Are You Hungry or You’re Craving?
Currently, I live with a bunch of girls in a university hostel, and every morning, I see them rush out to find what to eat, and most nights, around 9/10 pm, I hear them complaining about being hungry even though they just had dinner around 6 pm.
I’ve also heard them say that the reason they still feel hungry after eating must be because they had an early dinner.
The time difference between 6 pm and 10 pm is only 5 hours. Come on, it’s not that much to call it an early dinner.
This brings me to wonder “What really is hunger?”
Because let’s face it, most times when we say we’re hungry, in true sense what we really are is craving.
So in this article, you’ll get to know the difference between hunger and craving, how to know when you’re hungry, and more.
Keep reading, because your life’s about to change.
Hunger or Craving?
It’s quite difficult to give an exact definition to what hunger is, but simply put, I’ll say hunger is your body’s response to the lack of fuel to burn for energy, hence, when you’re hungry, symptoms such as fatigue (extreme weakness) is felt because you’re lacking energy.
Craving on the other hand, is your mind telling you that you should eat, not because you’re lacking energy, but because you just can.
Therefore, hunger is more about a need, and craving is about a want.
Why Do You Think You’re Hungry?
You could think you’re hungry for more than one reason, let’s consider some of them:
- Boredom
Whenever we’re bored we tend to be restless, looking for what to do to keep us occupied, including eating.
Ever heard of emotional eating?
This is a type of eating you do when you’re going through an emotional rampage, which could be due to heartbreak (a very common reason), anxiety, or boredom.
- Stress
Many times I’ve heard people say “I need a bottle of coca cola” after a long day. They go further to say “My body needs sugar”.
Truth is, apart from cortisol that is secreted when you’re stressed, hunger hormones are also released.
Therefore, under stress, these hunger hormones trigger a type of craving that makes you feel you need a bottle of coca cola.
- Environmental Pressure
It’s always hard to ignore the “hunger” you feel when you’re in a room where people are eating. The aroma from their foods will first make you salivate, and then next you know, you’re holding a plate of your own food.
- Poor Quality Sleep
Studies have it that adults who sleep poorly tend to eat and snack more.
How to Know When You’re Truly Hungry
Hunger is a result of an inter-chain reaction between hormones, biochemical processes, and physical reactions, so when you’re truly hungry, certain signs are given off, such as:
- Fatigue
- Stomach rumbling
- Lack of focus
However, you shouldn’t wait until you’re fatigued before you eat, so here are some simple hunger tests you can do to be sure you’re truly hungry and not just craving:
- Apple Test
I once read a tweet from one of Twitter’s fitness coaches and it said something along the lines of “If you can’t eat an apple when you think you’re hungry, then you’re not hungry, you’re craving”.
The Apple test is a very simple one. All you have to do is ask yourself if the food you wanted to eat was an apple, would you still eat it?
If your answer is yes, then first eat an apple and if after that you still want to eat more, take a 10-minute’ walk, because you might just be feeling bored.
When you return from your walk, and you still feel like eating, then you’re truly hungry.
- Self-Test
Assessing yourself by asking certain questions will help you discern just how hungry you truly are.
Questions such as:
- What is your mood or emotional state like?
- Are you feeling bored, anxious, or sad?
- How long ago did you last eat?
Answering these questions honestly will help you understand if you’re hungry or craving.
How to Stop Yourself from Eating When You’re Not Hungry
- Know your hunger triggers
The first step to stopping yourself from eating when you’re not hungry is to know what factors trigger you to feel “hungry.
For instance, if your hunger is emotionally triggered, then you should sleep better to rule out stress, stay engaged in an activity to rule out boredom, and so on.
But without knowing what your trigger is, stopping yourself might be tough.
- Take a walk
If you’ve identified your hunger trigger to be boredom, or environmental pressure, then taking a walk the moment you think you’re beginning to feel hungry will help you put your focus elsewhere, and ignore the feeling.
- Drink water
You’re probably not hungry, just thirsty. Always drink at least 2 liters of water every day. Drinking water will help make you feel full, thereby convincing your body that you don’t need to consume anymore.
FAQ
Can You Feel Hungry but Not Be Hungry?
Yes. When you’re stressed, bored, or anxious, certain hormones might increase, making you feel hungry, but you’re actually not hungry.
Are You Hungry or Thirsty?
It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, but to distinguish between the two, look out for the following signs of thirst:
- Dry mouth
- Headache
- Constipation
- Dark yellow coloration of your urine
What Causes Hunger After Eating?
You could feel hungry again after eating if you eat too fast, don’t eat enough food, snack a lot, sleep poorly, exercise a lot, and eat mindlessly.
Takeaway
Sometimes, the hunger you feel is just an emotional response to your environment or stress. It could also be a result of thirst.
Regardless, eating just because you feel hungry can be unhealthy and bad for weight loss if you hope to drop a few pounds.
However, to be sure you’re truly hungry, assess yourself to know how you feel at the time of your hunger, so you can rule out factors that don’t relate to true hunger.
Sources
3 Ways to Know You’re Hungry (and Avoid Eating When You’re Not www.wikihow.com
Am I Hungry or Bored? www.healthline.com
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