Week 5 Monday Meeting (February 1)

Hunger or cravings?

Is it hunger? Cravings? Are you an emotional eater? How do you decide what is going on?

First, ask yourself these two questions:

§         When was the last time I ate?

§         Would I be satisfied with a snack of nuts and string cheese or raw veggies and hummus?

If your answer is… “I ate more than four hours ago,” you’re likely feeling a sensation of hunger because it’s time to eat. Pay attention to what your body is telling you.

To get back on the Beach, have a SBD-friendly meal or snack. Put together a combination of proteins and veggies with a starch or fruit if you are in Phase 2 or Phase 3. Perhaps you’d enjoy cooked chicken, raw veggies, and a pre-made salad mix stuffed in a whole-wheat pita. Add in dairy and beans, naturally balanced sources of carbohydrates and protein—they are standard SBD fare.

If your answer is… “I would be satisfied with a SBD snack, and it has been less than four hours since I last ate,” you might be suffering from cravings! Cravings hit when your last meal was not SBD friendly and something caused a rise—and then a rapid drop—in blood-sugar levels.  When this happens, it creates cravings earlier than when you should be hungry. 

To get back on the Beach, think about what caused the blood-sugar issue so you can avoid it in the future. Did you have white rice instead of brown rice, cereal without enough fiber, white bread instead of whole grain? Once you identify the root of your craving, have a healthy, balanced snack and move on with your day.

If your answer is… “String cheese and nuts or veggies and dip is not going to cut it!” then it might be emotional hunger.

Emotional eating is an inappropriate response to uncomfortable feelings. Eating food for emotional purposes does not make you feel better. You may temporarily feel full, but you won’t feel satisfied. In fact, it probably slows you down and dulls the feelings.

To get back on the Beach, identify that underlying feeling: is it frustration, anger, boredom, loneliness, fear, happiness, shame, or something else? Once you’ve figured out what feeling you’re trying to cope with, get creative! Ask yourself what you need in that moment instead of food. Perhaps you want a glass of ice water or a hot bath. Maybe you should do some yoga, take a walk, read a book, or go window shopping. You might write in your journal, work on your favorite hobby, clean the junk drawer, look at photos, e-mail or call a friend, or meditate. Find what works to fulfill those emotional needs.

Hunger, craving, or emotional eating—which one do you feel most often? How can you approach it differently next time it happens?

That is a great mantra, I will use it, thank you for sharing.

Just a reminder for challenge participants - don't forget to seek out the Week 5 weigh-in thread on the challenge message board and post your progress there.

And while here, don't forget to refresh your browser periodically so that you can see the new posts as they come in.

I hope everyone is doing well on the beach!

Hi Teresa Lynn, well I did gain 2 lbs on my first week of phase 2 but I am not too worried since I follow the diet and I work out a lot. Your comments to others in the past seem to indicate not to worry the first 2 weeks of phase 2 so I will keep on doing what I am doing and we will see at the end of this week. If I dont loose again, I will post my food for further investigation.  I did loose an overall 2.85 inches, so that is good.

thanks.
Sophie