Myth: Water curbs hunger

Terpnista84
Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
edited March 2016 in Food and Nutrition
Okay maybe it only applies to me. People always say drink water will curb your appetite. This does NOT work for me. I drink a lot of water but if I need to eat it does not help me whatsoever. And I drink A LOT of it.

Sometimes hunger is confused with dehydration and drinking water helps in that case. But if you are hungry due to lack of eating drinking water is not going to change that.
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Replies

  • kgj4105
    kgj4105 Posts: 41 Member
    I think you're right there; water is suggested when one is 'feeling hungry' because a lot of people, especially those new to weight loss, do confuse hunger and thirst. So it comes down to paying attention to your body personally, and if you're hungry and not thirsty, then finding food to satisfy that.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    I totally agree, all I want to do is gag on the water if I'm hungry.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,728 Member
    It does nothing for me either.

    The same with apples. They just make me hungrier. :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I agree too. It really irks me when I say that I'm hungry and people ask me if I drink enough... I'll never understand how people can mix up hunger and thirst either.. one is in my mouth, the other in my stomach...
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
    I'll agree as well. I drink over 100oz of water every day and it doesn't curb my appetite one bit. I also can easily drink an entire bottle of water and then have room for my meal. It does nothing to me!
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    It does nothing for me either.

    The same with apples. They just make me hungrier. :)

    this for me so much... if i eat an apple i swear im more hungry then before.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    I always laugh to myself when I read "drink water to curb your appetite". I would have to chug 24 oz at once to fill me up, then it would be gone in 10 min. I drink at least 90 oz a day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Hey, at least we've more or less moved on from "brush your teeth"...I see it every once in awhile, but that seems like it used to be the stock answer...and about the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. My eyes use to hurt from rolling so much...
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Water fills my stomach up but doesn't make me feel full.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I agree too. It really irks me when I say that I'm hungry and people ask me if I drink enough... I'll never understand how people can mix up hunger and thirst either.. one is in my mouth, the other in my stomach...

    right? totally agree
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Hey, at least we've more or less moved on from "brush your teeth"...I see it every once in awhile, but that seems like it used to be the stock answer...and about the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. My eyes use to hurt from rolling so much...

    Lol yeah...

    Garlic works though. Lots of garlic. Everything tastes like crap for hours afterwards. But I guess that's for when you're not hungry though... otherwise you end up hungry and eating stuff that tastes like crap. Not good.
    fishshark wrote: »
    glassyo wrote: »
    It does nothing for me either.

    The same with apples. They just make me hungrier. :)

    this for me so much... if i eat an apple i swear im more hungry then before.

    Yeah I need to eat the apple after something with fat and protein or it doesn't work either. People who snack on fruit and are satisfied just amaze me.
  • crazykatlady820
    crazykatlady820 Posts: 301 Member
    edited March 2016
    It only makes me feel full if I drink a lot of water with or directly after my meal...if that makes sense. But it never makes me feel less hungry in place of food. I definitely have never confused hunger and thirst.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Well, it's not a myth really....

    To be fair the hormone which stimulates hunger called ghrelin is produced in the stomach when it is empty. The hormone is switched off when the stomach is stretched (full).

    So things like water may work for a short period of time. Along with other very low calorie but high-volume foods it can be a great way to regulate appetite.
  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
    If I drink water when I'm hungry, it just reminds me of how hungry I am.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Hey, at least we've more or less moved on from "brush your teeth"...I see it every once in awhile, but that seems like it used to be the stock answer...and about the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. My eyes use to hurt from rolling so much...

    Lol yeah...

    Garlic works though. Lots of garlic. Everything tastes like crap for hours afterwards. But I guess that's for when you're not hungry though... otherwise you end up hungry and eating stuff that tastes like crap. Not good.
    fishshark wrote: »
    glassyo wrote: »
    It does nothing for me either.

    The same with apples. They just make me hungrier. :)

    this for me so much... if i eat an apple i swear im more hungry then before.

    Yeah I need to eat the apple after something with fat and protein or it doesn't work either. People who snack on fruit and are satisfied just amaze me.

    yup if i eat an apple with peanut butter im ok.. or i need to eat it along with a meal. Fruit never does it for me.. i love it but for doesnt satisfy me.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
    If I drink water when I'm hungry, I get symptoms very similar to an allergy attack (short of breath, throat feels like it's closing up). So that's kind of out for me.

