Physical Hunger Vs Emotional Hunger

Unfortunately, we don’t always eat to simply satisfy our hunger. Many of us also turn to food to relieve stress or cope with unpleasant emotions such as sadness, loneliness, or boredom. And after eating, we feel even worse. With practice, you can change your habits and regain control over both food and your feelings.

Do you know the difference between Physical Hunger and Emotional Hunger?

Physical hunger means you eat when your body signals to you that you are in fact, hungry. And it means that you stop eating when you are satisfied and before you are uncomfortably full.

 

Examples of physical hunger (SENSATIONS):

  • Stomach growls and gets that hollow hungry sensation

  • Body feels weak and energy goes down

  • Blood sugar gets low and you feel shaky

  • You feel lightheaded or faint

 

Emotional hunger means you turn to food either to avoid uncomfortable emotions or to heighten pleasurable ones. It means you eat based on how you feel instead of what your body needs.

 

Examples of emotional hunger (FEELINGS):

  • Eating for comfort or out of loneliness or sadness

  • Eating from boredom

  • Eating to try to soothe anxious or depressed feelings

  • Eating to fill an aching heart

 

So what will learning to listen to my body do for you?

It will free you from being a slave to food!

What that means for you is that you’ll feel more in control of your eating and less dependent on food to “help” your moods and emotions.

By listening to your physical hunger signals, you can determine how hungry or full you really are. With practice, you’ll be able to pinpoint where your body is at any given moment.

 

By doing so, you will train yourself to stop eating BEFORE you are too full and to not turn to food when you are not actually hungry but are in fact bored, upset, anxious or depressed.

Because everyone knows that’s a vicious cycle… so let me show you how to end that cycle and have some fun while doing it! Enter… the Hunger Game!

 

How do I play the Hunger Game? 

It sounds like the Hunger Games, but it’s not. 

I’m not talking about undergoing top-secret weapons training to learn to “kill” off your colleagues or friends… I’m talking about a simple, helpful game that you can play by yourself any time, anywhere!

 

Here’s how you play:

  • See if you can be the slowest eater at the table — no one has to know you’re playing or that you’re trying to win the Hunger Game

  • Periodically check in with yourself throughout your meal and honor when you’re energized and satiated by completing the meal

  • Use an end-of-meal ritual, like putting your napkin over your plate or ordering hot tea to symbolize the completion of the meal

 

What’s next?

In my health coaching practice, I help my clients learn to tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Together, we come up with a plan to help you keep identifying the difference so you can lose weight naturally and double your energy.

So next time you reach for the snacks, stop and check in with yourself… Are you eating to fuel your body or soothe it? 

To your health!

Health, Mindfulness, NutritionTrish RyanComment