The Issue: Eating

Hey, all! I know the title of my post is a little drab, and I in no way am trying to indicate a problem with eating (disclosing that first and foremost!). I love eating, I love everything about it--the tastes, the textures, from the steam rising off my hot oats in the morning to the creamy and smooth smoothie I knock back after workouts. I am having a little trouble though and I'd love every one's advice.

Lately I have been hungry. Not just hungry, but HUNGRY! Can you see the difference. Actually, I won't lie to you all. I'm not all that hungry, I just want to eat...it seems to be spiraling out of control lately and it's scaring me. I remember myself overweight and so unhappy during my high school years and I never want to go back there again. I love looking in the mirror and feeling fit and confident. So if I feel this way when I look in the mirror why do I run to the kitchen, feeling like I have been in starvation mode, making 3 bags of popcorn and shoveling them in my mouth like an uncontrollable beast?

How do you deal with hunger? How do you practice healthy eating? I have been such an extremist (in every aspect of my life) and have gone from binge eating to hardly eating (I don't want to get back into that either). I'd love any advice how to deal with these feelings, or how to figure out this whole "eating" process, it truly has me stumped.