When's the last time you were actually hungry?

When's the last time you had actual hunger pains?

I feel that many of us tell ourselves that we are hungry because we are creatures of habit. We wake up and are set on auto pilot. Most of us eat our meals at fairly consistent times, which is definitely not a bad thing. Most of us snack during the day as well to keep hunger at bay. My question, does our hunger need to stay at bay?

I understand the idea of not allowing yourself to get famished and thus binge but, a member at a recent weight watchers meeting said something that really struck me. She mentioned that after starting weight watchers she was reminded what it felt like to be hungry. She didn't mean it in a negative way but in the sense that she had constantly been feeding herself prior. It was very profound to me as I am doing a fast/ cleanse currently (for the second time- see my post in August), and I DO know what it feels like to be hungry. This made me think about how, in the past, I don't know if I could count the number of times I ate because I was really hungry AND only ate to feed the hunger with nutritious foods. 

Our bodies were not meant to be garbage disposals, what we eat is meant to provide us with fuel and nutrition to help us and not reward ourselves. Another great thought, we eat to live not live to eat. We need to be aware of our body, the signals it gives and work on our will power muscles. I think it's okay to be hungry sometimes, to feel the signal our body is meant to give us to tell us it's time to refuel. Allowing that hunger and then resisting the urge to overfill with copious amounts of unhealthy foods will force that will power muscle to thrive. 

Take the challenge but plan ahead. Know that you are going to wait to be hungry but have a healthy snack waiting (portioned out) and absolutely no junk food nearby. I am finishing up this three day fast/ cleanse and know that when I did it a few months ago, I decided to reward myself (like a dog) with treats the next day and the next day after that... Not this time, this time I have learned from the past three days that it's okay to feel hunger, I do feel satisfied by refueling with vegetables and fruits, I enjoy green tea and unsweetened iced tea, I need to drink WAY more water, and I found a awesome new salad that I love!

Have a blessed week!