    BTW, no doctor has been able to tell me why this happens.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    A kitten dies every time someone suggests "just drink more water!" as an appetite suppressant.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I have never said water curbs hunger, but I have said that sometimes those stomach rumbles or pangs are or can be signs that the body is saying it needs hydration and not food related at all. This is especially true when your body is used to getting food at certain times of the day everyday.. you know true hunger when you have not eaten.

    Usually for me, if drinking water does not resolve it self, and I have missed my daily fine tuned meal it is time for the meal or snack and exercising (especially a heavy bought or long duration) can trigger all kinds of signs rather it be hydration or food..

    But with all of this said and the comments above, I might down 8 ounces of water to just throw my self off the track to the kitchen. It works temporarily for the moment..
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Meh. It works for some people and doesn't for others. If someone asks on the forums, there's no way to know for sure which way they'll go. I'll keep is as part of my standard advice and y'all can keep rolling your eyes at me. If you don't like the advice being given around here then get out there and give your own instead of complaining about those of us trying to help.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    I have found water helps if I'm not really hungry but have the "munchies" - I drink a glass of water and can distract myself from wanting food for a little while at least.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,147 Member
    snikkins wrote: »
    If I drink water when I'm hungry, it just reminds me of how hungry I am.

    +1

    I swear, when I try to hold off eating with water, my stomach sends out little minions to open a valve to a pipeline that goes from my esophagus to my bladder.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    It does nothing for me either.

    The same with apples. They just make me hungrier. :)

    ME TOO!! I never eat apples because of this. No other fruit does it. I thought I was just weird.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Meh. It works for some people and doesn't for others. If someone asks on the forums, there's no way to know for sure which way they'll go. I'll keep is as part of my standard advice and y'all can keep rolling your eyes at me. If you don't like the advice being given around here then get out there and give your own instead of complaining about those of us trying to help.

    High five!!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    I agree too. It really irks me when I say that I'm hungry and people ask me if I drink enough... I'll never understand how people can mix up hunger and thirst either.. one is in my mouth, the other in my stomach...

    Totally agree. I drink lots of water, but if I'm hungry, I'm hungry and no amount of water is going to squelch it..
  • augustremulous
    augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
    Drinking lots of water with my meal helps me to be full/satisfied on smaller amounts of food.

    Also, it's very easy to confuse hunger, thirst, and sleep deprivation in the brain. Sometimes you might feel exhausted when what you really are is hungry (this happens to me). Or vice versa. I personally have never confused hunger and thirst, but I've met many people who do.

    Also, water + a fiber supplement fills me up.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,315 Member
    Water no. Cup of black coffee, at least for me, yes.

    Oddly enough, the brushing teeth thing helps not when I am really hungry, but when I have the muchies even though I am not really hungry.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Water no. Cup of black coffee, at least for me, yes.

    Oddly enough, the brushing teeth thing helps not when I am really hungry, but when I have the muchies even though I am not really hungry.

    I think it's the key though... differentiating munchies and real hunger. I suppose that for some people, water can help if they have the munchies, but I still can't imagine that it would help someone who's really hungry.

    I do have to say though... I'm drinking water all the time, so maybe I've never been so thirsty that I thought I was hungry? But as I said... I feel thirst in my mouth, not in my stomach, so it kinda baffles me.

    Now, tea can help me if I still feel 'hungry' after a meal, because by the time I'm done drinking it, 20 minutes have passed (I take my time, what can I say) and my brain has had time to register that I'm not actually hungry anymore. But that's only after a meal. On an empty stomach it will actually make me hungrier.
  • heatherwartanyan
    heatherwartanyan Posts: 66 Member
    Best thing to curb hunger is fat
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    Best thing to curb hunger is fat

    best thing to curb hunger is eating when your body is hungry/not restricting to much and denying yourself.
  • LushFix
    LushFix Posts: 303 Member
    I used to think that thirst was hunger. Until I started my journey and learned what hunger actually felt like. It has made a huge difference on how I approach food now.