It happened again. You had just finished a delicious dinner, the kitchen was all cleaned up and you were settled in your comfy recliner, remote in hand. Alone, relaxed and mindlessly watching TV…
An hour into the show, you remembered the bag of chocolate bars in the pantry. You began to reason with yourself, knowing you were not really hungry, since you ate only an hour ago, besides you don’t need those extra calories.You continued to argue with yourself… too much sugar, too much fat… the kids will notice they are missing… who cares, I want one… don’t eat it… it will taste so good… too many calories. You became aware that you had missed the last several minutes of the program because of this conversation you just had with herself. How annoying because it happened almost every night and you knew you weren’t even hungry! Sometimes you “won”, sometimes you didn’t.
What happens when we crave certain foods, but we are not physically hungry? How do we know the difference?
When we are physically hungry:
- It comes on gradually
- We feel it in our belly
- It happens a few hours after a meal
- It goes away when we eat
When we “want” foods but are not physically hungry, we are experiencing emotional hunger:
- We “feel” it above the neck, or as my kids used to call it, mouth hunger
- It comes on suddenly
- It can happen at any time, even if you recently ate a meal
- It does not go away when you eat
When you are trying to fill an emotional hunger, you may eat what you think you want and still not feel satisfied. Because it is not a physical hunger you are attempting to satisfy, there is no way to know when to stop or what to eat.
Once you become aware that you aren’t really hungry, try to put a name to what you are feeling at that moment. Sometimes, just putting a name to it will give you enough awareness to stop the craving. If not, once you identify the feeling, you will need an alternative plan to deal with that feeling other than eating. Are you worried about a big presentation at work and procrastinating about starting the outline? Or maybe you’re concerned that your supervisor is not going to give you a good review? Did your mom call and hassle you? Maybe you are just bored or lonely.
The next time you want to eat after a meal, ask yourself if you are really belly hungry or mouth hungry. Did it come on suddenly? What are you feeling? If you are actually physically hungry, eat real, whole food to satisfy your body’s needs. But, if you want sweets or other junk food, stop and think… what am I feeling???