Only eating with biological hunger can be a very effective way to lose weight AND keep it off. Do you know what biological hunger feels like? Think about it. Some may describe it as stomach growling, feeling a bit lightheaded, or just stomach hunger. It is possible for us to eat before we get hungry because we have so much food and so much highly desirable food. Food releases dopamine in the brain, it feels good! It tastes good! This is also a reason people overeat. They know they have had enough but it tastes very good. Many people have told me that it has been years until they felt biologically hungry. Usually the reason is because they are constantly eating and snacking between meals.

Food releases dopamine in the brain, it feels good! It tastes good!

You can feel a type of hunger when you see food, smell food or see people eating food, even pictures of food. Notice it. Notice that it will pass when you check in with your gut. It may feel like you want it but do not need it. You may not feel it in your gut the way you would with biological hunger. There is also the avoidant type of hunger. You need a snack to avoid starting work, avoid a conversation, avoid a feeling, eat a feeling. It may be a comfort blanket.

There is no right or wrong here. I encourage you to know what your biological hunger is. If you do that, you can recognize when you are overeating. Then you can question why? Many people are rewarding themselves through food, seeking comfort, pleasure, avoiding feelings. Have you heard the term, ‘eating your feelings.’ If you are eating feelings or seeking pleasure through food, there is another way. Once you start to consciously recognize this, you can more clearly see that it is not food you seek but it is the feeling it is giving you. We can eat as much as we want but it can come with a consequence.

Assignment/Challenge: If you do not know what it is like to feel biologically hungry, wait until you feel it before eating.

You may find biological hunger to hit about 4-5 hours after your last meal. It feels like your stomach is empty. You know you are hungry. Your stomach may growl.

• How does it feel to wait for biological hunger to eat?
• What does it feel like to you?
• How do you know the difference between biological hunger and head hunger?

Once you know what this feels like, you actually have something to compare it to. When you see a picture of that big juicy whatever, you can observe the desire and check in with your body. The best way I can teach you to observe this is a gut check.

Check in with your GUT. You can feel head hunger elsewhere, perhaps your head? Biological hunger comes from the gut!

Knowing your biological hunger can help you use this as a tool to consciously realize when you are eating for other reasons.

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