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How do you know when you're hungry?

It sounds silly, but how do you tell real hunger from just appetite? Or boredom, or frustration or the thousand other reasons we decide to eat? I feel like I could eat just about any time, but maybe it would be best to wait for true hunger…whatever that is?

Comments

  • This is a tough one for me too. I’m definatelly an emotional/boredom eater. I know a lot of times when you think you are hungry its really just because you are a bit dehydrated. So if I think I might be hungry but im not sure I usually drink a big glass of water and then wait a few minutes to see if it makes a difference,

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    that’s a good idea. to have some water. i think when you are starting a raw diet (not sure how long you’ve been doing this…) you can eat SO MUCH more. in time you’ll start to understand the signs better. i think it’s important not to get too intellectual about hunger. if something looks attractive to you (say an apple) eat it by all means… it takes so little time to digest and you may have needed it. if you didn’t, you’ll know that next time you feel that same way.

  • RawsikiRawsiki Raw Newbie

    This I have asked over and over a million times! I could never figure out if I was hungry or not. It was quite distressing. One day, I got sick of not knowing, so I actually did not eat at all. I waited to feel some obvious sign of hunger. I waited hours and hours and finally, I felt my stomach bubbling, and it was uncomfortable. I found myself fantasizing about food, and I felt weak and irritable. I could not concentrate and all I thought about was food-any kind of food, I didn’t care what I had, as long as it was edible. When I heard the words in my head, “I am hungry” I made my way to some food. As I was doing this, I realized I was running. This is hunger. Later, I realized I had never known if I was hungry or not because I was snacking too much. If you don’t know if you’re hungry or not, you might be eating too much. You can always tell it’s true hunger if: 1)You will eat whatever you can get (a craving is specific) 2)You can wait a little longer no matter how hungry you are (when you have a craving, you need that specific food NOW!) 3)You are able to recognize that you are hungry (When it comes, hunger is obvious, and you will realize it) Hope I helped. Now, I need someone to help me and tell me how you know when you’re full.

  • worleyhimself2worleyhimself2 Raw Newbie

    True hunger is when you can eat anything (raw, of course). it doesn’t have to be high in sugars/ carbs/nuts/etc. or when you are actually craving something “bad”. if you hit that point of craving something sugary and then you tend to over eat. you waited too long and/or you aren’t getting enough nutrients throughout your days.

    example: i just woke up had my water/ multi and shot of acai100. I can eat and i will. when i get around to it. I wont wait to the point where i am uncomfortable. and when i do eat it doesn’t even matter what i eat. i am so nutritional sound it would take me awhile to think of what to eat because i am not in the mood for anything specific or in that mode “gotta have this!!!”. but ill just whip something up because what the hell. we are eating the best food ever. usually when i dont know what to eat and not in the mood for something specific i juice. the juice i got going these days are 2 apples, bunch celery, 3 garlic, spinach.

    as far as eating too much. feel it out. i use to eat way too many cashews. and feel it later. find your limits. if you are tired afterwards maybe you ate too much or maybe your digestion is not up too par. you should complete energy after everytime you eat. if you eat too much i feel that your body is looking for something.

    or and this is a big OR. you can have an overgrowth of bacteria. those bacteria are crying for some sugary foods, starchy foods. and if you dont feed them they’ll protest.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    this reminds me of a part of “the poisonwood bible” by barbara kingsolver. fabulous book. have you read it? ada remarks on how after living through famine in africa she always feels vexed when she would hear people refer to themselves as “starving.” we use this a lot in our culture, but most of us have never experienced true hunger. i’m very grateful for that.

  • runraw, good topic! going through some food issues right now…striving for balance…everyone’s comments are welcome! When I get an urge to eat, I have this tactic that I use. I ask myself, “would a bowl of lettuce sound good?” I find that if I’m truly hungry and not eating for other reasons a bowl of lettuce sounds like heaven. I also notice that when I eat that bowl of lettuce, because I’m truly hungry, that bowl of lettuce tastes AWESOME! I’ve been working on mindful eating…and pacing too! Good luck finding balance!

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