The human body is a miracle. It is built to take the best care of itself, if you let it. Eating is one of those things. If you learn how to listen to your body for cues of hunger and satiety, you will develop a healthier relationship with food. It might even be how to lose weight fast naturally; some people have lost tens of pounds just by following their inner signals.
Nowadays there is food available all the time, and many of us just don't know how it feels to be hungry. If we snack all the time, we don't get familiar with the feeling of hunger, nor the feeling of satiety. Here you can find four ways to learn to listen to your body more effectively.
How to start intuitive eating? The first thing to do is to learn how it feels to be hungry. This is the basis of the whole idea, so don't miss this one! The easiest way to start learning this is to create an eating routine. Eat three times a day, always at the same time. Do not eat in between meals. Soon your body will learn to follow this timetable and you will notice getting hungry before meal time. How does it feel to be hungry? How can you recognize being hungry?
The next step is to learn how it feels to have eaten enough. Do not limit your calorie intake during this period. Eat enough on each meal, but eat slowly. It takes about 10 minutes for the brain to realize that you have eaten something. Eat slowly and listen to your body. Stop eating when you feel satisfied and full, even if there is still food left. Explore the feeling of being satiated. Also, start assessing how much food it takes for you to feel full. It is usually less than you think.
Don't skip meals. Skipping meals will push you towards binge eating and snacking. Have proper meals throughout the day. Also, don't eat in front of the computer or the TV or read while eating. Concentrate on your food and on your body's signals. It is too easy to lose track of your inner feelings if you do other things while eating.
Eat enough. Don't be too strict on yourself. Limiting your diet too much and having these "eating rules" instead of listening to your internal cues can push you towards breaking the rules and binge eating. When you put intuitive eating into practice, you are free to eat anything your body desires. This food regime is not about forgetting healthy eating though. Listen to what your body wants you to eat, and to the internal cues of hunger and fullness.
Remember, you are responsible of being conscious of your body's signals all the time when it comes to food and eating. That's the way to reaching and keeping your natural weight range. Eating when hungry and only when hungry is one great way to sustain a healthy food regime.