Surprise! I'm not an animal!

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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Penelope
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 6:50 pm

Surprise! I'm not an animal!

Post by Penelope » Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:30 pm

Hi, I don't usually post here, but I've been plugging away at NoS habits for a little while now and things are starting to click and settle in.

I wanted to point out that for years, I've been told (by all those "experts" out there) that if I let myself get too hungry I'll be irrational and unable to make good choices or control myself when confronted with food again. And I think I acted this way, because that's what I had absorbed and believed about myself. If I got hungry, I over ate a lot of junk, because that's what I was told I would do. The state of experiencing physical hunger would, of course, suddenly morph me into a ravenous animal no longer able to think rationally or make a "healthy" choice.

No wonder I feared hunger! God forbid my body signals should ever take me to that horrible state where my rational mind shut down and my animal body took over.

Three meals a day is exposing how laughable that mind set is! I get good and hungry, and guess what? I'm still making good, perfectly reasonable food choices at every meal! I don't attack the fridge like a werewolf at full moon, or raze the pantry cupboards like a food vacuum when meal time rolls around and I'm hungry. In fact, I think I'm making better choices because I AM hungry.

Where did this myth about losing control of myself if I don't eat every few hours come from? Why I did I ever let myself, or anyone else make me believe that I didn't have the ability to choose for myself when, or how much I should eat?

Just thought I'd share this. NoS principles are helping me trust myself again - both my natural appetite and my rational mind. It's been very empowering to realize that I have absolute complete choice over when and what I eat, no matter what anyone else has to say on the matter.

chomp0
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:09 pm

Re: Surprise! I'm not an animal!

Post by chomp0 » Thu Jul 24, 2014 12:56 am

Penelope wrote: In fact, I think I'm making better choices because I AM hungry.


Same here. Whenever I used to feel peckish I'd just grab something unhealthy to munch on. Now I'll often feel very hungry before dinner time but I don't even think about snacking, only a nice hot meal will satisfy me.



It is crazy how some people see hunger as such a terrible thing. Like I'll admit I'm a bit hungry and they'll immediately think I'm starving myself and try and get me to snack on fruit or something. No thanks, I'm not going to die if I go a few hours without food. Seriously. :roll:

Anyway, I'm glad things are going well for you and you havn't transformed into a ravenous beast...
Yet. It could still happen. :twisted:

r.jean
Posts: 1653
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by r.jean » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:24 am

Good points! I do have a problem with overeating if I let myself get too hungry, but with No S, I have adjusted to appreciating normal hunger. Food tastes so much better if I am at least a little hungry.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Blithe Morning
Posts: 1220
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
Location: South Dakota

Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:52 am

That you'll overeat if you get too hungry comes from dieting. You come to a meal hungry and you don't eat enough because you are dieting. You can only do that so long until you snap.

However, if you come to a meal hungry and eat enough to nourish you physically and emotionally, you "forget" the hunger.

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