How to tell if I am hungry

ashleyg2688

Help! Okay so you would think it would be easy to tell when you are hungry right? Well it is not for me. I am having trouble knowing whether I am actually hungry OR if I just want to eat to eat. No matter what way I think of it, my tummy growls!
Any advice?

_John_

try the old glass of water trick. Anytime you think you're hungry, drink some water. If that makes you feel better, it probably wasn't hunger. If you're still hungry, eat something.

ashleyg2688

Thanks! I will try that.

WBB55

Personally, early in my diet I learned to know I was hungry by watching the clock. If I ate 200 calories an hour ago, I was not hungry no matter what my body or brain or tummy tried to tell me. My brain was a liar and had no idea what hunger was. Typically it was boredom or loneliness or anxiety causing me to snack.

So, if I ate a 400 calorie meal (of course it's a "balanced meal" with some fat and protein and carbs) that will last at least 4 hours. Now, a 200 calorie bottle of cola won't hold me over for 2 hours, of course.

ashleyg2688

so basically like 100 calories per hour..if reasonable.

crazyjerseygirl

I tend to use the 20 min trick. After I'm done eating I set a phone timer for 20 min. And go do something. If I'm still hungry after 20 min I can go back and eat. I rarely am though.

Abby2205

Nope, not necessarily easy at all to recognize hunger vs. just wanting to eat something. When I feel like this, I first have a big cup of hot tea. The combination of the volume of water, the heat and the flavor or bitterness goes farther than plain water for me in satisfying the urge to eat something.

Francl27

If you really have no clue... Stick to 3 meals a day. No snacks. I'd think that after a while you should have a pretty good idea of what hunger feels like if you forbid yourself to snack.

avskk

Pay attention to signs other than your stomach -- the grumbling, growling feeling we experience is not necessarily a hunger indicator (it's part of the digestive system's cleansing process). Instead focus on things like, do you feel shaky? Are you clearheaded or foggy? Do you have plenty of energy? Would you eat something you didn't like if it were the only thing available, or do you want specific foods? Are you feeling boredom, sadness, loneliness, or some other emotional extreme? These questions can help you get a better handle on when you're hungry and when there's something else going on.

Protranser

Are you hungry enough to eat celery and carrots? Then eat those. Are you still hungry afterwards? Then you should eat something more. If you're not even hungry enough to eat celery and carrots, then assume you can wait a bit longer until you are.

shrcpr

WBB55 wrote: »

Personally, early in my diet I learned to know I was hungry by watching the clock. If I ate 200 calories an hour ago, I was not hungry no matter what my body or brain or tummy tried to tell me. My brain was a liar and had no idea what hunger was. Typically it was boredom or loneliness or anxiety causing me to snack.

So, if I ate a 400 calorie meal (of course it's a "balanced meal" with some fat and protein and carbs) that will last at least 4 hours. Now, a 200 calorie bottle of cola won't hold me over for 2 hours, of course.

This for me, too. I can't tell when I'm full until I'm too full or when I'm hungry until I'm ravenous and just eat anything. So, I eat 300 calories every 3 hours and that's it. Sometime I have to bump to 400 to last longer due to schedule but that works, too. Of course, they have to be filling calories. For me, that's lots of protein. So far, so good.

adhebert8

I don't know how true it is and don't have a source but I thought that thirst is often mistaken for hunger.

Meganthedogmom

Definitely try the water thing. I've been adamant about drinking water during work days and it keeps me in check. Weekends, not so much

I also second the "celery and carrots" thing.

afatpersonwholikesfood

Visualize a steak. Would you love to eat it right then and there? Then you're hungry. Would you prefer to eat something else? Then you are probably not hungry. Same can apply with other foods. If you don't care too much about what you eat, then you're hungry. If you don't care at all, you may be too hungry. If you're feeling very particular, then you're probably not very hungry.

Some people experience mouth hunger - a desire for some sort of texture or flavor that originates in the mouth. That's not true hunger - that's a craving, and it's coming from something else like boredom. It takes time for those of us with screwed up hunger signals, but with practice, being mindful, and eating slowly while you work out the differences, you'll figure it out. Thirst, like others mentioned, gets mixed up sometimes. I don't believe in the whole glass of water thing to help reduce appetite or help you eat less, but it will help you if you're confused with thirst and hunger.

I understand hungry, full, and stuffed. I never get to stuffed - I have gotten very good at stopping before becoming uncomfortable. If I don't want to be physically active after eating, then that's past the point of full. I still struggle to understand what people mean when they say stopping at satisfied and not full, unless my definition of full is satisfied? I dunno.

Kalikel

Real hunger is a physical sensation. If you wait 20-30 minutes, it passes. But you'll know it's there when it's there. If you truly can go a day or two without eating or feeling any hunger at all, call the doctor. Something's up there.

Sometimes, eating a small amount will make me realize I was hungrier than I thought. Maybe have a cracker and see if you want more?

GreenKay

Boredom can trick me into thinking I am hungry. I chug down some water -just not a sipper - then set myself a task. Something that would take at least 15 minutes to do. Maybe an hour. No timers. Most times I forget I was ever "hungry" and move on to a new project.

MarcyKirkton

I really do use the old trick, "Fine, hungry enough for an apple?" If I notice I'm turning my nose up, then nope.....I'm just wishing I could sit down with a bag of chips and a bowl of hot cheese dip. lol

leannraya

ice water and plenty of protein has been doing the trick for me. I'm fuller longer, but when it comes time to eat my meals I'm hungry for them

juelz915

I would figure out my macros for each day. Try eating five or six times a day, spacing them out by 2 1/2 - 3 hours in-between. Drink plenty of water to keep your hunger at bay, if you still feel hungry you can eat as many veggies as you want (it's a free food)
A good macro ratio that has worked for me is 40,40,20...There are free macro calculators online.

KateTii

+1 vote for the "What am I actually hungry for" trick.

If I think i'm hungry, I try to visualise the sort of food that I would like to eat to fix the hunger. If it's something that will keep me full for another 3-4 hours then I'm actually hungry. If it's something that will taste good for 5 seconds but leave me wanting more again in twenty minutes, i'm not actually hungry.

After a while, you start tuning into the urges and they become less and less "I want chocolate" urges and more and more "Hey i'm actually hungry for a proper meal".

Also, is it just me or does the word hungry not sound like a real word anymore haha