Not really. It's a signal of a biological need. Nothing more, nothing less. I think people complicate it, and that's where their weight problems come from. How on Earth did our ancestors ever survive without science telling them when, what and how to eat?
/sarcasm
You wouldn't go sit on a toilet with no urge. Don't eat without the physical urge to eat. If you suddenly want food because you smelled something nice and had no prior inclination for food, that is NOT hunger. That's wanting.
I think the "issue" of hunger comes when one cannot completely distinguish between actual hunger and just the urge to eat. If that isn't something you have experienced it's hard to understand. Therefore I think both QuarterLife88 and JohnP are both right...it isn't the same for everyone!
I think about what causes my hunger a lot. Honestly, the hunger I feel after I eat refined carbs feels exactly the same as the hunger I feel nowadays when I am ready to eat a meal. The only reason why I know that its due to carbs is because I eat a day's worth of meals in a huge loaf or 2 of bread and in an hour I feel the same hunger that I would if I haven't eaten for like a day. I'm not saying the two are the same, but if I go by the way I physically feel, its indistinguishable, just my experience.
Last edited by pixelllate; 03-27-2012 at 09:54 PM.
I say go for either ice cold water or some hot tea. If after trying liquids you are still hungry, go for a piece of fruit or some veggies. After dinner, cleanup, and kids homework, I usually go up to my room with a bottle of cold water on my nightstand, and I don't go back downstairs until the next morning. I find that if I hang around downstairs near the kitchen, I tend to graze. Just being near the kitchen and also watching my kids or husband snack makes me hungry. Once I am upstairs and "tucked in" for the night, I am too lazy to go downstairs and feed my appetite even if I do get hungry.
Not really. It's a signal of a biological need. Nothing more, nothing less. I think people complicate it, and that's where their weight problems come from. How on Earth did our ancestors ever survive without science telling them when, what and how to eat?
/sarcasm
You wouldn't go sit on a toilet with no urge. Don't eat without the physical urge to eat. If you suddenly want food because you smelled something nice and had no prior inclination for food, that is NOT hunger. That's wanting.
Appetite is not simple. Urination is. I am astonished that you think urination and hunger are akin to one another on any level. Truly I am dumbfounded.
Try this. Don't eat anything from the time you wake up until around noon but do it on a day you're going to be very busy. Because you're so busy you won't even notice that you're hungry. Then go make some microwave popcorn. Guess what? You're about to notice you're hungry. How do you tell the difference?
You might be an awesome intuitive eater. Most people aren't. Maybe it would be possible for everyone to become one with enough practice I really don't know. I think it's rather insulting to suggest that if people just listened to their bodies they wouldn't over eat.
I'm glad you brought up our ancestors because they're the primary reason that we're one the rare animals on earth without any built in mechanism to stop us from getting fat. Most species will not survive if they gain too much weight and have biological mechanisms to prevent it. Not us. We're programmed to get fat because for the first 200,000 years modern man was on this planet food was extremely scarce and being able to quickly gain weight was what allowed us to survive as a species in times of food scarcity. What we consider bad genetics today are actually great genetics for surviving the ice age.
If I felt I ate enough for the day I'll drink tea and watch a movie or play a game to distract myself, or if it's late enough just go to sleep. If I'm really hungry, I know a 100 calorie snack isn't going to cut it and I might wind up eating way more. When I'm really hungry I need a meal to really feel full again. If you are used to eating at night it's normal you will feel hungry at that time, the only way for your body to get used to less food is to just suck it up.
Baby carrots with Laughing Cow cheese is a savior for me - I am not a veggie eater, but if I get baby carrots and dip them in Laughing Cow wedges (2 of them) I will eat an entire cup of carrots.
I also have dill pickle sandwich slices, love them! Or I will grab an apple. If I am hungry, I always eat something, don't ignore your body!
Ive seen a lot of suggestions for fruit or veggies, but for me that just triggers more hunger. protein before bed is the only thing that can quash it. String cheese or a protein shake with no carbohydrates. I;m not anti carb, but if I am trying to cut it short in the evening I avoid
I just finished a large dinner and still wanted something, so I ate an orange. I don't generally overeat on fruit so hopefully I am right in thinking if I wanted an orange (as opposed to ice cream etc) then my body was actually hungry still. So I would recommend asking yourself what you're actually hungry for.
I have very recently discovered that I have a lot of difficulty recognizing the difference between true hunger and wanting to eat. For me there is a physical emptiness for both. I've realized that I have listened to the want to eat for so long that I can't tell the difference. Subsequent to this revelation, I have begun being much more cognizant of what I am eating and why. If I have eaten properly all day, and it is an hour or so before bed, I shrug my shoulders and tell myself to just deal with it, and drink another glass of water. So for me, I guess I have to analyse the feeling and let my brain decide if I should be hungry, or if my stomach is trying to get me to give in to cravings, and make an evaluated decision whether or not to eat.
There are some good tips on this thread. I will just add my 2 cents.
Zero calorie Poweraid (Cold) helps curb my hunger much better than water so I will drink a bottle of this.
I have a huge problem with night time snacking. I have found a protein powder that I like. I mix the powder in a blender with frozen berries, silk and ice. Makes a YUMMY smoothie and really fills me up and erases my snacking desire. Depending on what I add the calorie content is 250-300 calories. High for a snack, yes but I would snack my way through that plus more in the evenings.
Lastly, if I cannot keep myself out of the kitchen, I go to bed early with some tea or water.
