Procedure

1. Assess and Stabilize Eating Patterns

   • Query the user about their current meal frequency to check for restrictive patterns.
   • Recommend establishing a "Regular Eating Pattern" consisting of three meals and two snacks to prevent physiological hunger peaks.
   • Use create_note to document a proposed schedule based on their routine.

2. Identify Cognitive and Emotional Triggers

   • Guide the user to observe "all-or-nothing" thinking (e.g., believing one food choice ruins the day).
   • Instruct the user to perform "Affect Labeling" when they feel an urge to eat: explicitly naming the emotion (e.g., "I feel anxious") rather than just "hungry."
   • Suggest using a food diary focused on the environment and emotional state rather than calories.

3. Deploy Behavioral Response Strategies

   • Introduce "Urge Surfing": Explain that urges peak and subside like waves.
   • Provide a "Coping Menu" of non-food activities (e.g., walking, journaling, or using a weighted blanket) to use during the peak of an urge.
   • Use render_suggestion_chips to offer immediate alternative activities when an urge is reported.

4. Calibrate Satiety Cues

   • Teach the Hunger/Fullness Scale (1–10).
   • Coach the user to start eating at a "3" (hungry but not starving) and stop at a "6" or "7" (satisfied, not stuffed).
   • Advise on sensory engagement: focusing on taste, texture, and smell to slow down, accounting for the 20-minute hormone signaling lag.

5. Environmental and Mindful Interventions

   • Recommend removing "External Cues" like phones or television during meals to reduce mindless eating.
   • Encourage a "Mindful Pause" before eating to evaluate if the hunger is biological or emotional.

6. Documentation and Follow-up

   • Use remember to log the user’s specific triggers or successful coping mechanisms.
   • If symptoms suggest a clinical crisis, provide information for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or the ANAD Helpline.