Can you trust your appetite and/or hunger/fullness cues?

distinctlybeautiful

Now that I've been using MFP consistently for about six months, my appetite and hunger/fullness cues are much healthier than they've been. I'm also a lot better now at discerning hunger cues from just wanting to eat and at discerning fullness cues from just not wanting to eat, and then I can act accordingly.

I've seen a lot of posts, though, like "should I eat if I'm not hungry," and "I've only eaten 800 calories, but I'm not hungry," and "I've eaten all my calories for the day but am starving every night." I understand that there are often legitimate reasons for those kinds of things, but it's also got me thinking about appetite and hunger/fullness cues.

So, tell me about yours! Do they steer you right most of the time or try to lead you off-course? How are you at recognizing them and dealing with them?

Thanks!

hannahadrianna

I don't trust my body yet. I know that I use food as comfort and eat emotionally, so my hunger and eating patterns are not accurate. It has gotten better since I cut out soda and started drinking more water, but I still don't trust myself in that respect.

I feel better now that I've cut out processed food. Actual fruits and veggies satisfy me...but again I don't know if that's because I'm proud that I'm eating better or because I actually AM eating better. I've only started eating healthier since the end of October, so things may change. I may eventually learn what real hunger feels like instead of just my brain saying it's time to eat because...well...I'm used to eating at the same time every day.

middlehaitch

I trust my body and my cues. I have been maintaining 6 years, count calories occasionally, weigh myself when I think about it, trying to do it weekly, and stay within my 5lb range ( up once, down twice).

I do have to tell myself to eat when I get up. That is not a time I enjoy food, but have found I benefit from it, a granola or protein bar plus an orange.

The rest of the day lunch between 1-3, dinner 7-8:30, supper snack 9-10.
Nothing is written in stone, and I will skip a meal, eat earlier or later depending on my environment at the time.

When I log I find my natural inclination is to eat between 1200-1400 cals, just what my maintenance is.

Cheers, h.

ki4eld

It's taken me over a year of daily tracking to start trusting my hunger cues and my cravings. Now, after tracking my food, weight, moods, I understand what hunger means and what I actually want when a craving hits. And I also know what I can eat to satisfy those cravings without sabotaging my macros.

Lounmoun

After a year counting calories I can trust those cues more but not so much starting out.

Lourdesong

No I don't. And I don't think the time to start trusting these cues is when I'm in a deficit.

In maintenance perhaps the mode seems more feasible to learn and discern the signals and cues. But even then, I'd be cautious given my own history of weight and overeating problems.

arditarose

No. I always want to eat.

kshama2001

My hunger cues are good - my fullness cues are not. Well, maybe they are, but I'm not good at listening to them. Knowing how many calories is on my plate before I eat is helpful - I know what range of calories makes a good meal for me. Also, I've learned I am equally satisfied with a 70 calorie dessert as a 300 or more calorie dessert, so opt for the 70 calories more often than not now.

lemurcat12

Habit completely determines my hunger cues. So when I'm eating well (correct amounts, not snacking), I can trust them. (This also made it easy for me to cut calories.) But as soon as I start eating all the time again or snacking more (even "wholesome" foods), I start feeling hungry at those times (or, more correctly, wanting to eat then). I discovered this when I did a bike trip and later a really intense training schedule (for a half ironman) where I was eating more -- it messed me up so I wanted to eat even on days when I didn't need it, so I have to learn to deal with this.

hgycta

Mine are pretty spot on, but I still have to watch myself and track because while my stomach is full, my brain insists I eat more anyways because sugar just tastes sooooo good
For example, I was fuller than usual this morning and decided my lunch would probably be smaller. Turns out, I ended up miscalculating something and ate a little more than usual.
I also sometimes get ravenous hungry and then step on the scale to discover I've dropped below my range weight (I'm in maintenance), so I ate until I was satisfied the next few days and was back within range.
However, if I eat something sweet I will want more without being full, and I'll catch myself trying to come up with excuses on why I should let myself have it even though I'm not hungry. I think it's only human to do that, but that's what gets us all here!

jemhh

My hunger and fullness cues are pretty good right now. The problem is not whether those cues work. It is more, will I pay attention to them. So I might know that I'm not hungry but if I see chocolate cake will I eat it anyway or not?

stealthq

Yes and no.

I can trust them over time to keep me close to how much I should be eating (not necessarily what I should be eating). I can't trust them at a specific moment in time to stop me when I'm full or to have me eat when I need to.

Recent examples:

After a long run my appetite completely vanished, didn't eat when I should have, crashed hard in a couple of hours. The next day, I was hungry enough to make up for it.

If I open a bag of Oreos and sit down with it, it will be at least half gone (> 1000 cals) and I will be super stuffed before it gets put away. For a day or two after that, I won't want to eat anything.

Both instances averaged out almost perfectly.

amyk0202

No. I do not trust my hunger cues at all. I will have to log my food forever.

summerkissed

I trust my knowledge not my belly lol I can eat till the cows come home and I never feel full.....but I rarely feel hungry either haha but I have been doing this long enough to know how much a portion is and a rough idea of calorie content....I also eat lots of wholesome foods and know that an apple is better than a chocolate bar and a bottle of water is better than a juice! I use my brain rather than trust my belly!

Christine_72

I struggle with having to have something sweet after dinner most nights. It doesn't matter how stuffed i am after my meal I can always stuff something sweet in too! Obviously it's more of a bad habit than a need..
But to answer your question, i don't trust my hunger cues, I often eat because i feel like something, not because I'm hungry.

RodaRose

I can trust the cues most of the time but the "cue machine" works best when I am getting enough sleep and exercise.
So the weight loss for me is really about dealing with stress, sleep, and exercise so that I can pay attention to my food.

