My life once revolved around food so I ate all the time.  I ate when I got up in the morning, watched the clock until it was 10:00 a.m. and I could have a snack. After a snack, I waited impatiently for noon. After I ate lunch, I waited all afternoon for dinner time to come. Most of the time, I grazed while I cooked or snacked while waiting for the meal. I ate whether it was mealtime or not.
When I started eating only food my body needed, I had no clue what true hunger felt like. I thought any form of stomach discomfort was hunger. Any noise coming from my stomach area was a cry for food.  I even forced food down as my stomach labored to digest the excess.  After I realized I was overweight because I ate too much, I started listening to my body.  I began to wait for hunger before eating.
I lack patience, so waiting is hard for me to do. Psalm 62:1 is, “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, 2004, 2007) Waiting for hunger became easier as I asked God for strength to wait. In the past, I ate because I did not want to be hungry and have to wait for the next meal.  I have not died from hunger since I now wait to eat.  When I am hungry and have to wait, one of two things happens.  Either God gives me the strength to wait or I find food from an unplanned source.

I have found the key to waiting is focus on God first, and continue with what is in front of me.   I have a bible app on my phone that I open instead of grabbing for food.  Continuing to work helps the time to pass quicker when at work waiting for lunch.  Waiting in a restaurant is more enjoyable when I focus on the people around me instead of food.  Hunger is also a “seasoning” in that food tastes better when I am hungry. Hunger is no longer an evil to be feared and avoided.