Hunger cues...What??

[Guest guest]

Hi, lilygirl!

Welcome aboard! I've been here about two months, and so far have seen nothing but very positive support here. I'm sorry you had the problems with a previously snarky group, but good for you for up and leaving.

Hunger signals are a very individual thing, and Geneen Roth (Women, Food, and God--and other books) says that if you have a history of "messing around with your hunger" (i.e., not eating when you're hungry because you're trying to restrict food amounts; not eating things your body tells you it wants; overeating and bingeing), it may take a while to become familiar with your body's signals, and your body may have somewhat distorted signals if you've been ignoring the usual ones for some time. Everyone knows the familiar "stomach rumbling" or "empty stomach" feeling, but not everyone has that signal for hunger, even if they've never messed with their hunger. My husband, for example, who has never (and has never needed) to diet in his life, simply starts feeling a lightheaded when he's too hungry. When I (just) talked pretty extensively about how he knows when to eat, he basically eats often enough to avoid getting to that state. So mostly for him, it's a matter of timing. But that's only reliable because he's not overeating! He will sometimes eat before he feels like he needs to because he knows (like on a long plane flight) that he's likely to get too hungry if he doesn't eat ahead of the flight.

Actually, it was a fascinating conversation I just had with him--I'd recommend having a similar conversation with a "normal" eater if you have access to one and don't feel too strange about doing so. It gave me a little insight into how a normal person eats. I've messed with my hunger for 45 or more years, so it's hard for me to know what's normal, and I'm feeling my way. I hadn't really felt hunger in maybe 20 years (I was a constant eater, not often a binger, but not above that occasionally!), so it was hard for me to know what my hunger felt like, too, but I'm getting there. Right now I'm definitely hungry and want breakfast. I do feel a little sick--empty and a little irritable. I know if I ignore this feeling, it will go away pretty soon (within 15 minutes), but don't want to do that anymore. I probably should have eaten a little earlier, but I slept in and am just getting started on my day. Normally I would feed my dogs first, but this morning I'm going to eat a piece of fruit to stave off this feeling while I'm making my oatmeal. I don't want my body to feel I'm ignoring it in favor of someone else's needs. Been there, done that.

I hope this helps!

Laurie

lilygirl wrote:

>>>So basically what I am asking is for help figuring out what is an appropriate time to eat. I find that if I turn off all distractions and eat slow, I can figure out when to stop eating. It's just finding the right times to eat. Thanks for any help. Let me know if more information is needed!<<<