How do you tell if you are actually hungry or just greedy?

doctorana
doctorana Posts: 5
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi,

I was wondering how you tell whether you are simply having a craving (i.e. wanting to eat food even though you are full) or whether you are actually hungry (i.e. your body physiologically needs food)?

Today for lunch I ate normal portions of noodles (carbs), veg (fibre) and fish (protein) for my main dish, then I ate A WHOLE 1.5 kg HONEYDEW. 2 hours later I was hungry again, and ended up eating chocolate.

I recovered from anorexia and I am now a healthy weight (BMI > 18.5). I gained 30 lbs mostly through binging without purging, unfortunately. Currently, I have an abnormally large appetite and can't settle for eating one normal portion of anything. As a result, I am still rapidly gaining at least 1 lb per week because I can't eat like a normal person. It doesn't help that I am 4 ft 11 inches and have a BMR of only 1232 kcal so I can't afford to eat anything I want without gaining weight. My parents are worried about my continuous weight gain and my psychiatrist told me to "go easy on the weight gain"--and that was when my BMI was 16.5 two months ago!

I think I have truly forgotten how to recognize when I am full or hungry. I am always so bloated from eating too much but yet I never feel "satisfied". So any advice on when (and how) to tell myself that I have eaten enough and don't need that extra food would be appreciated. :) Thanks!

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Google "the hunger scale": It helped me with my disordered eating (not eating disorder).
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 17,267 Member
    I plan my meals and snacks ahead of time and then eat only what is on my plan for the day and only at the times that the eating is planned. I don't trust my "hunger" instincts
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    sounds like maybe you are having carb cravings. maybe try cutting back on the sugary stuff and high glycemic index stuff and stick with high fiber, high protein and high fat foods. those are the food choices that will leave you more sated and not cause spikes in blood sugar leading to carb cravings.
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
    Increasing your protein should curb the hungry feeling
  • Laughter_Girl
    Laughter_Girl Posts: 2,226 Member
    You didn't mention anything about your water intake, and often times our bodies will give us the hungry signal when we are in fact, thirsty. I would suggest following your meals and snacks with a big glass of water. Also, before I eat anything out of my normal time, I drink water first to make sure I'm not just thirsty.

    Hopefully, some or all the tips provided will help. Wishing you all the best! :)
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I know it is "greed" when it is based on seeing food that I hadn't planned and wanting to eat one. I know it is "hunger" when water doesn't get rid of the sensation and I haven't eaten enough calories by the time of day I planned.
  • VeganEquestrian
    VeganEquestrian Posts: 59 Member
    A lot of people recovering from ED go through this. You body is so happy that it is aloud to eat it try's to take as much as possible in case of another famine. I am going through this and feel like all my weight gain had been through binging and I hate it.
    I've heard the best thing to do is to keep eating normal meals until our bodies realize that we aren't going to starve them again.
  • doctorana
    doctorana Posts: 5
    Hi all,

    Thanks for all your replies and useful tips! Today for dinner I found that I couldn't stop eating, then my mom gave me a cup of warm water and after I drank it I realized I was uncomfortably full. So I think it's a water problem. XD

    And also a Carb problem.
    Umm was the honeydew super high in sugar? After eating the 1.5kg melon I actually felt hungrier...and I was actually trying to follow the advice of this vegan website that said eating a whole cantaloupe can make you feel full. guess it didn't work then. :/
  • doingthisfortheboys
    doingthisfortheboys Posts: 35 Member
    If I eat fruit after dinner within a short amount of time I feel hungry again I agree with the protein thing although now if I crave something sweet I have it, but I'm loving Greek yogurt at the moment you can make it sweet and it's high in protein. Well done on recovery it's really hard I'm in the process now!
  • doingthisfortheboys
    doingthisfortheboys Posts: 35 Member
    Oh and as a recovering anorexic please don't think of yourself as greedy - your not x
  • HAS415
    HAS415 Posts: 48 Member
    AshleyECook wrote: »
    A lot of people recovering from ED go through this. You body is so happy that it is aloud to eat it try's to take as much as possible in case of another famine. I am going through this and feel like all my weight gain had been through binging and I hate it.
    I've heard the best thing to do is to keep eating normal meals until our bodies realize that we aren't going to starve them again.

    I'm still losing and fighting this battle every day. I think I have not fully accepted that my weight loss journey is over. I'm 5' 10" and 148 and in the beginning my goal was 125 lbs. I guess I could settle for living like this if I could just find balance. Good luck to you guys.
  • HAS415
    HAS415 Posts: 48 Member
    Also, try some salad! I've become an expert salad builder. I put all sorts of stuff in like some chicken and almonds for protein, sometimes a hard boiled egg, black olives for the salt, craisins for sweetness, tomatoes, low fat cheese. I make sure I satisfy all my hunger triggers. Works really well.
  • RibStabsHeart
    RibStabsHeart Posts: 71 Member
    Spread your snacks out so you don't have to wonder if you're hungry or not, just get to the next hour (or whenever) you want to have your next snack. I've started eating a slightly larger breakfast spread out from 6am-12pm, and it helps me lunch later and crave other things outside of my diet less.

