hun·ger
Pronunciation: /ˈhəNGgər/
noun

1
a : a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient
b : an uneasy sensation occasioned by the lack of food
c : a weakened condition brought about by prolonged lack of food

2
: a strong desire : craving <a hunger for success>
— from hunger


Hunger is an interesting topic. I don't know much about hunger. However, as a person trying to lose weight, I feel like I have been programmed to fear hunger. Just the word hunger can make me uncomfortable. If you google image search "hunger"- you'll find hundreds of pictures of impoverished children. Is THAT hunger? (Isn't that really being famished or starving?) According to the definition, hunger is only an uneasy sensation or a craving. It seems as if social activists have taken the word hunger and distorted it a bit.

I also fear the idea of hunger. I'm afraid that I will overeat if I'm hungry. I'm afraid I will turn into a fire breathing crazy maniac if I'm hungry.


Because of this- I feel like I have lost all sense of why, what and when I should be eating. In fact, even when I do research about hunger- I'm not finding a lot of information. In fact, when you start reading scientific studies about hunger, it almost seems like scientists are actually unsure about how hunger works. How can we have a $70 billion weight loss market in America, but barely have any studies about hunger? (Isn't hunger why we should actually be eating?)

Obviously I have been thinking about this topic for quite sometime now. I would love to learn more about it.

What has your experience with hunger been?

1. How do you decide what and when to eat?
2. Do you wait until you have built up an appetite to eat? Why or why not?

Yes. I have a hard time "feeling hungry". for sure.

Yes, i fear it a lot. I feel like i don't have much willpower even when i'm FULL, and combine that with HUNGER, i feel like i'm in serious danger.

Even if i can resist the hunger, i feel like i have a limited amount of willpower, and eventually, i will break. This is contrary to the theory (i think it's been scientifically proven, supposedly) that willpower is like a muscle that can be exercised. I find the opposite. If i push it too much, eventually i will break.

I have different experiences with hunger depending wholly on how sugar-/carb-addicted that I am. When I'm super-addicted, I get hungry with those loud tummy rumbles if I don't eat something like bread or candy at the particular times that I usually do. It hurts, that kind of hunger, which leads me to jump out of my chair and go get some of whatever my body's crying for.

If I manage to unhook myself from my sugar-/carb-addiction, however, my hunger feelings are much more subtle and tolerable. It usually takes about a week for me to get rid of those terrible tummy-rumbler hunger pains. I know this, because this is the third time I've overhauled my eating habits.

The above observations lead me to answer:
1) I decide what to eat, these days, at the very beginning of the day, that way I have a plan. That plan involves less carbs, far more vegetables, a little fruit, occasional dark chocolate in small amounts, and a lean meat once a day (I have been taking supplement shakes to help build more muscle to burn those calories).
2) I don't wait to build up an appetite any more, or to have a particular hunger, because I have found that I have been very confused about hunger in the past. I've learned to just ignore it, and eat at the regular times, unless I know that I need more fuel because of a hard workout, or some such.

I'd love to read other people's answers.

1. I eat at "feeding time" on weekdays and whenever I want on weekends

2. Usually. It's more enjoyable that way. Also eating for the sake of having something to do is a hard habit to break - no need to form it.

I don't really fear hunger. There is always something somewhere to eat. One of the perks of living in a developed country.

No I do not. I listen to my hunger. I have two types. Hunger that passes, so I ignore it. And hunger when I REALLY need to eat and I obey that.

And I always ignore hunger near bedtime.

I will go to bed and sleep to avoid eating more food. Yes, literally afraid of it.

Through IF .. i have learned not to fear hunger anymore. I used to be sooo afraid of going several hours without eating..Now i realize..its really not that big of a deal..I have a period when i can eat..and i will eat at that time..I dont need to worry about eating.

That^

The last two nights I haven't eaten dinner because I wasn't truly hungry. I felt hunger "pains" but drank a glass of water, waited a bit, and the thought of eating no longer appealed to me. Both days I ate healthy filling meals for breakfast and lunch that must have stuck with me.

I also realize that if I am hungry nothing bad is going to happen, there's always a way to eventually get food.

What an interesting topic!

I have feared hunger; I have loved it ,too, as I believed hunger meant purity (during the starve-myself part of my ED).

But I'm trying to come to terms with the feeling. It tells me my body needs something to keep the machine running and it lets me know what that something is (bitter greens, fruits, chocolate, etc.).

It's hard to put off eating a meal until I feel super hungry when I'm home alone with nothing to do. But I've been getting better- not perfect, but better.

I am learning to ask myself if I'm really hungry when I have minor hunger pangs, and often the answer is 'no', and the hunger disappears. Other times, the feeling is pretty urgent.

Legit hunger also makes me cranky

I personally think most people in an abundant society confuse hunger with "I want to eat"... "I think I should eat"... "I have xyz in the cupboard"

I also will go to sleep to avoid eating anything else!

I used to have issues with hunger but after about 2 months with intermittent fasting I began to appreciate what hunger actually feels like vs what anxiety feels like (very similar for me - both are a pit in my stomach).

I have also learned that hunger when ignored usually goes away, especially if I get busy doing something.

I must recommend "Weight Loss Apocalypse" by Robin Phipps Woodall and the "Don't Go Hungry Diet" by dr. Amanda Sainsbury-Salis. Both of these deal extensively with the physiological response that precipitates hunger and satiety, as well as how to manage them in a controlled, appropriate manner. Excellent reads on the subject.

And no, due to education on the subject, plenty of experimentation, and the proper diet for my body's needs, I have no fear of hunger anymore

There is the blood sugar drop hunger which means I need to eat now. There is no ignoring that hunger as that is also a physiological state of things being out of whack. I don't get that way any more as I have controlled that carb heavy diet (for the most part).

So, If I'm not carb high, then I feel the slight grumblings that let me know it's getting close to time to eat.

1. I decided to eat by when I'm hungry - really hungry - not just bored hungry. I can tell the difference. That usually means around 8 am, 11:30 am and 4:30 pm. And that's it.

2. I don't wait to eat until I am really, really hungry. Like, if my husband won't be home until 6:30 and I'm hungry at 4:30, I'll eat at 4:30. Waiting until 6:30 will send me over the edge and I'll start grabbing whatever quick fix foods I can find as I start to lose control. Or, I'll eat too much at dinner. I simply cannot ignore TRUE hunger.

BUT... the hunger after dinner hour is never the same urgency. I quite often go to bed with my stomach rumbling as I usually don't go to bed until 11 pm or later and it's already been quite long since I've eaten.