Listen, fellow physician. If you’ve ever found yourself scarfing down lunch between patients, eating past the point of fullness, or feeling completely disconnected from your hunger signals, you are not alone. And more importantly? There’s nothing wrong with you.
The Medical Training Trap: How We Learn to Ignore Our Bodies
Remember those 36-hour shifts where peeing was a luxury and eating was something you did while charting? We didn’t just learn to ignore our hunger – we became experts at disconnecting from every single bodily signal.
Our medical training taught us one critical skill: survival through complete bodily detachment. Bathroom break? Later. Hunger? Shut it down. Sleep? Optional. We became masters of pushing through, and that skill saved our careers – but it’s absolutely wreaking havoc on our relationship with food.
The 7 Real Reasons You’re Eating Past Full
After years of working with physicians just like you, I’ve identified seven core reasons we struggle with eating past fullness:
- Ignoring Body Signals: We’re literally trained to disconnect from our physical sensations.
- History of Restriction: Years of dieting and control have created a rebellious relationship with food.
- Food Scarcity Mindset: Growing up with limited resources or competitive eating environments.
- Pleasure Seeking: Believing more bites equal more enjoyment (spoiler: they don’t).
- Fear of Future Hunger: Especially relevant during long shifts or unpredictable schedules.
- Emotional Coping: Using food to manage stress, burnout, and emotional overwhelm.
- Pure Habit: Cleaning plates, following old family or cultural eating patterns.
Breaking the Cycle: It’s Not About Willpower
Here’s the truth bomb: Telling yourself to “just stop eating” is about as effective as telling a patient to “just not be sick.” It doesn’t work, and it makes you feel like garbage.
The key isn’t fighting yourself. It’s understanding yourself.
What Really Happens When You Eat Past Full
Your body isn’t betraying you. It’s trying to take care of you with the only tools it knows. That mindless eating? It’s a survival strategy, not a character flaw.
When we eat past fullness, it’s often because:
- We’re stressed
- We’re disconnected from our body’s signals
- We’re trying to find comfort or pleasure
- We’re afraid of being hungry later
A Compassionate Approach to Hunger
Here’s my radical suggestion: Start getting curious, not critical.
Practice checking in with your body. Not to restrict, but to understand. Ask yourself:
- What am I really feeling right now?
- Am I hungry, or am I seeking something else?
- What does true satisfaction feel like?
Your Hunger Is Not Your Enemy
As physicians, we’re trained to solve problems. But with eating, the solution isn’t another protocol or restriction. It’s connection. Connection with your body, your hunger, your needs.
You didn’t fail at eating. The system failed you by teaching you to ignore your most fundamental bodily signals.
What’s Next?
If this resonates, know that change is possible. It doesn’t require superhuman willpower. It requires compassion, curiosity, and a willingness to unlearn some deeply ingrained habits.
Want to dive deeper? My Thrive Academy for Physicians is designed specifically for medical professionals who are ready to make peace with food without adding another impossible task to their plate.
Remember: You’re not broken. You’re learning. And that’s the most physician thing you can do.
Ready to transform your relationship with food? Learn more about Thrive Academy.
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