Why am I hungry?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Angela

Like what? What would inspire you?

Being energetic, healthy, able to voice and stand up for what I want, look good.

[Angela]

Can you boil that down to a concise, 2 or 3 words that light you up, that you would be willing to practice being?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Angela

Can you boil that down to a concise, 2 or 3 words that light you up, that you would be willing to practice being?

I don't have the word for it, not one that sounds really inspiring to me. It's kind of along the lines of vitality, but that's not quite it. Maybe it is, I just feel like there's another, better word.

[sleon]

Not to interrupt what Angela's going for, because it's good stuff, but to add some additional notes to show what a better diet might look like:

Six weeks ago I was eating a typical sugar-heavy, refined-grain-heavy American diet. And I was feeling lousy. Tired, always hungry, cranky, mentally fuzzy.

I stopped eating sugar and moved to a slow-carb diet. A day of eating for me now often looks like this:

Shake made with soy protein powder, nonfat milk, and frozen blueberries
Homemade, no-sugar oat-flax-zucchini muffin

Green tea

1/4 cup steel-cut oats
Nonfat milk
Cinnamon

Green tea

Chicken breast
1/2 avocado
Couple of whole-grain crackers
Handful of carrots
1/2 grapefruit
Vegetable juice with cayenne pepper shaken in

Sugarless gum (keeps my mouth busy, good for teeth)

3/4 cup or so of nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
Cinnamon

Big salad of spinach, romaine lettuce, other greens
Chickpea-veggie curry

A homemade, no-sugar oatmeal cookie or two (or a little bit of bittersweet chocolate)
Nonfat milk

Basic principles:

1. Sugar is only bad for you, not good for you at all. It adds nothing to your diet except calories.

2. Whole grains. They are vastly more nutritious than refined grains, and have fiber and protein that you need.

3. Balance carbs with protein and fat, always.

4. Eat things you enjoy.

5. Eat frequently, in small amounts.

So, six weeks later, I feel incredible now. I love what eating this way does for my body. I'm losing weight. My skin is beautiful. I have no cravings for sugar, I do not feel deprived, and I know just by the way I feel that my blood sugar is stable all day long. I can think clearly. I have tons of energy and feel very positive.

[Ree]

Originally Posted by sleon

So, six weeks later, I feel incredible now. I love what eating this way does for my body. I'm losing weight. My skin is beautiful. I have no cravings for sugar, I do not feel deprived, and I know just by the way I feel that my blood sugar is stable all day long. I can think clearly. I have tons of energy and feel very positive.

You've described it perfectly! Eating this way, I feel like I'm controlling my food rather than my food controlling me. There are just a few key lessons to learn and you can grocery shop with confidence, cook with confidence, and eat out with confidence that you're doing it in a healthy way. It's really not complicated at all.

Of course, doing The Work will make your life wonderful in so many ways! I've been singing the praises of Byron Katie for a long time now. The Work is so liberating!

Educating yourself about the food that you eat, how it impacts your body and how you can combine food items with intelligence and savvy will make you feel wonderful as well!!

[Angela]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

I don't have the word for it, not one that sounds really inspiring to me. It's kind of along the lines of vitality, but that's not quite it. Maybe it is, I just feel like there's another, better word.

How about including the self-expressed part to the vitality? They go together like rice and beans. You could be a bold beacon of vitality, shining brightly with heath and inspiration for others. Would that sort of thing inspire you?

[Rose of Cairo]

Aspiring, when I was eating like you, I was hungry all the time too. It's normal. First, you eat sugar, so your blood sugar level goes up and then down and you get hungry. Second, what you eat may have a lot of calories, but lacks nutrients. Your body is right to still be hungry: it doesn't get what it truly needs.

It is NOT normal to get weak and aggressive when you're hungry. I know how it is, I had that too when I ate like you, it was hypoglycemia. One of the most wonderful things I experience since I'm raw is that I'm independent from food now. When I'm hungry, I'm nothing but hungry. If I don't eat, I get even hungrier, and nothing but that. And if I still don't eat, the hungry feeling just disappears after a while. I'm still feeling peaceful and full of energy and able to work. When I was on cooked carbs, phew! I wanted to kill everybody when I had nothing to eat.

I'm not saying you should go raw, but it would be good for you to give your body more nutrients (I totally recommend raw greens, they're amazing and full of good stuff) and to take care particularly of your blood sugar level.

Of course you need to believe that you deserve it first

[coLLege kid07]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

It seems that I am hungry all of the time. I know that my diet is not that great right now, but I don't know if that's it. For instance, this morning at about 7:30 am I had two breakfast tacos (1 tortilla with bean and cheese and 1 tortilla with egg and potato). I also had a small soda. Less than two hours later here and I am so hungry. I feel I could eat a full meal.

Is it the content of my diet that is causing this or are there other possible causes? Whether I eat a salad or a greasy burger and fries, I feel full after eating, but hungry very shortly afterward.

