Honor Your Hunger

February Monthly Newsletter

Read about the second principle of Intuitive Eating and learn to listen to your body

Morsel of the Month
Last month in our newsletter, we explored the principle of Reject the Diet Mentality. This month, we are going to explore the second principle of Intuitive Eating, Honor your Hunger. Perhaps, this sounds simple to you, but in fact, many dieters have lost touch with their hunger, whether they are actively ignoring it or genuinely cannot feel it.

Energy, in the form of food calories, is a basic survival need. If our bodies are deprived of energy, whether due to food insecurity or dieting, strong biological mechanisms kick into high gear to compel us to eat. This is not a so-called “lack of willpower,” despite what you may read or think. It is the body’s primal urge to keep us alive. Neurochemicals in our brain are responsible for regulating our appetites, as well as our moods and energy levels.

Lately, it’s become popular to limit carbohydrates or demonize them. Many people come to us saying that their “problem” is that they “love carbs.” This is not a problem! Our bodies run on carbohydrates. In fact, it is the preferred fuel source for our brains, nervous systems and red blood cells. If your body is deprived of its favorite fuel source, it starts to get creative. One way it does this is by converting protein into glucose. This can lead to a decrease in your muscle mass, including your heart muscle. You may be tempted by the promise of fast weight loss that comes with cutting back on carbohydrates. A portion of that weight loss is muscle loss packaged together with water loss, which is unsustainable and unhealthy.

The goal is to listen to our body’s cues and not attempt to outsmart our biology. The problem is that when we have spent years dieting, sometimes we cannot hear our gentle hunger, only our ravenous have-to-eat-right-now hunger. This can lead to us waiting too long to eat and then eating until we are uncomfortably full when we finally do eat. This in turn, may cause us to punish ourselves by vowing to eat less, setting in motion a never ending cycle of restriction and overeating.

Sometimes people do not feel hungry in the classic sense of a stomach growling. They may have other signs of hunger, like lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, feeling weak, or a headache. Maybe they do not feel any of these things because they have become used to numbing their hunger with caffeinated drinks or large amounts of water or with staying busy. It can be helpful to relearn your body’s hunger and fullness cues. One way to do this is by using a hunger scale. Some people may feel nervous to feel their hunger because they do not trust themselves when they are hungry, especially when they are used to only feeling ravenous hunger. Working with our dietitians to learn to notice your gentle manageable hunger can help you feel more at peace with your body’s natural wisdom.

If you’re interested in learning more about honoring your hunger, contact us for an appointment.

Special Event
Athens Nutrition is planning to offer a Zoom cooking class in March. Space will be limited to 10 participants and we are excited to offer this first class for free. If you are interested, please contact Judy at judy@athensnutrition.com.

Athens Announcements
Announcing Athens Nutrition’s New Referral Program

We all know it can be hard to stick to your New Year’s resolutions. That’s why it’s critical to think of healthy eating as a part of your lifestyle. It’s not just a temporary diet, or a goal to lose a couple of pounds. It’s a long term commitment and one that’s much easier to start and maintain with a little bit of help.

To bring that healthy mindset to as many people as we can, we’re excited to announce our new Athens Nutrition Referral Program. It’s easy: if you refer someone to Athens Nutrition, we’ll send you a $25 gift card when they schedule their first appointment. Just make sure they mention you when they book.

You can choose your gift card from a list of healthy, nutritious products and shops that we personally love and we’ll send you the card. What a great way to get a healthy start to the new year! And remember, our nutrition services are usually covered by insurance, including telehealth.

If you or your friends and family need some guidance on eating healthier, feeling better, and meeting your New Year’s goals, let us know and we’ll set up an appointment. Working with a nutritionist is one of the best ways you can make your nutrition goals a reality.

We are here to help!

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Athens Nutrition
27 W Athens Ave
Ardmore, PA 19003-1321