How do you know if you're hungry

[Stargirl]

I've been trying to eat only when I'm hungry and I'm not hungry that often, as least I don't think I am.

This sounds really stupid lol, but how do you know? Is there pain? Is it when you feel like you're starving and have to eat? Is it when your stomach grumbles?

I don't get it.

My stomach feels empty now and it's grumbling, but I don't feel pain.

[shant121]

dont you feel a need to goto the kitchen or a McDonalds and grab something to eat??? when i'm hungry, i think of food and food and food.

No pain, my stomach just grumbles. sometimes not even that. a lot depends on your emotional state too. during exam week, i can whole day without food. sometimes i get headaches from not eating or drinking enough water.

[Stargirl]

Well, I'm trying to distinguish "feeling like I want to eat" from "being actually hungry" because I want to eat when I'm hungry, not when it's time to eat or I feel like eating.

[Steve Pavlina]

If your stomach is growling or if you begin to experience low blood sugar symptoms like light-headedness or weakness, you're hungry. Otherwise it's just your appetite and cravings talking. You can have an empty stomach and not be hungry.

[Trina]

I feel hungry when I am really just bored so this is something I had to learn. For me, when I start to get the beginning signs of that heartburn feeling in my throat and my stomach grumbles I know I am hungry. If I am just thinking about food but don't feel anything physical I know I am not hungry, I just need something to do.

[Dharma]

Originally Posted by Stargirl

This sounds really stupid lol, but how do you know?

I drink a glass of water. If the hunger goes away it was really dehydration. If I still feel hungry then I go eat something.

[ahimel]

I generally eat when I find myself looking at everything and thinking, "That sounds good...." If I've said that about steak, potatoes, and ice cream, or if I drive by McDonald's and my mouth starts watering, I know it's time to eat.

[Stargirl]

Thank you guys so much for your responses .

Dharma, that water idea sounds good. I'll try it next time.

I had thought there had to be stomach pain, but I guess that comes when you're just starving. I didn't realize light-headedness was a sign of hunger. That clears things up SO much.

Thank you!

[WanderingOak]

It varies for me. Oft-times I feel a sudden drop in my energy reserve, usually accompanied with a headache. I usually feel this way after a long day of productive physical labor, usually without breaks. This could be a combination of hunger and thirst, I'm not sure. This is an interesting question, because recently, I haven't been feeling hungry for dinner. I eat anyway because if I don't, I will be ravenous when I get up in the morning

[ChefSalad]

That water thing is definitely for real. You know you're hungry if you can drink a glass of water and you still want to eat.

Aside from that, I'm not sure that it really matters. My personal experience tells me that our appetites are worthless indicators of caloric need. I have friends who only eat when hungry and are gaining weight, but not because they eat too much. No, it's because they eat so little and so few times a day (I estimate 1200 calories between two meals and a snack (I lived with the guy so I'm quite sure about that.).), that he lost most of his muscle and now has no energy and no metabolism. He can barely get himself to work more than 20 hours a week. And he's got a gut even though he weighs 150 lbs at 5'10". When his wife was trying to be a vegan, she was in much the same boat (Vegan diets tend to have so much fiber that people feel artificially full and, as such, don't eat enough.).

I, myself, tried the only-eat-when-you're-hungry thing and ended up eating like 5000 calories a day, which caused serious weight gain. I went to six smaller meals (600 calories a piece (I weigh 296 lbs and exercise ten times per week, so I need a lot of calories.)), and began losing weight at a rate of one pound per week. At first, I didn't feel very hungry when I ate because I just ate not too long ago, but it's works wonders. After a few days, my body got used to the new plan, and I didn't have to work at it. As long as I stay away from sugar, I now have infinite energy.

Now, I'm not saying that going by appetite can't work. In fact, it seems to work fine for quite a few people. I'm saying that for a good number of people (if not most) it gets them into more trouble than it's worth. My recommendation is to figure out how many calories you should be eating per day, split that number into x meals and eat those meals at set times. After a while, your appetite will adjust to your new schedule and that's the way your body will want to eat (mostly from habit).

[starlet]

Eating when you are hungry is the path I have seen to many of my friends go down, and now they are 50 pounds overweight. I eat three meals, same time every day. This keeps me in control of my body. When I 'think' I am hungry, I am really just thirsty and drink water.