Different Factors to Consider in Eating Decisions (Beyond Hunger/Fullness)

Sometimes intuitive eating can get overly simplified to “eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full.”

I think it’s super important to listen to your hunger/fullness signals. At the same time, I also think there are other key factors to take into consideration when deciding what/when/how much to eat.

If feeling biological signals of hunger –> a clear sign to eat!!

BUT there are other “signs” or things to think about that may also indicate a need to eat.

We may think we are doing something “wrong” if we are eating when we aren’t technically feeling hungry, yet this may be just what our bodies need! If you *only* eat when you are feeling physically hungry, I’d bet you most likely aren’t eating enough.

In this post we will explore…

• A few personal examples of me taking into account “other factors beyond hunger/fullness” when it comes to eating
• Different factors to consider when making food decisions, including:
  • Tuning into your bodily signals
  • Thinking about your daily life situation / overall life circumstances
  • Trusting your overall intuition
• Some closing thoughts and questions

Examples of navigating eating decisions beyond hunger/fullness from my own life.

Due to my experience recovering from an eating disorder, I (for better or for worse) have plenty of experience eating when I’m not necessarily hungry –> but when it was also still in my best interest to eat!

This knowledge and experience has also served me well in my ability to maintain my recovery for the past (almost) 15 years.

Whether or not you find yourself recovering from an eating disorder or disordered eating, thinking through factors that go into eating decisions/patterns can be helpful for anyone to consider.

A few examples from my own life of eating when not necessarily hungry:

–> The most obvious example — needing to eat copious amounts of food even when I wasn’t feeling hungry in order to restore my weight during anorexia recovery.
–> Training for a marathon (or being an active person in general) and needing to eat at times because I knew my body needed more food (again, even when not necessarily feeling hungry).
–> Eating more than felt comfortable to restore my period. (Enter all the nutrient-dense foods and quality fat sources.)
–> Eating a snack simply because it has been 3-4 hours since I last ate (using my general nutrition wisdom to know I probably still should eat something at this point even if not hungry… maybe I am stressed or not feeling hungry for whatever reason, but still choose to eat…)
–> Knowing I was sick the previous week / unable to eat very much, so intentionally choosing to eat a bit more the next week.
–> Eating because it’s breakfast time, I know I need breakfast, and I need to move on with my day! (As in, I don’t always have time to wait for the “ideal” level of hunger, and I’m guessing you don’t always either!).

As you can see, there is a wide range of potential life circumstances, general nutrition wisdom, and personal experience that may lead us to eat even when we aren’t feeling physically hungry. In fact, I probably have this experience in some way every single day!

This isn’t just “eating for eating’s sake” (which can also be a fine thing at times!). In this post, we are talking more about needing to meet our biological nutrition needs even when not feeling physically hungry.

Different factors to consider when making food decisions:

First things first. Bodily sensations:

Of course, when it comes to eating decisions, it is important to consider the actual bodily signals you are experiencing.

As mentioned above, if you are physically feeling hungry, it is a clear-as-day sign that your body is needing nourishment!

Summary of a number of bodily cues to consider when deciding what/when/how much to eat:

• Physical sensations of hunger cues
  • This may include a gnawing/empty feeling in your stomach, feeling lightheaded or slightly dizzy, difficulty concentrating, feeling irritable, thinking about food, lacking energy, etc.
• Physical sensations of fullness cues
  • This may include a slight pressure in the stomach, no longer thinking about food, feeling energized, feeling comfortably satisfied, etc.
• Feeling neutral (neither hungry or full)
• Feeling tired, lacking energy

That being said, it’s also important to think through what’s going on in your day, or in your current life circumstances, and how you may need to adjust your eating accordingly. 

Beyond just hunger fullness, I recommend thinking through different aspects of your day and current life circumstances to help you decide what/when/how much to eat. There are many circumstances when we may need to eat (from a physical standpoint), even when we aren’t feeling hungry, in order for our bodies to be properly nourished. 

Factors to potentially think about in food decisions:

• Am I having an especially active day or week?
  • Physical activity, or even “mental activity” such as studying or working (the brain requires lots of energy aka calories, too!!)
  • Training for a race, engaging in regular athletics (such as high school, middle school, college, recreational sports)
• Might my body or mind still be healing from any degree of disordered eating?
• Am I on my period? (Requires more energy). OR am I working to recover my period? (Also requires more energy).
• Has it been 3-4 hours since my last meal or snack?
  • Probably a good idea to go ahead and eat (unless unusually stuffed from a prior meal)
• Is my weight slightly lower than where its healthy range is? (This could be based on known data and/or how your clothes are fitting)
• How much and how often do I generally know I need to eat in a day?
  • What seems to work well for me?
  • (If eating disorder history) What has worked well for me throughout recovery?
• Have I been sick recently?
• Have I been traveling recently?

Finally, at the end of the day, it can be helpful to consider your overall intuition or “gut instinct” (no pun intended) when it comes to nourishing yourself.

Eating isn’t “just” listening to hunger/fullness, nor is it just considering what our minds are telling us we “should” be eating. Listening to just hunger/fullness or just what we think will likely lead us down a disordered eating path / keep us stuck.

Instead, I recommend a combination of:

(1) considering and listening to hunger/fullness signals
(2) thinking through different aspects of your day/life circumstances (that may indicate a need to eat even when not feeling hungry)

and

(3) honoring your overall intuition!

This could look like asking yourself…

• What sounds good to me to eat?
• How much food seems reasonable? (based on hunger cues, general life experience of what satisfies you)
• What eating decisions will support my continued recovery?
• What eating decisions will lead to the greatest satisfaction throughout the day?
• Throughout my eating choices today, how can I acknowledge BOTH my bodily sensations (hunger/fullness) AND my knowledge/experience about my nutrition needs?

What might it look like for you to care for yourself by meeting your nutrition needs this week?

Maybe you could benefit from tuning in more to your hunger and fullness signals to help guide you in eating. The hunger & fullness guide can be a helpful tool (see bottom of this post).

Maybe it could serve you to add in some extra nutrition/food *even if you aren’t feeling physically hungry* for a particular meal or snack. This can be hard to do, as it goes against what diet culture tells us we *should* be doing with food. (Again, the idea that you are doing something “wrong” if you are eating when you aren’t hungry).

As for me, tonight I’ll be enjoying my evening dark chocolate or other dessert of choice. I’m almost never “hungry” for this snack, but (1) it’s tasty and (2) it helps meet my caloric/nutrition needs!

If you are looking for more support in navigating food / your relationship with food:

Consider working together one-on-one! You can contact me here with any questions, or to schedule a call to chat further about what this might look like. I currently have availability to take on a few new clients as we continue on into fall and would love to connect with you if interested.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!