Sometimes You Need to Eat When You’re NOT Hungry

Earlier this week I spent a couple days at FNCE, the national conference for registered dietitians (the one where, last year, I represented Health At Every Size in a “debate” with a weight-management physician).

This year I spoke at an offsite podcasting panel hosted by fellow anti-diet dietitian and podcaster Heather Caplan, then attended Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch’s talk on intuitive eating, and Jennifer McGurk and Alexis Conason’s talk on binge eating.

It was incredible to see the turnout for these sessions—the massive ballroom for Evelyn and Elyse’s talk had dozens of people sitting on the floor because all the chairs were taken. Dietitians and RDs-to-be were clamoring for information about the anti-diet philosophy.

It gave me SO much hope for the future of our field. And of course I loved getting to spend some time with my friends and colleagues in this movement IRL, as always.

But here’s the thing: More than 10,000 people attended this conference. 

It was held in a massive convention center the size of a city block.

People call it “the Super Bowl for dietitians.”

As an introvert and a Highly Sensitive Person, I was beyond overwhelmed.

In situations like this, when my little antennae are picking up a million different signals, I don’t have as much of an appetite as I normally do. Being seriously overstimulated tends to make my hunger cues quieter, sometimes even inaudible.

So when I’m overwhelmed, I have to eat when I’m NOT hungry.

That might seem contrary to the Cliff’s-Notes version of intuitive eating often peddled on social media (“eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full”)—but the truth is that often eating when you’re NOT hungry is the most intuitive thing you can possibly do.

It’s a way to keep yourself energized and sustained for the things you care about in life.

It’s an insurance policy against becoming irritable and miserable from lack of food.

It’s eating as an act of self-care. 

As I always say, a peaceful relationship with food is based on self-care, not self control.

(And not the BS, Wellness Diet version that’s like “self-care means cutting out these 45 foods.”) 

Years ago, when I was dieting, I used to see my lack of appetite at big conferences or events as a good thing—a “natural” way to restrict my eating, which I was always trying to do.

But then what inevitably happened was that within a few hours I would end up anxious, foggy-headed, and fatigued, often with a raging headache. And as soon as I came down from the high of the event, I’d binge my face off and not know why.

That whole pattern is most certainly NOT intuitive eating.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation during stressful events, do your best to eat regularly—even when you’re NOT hungry.

Your body and your brain will thank you.

Oh, and by the way: Even though I eat when I’m not hungry in overwhelming situations as an act of self-care, I also still tend to be hungrier than usual afterwards—and I honor that hunger, knowing that my body has my back.

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On this week’s episode of Food Psych, I’m talking to my first-ever mother-daughter duo.

Certified Body Trust® Provider, anti-diet nutritionist, and yoga teacher Meg Bradbury joins us with her daughter Carson to discuss how Meg’s orthorexia (aka obsession with “healthy” eating) affected their relationships with food—and with each other.

We also talk about why Meg decided to share her recovery journey on social media, how the restrict-binge cycle can show up in children, how diet culture’s new guise as The Wellness Diet affects people of different identities, and so much more!

Plus, I answer a listener question about Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, gluten, and “leaky gut syndrome.”

Tune in here to hear this great conversation, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode!

Here’s to self-care, not self-control, 
Christy

P.S. If you’re ready to throw out the intuitive-eating Cliff’s Notes and dive into the real thing, come check out my Intuitive Eating Fundamentals course. It’ll help you relate to food and your body in a truly self-caring way, so that you can show up for your life with all the energy and clarity you deserve.