Bridging the Gap Between Full and Not Hungry

The July Project: Day 17

There’s a flaw in the communication between the stomach and the brain—the gap between full and not hungry. We eat until we’re full, but we still feel the desire to eat. We eat some more, and later, we feel stuffed, overfed. We gain weight.

Skinny, and probably hungry, too

Maybe it’s not a flaw, so much as a legacy of our evolution. Before proto-humans developed the cognitive ability to plan and predict their next meal, when the food supply was uncertain and had to be chased down with spears and rocks, stockpiling calories was probably a good survival mechanism. Then some of them figured out agriculture, then permanent settlements, then cities, and the next thing you know …[MORE]

Eating With Intentionality: Ask the Hard Questions

The July Project: Day 13

I’m an emotional eater. I’ve learned this about myself over and over again, but sometimes the realization doesn’t set in until 10 or 15 minutes after the food goes down. Here’s the process:

  1. Experience mildly negative emotion—frustration, boredom, anxiety, irritation.
  2. Seek comfort in food.
  3. Later, realize that I ate for the wrong reason.
  4. Feel disappointed in myself.
  5. Repeat process starting at step 2, ad infinitum.

I’m trying to train myself to anticipate step 3 before I act on step 2 …[MORE]