Appetite Awareness

As athletes, our appetite can be a bit interesting at times.

Have you ever been so hungry you can't even think straight?

Sometimes it feels like we can never feel satisfied whereas other times, the appetite is non existent.

So weird, right?

As you are aware from experience, your appetite is important because it regulates food intake and helps you fuel your active lifestyle. It drives you to eat and it also tells you when you can stop eating.

Your appetite can also affect your mood  - it's likely that there are times when your friends/family just know that you are hungry.

Although the appetite mechanism works well to help you meet your body's energy and nutrient needs, it is likely that as an athlete, you feel that you do not have a "normal" appetite.

Far too often, athletes put blame on themselves for not eating the "right" things at the "right" times. They get mad at their body for being hungry too often or for getting too full.

There is so much guilt, frustration and concerns with eating that it can eventually cause an athlete to experience disordered eating symptoms or dread/hate the act of eating. Some athletes are so frustrated with how to eat for health, body composition and performance goals that the most simple option or last resort is to just stop eating. 

Maybe you feel that you have the inconsistent ability to understand your appetite and that makes you feel as if you are not eating enough or eating too much all the time. Rather than food enhancing your life, it may feel like food is controlling your life.

As you can see, as an athlete, the appetite can be extremely confusing and misleading. 

Let's be honest, you are not always to blame when it comes to food choices. 

Increased portion sizes, food advertising, food in every holiday/work/event setting and other social factors can drive how you eat. Far too often, athletes get so obsessed with what they shouldn't eat because food is everyone and this can heighten a very unhealthy relationship with food. 

When you think you aren't hungry and you are presented with food, you may find yourself all of a sudden, hungry or you can't resist yourself. When you eat something that you feel you shouldn't have eaten or eaten too much, you may say to yourself that you feel gross, fat, guilty and even depressed. You may often find that you "feel" a certain way after you eat and this is something that every athlete needs to focus on - why is the food you eat making you feel this way?
Is it the food or your relationship with food or how you are eating, when you are eating, what you are eating?

When you have healthy relationship with food, you feel better after you eat than before and that meal or snack serves a purpose. It nourishes you, it keeps you satisfied, it controls blood sugar and it helps fuel your active lifestyle. And when you indulge responsibly, you don't feel guilty when eating. 

So, are you aware of your appetite and when you are biologically hungry and need to eat/fuel versus when you don't need food in your body? 

Are you able to identify times when you are eating for reasons beyond fueling and nourishing?

Do you find that you will consciously not eat when you feel hungry because you are watching the clock as to the "right" time to eat or trying to save calories or feeling too busy to eat but yet after you eat a meal, you can't help but have dessert or that something extra?

We don't need to blame gluten, carbs or food groups for your eating habits. For many athletes, there is a clear disconnect as to why you are actually eating, what you are eating. 

To reduce overeating and to help you gain a better relationship with food, it is important that you take responsibility for your eating actions. Hopefully you are never forced to eat something and can politely say no thank you but because you do deserve to indulge every now and then, pay better attention of the physical signs of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction as it relates to how you eat. 

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So what if there were ways to help you better understand your appetite as it relates to when you need to eat, what you need to eat and how much you need to eat? 

Stay tuned for my next blog post for some tips on managing your appetite. 

Honor your hunger

 

 

Our society loves to focus on foods that we should eat but rarely do we address the lifestyle that could be affecting our food choices and habits.

 

Often do I hear people saying that they don't have time....time to strength train/stretch, time to cook, time to sleep.

 

But if you are sick - how can you work?

But, if you are injured - how can you workout or race?
But if you are exhausted - how can you make smart choices, be productive and be consistent in life?

 



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When you think about a hunger scale, it's evident where we should be staying with our body when it comes to identifying the biological hunger cues for eating as well as when to finish a meal. So when someone speaks about not eating x-y-z food because it is bad or regretting eating too much at once, it may be helpful to refer to this scale..... or the lifestyle.

I don't believe in bad foods. I think our society has it all wrong when they talk about how bloating, feeling lethargic, tired and unhealthy are contributed to certain foods. I think about how people eat and why and that is why when I work with an athlete or fitness enthusiast on their nutrition, I use a lifestyle log as I want to see how food does or doesn't enhance life. I want to see when, what and how you are eating something and any comments that may help me better understand an athletes eating "style" and choices.

So when I think about why people jump to fad diets, quick fixes and off-limit foods lists, I can easily see why that happens. It's most common that a person will address what not to eat when they are not feeling in good health or feeling good about their body. This saddens me because we have many ways to describe optimal health and it can't be told by just a number on a scale. Also, I'm very passionate about helping people develop a healthier relationship with food and the body and I would love to hear less body bashing and more body thanking.

So, let's look at why you or someone you know may feel frustrated when it comes to "healthy eating" - not because of good food/bad food but instead, how your lifestyle impacts your food choices.

When you are at a 0,1 or 2 - you will eat anything and anything that is in sight. You need something fast and that often means convenient food or fast food. Rarely is it broccoli and cucumbers but instead, to relieve your low blood sugar, you desire something sweet or high in sugar. It typically feels great going in but then the feelings of guilt come about and then that brings you to a place of regret.

Whether you get to 9 or 10 because you went into a meal starving or you just couldn't stop (because of the food tasting so good, emotional or stressful reasons, etc.), then that brings you to a place of need. The need to do something fast. Often, the outcome is restriction. Whatever you ate or something on your mind that you think you shouldn't be eating is removed and restricted and then starts the phase of eliminating foods in order for you to get yourself back into control. Often times, the lifestyle is not balanced and as a result, many heart healthy choices are eliminated and you find yourself in food/calorie deprivation (by choice). This cycle continues, on and off, for a while for many people.

Weeks turn into months and months turn into years. But the easiest thing for many is to keep with an off-food list instead of thinking about the lifestyle.

Set yourself up for success.

I encourage you to appreciate real food. But in order to do so, you have to have a plan. You can't find the time, you have to make the time. You have to think of it as an investment to your health and well-being. You have to set yourself up for success but you do not have to aim for perfection.

All I ask is that for the next 1.5 months, please do not jump to a quick fix. Your body does not need to cleanse, detox or fast and you do not have to live a diet of restriction, guilt or body bashing.

I know you can do this.

 

I am confident that you can keep veggies in your fridge and make your own hummus and chop your own nuts for a heart healthy snack.

 

I know that you can start your day with breakfast, think about the composition of your meals to leave you satisfied with nutrients and I know you can slow down to eat and not eat meals in your car.

 

Use your silverware, yum when you eat and don't compare yourself to others.

Appreciate food from a garden and take time to prep your food so that it is convenient for you to serve yourself.

 

Don't wait.....start your healthy relationship with food and your body, starting today.