Are You Really Hungry?
Jan 31, 2022
Do you often get confused about feeling hungry versus having an appetite?
I used to, until I learned the difference.
Hunger is physiological and can be caused by many things that may be going on in your body. Hunger can be triggered by a growling stomach, hormones, or even the need to stay warm.
Appetite is psychological and can be triggered by our emotions or cravings. Sometimes it's our mood, social or cultural interactions and sometimes it can be environmental triggers.
Whatever it is, it's important to understand the difference, especially when we are trying to live a healthier lifestyle.
To understand our physical hunger, we can look at a hunger scale derived from sensations of hunger (Omichinski, 1993). The hunger scale can help you gain a sense of whether you are taking in adequate food calories to avoid starving or whether you are overeating to satisfy appetite.
- Starving, weak, dizzy, headache, lack of concentration
- Irritable, cranky, very hungry, low energy, lots of stomach growling
- Strong urge to eat, stomach growls a little
- Feeling a little hungry - thinking about food
- Body feels fueled (starting to feel satisfied, neither hungry nor full)
- Fully satisfied - little full, but pleasantly full
- A little uncomfortable, but could still eat additional items
- Feeling stuffed
- Feel very bloated, very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
- Feel sick from overeating
Ideally you want to spend much of your waking hours in the range of 4 and 6. When a score of 4 is reached, it is best to eat something so as to not drop down to 3 where binge eating is more likely to happen. Learning to stop at a score of 6 rather than 7 or higher can keep you from overeating and body discomfort.
Eating for hunger rather than appetite can be tough. Usually there are well ingrained habits that we need to address and/or change. Let's talk about how I can help you do that.
