Can You Fake Out Hunger?

"Fill up on water!"

"Replace that rice with cauliflower."

"Drink coffee for breakfast to not feel hungry."

"Chew gum when you feel hunger pains."

We hear and see these "tips" as ways to trick our body into thinking we aren't hungry, but let's take a look at that for a second. Our bodies natural response for needing sustenance is for us to feel a hunger que. Why does our body send us this message? It's to keep us alive, imagine if we couldn't taste or smell food, do you think we would have been scavengers & hunters to eat and survive evolutionarily? Probably not, this is a human instinct we are talking about "combating" and why do we think this is what we should do? The diet industry likes to remind us on the regular how we are not to trust our bodies, our instincts, or our drives. It rams down our throats that we can't help ourselves around food and it's because of it's palatability that we simply can't resist which leads to obesity, disease, and overall poor metabolic health. There are so many contributing factors when it comes to health and its determinants. Not to mention, diet culture tells us that feeling hunger is a source of weakness when in all reality it keeps us alive and thriving. If foods were not highly palatable, we would not have wanted to eat and fuel our bodies since birth. Leading to a quick extinction. 

As a dietitian, It kills me when I see what people are lead to believe. It is perfectly normal and good to feel the sensation of hunger and this is not something that we should avoid. It is not something that needs to be questioned or feared. We should be teaching people to honor their hunger and trust their bodies. Not going off of what your best friend, personal trainer, wellness coach, or anyone that honestly isn't a registered dietitian is suggesting (even then, our bodies are more in tune with our needs than anything else). It is on your side even if society tells us that it is fighting tooth and nail against us. Our bodies are so so good at processing information and relaying it to indicate our needs. We just suck at listening to them, which is where a dietitian can come into play! This can be very difficult for those stuck in the dieting/restriction cycle from long periods of time because we avoid those cues that our body is trying to communicate with us about our eating. It is very difficult for some to realign with these cues and signals and have the strength and courage to trust that our bodies CAN know what it's doing. For those individuals it can be a difficult and even back sliding process. It's scary to go against the grain and not listen to every commercial advertisement, influencer, family members, etc. It ins't always an easy transition and it can take a lot of time and energy to un-learn and relearn what hunger and fullness can feel like to you. Tuning in to those sensations can be scary and difficult if dieting has been a control in your life for even a short while. When I talk with people about them, I ask them to envision a hunger and fullness scale of 0- being ravenous to a 10 being overly stuffed and to avoid both of those extremes. By doing so you can allow yourself to eat consistently and build balanced meals throughout the day. Resisting hunger is not something we are meant to do as humans, does it happen for reason beyond our control- you betcha! Life happens, but planning can help avoid those very low lows and also very high highs. 

Eating is the only true appetite suppressant other than prescription medication. Are there any other cues or signals that your body gives you on a daily basis that you try to "fight"? Chances are the answer is no- so why do we normalize doing that with hunger? You don't fight the urge to breathe, drink water, or use the restroom- so why this? So think of that the next time you feel the urge to deny those cues and really evaluate the situation of your body informing you of something and how you plan to process this information and what that will mean for your brain, emotional state, and body.