Why do we eat when we’re not hungry?

Why do we eat when we’re not hungry?

Struggling to maintain a weight you are happy at can feel like a never ending battle. In this article I am going to share with you one of the factors that plays a key role in many people’s ability to maintain their happy weight long term…

Understanding triggers for non-hunger eating.

Forgetting what we eat for a moment, if we only ever ate when we were genuinely hungry, and stopped when we started to feel full, it would go a long way to help solve the obesity crisis we are facing.

But we don’t. We eat for many reasons other than hunger. We eat when we are stressed and when we are bored. We eat when we are sad and when we are happy. We eat to reward ourselves and we eat to distract or dissociate from uncomfortable situations. The list goes on.

Most of the clients we work with have a fairly good idea of what healthy food looks like. They understand that if they want to lose weight, it makes sense to choose the salad over the pizza. I have lost count of the amount of times people have said to me “I know what I need to do, I’m just not doing it.”

This is why coaching plays such a key role in our work with clients. Understanding and overcoming your triggers for non-hunger eating is vital if you want to feel in control of your relationship with food.

WORKING OUT YOUR TRIGGERS

Here is a simple way to identify your triggers for non-hunger eating. For one week (minimum, longer if you feel it would be beneficial) keep a food diary noting down not only what you eat but also how you feel at the time. At the end of the week, review what your diary and look out for reoccurring themes. Do you crave chocolate when you’re stressed? Or find yourself digging through the snack cupboard when you’re bored?

The first time I did this it was a revelation. I saw the extent to which the food I was eating changed when I was tired. Tiredness affects me hugely and always has me craving sugar and starchy carbs. With this understanding, now I know that it’s a nap I need, not cake. I have written before about how tiredness can impact our weight by disrupting our appetite and satiety hormones, making us feel hungrier and less satisfied by the food we eat. There are other examples of how our situations and emotions can alter our hormones and cause very real food cravings.

NON-FOOD SOLUTIONS

Once you have identified what is driving your desire to eat when you’re not hungry, you can work on finding a solution that isn’t food. Take some time to consider what you could do instead. Stress eating? Could you listen to a 10 minute guided meditation or breathing exercise, or go for a walk in nature instead? Bored? What else could bring you pleasure? A cup of tea and flick through a magazine? A chat with a friend?

Having a plan in advance will help you access an alternative solution when you find yourself drawn to the kitchen.

Of course, I am not saying you should never eat for pleasure. But when it becomes our default to seek pleasure, comfort or stress relief from food, we avoid addressing the real issue and risk compromising our weight loss or maintenance in the process.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Our work with clients extends far beyond simply providing tailored dietary guidelines and meal ideas. We understand that in order to successfully maintain a weight you are happy at long term, a more comprehensive approach is required.

It can be easy to blame a lack of willpower for your inability to reach your happy weight. In my experience there is often more to it than that.

If you’d like to explore how we can help you overcome your challenges with food and your weight, please do get in touch. You can reply to this email, or book yourself in for a complimentary call with me so that we can talk things through and come up with a plan. If you are struggling, we can help.



SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.
Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah May specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah May loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

 

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of th clinic.

 

Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning.

 

A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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