Eat when you are Hungry...

After a weekend of great family and friends, food and a change of scenery, I thought long and hard about my daily habits and workout routines and what works for me might not work for others.  I was talking to a friend about the lunch hour at work and how that can affect your whole day if not executed correctly.  Many of us get caught up in the usual lunch time with the colleagues, but I have found that eating with everyone is not always the best.  If everybody is eating at 1:00 pm and you are forcing yourself to eat at that time or starving yourself by waiting until that time, your body is not going to respond well.  You should eat when you’re hungry, not when others are hungry. 

Another reason for eating when not hungry is an attempt to change our feelings. When we feel stressed, anxious, angry, sad, happy, bored, or basically anything we don’t like, we reach for food to make us feel better.  For a moment, while eating, it works and we feel good, but after finishing we may feel guilt or anger with ourselves for consuming what we did. This can lead to a cycle of seeking out food for comfort, followed by negative feelings, followed by seeking out more food to bring us up again. We aren’t eating to salve hunger pangs, we are instead trying to change our emotions.

So try this… if you are feeling stressed, anxious or sad, try exercising instead of eating.  You can take a walk, try a new class at the gym or even find a friend to go on hike with.  The endorphins you get while exercising are far more healthy and enjoyable than eating yourself into self pity.  As for the lunch hour at work, bring your own lunch and eat it when you are hungry.  Try packing it at night so you do not feel rushed.  I pack turkey, bread, some veggies, a lot of fruit, and maybe a yogurt or granola bar.  You can use your left over whole grain pasta from the night before and add different vegetables that you desire, a little salad dressing and pack it up for the next day.  There are many options you can choose from to make your life a little easier and a lot healthier!