Hungry or thirsty

teen_1983
teen_1983 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been told by lots of people that when you are trying to lose weight and also in life in general, your mind can confuse being thirsty for being hungry.

How do you tell?? Do you have a drink and wait to see if you still feel hungry, if so, how long do you wait??

I think this might be my problem, I eat when in fact i need to drink

Can anyone give advice?

Thanks
Martine

Replies

  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
    This is quite common.

    Before I started on this I used to drink very little, probably a bottle of water a day. Now I always have a bottle of water with me and I chug at it all day, and get through about 4.

    Now I can pretty much tell the difference between hunger and thirst. I also get really thirsty if I drink less than normal.

    If I were you, aim for the recommended allowance of water daily and just see how it goes, as you may find (like me) that you just end up not feeling hungry until you are actually hungry when you up your water intake. It doesn't have to be plain water for it to count either; most drinks (except for alcohol) will hydrate you.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You can have water and wait about 20 minutes or you can learn to recognize true hunger. Try not eating anything for about 6 to 8 hours and see how your belly feels. That's hunger. Tummy growling, rumbling, hollow feeling. It's something every overweight person needs to learn how to distinguish. It's much different than the thought process of I want to eat something.
  • skittle316
    skittle316 Posts: 128 Member
    There's no need to "tell" just drink 1-2 cups in the morning then 1 cup before every meal and 1-2 cups before you go to sleep to flush anything out. I say this because I can drink water after a 10 hours sleep and not get hungry for 5 hours even though I know I HAVE to eat. Water can suppress hunger so it's better to drink it even when you're not thirsty.
  • becausemexico
    becausemexico Posts: 20 Member
    I have heard this, too, and for me, it's true. Before every meal, while it's cooking or after I finish making it, I will make sure to have at least one glass of water. This is good for two reasons: 1. if I'm actually more thirst than hungry, the water will help, and 2. even if I am hungry, the water will fill me up a little, so by the end of the meal I will be more full. I try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water before every meal and try to drink 1-2 during a meal.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    For me that is not true at all. I can really tell the difference. I think it depends on the individual.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    I've never heard this anywhere but here. I've never had any issue distinguishing between hunger or thirst. Pretty sure it's all a psychological excuse, "I overate because I thought I was hungry instead of thirsty!" People can convince themselves of anything if they try hard enough.

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