Head hunger vs stomach hunger: One of the reasons it’s so easy to overeat is because hunger signals can be very confusing. Not only is it often difficult to know whether we’re hungry or not because of external influences (such as the smell of food making our mouths water) and learned habits (such as it being the right time of day for breakfast, lunch or dinner), but also because hunger is so often closely linked with our emotions. Types of Hunger There are two kinds of hunger: physical and emotional. Physical hunger is felt in the stomach, and gradually builds from a slight growl to a feeling of emptiness that is hard to ignore. This kind of hunger goes away after eating as signals are sent to the brain from the stretch receptors in the stomach and chemical receptors in the gut. Emotional hunger is felt in the mouth and a signal from the brain and tends to come on all of a sudden – what we might think of as a craving. This is not associated with stomach emptiness and can often be hard to satisfy, even with large amounts of food. This type of hunger is associated with the need to comfort oneself. We can think of these as ‘stomach hunger’ and ‘head hunger’. The after effects of the two types of hunger are also different. While eating for physical hunger leads to feelings of satisfaction, eating for emotional hunger may lead to guilt. Often emotional eating becomes a habit. If you tend to eat ice cream every time you feel stressed, being stressed will automatically make you crave ice cream. However, it is important not to see food as a cure for everyday problems. Recognizing Your Hunger Changing your habits requires a change of mind frame and also for you to start becoming aware of your hunger. When you are hungry, ask yourself the following questions: • How do I feel emotionally? (Hunger should not be connected to emotions) • How long is it since I last ate? (Should be 3 – 4 hours on most days) • What do I feel like eating? (Is it sensible or is it comfort food?) • Do you eat balanced meals regularly? Rate your hunger on the following scale: • Physically Faint • Ravenous • Fairly Hungry (Eat) • Quite Hungry (Eat) • Neutral • Pleasantly Satisfied (Stop Eating) • Full (Stop Eating) • Stuffed • Bloated • Nauseous Avoid the last three areas. You shouldn’t let yourself become that hungry or that full. Instead, use it to rate your stomach hunger and decide whether it is sensible to have something to eat. You can also use this to help you know when to stop eating. Changing Your Habits It is very difficult to stop emotional eating if you label foods as being forbidden. No foods are forbidden, although we need to make sure that we consume a range of foods in the right proportions. Practice eating mindfully. Savour your food, think about how it tastes, and eat slowly enough for your body to recognize feelings of hunger and fullness. Negative thoughts also get in the way of staying on track and eating well. Here are some examples of negative thoughts and a positive alternative: Negative: I feel fat. I need to do more exercise but I haven’t got the motivation to leave the house today – I look awful. Positive: I want to lose weight sensibly. I will go for a short walk today. Once I’m out of the house I will feel better and I’ll know I’ve accomplished something. Negative: I can’t believe I’ve rowed with my best friend. I’m so stressed. I’m going to stop at the supermarket on the way home to buy ice cream and chocolate to eat in front of the television tonight. Positive: I need time to take some time to relax before speaking to my friend tomorrow and sorting things out. I’ll take a long hot bath and enjoy a cup of tea watching my favourite comedy to take my mind off things. Negative: I shouldn’t have had that dessert at lunch time, but I couldn’t help myself. I need to make up for it by skipping dinner tonight. Positive: I had an occasional indulgence today and really enjoyed it. I’m still going to have my dinner tonight and I won’t feel guilty for it. See how you can turn what feel like bad situations into everyday ones just by changing your thinking? CHANGE YOUR MIND…CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Love yourself, through thick or thin, good or bad, just love yourself no matter what!
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 06:18:22 +0000
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