That other feeling that feels like hunger?

lc355
lc355 Posts: 91 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What I've liked about counting and logging is that I actually start to feel hungry before eating, and that seems to make the food taste nicer. I have been eating all the foods that I like and enjoying them.

But, sometimes that hungry feeling doesn't go away after I eat. Often it does and I forget about food for a while but sometimes, even though I can feel the food in my stomach I don't feel like I should have finished eating. It's happening now. I had a crust of bread with egg mayonnaise and cheese on it for lunch: 410 calories, 28g carbs, 23g fat and 20g protein.

Is it hunger or something else?

Replies

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,147 Member
    It can take your body a while to catch up and stop sending the EAT ALL THE FOODS signal.
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  • goteammummy
    goteammummy Posts: 2 Member
    Could it be thirst? It often feels like hunger.
  • FunSizedKJ
    FunSizedKJ Posts: 67 Member
    I've noticed that sometimes I mistake dehydration for hunger? I know that sounds dumb, but it's true. I've been making it a goal to drink half my weight number in ounces of water and it has really helped. Not sure if it's the fact that the water is taking up space in my belly or if it's because thirst and hunger are similar on a cellular level, but it's helped me tremendously!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I've never in my life confused thirst for hunger and they don't feel remotely the same to me. It's always confusing to me when people say they can feel the same.

    Most likely, it's habit peeking through and trying to get you to eat more or, as @zyxst says, just a lag in the "stop eating" signal. Give it an hour or so and see what happens. Maybe you really are still hungry.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I get a brain signal to eat even after I've eaten. I think it's why I overate so much in my obese and binging days. I've found -- and now don't get me wrong here, I have no idea if this is normal or what -- that what it seems to be is a signal that says I haven't hit all the taste nerves in my brain. Like, I need to have a little taste of something sweet or salty or savory or whatever flavor wasn't in my meal that *should* have filled me up. If I'd eaten what you ate (bread, cheese, egg salad) and I got the "you're not done yet" urge, I personally would probably try something crunchy (maybe celery or pretzels), fizzy (diet soda), hot (tea), or chocolate-y (1 square of dark chocolate). This typically only happens at dinner, though.
  • FunSizedKJ
    FunSizedKJ Posts: 67 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I've never in my life confused thirst for hunger and they don't feel remotely the same to me. It's always confusing to me when people say they can feel the same.

    Most likely, it's habit peeking through and trying to get you to eat more or, as @zyxst says, just a lag in the "stop eating" signal. Give it an hour or so and see what happens. Maybe you really are still hungry.

    It's not so much that when I'm thirsty I feel hungry, like the grumbling in my tummy or the burn or however you describe it. It's more like my body doesn't feel satisfied or content. I've noticed that many people equate that discontentment to hunger when it truly isn't.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    thirst or boredom or your body not getting with the program yet
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    I have noticed that some evenings after dinner I get into the boredom thing and start thinking I am hungry. I usually get a glass of water and try to do something else ( I am usually watching TV at the time).
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    When you're eating at a deficit, you can expect to have some hunger. Also, our bodies were designed to move. Our normal hunger level is set at a point where if we were to sit around all day and eat to the point we felt full, we would get fat.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
    It can take a while to get your brain on board with eating a little less. Learning to accept the difference between "full" and "sated" can take a while. Your brain doesn't want your body to starve to death and it's going to send signals to make sure that doesn't happen. You gotta give the grey matter time to get with it.

    For some of us weirdos, a group in which we apparently can't count @DeguelloTex , thirsty can feel like hungry. I dunno why it does for me, but it does. If I'm feeling hungry, I'll drink 8oz of fluid and wait 30 minutes. If I'm still hungry, I eat a little something. Often, I'm not.

    Healthy snacks. Try them all and find one that works for you. For me, it's 2 boiled egg whites (the dog gets the yolks), 30g of cheese, or 20g of sunflower seeds. It's just a tiny snack, the calories aren't bad, and it's just enough that the brain goes, "Oh, food! kthxbye"
  • lc355
    lc355 Posts: 91 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    It can take your body a while to catch up and stop sending the EAT ALL THE FOODS signal.

    It was this! 45 minutes later I feel totally stuffed!

    I so totally realise why I used to overeat, the temptation to reach for a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar was really strong. I guess the trick is to not allow myself to get too hungry in the first place - more snacks :D
    It doesn't happen so much at dinner, but then dinner takes longer to eat.

    I am drinking but tend to sip through the day rather than drinking lots in one go as I don't like the sloshing feeling.

    Thank-you everyone for your comments.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    2Poufs wrote: »

    For some of us weirdos, a group in which we apparently can't count @DeguelloTex , thirsty can feel like hungry. I dunno why it does for me, but it does. If I'm feeling hungry, I'll drink 8oz of fluid and wait 30 minutes. If I'm still hungry, I eat a little something. Often, I'm not.
    That's different, though. Drinking and having something in your stomach can take the edge off or delay a feeling of hunger. That's not the same as hunger feeling like thirst. I get that, apparently, some people can confuse hunger and thirst. I don't understand it, like I don't understand people who like sauerkraut, but I grasp that such people exist.

    Thirst, to me, is more about my mouth and throat. Hunger, to me, is more about my stomach or, sometimes, general weakness.

  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    Appetite is not the same as hunger.

    Tell your mind to hush and go about your business...
  • shylady76
    shylady76 Posts: 134 Member
    I personally feel like I could eat non stop all day long and never feel full. I only stop eating because I have met my calories for that meal/snack.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I don't understand it, like I don't understand people who like sauerkraut, but I grasp that such people exist.

    *falls down dead* Sauerkraut is life. At least for my hubby. If he doesn't have it at least twice a week, he starts barking at inanimate objects. ;)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited August 2015
    It's tough to say. For me there's hunger, and there's the need to feel actually satisfied with my meal too, and they don't always seem to work together and don't always make sense. That's why I count calories and will never stop, because sometimes it's worth it to me to eat 200 extra calories at lunch just so that I don't think about food all afternoon, but it means I need to be more mindful about what I have for dinner then...

    I know that your lunch wouldn't satiate me at all though.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    edited August 2015
    Francl27 wrote: »
    It's tough to say. For me there's hunger, and there's the need to feel actually satisfied with my meal too, and they don't always seem to work together and don't always make sense.

    I know that your lunch wouldn't satiate me at all though.

    Yeah, too squishy and not enough fiber for me to feel satisfied on that particular ~400 calories. It'd work for me for breakfast, though. Maybe with some spinach... I'm not trying to knock the OP's meal. Everything's a journey and an experiment!
  • andylllI
    andylllI Posts: 379 Member
    From a physiologic perspective, given the high water content of many foods,I don't think it's a stretch that thirst can feel like a signal to "eat more."

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