Is this you… a few hours have passed since your last meal (and by a few I mean 2-3 hours tops) and all of a sudden the hunger pangs hit, your stomach feels as if its eating itself, your face begins to get pale, your head starts to throb a little and unfortunately your honey or loved steps in the room and “ROAR”, the inner monster, that evil little entity that resides in the depths of your psyche comes out and utters a mean or sharp response to whatever they may have just said. If so then you are a Hangry Bellydancer.
This is what I often try and try to avoid on a daily basis, but with 6 meals a day, skipping one can easily trigger this response no matter how hard I try. Not sure if there is a name for this correlation between hungry fast metabolism belly dancers and the aggression that ensues if we are not fed promptly, but it happens so often that I decided to devote an entire blog to this dilemma lol.
The Person Who Gets “Hit” The Worst
Mostly, I want to say sorry to my love, the one who gets the worst of this “condition”. He is such a sweet heart, but when I am hungry, he knows to back away or feel the bite. It probably sounds more humorous written here, but it makes me feel horrible. I feel like an utter b$&^% for snapping at him for the simple reason of having intense hunger pains.
What Your Stomach Feels Like…
I don’t think people quite understand how intense the pain feels. It literally feels as if your insides are being squeezed, bitten away, and the sensation like your sugar level is very low occurs (even though I suffer from no sugar issues) resulting in the pale complexion I described before.
I wonder how others deal with this issue. I try to take deep breaths, be extra aware that I need to maintain my nerve and try to be nice while I wait for my meal to be ready, and to not say much until after I have eaten, but when you are at these crazy long belly dance events what is one to do? I almost always end up having a moment as a Hangry Bellydancer.
I am soo guilty of probably being way more quiet and snappy at those “after the event” meals. Typically during galas you have danced at workshops all days, then have to wait through a 2-3 hour long show and then pack up, and THEN get to go eat. Ugh! What is a chronic food-a-holic to do? I can bring snacks yes, but they don’t make a dent in the level of pain to be honest. I need rice, meat, not a granola bar people!
I Am Sorry 🙁
So I just want to say sorry to my honey, to my family, to my fellow belly dance friends who have witnessed my pale face and tight temper when I have gone for longer than 3 hours without being fed. To anyone else who goes through this, and I hope some of you can help explain to me and others why this happens, some ways to help “fix” this issue (I know I have a really fast metabolism which is bad/good) and tips to help a Hangry Bellydancer, because all of mine have failed lol!
I can totally relate! I HAVE to eat every 2-3 hours or else, well..o you know. I always carry snacks with me like Lara bars, almonds, rice cakes, lots of water, banana or an apple. So I guess what I am trying to say is I plan ahead, even if there is no clear plans to be without food for a few hours because I never know what my day will bring. This also helps me stay fit because I don’t grab for bad food when I am hungry and instead grab something that is healthy and will actually sustain me until my next meal. I hope that helps! If you wonder who I am, since I am anonymous you can put a name to a face here : https://www.facebook.com/achouery
🙂
My friends and I call it being “hangry.” My solution is always to have something on me like fruit rope or fruit leather or a little bag of trail mix to tide me over until I can get something real. I have little things hidden in all my various bags, dance and otherwise.
your so right Alexis, “plan ahead”, I can definitely improve in this. I do not plan ahead nearly as well as I should, Thank you!!!
I can relate 100%. My bf calls this stage “purple minion status” because its either feed me or be bitten 😉
Dear Jennifer!
Finally get some free time to comment on your entry.
1) I want to mention I do the same as you: I eat every 2-3 hours, throughout the day. Hence around 5-6 meals along the day, including lunch, snacks, etc. I do this because, as you, I happen to have a fast metabolism too, and I need a constant supply of energy to get me going! So, I UNDERSTAND. As a Biochemist and Molecular Biology double-major though, I do as much research as possible to understand what goes in my body regarding my nutrition and so.
2) You may be eating 5-6 times a day but what do those meals include? May be the energy content is not high enough, especially if you are dancing every day! So that if you skip one, it causes the acid released in your stomach to burn the internal walls (instead of food, since there’s is nothing to digest. You definitely don’t want this happening!) I will suggest increasing the amount of fiber you consume, especially those days (workshops days for example), when you need to skip some meals. Fiber takes a longer time to digest, hence makes you feel fuller for a longer time, and most likely will reduce the pain you feel. I suggest raspberries, cooked black beans, cooked artichoke – all of which have a higher fiber content than regular energy bars.
3) Take a look at this!
http://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/
I haven’t personally tried it yet, but DEFINITELY planning on doing so. According to research, the recipe should give you a high quantity of GOOD fat, hence giving you a lot of energy, and hopefully reducing those cramps. Will let you know how it goes for me!
4) If you try different methods/approaches and the pain continues to be really strong, I will suggest going to your doctor. Sometimes having overactive thyroid is overlooked as simply fast metabolism. I sincerely hope/think this will not be in your case, but one can’t never be cautious enough!
5) As Alexis says, planning ahead HELPS so much. I had to learn that too! I grab Greek yogurt (the ones that come with some chocolate/cereal/etc) for my in between meals (mid-morning or mid-afternoon) when I am in a hurry. I also grab a LOT of vegetables at night! Carrots, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, artichoke. Helps so much to feel full at nights! especially when I want to be productive still (and preventing gaining undesired fat).
Hope I helped 🙂 Feel free to shoot me any question!
Love,
Rosa
Rosa you have no idea how wonderful all of your points are to read and wow, no wonder? Ok will try the high fiber suggestions for sure, that definitely makes sense, and I like that it is natural foods which i prefer than meal or energy bars. Thankfully no thyroid issue (my doc checked that a couple years ago due to my complaints lol). But yes, I definitely should plan as Alexis says, must discipline myself better. Thank you for this invaluable information and medical perspective!! So awesome!!!
I am so glad to help anytime! I hope these suggestions work out great for you. Let me know if you have any questions later 🙂
Hugs!!!