Being Hungry Versus Feeling Like Eating

 

Physical hunger, the “real” one, comes gradually. It starts with a growling stomach that can wait and goes in crescendo until you start to physically feel bad. A headache and tiredness start if you don’t eat something. When you are hungry,  you do not act too smartly about what to eat. When you are hungry, you become really flexible about the food options and you can’t wait to be fed. Once you are full, you feel better and you stop eating. Finally, it is not associated with guilt.

On the other hand, the “Feeling about eating something” comes
suddenly as a non-stoppable desire to eat something specific, probably one of the addictive foods: sweet, salty and fatty. You can’t wait. You have to eat it right now and you keep eating and eating until you are REALLY full. You will feel guilty soon after.

 

See the difference? Well, you have to learn to anticipate what feeling you are experiencing and how to proceed depending on the available options: the right snack or a smart delay in your immediate desire for satisfaction.