Francl27

Nope. You could eat 1500 calories of bread or candy and still be hungry. Hunger cues are not related to what your diet consists of, so you just can't trust them.

Soopatt

I don't trust mine. I feel hungry for a number of reasons and it seems like very few of them are about what my body actually needs. When I respond to my impulses I make terrible choices. I would just live off cookies and biltong anything with a really strong sweet or salty taste - thats always where my hunger takes me.

When I use my brain and my scale to make choices I feel much better and reach my goals.

I only allow my stomach to make about 10% of my choices.

kommodevaran

I wouldn't trust my three year old to take care of things at home while I'm on vacation. Neither can I trust my appetite to always make the right choices. Free will and all that, some boundaries are good and even necessary. It's a shared responsibility. My frontal lobes decide what kinds of foods, in what quantities, and how many times a day I'll eat. My reptile brain gets to choose freely from those foods and to time my meals, and to stop the eating if I get too full before the food is gone.

This thread should be nominated for a sticky, or at least be laminated.

100df

kommodevaran wrote: »

I wouldn't trust my three year old to take care of things at home while I'm on vacation. Neither can I trust my appetite to always make the right choices. Free will and all that, some boundaries are good and even necessary. It's a shared responsibility. My frontal lobes decide what kinds of foods, in what quantities, and how many times a day I'll eat. My reptile brain gets to choose freely from those foods and to time my meals, and to stop the eating if I get too full before the food is gone.

This thread should be nominated for a sticky, or at least be laminated.

LOL! My appetite is a 3 year old! I can trust my body but not my head. Trying very hard to listen to my body. I feel the best when I do.

I plan to log forever. I'm a terrible judge of how much calories something is.

emily7kg

I really think that sugar screws up our natural appetite hormones. Everyone maintained their weight before the advent of modern processed food. Isnt it supposed to be a natural bodily function? As I start logging food and sticking to a set number, the junk foods naturally drop away for me. The chocolate biscuits at 4pm are less appetising knowing it basically means salad with nothing for dinner. I'm not saying that I'm 100 % there, but I'm believing that in time my body will forgive me for all the crap I've put into it, and come back into proper hormonal alignment.

summerkissed

emily7kg wrote: »

I really think that sugar screws up our natural appetite hormones. Everyone maintained their weight before the advent of modern processed food. Isnt it supposed to be a natural bodily function? As I start logging food and sticking to a set number, the junk foods naturally drop away for me. The chocolate biscuits at 4pm are less appetising knowing it basically means salad with nothing for dinner. I'm not saying that I'm 100 % there, but I'm believing that in time my body will forgive me for all the crap I've put into it, and come back into proper hormonal alignment.

Sodium is another thing that's stuffed us up! Both salt and sugar are aquired tastes they aren't something we are born wanting! Yes it takes a while but it does happen and all of a sudden things taste extra sweet or salty! Fruit is natures candy lol I'm to the point now that fruit settles a sweet craving (apart from Tuesday when a tub of mm's picked a fight with me lol but I ended up feeling so sick, 6 years ago I could have eaten the lot with no yucky upset tummy)

jgnatca

Some days I think of it as "riding the wave". Because of my many years monitoring my blood sugar levels, I habitually won't let hunger signals sit too long. Otherwise I'd get chaotic blood sugar numbers. I try and find something to eat pretty soon after hunger strikes, and I work on picking a "good" thing. Something within my calorie allowance and well-balanced for the macros.

If I wait too long discipline goes out the window.

Other times, it's not hunger. It's habit or boredom. I work on strategies to deal with that. For me this strikes mostly at night and I've started a habit of carrying around a glass of sparkling water. It's a treat but it's calorie free.

47Jacqueline

I'm always hungry when I wake up, so I eat breakfast. The rest of the day is a crapshoot depending on my stress level.

patrikc333

impossible to trust. I'm always hungry and nothing fills me up, so will need to log to keep myself under control

what is a problem for me is that I eat too quickly and I normally eat almost all my daily snacks close to each other, I cannot learn to proper behave

youngmomtaz

I cannot trust my hunger cues. At all! I feel "hungry" when I am bored or upset, I often mistake hunger for thirst. I am working on these so hard! Making sure I am always hydrated helps a lot, and I find that my workouts regulate my appetite really well. For example when pms struck this month I have very few cravings, I also did not feel the urge to kill, nor did I get overwhelmingly tired like I typically do. I wrote myself a memo on my mirror so that I remember how good working out is for my mental health.

I have been realizing how rare it is for me to actually feel hunger. I am eating 16-1800 cal per day and just don't feel it. I am eating out of habit and to keep my systems energized but I really am wondering if my body is broken from so much garbage over the years.

msf74

No, and I doubt I ever will be able to do so. I will therefore never be an intuitive eater.

I am however a mindful eater and that works marvelously.

patrikc333

msf74 wrote: »

No, and I doubt I ever will be able to do so. I will therefore never be an intuitive eater.

I am however a mindful eater and that works marvelously.

this is a great post, exactly what I want to say - I'll prob steal it

umayster

I have fewer and more 'appropriate' eat signals after going to very low carb diet. I still think food when thirsty or tired, but am working on using that reminder to address those first with water or sleep if applicable.

hannahadrianna

msf74 wrote: »

No, and I doubt I ever will be able to do so. I will therefore never be an intuitive eater.

I am however a mindful eater and that works marvelously.

Love this. Exactly.

kommodevaran

msf74 wrote: »

No, and I doubt I ever will be able to do so. I will therefore never be an intuitive eater.

I am however a mindful eater and that works marvelously.

Dang!
Exactly how it is