What does hungry feel like?

I have been realizing as I approach maintenance that I don't really think I know what "hungry" feels like. Lots of posts say you should only eat when you are hungry. I believe that is what I did to get to morbid obesity. I ate only when I was hungry. I know now what I registered as hungry was a lot of different things and probably one of them was really my body saying it needed food. My problem is I don't usually know the difference between when my body really is saying it is hungry for food as compared to when it is saying it is hungry for food but really it is trying to hide from some uncomfortable situation or emotion or quiet my conscience or entertain my minds boredom or various and other reasons I have been eating for the last 50+ years.

While I am losing and counting every calorie and recording every bite I am ok. I just don't know that if I gave the counting and recording a rest and opted to just "eat when I am hungry" that I would be able to maintain for very long. I realize that this is something I need to learn and I am working on it. I am looking to hear from any of the rest of you that share this issue with the basic concept of "hungry". 

Any feedback from those who have found new ways to identify a true hunger for nourishment in the form of food from dysfunctional hungry signals, would be appreciated! As well as those comments from any and all that are struggling with the same thing.

Terry

terry2fish! great discussion! I have been noticing that I AM learning to recognize when I am beginning to feel 'pre-hungry'! And, this IS the time that I eat.

Of course this is healthy and instinctive...but, for emotional eaters like me, we have to learn to listen and tune in to that instinct.

The books I've read say that you should be able to judge healthy eating w/o counting calories. for now, anyway, I count calories. I am so new to this healthy eating business that I am going to count calories until I have lost my weight and maintained for 2 years! But, when I say count calories, after 8 months of this, I just keep a rough running tally in my head now.

did that help?

i know when i am hungry because it is a distinct physical sensation. my stomache hurts and growls and feels very empty. sometimes i also get irratiable when i am hungry, but i dont eat when i am just irratable, because it doesnt define hunger, it is just a side affect. you should know you are hungry because your stomache is growling!

hungry doesnt mean you want food, it means you need it. make a distinction between "i feel munchy" and "i feel hungry". if you feel munchy, withhold eating all together, or have something very small and healthy to satisfy you mind, munchy is all in your head. if you are hungry, then rejoice and eat a meal. i love beng hungry, because then you get to eat and not feel guilty at all for you are doing your body good.

if this is a problem, then only eat at meal times, because chances are you will be hungry three times a day 4 hours apart. thats why there are traditions developed around when to eat; because they work in time with your body. take into account that well developed system. like in spain, they eat a small breakfast of fruit or toast when they wake up, but then have a big sit down lunch with multiple courses between 11 and 2. tehn they dont eat dinner until 9 or 11. not sayng thats ideal, there are different tradions all over the world deprending on the lifestyle. its sort of an interesting hand book for eating habits if you look at the cultures around the world.

good luck!

thea8, I do not get that growling in my stomach. I never have. I have fasted for 9 days drinking only water and never felt a growling in my stomach. I do get a sense of being hungry but it feels the same whether it is really a need for food or whether it is coming from an emotional need or some other psychological manifestation of hunger. That is what the problem is and why I started this thread. My body is not making the distinction.

I am able to sort it out somewhat by eating small meals often so that I know I am not really hungry because I need food. I eat only really healthy food now, no refined sugars, no refined grains, no artificial sweeteners, 30+ grams of fiber daily, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, very minimal saturated fats...etc. This has helped also because my blood sugar is pretty stable. I am within 7 pounds of my goal weight now. I have been working at this for three years. I have been counting calories for 10 months now. I seem to do alright with keeping a running total in my head for a couple days if I have to go away from home.

I think, as was suggested, I may have to just keep recording everything for a long time after I reach maintenance.

I was hoping someone would be able to say "Oh yes...I found out that being fed a particular brand of infant formula as a newborn deadens the nerves in the digestive tract causing a person to not sense hunger...the cure is to eat seaweed from BoraBora for three weeks and then you will sense hunger like everyone else."

I guess it just isn't that simple but I will keep hoping someone will have some more interesting suggestions. I will keep working on being more conscious of myself. I think this will probably help as well.

Terry

 

i dont get the growling in my stomach ether. so i understand what your talking about. i know im hungry when i start to feel tired, or like when i stand up i get light headed (its from a drop in blood suger and blood preshure, wtich usaly happans)some times i start to get a headack. and when im realy realy hungry i get nautious (ironic i know)

a lot of people also confuse dehydration with hunger. a lot of the same symptoms accure for both.  so if you fell "hunger" particularly after you had just recently eaten then try drinking some water. 

You might try using your journal to record how you feel when you think you're hungry and when you're eating. You may start to see a pattern and learn to distinguish between actually being hungry, or feeding some other need.

As an emotional eater I've found that I eat for a lot of other reasons than hunger - I've had a bad day, I deserve a treat, I'm stressed. A rule of thumb that works for me is: You're not really hungry if you can't figure out what you want to eat. If you're willing to eat anything that's put in front of you, or if nothing sounds good but you still feel the urge to eat, it's probably not hunger that's motivating you to head to the kitchen.

Good luck!

I rarely get hungry sensations in my stomach.  And I especially don't get full sensations when I've had enough (even after waiting the '20 minutes until it hits you.')  I got overweight because I never knew when I was full, or it seemed easy to always 'have some more.' 

My husband on the other hand can put down his fork in the middle of a meal and stop eating because he's full.  He won't even have dessert, even if it's his favorite, when he's full.  He's so zen I'm envious!

Any hunger I experience I think is from low blood sugar.  I get really irritable and sometimes a little dizzy-like.

What I try to do is to always have something to eat every 3 1/2 to 4 hours, even if it's just an apple or 1/2 a yogurt.  Then, I plan small meals that have all components (whole grain, protein, fruits, vegetables, often dairy.)  I eat mostly fresh foods (not pre-packaged stuff with additives or frozen dinners, etc.) 

I don't feel hungry or full, but I would say that I feel "good" or "healthy" or something like that.

I think we are all smart enough to know what a healthy intake of food is, it's getting ourselves to carry it out that's hard.

I would recommend just starting off with what you think is sensible knowing what you know about nutrition, and check or reflect on how it's going every so often so you can make changes as needed.

 

i think an even bigger problem that recognizing hunger is recognizing that being especially hungry does not mean you need an especially big meal.  even if you miss a meal, even if you're late getting your next meal, even if you've been hungry for hours, you don't need to eat more to make up for it.

eating every 3 - 4 hours is great, but it's not always practical, and it's important not to fall apart when you can't stick to the schedule.

sometimes when you think that you're hungry, your body is actually thirsty, so if you think that you are hungry, but just ate like half an hour ago, drink some water.

When im really actually hungry, I crave "real" food, not like snacks but you know what i mean.

Plus my stomache growls super loud!!!

sooo try some water if you feel hungry

if you dont like plain water all the time, those packets to put in water bottles are excellent, and low cal!!

This website might help, it tells you the difference between emotional eating and physical hunger.

http://www.utexas.edu/student/cmhc/outreach/8 traits.html ;

My tummy growls all the time. I have hyper-acidity and it makes it difficult. My husband asks me if I am hungry even after dinner because my stomach growls the same way, hungry or full. I guess my problem is your exact opposite! I just ignore it as much as possible or I would eat all the time. Our bodies are crazy!