Eating Off Schedule

Mariah Strongin, New York, NY

Have you ever woken up late and wondered if you are supposed to eat breakfast and lunch, just lunch, or nothing at all?

Same. Even more so during quarantine. And, I am realizing I am not the only one. My boyfriend Jason woke up yesterday at 11am and asked me this exact question.

There are so many diets telling us to do so many different things. It used to confuse me so much that sometimes I just wouldn’t eat.

The answer I found that seems to work best for me and some of my clients is, simply, looking at this fact: The stomach empties every 4-6 hours.

If I change my mindset from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to instead eating three or four meals a day, every 4-6 hours, and stop eating after my 3rd or 4th meal, it’s a slight shift that causes much less confusion, and makes total sense.

Another thing to think about is noticing hunger. It’s not that easy sometimes because our bodies have a lot going on. It takes time to understand the different hunger cues, such as food hunger, stress, hormones etc. But hunger in general is a great cue to eat.

You’ll notice if you wait too long after your normal food intake that hunger gets louder. Don’t be mad at it, your hunger is right on cue.

You may also notice that if you wait too long after the cue, you wont be as hungry. At this point your body is tapping into its stored nutrients, which is not a great situation. This can lead to disordered eating, binging, under-eating, bodily confusion, and more.

If you feel hungry because of stress or hormones, it’s not bad to feed the monsters. But to keep it from being a downward spiral, try to reach for a more nourishing choice that will leave your body satiated. This could be something as simple as a little shift to a less processed choice. For example: You normally choose a Reeses, so maybe you eat some chocolate and peanut butter instead. Your body can better process this choice, and it will be beneficial as it is higher in nutrients.

Basically everyones body loves a schedule, but it also loves food variety. Give your body what it needs to function by getting enough vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbs, and enjoy what you are eating in the process.

For any questions or to learn more please email TheMariahMethod@gmail.com, I look forward to hearing from you.