Maybe because you think you are hungry. Try watching your thoughts and emotions. And also remember to look out for any negativity while you're going through those thought patterns. I know sometimes I forget to do these things so it might just be that you're going through the same thing. ;-)

[Ninja]

Originally Posted by {aspiring_to_clarity}

Yes, very right. It's not even that I necessarily feel deprived eating healthy food. In fact, I think it tastes good, better than what I normally eat. I think it's the easy and cheapness of the nasty stuff that makes it appealing.

However, if I were not eating and drinking the nasty stuff, I would probably have energy to make more healthfull food.

It's a matter of getting myself to do it, not that I don't understand the merits. In fact, I know it can be done by me because when I was veggie, I ate pretty well most of the time.

But if you put some effort into eathing healthy, everything else will seem more easy because you have more energy. In the end, you will save time

Healthy food can be very cheap, even cheaper than junkfood with contents that you can't even pronounce without breaking your jaw. You don't need exotic berries from the rainforest or mumbojumbo like that. Start by eating things that are in season: those are cheaper because they don't need to be held in greenhouses or imported from another country (better for the environment too!). And if you have a garden, try growing your own food! I still live with my parents and they grow their own lavender, basil, garlic and tomatoes

You can spare time by cooking in batches. Tomatosoup, for example, is perfect for freezing. We cook a giant pan of it, eat some, and pour the rest in 1-2 portion containers for freezing. Then when we have little time or just don't feel like cooking, we get out a container and re-heat it. Can't get much easier and faster than that!

Try experimenting with precooking and freezing food and making meal plans for the entire week in advance. Another benefit of this, is that you can do all your groceryshopping for the week in one go, which saves not only time, but also helps prevent buying on impulse. Go for it!

P.S: one thing you should watch out for: are you getting enough sleep, and is the quality of your sleep good? if you don't recharge your batteries sufficiently during the night, your body will yearn for other kinds of energy during the day. You can eat healthy all you want, but it won't help if you don't get enough sleep.

[Rockchick26]

This is a very interesting thread! I had somebody direct me to an online book about fasting and raw food,so i've been really interested in learning more about it. I am pretty sure i am hypoglycemic too,because sometimes i get weak and shaky if i havent eaten in a few hours. It's only happened really bad like 6 pr 7 times ever,but thats still more than most people. But i'm almost constantly eating,i dont eat a ton at a time though.

I was just reading on this online book,it said we dont know what true hunger even is. We only get hunger pains and the growling stomach cuz our stomach is irritated,it is going through withdrawals from the crappy food! We truly get hungry after fasting for 36 hours,(according to this book). Its called Triumph Over Disease-Fasting and Natural Diet,by Dr. Jack Goldstein. I dont know how to do links on here or i'd post it.

One last thing; Aspiring to Clarity...do you really eat for a distraction? Because your situation sounds a lot like mine and i only eat cuz my stomach is telling me to,i wish i didnt have to eat,it'd sure be a lot cheaper LOL And,do you really think you eat "crappy" food is because you think you deserve it? I've never thought of it that way,when i eat something like McDonalds or macaroni and cheese,i am not doing it cuz i feel like i only deserve crappy food,but because it tastes better than celery LOL and its MUCH more filling!

[pianoperformer]

The book is here.

Lol I agree with Rockchick26 on the bad food tasting good thing. I really wish that celery tasted as good as cheesecake.

[Lauxa]

Hey aspiring, just wanted to pipe back in about the juicing...

For me, I find juicing to be much more effort than smoothies. Cleaning the juicer takes 10-15 minutes (has to be taken apart, etc) while cleaning the blender takes closer to 1-5 minutes. I'm not definitively saying NOT to try juicing, but if you sense that devoting extra time to eating might discourage you...

As far as blenders and green smoothies go, I broke 3 blenders in a year going cheap (they were all the same blender, under warranty... made by Back to Basics...) I finally broke down and got a Vitamix which is expensive and most often recommended by green smoothie enthusiasts.

Raw food is about as simple as it gets, but it will still take a lot of time, especially in the beginning while you are researching and trying out recipes. Many of the recipes require a dehydrator (I don't have one and was really missing denser foods by the end of my raw trial).

I also want to warn you that cutting out carbs is expensive. Think about it, all the cheapest sources of calories are carbs -- bread, pasta, rice, potatoes. If you go 100% raw vegan, you will also be cutting out beans and eggs which are two of the cheapest sources of protein (beans can be soaked and sprouted and then prepared while doing raw, but this ups your time requirement).

Maybe it would be a good idea to think about what you can commit to a new diet right now. How much time and money do you feel comfortable spending on this? Then you can find a diet that is both healthy and workable for you.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Woah, a bunch of replies since I signed off. I'm going back to read and respond to each now. Just wanted to thank you all up front for all your help!!

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by sleon

So, six weeks later, I feel incredible now. I love what eating this way does for my body. I'm losing weight. My skin is beautiful. I have no cravings for sugar, I do not feel deprived, and I know just by the way I feel that my blood sugar is stable all day long. I can think clearly. I have tons of energy and feel very positive.

