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Lesson Plan Five - Are You
Hungry: Emotional Eating can Add Calories
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Nutrition Tip: Are You Really Hungry?
Physical Activity Tip:
Rethink Why You are Eating
Behavior Tip: Hunger Cues
Handouts:
- Emotional Eating: Feeding Your Feelings
Additional Items Needed: None
Class: (Print
Version) 
Nutrition Tip - Are You Really Hungry?
People eat for many reasons. Some people eat for
comfort or stress relief, while others eat out of habit. Answer the
following questions. Do you:
___ snack between meals or at a certain time every
day?
___ eat while watching television?
___ eat during a stressful time?
___ get the "munchies" when bored?
___ celebrate a happy time with food, like going out
to eat?
___ reach for something to eat when you are sad or
lonely?
The next time you reach for something to eat, ask
yourself, "Am I really physically hungry or is this desire to eat
for some other reason?" If you are not physically hungry, you may
be eating because of an emotion. Do not let boredom or other emotions
become a reason to eat. (Handout)
Physical Activity Tip - Rethink Why You are
Eating
If you are eating when you are angry, lonely,
depressed, stressed or bored, think about what you can do to deal with
that situation instead of eating. Maybe you could:
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take a walk
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take a few deep breaths and slowly count back
from ten
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make a phone call to a friend
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take a hot bath
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play with the family pet
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start some laundry, iron clothes
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do house cleaning
Finding something to do can take your mind off
eating food when you are not really hungry!
Behavior Change Tip - Hunger Cues
This week, listen to your body. Before you put
something in your mouth ask "Am I hungry?" Try these
tips:
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Try drinking a low-calorie beverage first. Many
times the body may be thirsty, and we mistake it for hunger.
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Take one or two bites of food and eat them very
slowly. Notice the way the food feels in your mouth. Notice the
different flavors it provides. By focusing on the first few bites,
you will find that you can get a lot of satisfaction from a small
amount of food.
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