Learning to notice hunger

I spent years eating at my desk, finishing meals I could not taste and then hunting snacks an hour later. My turning point was unimpressive: I started taking an actual lunch break at an actual table, phone face down, and chewing slowly enough to notice flavors. Within weeks I realized half my snacking had been stress wearing a hunger costume. I eat less now, enjoy food more, and stopped keeping score of good and bad foods. Slowing down did not just change my meals. It gave me back an honest relationship with my own appetite.