How to tell if I am hungry

try the old glass of water trick. Anytime you think you're hungry, drink some water. If that makes you feel better, it probably wasn't hunger. If you're still hungry, eat something.

Personally, early in my diet I learned to know I was hungry by watching the clock. If I ate 200 calories an hour ago, I was not hungry no matter what my body or brain or tummy tried to tell me. My brain was a liar and had no idea what hunger was. Typically it was boredom or loneliness or anxiety causing me to snack.

So, if I ate a 400 calorie meal (of course it's a "balanced meal" with some fat and protein and carbs) that will last at least 4 hours. Now, a 200 calorie bottle of cola won't hold me over for 2 hours, of course.

I tend to use the 20 min trick. After I'm done eating I set a phone timer for 20 min. And go do something. If I'm still hungry after 20 min I can go back and eat. I rarely am though.

If you really have no clue... Stick to 3 meals a day. No snacks. I'd think that after a while you should have a pretty good idea of what hunger feels like if you forbid yourself to snack.

Are you hungry enough to eat celery and carrots? Then eat those. Are you still hungry afterwards? Then you should eat something more. If you're not even hungry enough to eat celery and carrots, then assume you can wait a bit longer until you are.

I don't know how true it is and don't have a source but I thought that thirst is often mistaken for hunger.

Visualize a steak. Would you love to eat it right then and there? Then you're hungry. Would you prefer to eat something else? Then you are probably not hungry. Same can apply with other foods. If you don't care too much about what you eat, then you're hungry. If you don't care at all, you may be too hungry. If you're feeling very particular, then you're probably not very hungry.

Some people experience mouth hunger - a desire for some sort of texture or flavor that originates in the mouth. That's not true hunger - that's a craving, and it's coming from something else like boredom. It takes time for those of us with screwed up hunger signals, but with practice, being mindful, and eating slowly while you work out the differences, you'll figure it out. Thirst, like others mentioned, gets mixed up sometimes. I don't believe in the whole glass of water thing to help reduce appetite or help you eat less, but it will help you if you're confused with thirst and hunger.

I understand hungry, full, and stuffed. I never get to stuffed - I have gotten very good at stopping before becoming uncomfortable. If I don't want to be physically active after eating, then that's past the point of full. I still struggle to understand what people mean when they say stopping at satisfied and not full, unless my definition of full is satisfied? I dunno.

Boredom can trick me into thinking I am hungry. I chug down some water -just not a sipper - then set myself a task. Something that would take at least 15 minutes to do. Maybe an hour. No timers. Most times I forget I was ever "hungry" and move on to a new project.

ice water and plenty of protein has been doing the trick for me. I'm fuller longer, but when it comes time to eat my meals I'm hungry for them

+1 vote for the "What am I actually hungry for" trick.

If I think i'm hungry, I try to visualise the sort of food that I would like to eat to fix the hunger. If it's something that will keep me full for another 3-4 hours then I'm actually hungry. If it's something that will taste good for 5 seconds but leave me wanting more again in twenty minutes, i'm not actually hungry.

After a while, you start tuning into the urges and they become less and less "I want chocolate" urges and more and more "Hey i'm actually hungry for a proper meal".

Also, is it just me or does the word hungry not sound like a real word anymore haha