Skip Dieting and Get Back to the Basics

Happy 2021 everyone! 2020 was a tough year for many. We learned to adapt and cope with the pandemic changes and prioritize self-care and health. Even though it’s a new year, we are still dealing with COVID-19 and work from home. This past year brought stress and anxiety as well as mindless eating. Now that the holidays are over and the new year brings on new goals, I would challenge you to skip dieting, ignore influencers, and pass on internet and media advice. Instead, get back to the basics of listening to your body and knowing when your body cues say you are full or hungry. 

How do you listen to hunger cues?

When you experience hunger cues, your body will show physical signs, such as 

• Growling stomach 

• Shakiness 

• Headaches

• Feeling lightheaded

• Feeling weak or fatigue

• Lacking energy

• Problems focusing

• Readiness to eat

Diets and rigid eating schedules may lead to disconnect from your body’s natural hunger cues. Constantly obsessing over when to eat and prescribed quantities to hit certain macros can further complicate the situation. 

What about fullness cues? 

Fullness is the state of being filled to capacity or simply your stomach being full of food. Just like hunger cues, there are varying levels of fullness. Aim to be pleasantly full and satisfied. There are times when your fullness is uncomfortable, and you may experience discomfort. Generally, our stomachs do expand some when we eat and our hormones signal to our brain when we’re full. How quickly those signals reach the brain can be influenced by a number of factors, such as several hormones, organs and rate of digestion. Eating slowly allows you to eat to a comfortable level of fullness, instead of overeating because you ate too fast. 

And no, you do not have to clean your plate. Enjoy your food without denying yourself and be aware when you are comfortably full and satisfied.