Learning to recognize hunger..?

mylife_myworld

Hi,
For the past few years I have eaten constantly/emotionaly to the point were I don't recognise when I am hungry or full. Anybody else going or gone through this and have any tips/advice?

queenliz99

I thinking snacking in between meals messes up the hunger signals.

Alluminati

Pick 2-3 Times a day to eat and strictly designate that time to eat for the next week or two (no snacking!). It would be helpful if you had a journal to record how you feel in between meals as might help you recognize your own signals of hungry and full. For some people hunger is headaches, for others it's the shakes or a rumbling tummy. For me it's a burning sensation in my chest area but it could be a combo of all the things, too. Feeling full for me is between not feeling any of the above symptoms but also not feeling the need to unbutton my jeans

atitagain1958

This is a great article to help you understand.

http://www.ofspirit.com/stephaniecoate1.htm

I've had the same problem. I thought I wasn't releasing the hormones to tell me I was full! LOL this article really helped. There's nothing wrong with me...I now get hungry and know when I'm satisfied. I wouldn't say "full" but not hungry anymore. Eating more slowly helped too. It takes a while for the brain to recognize you've eaten. I now make sure I eat every 4 hours. If it hasn't been 4 hours, I try to do something to get my mind off it. That usually works but if not, I'll eat earlier. I'm usually good till my next planned meal (a little over 4 hours). I always carry a 100 calorie roasted almond package with me in case I get stuck somewhere and need to eat something. I find the protein tides me over. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Colt1835

I used to think I was getting hungry between meals, but I recently learned that I only get hungry if I go 2 or 3 days without eating. Hunger is all in the mind and having such easy access to food makes our minds think we're hungry all the time. Now instead of eating when I'm "hungry" I eat when I feel like I need more energy. Also, sometimes all my body wants is some water.

I've also learned that when I notice I'm full I have already had too much to eat. I try to eat until I feel normal (not full and not hungry). Eating slow helps me notice before it's too late.

RodaRose

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/healthy-eating-recognizing-your-hunger-signals

Use a hunger scale
A hunger scale can help you learn how to tell the difference between true, physical hunger and hunger that's really just in your head. Psychological hunger is a desire to eat that is caused by emotions, like stress, boredom, sadness, or happiness.

When you feel hungry even though you recently ate, check to see if what you're feeling is really a craving brought on by something psychological.

When you start feeling like you want something to eat, rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being starving and 10 being so full you feel sick. A rating of 5 or 6 means you're comfortable—neither too hungry nor too full.

1—Starving, weak, dizzy
2—Very hungry, cranky, low energy, lots of stomach growling
3—Pretty hungry, stomach is growling a little
4—Starting to feel a little hungry
5—Satisfied, neither hungry nor full
6—A little full, pleasantly full
7—A little uncomfortable
8—Feeling stuffed
9—Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
10—So full you feel sick
To eat naturally, the way a baby does, eat when your hunger is at 3 or 4. Don't wait until your hunger gets down to 1 or 2. Getting too hungry can lead to overeating. When you sit down to a scheduled meal, stop and think how hungry you are. If you feel less hungry than usual, make a conscious effort to eat less food than usual. Stop eating when you reach 5 or 6 on the scale.

When it's time to eat, make healthy choices
For your body to be truly satisfied, your meals need to be balanced. This means that each meal should contain:

Carbohydrate. You get this from grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Protein. You get this from meat, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, dry beans, and nuts.
Fat. You get the kinds of fat that help you stay healthy from:
Fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds and flaxseed oil. These have omega-3 fatty acids.

endlessfall16

Colt1835 wrote: »

I used to think I was getting hungry between meals, but I recently learned that I only get hungry if I go 2 or 3 days without eating. Hunger is all in the mind and having such easy access to food makes our minds think we're hungry all the time. Now instead of eating when I'm "hungry" I eat when I feel like I need more energy. Also, sometimes all my body wants is some water.

I've also learned that when I notice I'm full I have already had too much to eat. I try to eat until I feel normal (not full and not hungry). Eating slow helps me notice before it's too late.

This is it!

AAAA++++++

kommodevaran

In addition to all these great (and somewhat intensely introspective/emotionally stimulating) tips, I want to contribute one that I recently discovered/understood: The tip of eating vegetables. Not letting vegetables be the whole meal, but part of every meal. The reasoning is this: If you are hungry, you need nourishment. But sometimes we just want pleasure. Today we have easy access to pleasurable food. Some of this food is very easy to eat, it takes no effort - it's practically predigested. Some of this food has also very little nutrition, and it's very easily available. You can use these facts as checkpoints - am I hungry enough to take the effort of eating a full meal, which includes vegetables, and usually some kind of preparation? If you aren't, you will know that you aren't hungry, you just want to eat. Then it's up to you to decide to eat or not eat. I personally find this step very helpful in the decision-making process.

silvilunazul

I found this video very helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pBqJZqQXjw

_runnerbean_

I once got advice from a weight watchers leader- she said to always keep a carrot in your fridge. When you think you are hungry between meals go and look at the carrot. If you are really hungry go ahead and eat the carrot. But most of the time looking at the carrot reminds you that you aren't really that hungry and you are just bored/sad/lonely etc. I have a "carrot" in my head now. If I feel like I am going to do emotional eating I think "am I hungry enough to eat my carrot" and it usually puts me on the right track.