    Also, a whole honeydew after lunch? I like your style!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    doctorana wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Thanks for all your replies and useful tips! Today for dinner I found that I couldn't stop eating, then my mom gave me a cup of warm water and after I drank it I realized I was uncomfortably full. So I think it's a water problem. XD

    And also a Carb problem.
    Umm was the honeydew super high in sugar? After eating the 1.5kg melon I actually felt hungrier...and I was actually trying to follow the advice of this vegan website that said eating a whole cantaloupe can make you feel full. guess it didn't work then. :/

    It isn't super high in sugar for a fruit, but if you're looking to be satiated, fruits aren't the foods I'd be picking.

    Experiment a bit. Try some different snacks. See if you are better satiated by high fiber, high fat, or high protein. It seems to be a very individual thing.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    When I have cravings my stomach doesn't actually hurt like I do when I'm hungry....that's how.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    barbiecat wrote: »
    I plan my meals and snacks ahead of time and then eat only what is on my plan for the day and only at the times that the eating is planned. I don't trust my "hunger" instincts

    Absolutely this. After a lifetime of overeating, I don't trust the signals my stomach sends me at all.
  • alereck
    alereck Posts: 343 Member
    I don't know anything about eating disorders but the way I can tell if I'm hungry or just craving something is by eating an alternate food.

    So if I am craving pizza, instead of eating that I reach for something else like a sandwich or a protein. If I am truly hungry I will eat, if it was just a craving I end up not eating at all.

    I hope that makes sense. This works with my kids too, if they already had their dessert for the day but ask for something else sweet I tell them no. Then they try "but I'm hungry" so I offer something else. If they say no then I let them know they are not hungry, just craving sweets.
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    You are not greedy. Those of us in recovery from eating disorders (restrictive ones) will often have trouble telling our hunger cues from our full cues. One of the symptoms is actually a loss of hunger cues. What you are experiencing is a normal part of the recovery process, and you don't need to feel greedy or guilty because of it. Your body has been deprived, and as a result it is now reacting to that deprivation. At a BMI of 18, you are just barely a healthy weight. And if your psychiatrist seriously said that, I'd recommend getting a new one. Rest assured knowing that these reactions get better with time. I still reactive eat/binge from time to time, but much less now than I did early in recovery. With the right amount of therapy and time, you will make progress. Don't think of it as being greedy. You're not greedy, you're hungry.

    In the beginning of recovery, I found that drinking liquids high in calories helped a lot more than eating did. My stomach often couldn't handle solids, and I'd feel 'full' after a really small amount of food. So, I would drink coffees with creamers, frappes, milkshakes (made with almond milk usually,a s I couldn't handle dairy), etc. This might help a little.

    For someone with an eating disorder, guys, I recommend against telling them to avoid certain foods for prolonged periods of time. It might help to avoid solids in the beginning, but part of recovery is reintroducing the foods that people are often told on MFP to avoid. I know you mean well, but eating disorders can be tricky. As part of what feeds them is thinking of foods as 'good', 'bad', and 'dangerous'.
  • Juliarosemary66
    Juliarosemary66 Posts: 64 Member
    I've just goggled The Hunger Scale, how useful! Many thanks to whoever posted that suggestion. I also found an interesting article about physical and emotional hunger, useful to me as I tend to be an emotional eater, although a lot less now I hit the gym regularly and log my foods.
    To the OP: drinking a glass of water 20 minutes before you eat may help as there is something in your stomach before you put food in it. Good luck with your continuing recovery journey. I'm sure you will reach your goals as you sound as though you have really good insight.
  • TossaBeanBag
    TossaBeanBag Posts: 458 Member
    harlequin0318 wrote: »
    Increasing your protein should curb the hungry feeling

    Couple this with making sure you are getting enough water, and you will likely have to work hard at meeting your calorie goals (at least, that has been my experience).
  • Squatch3099
    Squatch3099 Posts: 87 Member
    My tummy starts growling. That tells me I'm really empty. I feel a little weak and tired. Those two things tell me that its time for some protein.
  • mustloseweight2015
    mustloseweight2015 Posts: 78 Member
    alereck wrote: »
    I don't know anything about eating disorders but the way I can tell if I'm hungry or just craving something is by eating an alternate food.

    So if I am craving pizza, instead of eating that I reach for something else like a sandwich or a protein. If I am truly hungry I will eat, if it was just a craving I end up not eating at all.

    I hope that makes sense. This works with my kids too, if they already had their dessert for the day but ask for something else sweet I tell them no. Then they try "but I'm hungry" so I offer something else. If they say no then I let them know they are not hungry, just craving sweets.

    This is a great idea! I'll try this.
  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
    Sounds like if you gained 30 lbs to be at this BMI, that you were severely underweight and very malnourished. My best guess is that your body is still signaling that it needs nourishment.

    Are you seeing an experience registered dietitian? One that has a lot of experience with EDs? I think you need a plan that you can follow and if you stray from it, okay, but a plan would be of solid help for certain personality types.

    Get an RD and ask them to make meal plans for you that cover your caloric needs and your nutritional needs. Follow them. You are just barely in a healthy weight range. It's entirely possible your body will settle out soon.

    Feed it well. Exercise for heart/lung health, not to lose weight. Get as much professional help as you need to get through the mental aspects of your ED.

    <<cyberhugs>>

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