How To Stop Eating When Not Hungry: A Simple But Effective Tool

ByTora Cullip

We've all done it. The lure of the chocolate cake, mum's apple crumble, the cheese platter, the bottomless packet of potato chips. They entice us in and then we can't stop. Our stomachs are full but we just don't care. It tastes so delicious that, in the moment, we're happy to suffer the consequences of a bloated tum, indigestion or a bout of feeling guilty. And, even worse, the little arrow showing heavier on the bathroom scales.

Welcome to non-hungry eating.

Non-hungry eating is why most people have put on the kilograms/pounds and are now desperate to shed them again. Non-hungry eating comes in many forms. It can be going completely overboard like the example above, but it can just be picking at food without realising it, grazing at a drinks party, or a full-out binge.

Everyone does non-hungry eating, myself included. But it's when non-hungry eating outweighs hungry eating that the problems start to arise.

As well as the obvious problem of eating more than your body actually needs, non-hungry eating also causes you to lose touch with when you are hungry and what you want to eat. This can lead to eating because 'it's lunchtime, so I must be hungry' approach as well as looking around for something to satiate you because you're not really sure what you want.

I learnt an incredibly simple but incredibly powerful technique a number of years ago from Dr Rick Kausman, in his book 'If Not Dieting, Then What?'. As you probably know, I had an eating disorder [see my bio] and it took me years to change my relationship with food. This simple technique was something I realised I'd been doing in a roundabout myself for quite a while, which is probably THE biggest reason why I don't feel deprived but also have been at the same weight (in a positive, deprivation-free way) for over 15 years. It also helped many of the clients I saw while running my counselling practice, and continues to help our weight control clients now.

Here's the technique.

Before you eat anything, ask yourself this question: "I can have it if I want it, but do I really feel like it?"

Is that it, you may be asking? But why is that so powerful?

Let's take the first half of the sentence: "I can have it if I want it...". For long-term weight loss and a way of eating that's sustainable, you have to be able to include things that you like to eat in your diet. When you're deprived of things you like to eat, it's not long before even someone with the best willpower in the world wavers and probably falls. The other thing that's important about the phrase "I can have it if I want it..." is that it gives you the freedom of choice. It's letting that little voice inside your head know that you have control, and you get to choose what you eat.

Now the second half of the sentence: "but do I really feel like it?" This helps you to start tuning into your body again. Years of non-hungry eating have played havoc with that feeling, so asking yourself that question gives you the chance to take a moment to think about it. A key word in this phrase is 'feeling', which really helps you tune in and connect to your mind and your body.

There we have it. Before you go to eat something that you know is non-hungry eating, get into the habit of asking "I can have it if I want it, but do I really feel like it?"

To start with, it doesn't matter so much whether you end up eating it or not. What's more important is that you get you into the habit of questioning your choices while also allowing yourself to have it if you want it and feel like it.

Give it a try. You'll be surprised how powerful it is.

Tora, of donnaandtora.com, helps people who are fed up of carrying extra weight have ultimate weight control so they can have more confidence, more freedom and more lifestyle choices. You can grab our free Pocket Guide to Weight Control via this link below. It gives you our 3 step BMI formula for weight control. Grab it now!
http://www.donnaandtora.com/freepocketguide/

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tora_Cullip

Did you find this article helpful?00Get Involved0 commentsSuggest a topicArticle ToolsPrint this articleE-mail to a friendEzinePublisherReport this articleCite this articleStay InformedGet notified by email when new articles are added to this category or written by this author.Subscribe to New Article Alerts:

Health and Fitness: Weight-Loss
Tora Cullip

Email Address:SubscribeWeight Loss Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchSimilar ArticlesHow You Can Stop A Binge Eating Attack Anywhere, Anytime, With One Simple TechniqueHow Can I Stop Binge Eating and Lose Weight For GoodBinge Eating Disorder Carries an Increased Risk of a Suicide AttemptHow to Stop Binge Eating!How to Stop Binge Eating - 3 Things You Must DoBinge Eating - The Dieter's DemonHow to Cope With Emotional Binge EatingAnswers For Compulsive Overeating, Binge Eating, & Un-Healthy Food ChoicesHow to Stop Bulimia - Learn More About BulimiaAre You Overeating Or Binge Eating at Night?Recent ArticlesShould I Weigh Myself? Three Tips For SuccessHow To Lose Weight Fast - Why Should You Exercise Less But With More IntensityDon't Diet, Change Your LifestyleHow to Get Rid of Muffin Top FatThe GERD Diet: Food and LifestyleWhat If You Can't Lose Weight? Try The FollowingSimple Steps to Get Rid of Your Excessive-Weight ProblemsSimple Ways to Transform the Belly Bulge Into Fine AbsCost Of Vegan Diet - May Be Worth It No Matter What The CostWhy You Can't Lose Weight: Is It "A Perfect Storm" or "The Diet Matrix"?Submitted On January 31, 2012. Viewed 3 times. Word count: 662.

Important Disclaimer: Articles provided are for general information purposes only and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychological, tax, accounting, legal, investment, or any other professional advice. EzineArticles.com expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed by any of our members or anywhere else within the site. Lastly, EzineArticles.com does not endorse any article. Use at your own risk.

MLA Style Citation:
Cullip, Tora".".31 Jan. 2012EzineArticles.com.3 Feb. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Cullip, T. (2012, January 31). . Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­To-­Stop-­Eating-­When-­Not-­Hungry:-­A-­Simple-­But-­Effective-­Tool&id=6852959Chicago Style Citation:
Cullip, Tora "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­To-­Stop-­Eating-­When-­Not-­Hungry:-­A-­Simple-­But-­Effective-­Tool&id=6852959EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
All Rights Reserved Worldwide

About UsFAQContact UsMember BenefitsPrivacy PolicyShopSite MapBlogTrainingVideo ArchiveAdvertisingAffiliatesCartoonsAuthorsSubmit ArticlesMembers LoginPremium MembershipExpert AuthorsEndorsementsEditorial GuidelinesTerms of ServicePublishersFollow UsTerms Of ServiceEzines / Email AlertsManage SubscriptionsEzineArticles RSS

View the Original article