What Are You Really, Truly Hungry For?

What Are You Really, Truly Hungry For?

Filed Under: Overeating

8 August 2017 | Written by Xenia Ayiotis

What are you really craving? I am not talking about salt + vinegar chips or cheesecake. What are you craving that would be better than chips? Something that would make cheesecake pale in comparison.

There are many reasons we overeat – one of those reasons is an unfed deeper hunger. It’s a hunger that cannot be satisfied with food because we still feel that ongoing emptiness after eating.

Before I started on the path of making peace with food and my body, my life revolved around food. On a trip to Paris with my best friend, the trip was centred around the meals and snacks we would have in a day. I look back now and think it was so sad. Paris is certainly one of the culinary capitals of the world but there is so much more to Paris. There is plenty to keep you busy and stimulated that you could ignore food and still feel fed!

Back then when I was bored and needed stimulation, I ate. Or we would go trawling the streets of Jo’burg looking for the best cheesecake in town.
When I was restless, fearful or anxious, I ate.
If I was lonely and needed connection, I ate.
And when life was dull and lacking in excitement, the thrill was to embark on yet another diet or exercise regime, in the desperate hope for thinness.

Fortunately I gave up on dieting after 27 years of diet prisonGiving up on dieting and learning to eat mindfully was a turning point, it was a catalyst to many changes that have nothing to do with food. I changed careers, thoughts and beliefs and I gradually became more conscious of my unfed hungers.

During that time, I remember a weekend away in the bush. We went on a horseback safari, this was somewhat out of my comfort zone. As much as I love horses, I don’t like to ride them. We were in an open plain observing a female rhino and her young baby calf. At that moment I became aware of how truly fulfilling that experience was. No amount of Doritos or croissants could compare to that exhilarating experience. In that moment that kept me “full” for a long time, there was no desire for food or shoes!

What are you truly hungry for? What would be better than food?

  • Excitement and adventure
  • Peace, stillness or “me” time
  • Connection, love and belonging
  • Intellectual stimulation? Growth?
  • Physical activity
  • Spiritual connection
  • Creativity, self-expression
  • Contribution to your community

If you were to feed these hungers how would your days look?

Three servings a day of connecting with people you enjoy? A daily dose of creativity, two servings a week of yoga, a weekly serving of date nights or girl’s night out? A daily portion of quiet time?

This Women’s Day make some time to think about your unfed hungers…

What could be sweeter than cupcakes?
What could be crunchier than chips?
What could be spicier than chilli bites?

Bon Appetit to all your hungers!

Love
Xenia

PS. For more on different hungers, read The 8 Types of Hunger.

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