That sounds wonderful. Congratulations on making a great switch for yourself!

The funny thing is that I did eat that way at one time. I don't even really know how I got so far off track. Thank you for posting a typical day. I love meal plans. I tend to get overwhelmed trying to come up with ideas about what to eat in a day and how to get everything I need.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Ree

You've described it perfectly! Eating this way, I feel like I'm controlling my food rather than my food controlling me. There are just a few key lessons to learn and you can grocery shop with confidence, cook with confidence, and eat out with confidence that you're doing it in a healthy way. It's really not complicated at all.

Of course, doing The Work will make your life wonderful in so many ways! I've been singing the praises of Byron Katie for a long time now. The Work is so liberating!

Educating yourself about the food that you eat, how it impacts your body and how you can combine food items with intelligence and savvy will make you feel wonderful as well!!

Yep. Again, I've been a big advocate of The Work and I've even been a healthy vegetarian. Time to get back on track.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Angela

How about including the self-expressed part to the vitality? They go together like rice and beans. You could be a bold beacon of vitality, shining brightly with heath and inspiration for others. Would that sort of thing inspire you?

Being self-expressed vitality? That sounds pretty good to me. Yes, I think I will work with that one.

[Lauxa]

Let me also pass on a "musical affirmation" for health that I got from the Unity Church. It's set to the tune of Mama's gonna bake a little shortnin' bread:

Every little cell in my body is happy,
Every little cell in my body is well.
Every little cell in my body is happy,
Every little cell in my body is well.

I'm so glad every little cell
In my body is happy and well.
Thank you God! Every little cell
In my body is happy and well.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Rose of Cairo

Aspiring, when I was eating like you, I was hungry all the time too. It's normal. First, you eat sugar, so your blood sugar level goes up and then down and you get hungry. Second, what you eat may have a lot of calories, but lacks nutrients. Your body is right to still be hungry: it doesn't get what it truly needs.

I know I've said it already, but at one point I really was on the right path. I just got so far off of it and have felt so badly about myself that I didn't feel worth being healthy and vibrant.

Hey, I think maybe I like vibrance better than vitality. Self-expressed vibrance!

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by coLLege kid07

Maybe because you think you are hungry. Try watching your thoughts and emotions. And also remember to look out for any negativity while you're going through those thought patterns. I know sometimes I forget to do these things so it might just be that you're going through the same thing. ;-)

Definitely something to remember. I tend to let the negative thoughts run away with me. Still practicing being present since I let myself get lost in all of that for so long.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Ninja

But if you put some effort into eathing healthy, everything else will seem more easy because you have more energy. In the end, you will save time

Healthy food can be very cheap, even cheaper than junkfood with contents that you can't even pronounce without breaking your jaw. You don't need exotic berries from the rainforest or mumbojumbo like that. Start by eating things that are in season: those are cheaper because they don't need to be held in greenhouses or imported from another country (better for the environment too!). And if you have a garden, try growing your own food! I still live with my parents and they grow their own lavender, basil, garlic and tomatoes

You can spare time by cooking in batches. Tomatosoup, for example, is perfect for freezing. We cook a giant pan of it, eat some, and pour the rest in 1-2 portion containers for freezing. Then when we have little time or just don't feel like cooking, we get out a container and re-heat it. Can't get much easier and faster than that!

Try experimenting with precooking and freezing food and making meal plans for the entire week in advance. Another benefit of this, is that you can do all your groceryshopping for the week in one go, which saves not only time, but also helps prevent buying on impulse. Go for it!

All good ideas. And all stuff I really know, but haven't been practicing. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement!

Originally Posted by Ninja

P.S: one thing you should watch out for: are you getting enough sleep, and is the quality of your sleep good? if you don't recharge your batteries sufficiently during the night, your body will yearn for other kinds of energy during the day. You can eat healthy all you want, but it won't help if you don't get enough sleep.

Yeah, my sleep is not optimal right now. I've started waking up earlier, but I haven't really adjusted to the new schedule yet.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

One last thing; Aspiring to Clarity...do you really eat for a distraction? Because your situation sounds a lot like mine and i only eat cuz my stomach is telling me to,i wish i didnt have to eat,it'd sure be a lot cheaper LOL And,do you really think you eat "crappy" food is because you think you deserve it? I've never thought of it that way,when i eat something like McDonalds or macaroni and cheese,i am not doing it cuz i feel like i only deserve crappy food,but because it tastes better than celery LOL and its MUCH more filling!

I actually prefer the taste of fresh veggies, fruit, brown rice, beans, tofu...even celery...to pretty much any other food. In my case, it's really about not taking care of myself and I guess that reason is feeling like I don't deserve to be healthy, happy and looking good. Or rather, I don't feel like I look good at all so why bother to focus on upkeep? It's pretty sad, but that's the real deal.

It may have been my time as a vegetarian, but out of all the "naughty food" the only thing I really ever crave is pizza...and that can be made pretty healthy without losing any taste at all.