Why do I want to eat even though I am not hungary???

Audi68
Audi68 Posts: 113 Member
edited December 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been doing really good for the last two weeks but tonight I am having a hard time. I am full from dinner but I am ripping apart my kitchen looking for snacks. Thank God I cleaned out all the junk food so I really can't fall off the wagon to far but why does this happen.

Replies

  • xButterflyEffectx
    xButterflyEffectx Posts: 40 Member
    I've read there are two types of hunger. Genuine hunger and mouth hunger. The hunger you are experiencing now is mouth hunger. As long as you've eaten enough, you psychologically still want to put something in your mouth. Try some sugar free gum....that sometimes works for me.
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    It is probably just a bad habit. For me, the only way to solve it is to not give in to the habit. The first few days are tough, but it gets easier.
  • Audi68
    Audi68 Posts: 113 Member
    I'm on my 3rd glass of ice tea and starting to feel better.

    I have cut out sugar the last two weeks and chocolate is one of my down falls so with all the easter candy ads on and all the candy in the stores, I am really feeling the temptations.
  • defyallodds
    defyallodds Posts: 21 Member
    i know what you mean. try taking a walk or chewing gum and making tea... it's hard but maybe as time passes the craving will lessen. You are doing way better than me! are you bored, sad, mad, glad? haha. sometimes journaling helps.
  • coconutbuNZ
    coconutbuNZ Posts: 578 Member
    I've read there are two types of hunger. Genuine hunger and mouth hunger. The hunger you are experiencing now is mouth hunger. As long as you've eaten enough, you psychologically still want to put something in your mouth. Try some sugar free gum....that sometimes works for me.

    Thanks for pointing out the difference betwen genuine hunger versus mouth hunger. I think in some situations it is also "mind hunger" - my mind can trick me with thoughts that sabotage my goals and those TV ads certainly don't help!
  • moonbasezeta
    moonbasezeta Posts: 6
    I have the same problem. I think with me it is stress eating. I enjoyed this post and got some good ideas. Thanks
  • FixItDuck
    FixItDuck Posts: 112 Member
    Boredom or stress do it for me. If hubby is away for work, I snack far too much in the evening!

    I often have a cup of earl grey tea in the evening and that helps - occasionally a couple of biscuits, but trying not to do that now!

    Sometimes cleaning my teeth helps, or heading off to bed with a good book.
  • vonnywaft
    vonnywaft Posts: 182
    Or phone a friend, sometimes it can be emotional hunger, feeling a bit alone or empty that sends us off to raid the fridge.
  • jacklynb46
    jacklynb46 Posts: 39 Member
    I'm going thru the same thing just the last few days,i have this urge to want to eat and im not hungry at all.
  • 1natacha
    1natacha Posts: 14
    This is such a good thread for a newbie! I think I feel this way for the same responses as many of these.
  • m60kaf
    m60kaf Posts: 421 Member
    It's true... eating makes me want to eat more - that's why I try to keep it even

    You just have to ride it through - not having anything in to eat is a good start
  • nas30
    nas30 Posts: 9 Member
    bump. :smile:
  • mschickiepoo
    mschickiepoo Posts: 91 Member
    I often find myself looking for snacks...even when I'm not hungry. I try to mostly make them worthwhile snacks, but on the wkds I find it harder. At work, I only bring healthy options, so it lessens the options of what I can pick from. I also find it hard to keep up with my water consumption on the weekend.
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
    I get that urge every now and then...I usually grab a small snack size to get something sweet and that usually helps with the snacking.. If I get a big urge, I make some popcorn.. you can eat a lot with low calories.
  • Ebs75
    Ebs75 Posts: 7 Member
    Hello from the UK! We have a UK programme here called Embarrasing Fat Bodies and last week they asked why am I hungry when I've just eaten or when I'm not hungry? It all relates to a hormoe called ghrelin. It's a pesky thing that actually mimics fasting so although you've eaten a nice meal you'd happily order a pizza an hour later or you aren't hungry. It also has an affect on how you look at food, so it makes high calorie food look more appealing. What was also interesting was a test they conducted on two women and it showed that one had a higher amount of ghrelin in her body and she was the one who would go for the naughty food all the time when the women with less ghrelin would go for the healthier option. I had no idea my "hunger pangs" were the result of this hormone! So the only thing I can do is say to myself "It's all in my head, it's all in my head" and ride on through it. It's nice to know it's not my fault though :)
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
    Head hunger is such a wonderful thing, no?

    Most of us who have gotten significantly overweight have done so because we use food for other things than nutrition - we're live to eat types instead of eat to live types. For me, I used food for celebration, for comfort when I was upset, to deal with boredom and loneliness...just a bunch of things.

    The trick is to find some other, more healthy way to deal with these things. I have some things I do to celebrate, some healthier choices for comfort. Boredom has still been the hardest one - the only solution I've found is when I get the boredom munchies I need to find something interesting to keep me busy.

    When this happens, try to figure out what need the food is meeting besides hunger. That's hard at first, but gets easier with time. Then figure out what else you can do to meet that need.
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