Seriously, most people run for the nearest fast food market, drive through, or convenience store the second they get a hunger pang in their stomach.
You see, we’ve been conditioned to believe that hunger is a bad thing…
Ten thousand years ago this came in handy and lit a spark under every hunter and gather’s backside in order to go find food, but today most of us live in industrialized societies where there is overabundance.
I’m bringing this point up for a few reasons.
The first is that when some people go on a weight loss nutritional plan they’re often upset because they’re hungry. (You can combat this through additional fiber, protein, good fat, and water intake, but that’s beside the point.)
The point is that you’re trying to shrink your overstretched stomach and one way to do that is through smaller portions. If you continue to eat more than you need at each meal then your stomach and brain will always be conditioned to be looking for more food.
Additionally, when your body signals that it’s hungry that’s not a bad thing since you’ll most likely start tapping into fat stores for fuel as long as you don’t eat anything right away…
Another reason that I bring this up is that if you have to choose between feeling hungry and eating an unhealthy, poor food choice I’d recommend skipping the empty calories and waiting until you have a healthier option.
(If you’re a diabetic or have another health condition that doesn’t allow for this you should always make sure you have raw almonds or another “packable” snack with you at all times so that you won’t be tempted by fast food choices.)
I know at times you may feel like you’re starving to death, but most likely your next meal is only an hour or two away (at most).
Trust me, skipping a snack or unhealthy meal option won’t cause you to starve…
Should you be skipping meals and snacks on a regular basis?
Absolutely not, but it’s good to keep the notion in the back of your mind that the next time you’re feeling hungry ask yourself if it’s been 3 hours since you last ate or if it’s worth it to make a poor food choice.
The other exceptions to this rule are if you’re feeling light headed, dizzy, lethargic, or weak. At those times you will definitely want to eat something in order to bring your energy and blood sugar levels back up.
What I’m talking about today is the mindset that whenever you feel the slightest bit hungry that you need to eat something – anything.
And that is simply not true.
Especially in the US, we live in overabundance (mostly of unhealthy food choices) and although the media, our upbringing, and our society tries to overfeed us at any given moment sometimes it’s nice to exert a little self-control.
So when your stomach starts to growl and there are no healthy food options in sight just grab a nice tall glass of water, drink it down, and then smile knowing you just moved one step closer to being healthier and reaching your ideal goal weight.
(It may very well have even been just dehydration anyway that was causing you to feel tired and hungry.)
I hope this article sheds a little light on the fact that hunger is a natural and normal part of our metabolism. If you embrace it without going too long without eating you will most likely find not only are you naturally and healthily burning body fat, but that your mind is clearer as well (we’ll save that topic for another day).
Lastly, finding your ideal weight and managing your nutritional intake along with adequate exercise output is a journey and the only way to arrive at the final destination is to get started – even if you veer off course every once in awhile.
To begin your own body transformation today try my Lose5in7 – FATLOSSITY System. It’s been proven scientifically to work and guaranteed to help you achieve your ideal body – Guaranteed.
http://lose5in7.com/getstarted
Committed to your success,
Stephen Cabral, CSCS, CPT, NS
Author of Fatlossity, Lose5in7 Weight Loss System
Health Consultant for MTV, NutritionData, Diet.com, MAXIM, Gather, EDGE
https://stephencabral.com
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