Tolerating Hunger...
 

Hello All!

I am working through the pink book (train your brain to think like a thin person) and very soon I will be getting to the 'tolerating hunger' day in which you skip lunch to learn that hunger is not an emergency.

And well, all the sirens are going off in my head! Sabotaging thoughts such as:

"I can't skip lunch! I'll be hungry ALL afternoon!"

"All this is going to teach me is that diets=suffering"

Anyone have some ideas for Helpful Responses to these? Or any insight at all?

TIA!

I'm new here, so I'm not sure how helpful I can be, but I'll be doing my "hunger" day next week, and just wanted to say you're not facing it alone, lol.

I haven't read that chapter yet, so I don't know what all she says about it, but I know I have a big problem with letting myself get hungry, and when I saw that title in the table of contents I started trying to think of things I can tell myself. Haven't really come up with much yet though, lol.

Maybe I'll put up some post-its around me at work that say something like "it won't hurt me", lol. It's okay to be hungry, but I think I'll have to have a plan in place because I tend to over eat a lot when I'm too hungry.

One thing that really stuck with me when I did the hunger experiment is something that Dr. Beck mentioned in that chapter: that it's important to learn to distinguish between 'need' and 'want' when it comes to eating. That people have actually gone for more than a week with out eating and haven't died from it. This sentence is what I think of.

True hunger is something that I, as an overeater and constant eater, I hadn't experienced in a long long time. It's a good exercise.

I hope this helps a little. Once I became aware of this- on occasion -, I wasn't in a total tizzy when dinner time got changed until later in the day. That I can wait that extra 60 or 90 minutes and I won't 'die' - if you know what I mean.

Make sure you do the thing with the discomfort scale. By quantifying the experience, I learned that those hunger feelings are very fleeting and easily distractable. It was really enlightening for me and not anywhere near as awful as I imagined it would be.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

I will do the hunger scale, distract and leave post it notes around:

"This is not an emergency"
"This will not kill me"
"Its only one meal. I can eat anytime."

Sounds like you are poised for success! Love your post-it notes!

Just do it
 

Dear Beckies,

At the risk of repeating some great insights from my coaches, this exercise is a big aha moment. As has been pointed out, most of us got and stayed fat by never really allowing ourselves to be hungry. So, by completing this assignment, we get to feel what *that really feels like, we get to realize we *can do it, and I have always known (when I experience it), that being on the edge of hunger, even a bit into it..is a big energy BOOST.l feel much more alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic when NOT FULL!

This exercise really helped me realize why I overate..still do, occasionally, but not like before; it was a need to be full, stuffed. Since it did not feel good physically, I know now I needed it emotionally. I don't know why that was the way it was then, nor why I don't need it now. The great news is, even if you don't want to do the "heavy lifting" of figuring out the "why", Beck gives you the tools to just do it anyway. Just do it.. Just follow the plan, and success will follow. (This comes with my usual disclaimer: do as I say, and not as I do. I know there are plenty of us Beckies who have figured out a lot of the emotional issues along the way. I jus think it is cool that even if one doesn't, by following the Beck blueprint to the letter, you *can conquer the fat anyway!)

You girls just inspired me to go to the library and get this book. I'm a Medical major and I always wanted to learn how to better connect my cognitive function with my weight loss:)

Here it is a month later-- and I have FINALLY gotten the gall up to do this exercise.:o

Today I am tolerating hunger. Its 1130a here and I usually eat a 300 cal lunch at 12pm. I have decided to distract myself by NOT taking a lunch break. I will power through this work load I have in front of me. Give myself CREDIT for finishing this exercise (and another for finishing my work!) and concentrate on ME... not food.

My mantras today:

Food is fuel. Its can't heal boredom or my heart.

and

Hunger is NOT AN EMERGENCY. No one dies from missing one meal.



I am not going to let one exercise stand between me and advancing in this program. Today-- I am DOING THE WORK!


:hug: Thanks for all the support... and BTW I lurk this board and think very highly of you all! This is the hardest program I have ever done-- and also, the only one thats gotten me to lose any weight. That has to mean something good~!:)

My evening meal is all plotted out. AND I have a backup meal here at work incase hunger DOES become an emergency... I hate waffling, but I would rather 'cheat' with a can of soup, than excusing myself from work and heading out to McDonalds. My only thought though is that I chose a soup I can not stand.

If I get TRULY hungry tp the point I can't stand it anymore, food is available.

:dizzy: Sometimes I have to trick myself! But I tell you...its going to take some SERIOUS hunger pains to get me to eat cream of mushroom. BLECH!:mad:


I had a 4 on the pain scale at about 1210p where it felt like my stomach was eating itself. But now-- nothing.

Hopefully there will only be a few 'bad' moments through out the afternoon. Something I can just power through.

:)

*credit* for following through! Yes, you can do this. It's only one meal. You will do fine tonight, too, because you have planned in advance.

Thanks Lexiss!!


I am finding that this exercise, even though its early, is more scary THINKING about it, than actually DOING it.

I wish I would have just done this a month ago.:dizzy: LOL!

Hi,

I'm loving that you are doing it today and posting too !! That deserves credit - you are really facing this challenge head on !!

Woodland

Good job, parkedout! I love that you brought soup that you don't like. It reminded me of reading about an early health spa in the 70s that sent people to their tents at night with a cold baked potato. The theory being if someone was really hungry, they would eat it, otherwise, they would wait until breakfast.