Everyday Systems

I remember this feeling from back in November, when I had my first (and only) successful attempt at No S. I realized one day that I was hungry, but I actually liked feeling that way. It suddenly felt good to be a little hungry an hour or two before my next meal. And instead of resenting being hungry, I felt good knowing that my next meal would be that much more enjoyable, since I would have a healthy appetite for it.

Well, I'm happy to say I'm feeling that way once again - yay! Means, I've reached that next step and maybe this time will actually click for me.

A little "funny" to mention..............I was sitting at my desk when my stomach growled (rather loudly actually), and my dog who was lying down nearby suddenly shot her head up in the air and looked around with perked ears, as if to say, "What the heck was THAT??" Goes to show that it's been quite a while since she's heard THAT sound coming from my stomach! Ha!

I'm liking the little hunger feeling, too! It lets me know that I am NOT snacking all day long, like I used to.

Cathy B

Congratulations to you both, you're well on your way to being as weird as a lot of us around here are. If we were the Scouts, you'd have just earned your "Enjoyed Feeling Peckish" badge.

DaveMc wrote:Congratulations to you both, you're well on your way to being as weird as a lot of us around here are. If we were the Scouts, you'd have just earned your "Enjoyed Feeling Peckish" badge.

Thanks. And what a hard-earned badge that was! But, oh, so worth it.

I think this is the key to successful, permanent weight loss: enjoying the feeling of lightness. My personal opinion is that the obesity epidemic is due to the fear of hunger that we are taught. It wasn't that way when I was growing up. "Don't spoil your appetite" is something I haven't heard since I was a kid. It never occurred to us to stuff ourselves.
Kathleen

Good observation. I now actually look forward to 'working up an appetite' for each meal. If I feel my appetite growing, I know I'm doing something right.

I couldn't agree more! It's amazing how successful diets & the media have been in convincing people that hunger is a bad thing. "Lose weight & never be hungry"! If I never get hungry, how in the world do I know if my body is ready for more food? If I never get hungry, I'll want to eat all the time...like I used to. When I hear my stomach growl these days, I want to say "YEE HA!" because I know I've used up the food I had earlier.

janie

I agree that being hungry for a meal can and should be cast as a positive.

I think where the concern comes in for some, and this is legit, is getting to like feeling HUNGRY most of the time as a sense of control. That's where you're tipping into anorexia.

But yeah, stomach growling before a meal, then eating a proper meal? Just makes the meal taste good. I like that feeling myself!

I agree Noel. A mild hunger creates appetite and makes a meal more enjoyable. If I get overly hungry, I tend to overeat when I do eat. The same thing happens when I am too strict with my food choices and try to be too good

Huh, I hadn't thought about the anoxeria angle (possibly because anoxeria wouldn't be among the top 200 ailments anyone would suspect me of!) But yeah, keeping yourself perpetually starving isn't moderation, it's being extreme in the opposite direction. Fortunately, there's quite a lot of room on the spectrum, in the moderate middle.