How to overcome hunger? Do something to distract yourself

(Author: Mike Moseley, Mimi Spencer)

How to fight hunger

Don't worry about occasional brief bouts of hunger, they are harmless. Given your basic health condition, you won't die. You won't collapse on the ground and ask the cat to give you a life. The body is naturally able to cope with long periods of time without food, and even if you lose the ability to go hungry due to years of eating and drinking, going hungry will not be a big deal.

Studies have found that modern people tend to mistake many types of emotions for hunger. We eat when we are bored, when we are thirsty, when we see food (when do we not see food?), when we have company, or simply because the clock says it is time to eat. Most people also eat because eating is enjoyable. This is called hedonic hunger. Although you must control your appetite on fasting days, you can comfort yourself that as long as you are happy, you can succumb to the temptation of food the next day. There's no need to panic about hunger pangs.

Just know that the human brain has ways of convincing us that we’re hungry in almost any situation: in response to feelings of deprivation, cringing, disappointment, when angry, sad, happy, no particular emotion, when seeing advertisements, social norms, sensory stimulation, rewards, habits, when smelling freshly brewed coffee or toast, or when smelling bacon cooking at a roadside restaurant.

Now, understand that if you want to eat because of these external stimuli, most of them are learned responses, and the main goal of these stimuli is to get you to take out your wallet and spend. If you are still digesting your last meal, it is highly unlikely that the sensation you are experiencing is true hunger (for those of you interested, the time it takes for food to be excreted can be as long as two days, depending on gender, metabolism, and the type of food eaten).

Hunger can seem aggressive and unpleasant, like a box of sharp knives, but it may actually be more resilient and manageable than you think. On the fasting day, by the time you feel extremely hungry, most of the day would have already passed. Not only that, hunger will subside.

Fasters say they experience hunger in waves, without an annoying, growling stomach. It was a symphony of different actions, not a solid spiral of fear. Consider the growling stomach as a good sign and a messenger of health.

Also remember that hunger is not based on a 24-hour basis, so don't feel trapped by hunger at any time. Just wait patiently.

You absolutely have the ability to overcome hunger. As long as you have a firm will, control that feeling, and choose to do something different, go for a walk, call a friend, drink tea, go for a run, take a bath, sing while taking a bath, call a friend and sing while taking a bath... Most people who have tried intermittent fasting said that the feeling of hunger has decreased after a few weeks.

Whether it is a 5:2 intermittent fast or any fast, the hardest part is the first few weeks because the body and mind have to adapt to new habits and a new way of eating. Fortunately, most people adjust quickly. In fact, many people who contacted us said it was surprisingly easy.

So take courage. On fasting days, exercise self-control and find something to distract yourself. It won't be long before your brain resets itself and cancels out the hunger pangs.

The article is excerpted from Sancai Culture Publishing House (http://www.books.com.tw/exep/prod/booksfile.php?item=0010591006)