tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post8126482846438292399..comments2024-03-22T00:35:19.082-07:00Comments on Casual Kitchen: Waiting Until We Are Hungry Before We EatDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-47919484550942714102014-11-04T09:24:36.498-08:002014-11-04T09:24:36.498-08:00I like how you combined the two concepts. It make...I like how you combined the two concepts. It makes sense! <br /><br />This doesn't happen as often anymore, since I'm more mindful of my health/nutrition in general, but in the past, if I'd slip up a little with portion size (maybe due to holidays or special events), I would find myself continuing to eat at a larger portion size afterwards by default. Since it's always easier to face a short-term challenge than a permanent one, to resolve this situation, I would focus on eating really lightly for just a day or two, just to "reset" my stomach (anybody can suffer for a day or two, right?). I was still EATING (not starving myself), but I would limit the amount to bare sustenance, rather than eating until I felt pleasantly full. Afterwards, my portion sizes naturally returned to what they had been before, almost as if my stomach had literally shrunk back to an "original" size, and didn't require as much to fill it to the point of pleasantly full. So I wouldn't have to go on a permanent diet of restriction, but instead, suffer through a couple bad days, and then be perfectly satisfied by a more normal portion size.<br /><br />I've also been surprised to discover lately how much of my eating had to do with habit and, well... lack of things that absolutely consumed my attention. It used to be that when I got off work at 5pm, I was ravenously hungry... immediately. Now, I'm pursuing my passions of teaching, taking classes, and going to the gym in the evenings after work, and many nights I don't get home and eat until about 10pm. Surprisingly, I rarely notice any kind of hunger during that time, because I'm so consumed with what I'm doing. I'm definitely hungry when I get home, and the enjoyment of that meal is high! But amusingly - if I have a night off from these flow-state activities, I find myself "needing" (big air quotes there) to eat earlier in the evening. <br /><br />So I would say, at least for me personally, my eating schedule did have a lot to do with conditioning, and I discovered the hours between meals could be stretched a lot further than I thought, without actual discomfort, thanks to the flow state. Of course, this post is making me think that, on my random nights off, perhaps I should exercise some Stoicism by stretching those hours --even when I'm aware of the hunger-- to experience some elective discomfort and increase my level of badassity. ;PJulinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-18578073038777541402014-11-04T07:39:14.298-08:002014-11-04T07:39:14.298-08:00I am a big proponent of voluntary discomfort. It t...I am a big proponent of voluntary discomfort. It teaches discipline which only leads to greater joy. Good post, Dan!Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12439733116558336290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-58799933177592547852014-11-04T03:31:23.604-08:002014-11-04T03:31:23.604-08:00Anon, there's an enormous distance between &qu...Anon, there's an enormous distance between "waiting until we are hungry until we eat" and starvation. Don't get wrapped around the axle on that and miss the point of the post. <br /><br />DKDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388302796031288076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37886248.post-58612981440761374472014-11-04T03:22:13.816-08:002014-11-04T03:22:13.816-08:00What about the theory that when you are hungry, yo...What about the theory that when you are hungry, your body goes into starvation mode - holding fat...<br /><br />Also waiting to drink until you are thirsty means that you are already dehydrated - also not good for your body.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com