Hey guys,

I’ve got a quick & dirty TIP for you all today. In fact, it’s a challenge (within a challenge!): eat only when you’re hungry!

I know, what a crazy, novel idea, huh? It’s no secret that modern humans eat largely out of habit and because we’ve worked it into our daily schedules at set times. Indisputably, the 3 square meals a day is totally arbitrary and has commercial underpinnings. This system has made us lose touch with the innate ability to listen to our body. This routine eating has caused many of us to become quite oblivious to actual physiological signs of hunger, or lack thereof.

To be fair though, eating only when truly hungry may be a bit tricky for some, and there’s a reason for this too; someone who is insulin resistant (damaged metabolism), addicted to junk foods or is lacking sleep can really be led astray by cravings that are disguised as hunger. There are a lot of psychological addictions to food as well… which is far beyond the scope of this blog post.

What I’m suggesting though is simple enough: before putting anything into your mouth, just ask yourself if you really feel hungry at this moment.

I have found that when I do this, I definitely eat less than other days, overall – but my meals are significantly larger. Of course, I can’t always do this, or at least not nearly as often as I’d like, because I try to eat as a family as often as possible. But when it works out, I typically end up having just 1 or 2 meals all day, plus 0-2 small snacks, depending on whether I’m working that day or not. I snack (healthfully) only a home, even when I’m not really hungry – bad habit.

Seriously, give this a shot and see how you feel. And in case you ever wanted to eat less meals and be freed from the tyranny of constantly needing to refuel every couple of hours, try these simple things: eat a bigger breakfast, more protein, and don’t be afraid of healthy fats! But I digress… this is starting to resemble intermittent fasting. I’ll keep that for another post, in the near future.

Don’t stop finding ways to improve yourselves! Good luck – and please eat mindfully!

We got so much food in America we’re allergic to food. Allergic to food! Hungry people ain’t allergic to shit. You think anyone in Rwanda’s got a fucking lactose intolerance?!
–Chris Rock