Turning Off Auto-Pilot Eating

Are you tired of living life on autopilot when it comes to eating? You know, just shoving food in your mouth out of habit, boredom, or because the office vending machine is taunting you? Well, it's time to break that cycle and start truly tuning into your body's signals.

From now on, we're going to be the hunger whisperers! Before you grab that bag of chips or slice of cake, pause and ask yourself - am I actually hungry or just bored/sad/anxious/procrastinating? Your body has an amazing built-in hunger scale from 1-10, and we want to aim for eating when we're around a 3 - 4 on that scale.

Think about it - when you aren't really hungry but eat out of habit or emotion, you're just treating your body like a glorified food disposal. It deserves so much better than that! Your body is your biggest MVP, always working hard for you. The least you can do is properly fuel it when it gives you the legit munchies signal.

Now, I know for some of you, overeating is a hard habit to break after doing it for years or even decades. You've got to start re-wiring those neural pathways! Here are some tips:

• Keep a hunger/fullness journal for a week and rate every eating episode

• Do a body scan before eating - is your stomach truly growling?

• Drink a glass of water and wait 15 minutes to see if you're truly hungry

• Eat slowly, putting utensils down between bites to gauge fullness

• Get up and walk away from the food once you hit satisfaction

The old mindless habits won't disappear overnight, but be patient and keep working at it. Studies show it takes 66 days on average to build a new habit!

So let's make a pact - we'll show our bodies the love and respect they deserve by only eating when our stomachs are truly at about a 3 on the hunger scale. It's going to take some practice, but keep checking in with yourself. If you get a hunger pang, do a little conscious body scan - is that pang coming from my belly or just my brain looking for a distraction?

When you do hit that magical sweet spot of true physical hunger, then by all means - enjoy your food! Savor every bite, eat slowly and mindfully. Your body sent you that craving signal for a reason and you're honoring it.

But resist the urge to go into total feed mode once your stomach is satisfied. That leads to that overly full, sluggish feeling. And you know what they say - your body isn't a trashcan, so don't stuff it like one!

Getting in tune with your hunger signals takes practice, but keep at it. You've got this, hunger whisperers! Your body will thank you for properly listening to its needs.