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How to Tell When You Are Hungry
Recognizing 'Real' Hunger

Article Written By Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Appetite or Hunger?

Getting in touch with your senses and making wise dietary choices based on true hunger....

Jack's tummy just rolled. He wonders, " Is that a bothersome case of the munchies, a gas ball, or am I truly hungry?"

The Munchies, Cravings vs True Hunger

If Jack answers 'no' to the majority of the following questions, he is probably suffering from a case of the munchies:

- Will almost any food satisfy me right now?

- Has it been at least two hours since meal time?

- I can hear and/or feel my tummy growling deep inside of me.

If Jack answered 'yes' to all the questions, he is undoubtedly hungry. When we are hungry, we aren't very picky when it comes to food choices.

We tend to be satisfied with any food that is tasty - and when we are famished, we will be satisfied with even the most dull-tasting, bland foods available, including rice cakes. Plain, unflavored rice cakes at that.

Meal Scheduling, Snacking Conflicts

If Jack's next meal is scheduled within the next couple of hours, he would do well to grab a piece of fresh fruit and wait to enjoy his full meal.

He doesn't want to become so famished that he is ready to drop his weight loss plan and return to his former unhealthy daily diet which was too packed with calories and dietary fat - and that is responsible in a big way for his current overweight condition.

On the other hand, he doesn't want to eat too much before meal time because this too, can throw his eating plan off the charts. Smart weight loss is a balancing act - balancing food, meal times, food choices and activities.

True Hunger vs Appetite Tips

Let's examine the lives of two dieters to see how each handled the appetite vs true hunger issue, both being very successful in dealing with two very separate situations.

Dieter Peggy finished lunch only an hour and a half ago and she is feeling very hungry. But she wonders if she is truly hungry or is she is wanting to snack. She realizes that snacking can lead to more calories than she needs to lose weight in her current diet plan.

Before reaching for a snack she considers her lunch menu. She had a serving of vegetables that were steamed.

There was also three ounces of roasted chicken in the recipe. She added a wee-bit too much of her favorite Asian sauce which put her at the top of her caloric limits for lunch in her meal planner.

She enjoyed a serving of unsweetened tea as her beverage. And after she ate her meal, she felt quite full.

Let's take a deeper look at Peggy's lunch menu.

The vegetables that she consumed included: broccoli florets, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower florets and shredded cabbage. All of these vegetables are notorious for creating belly bloat. In turn, belly bloat triggers a feeling of fullness.

Opting for Foods That Satisfy Appetite for Weight Loss

Peggy would have been wise to have added a serving of whole grain rice. The whole grain goodness would have served to satisfy her appetite longer.

In addition, a side of chickpeas that were drained a cooked on the stove top in minimal extra virgin olive oil and coated with cracked pepper would have added a healthy dose of protein to her meal, also serving to satisfy her hunger for a longer time span.

Now that Peggy has identified her situation as true hunger because her meal lacked satiety power, she reaches for a serving of fresh fruit that will tie her over until dinner arrives.

And she will make a few amends to her dinner meal as the bowl of soup and crackers that she had planned to din upon aren't going to give her the satiety power necessary to get her through the remainder of the day without going off of her weight loss plan.

Nibbling Opens Opportunity for Weight Gain

Now let's look at Jack. He too is feeling as if he needs something to munch on - not necessarily anything large. He just wants something to nibble. A rice cake? No, that's too bland. A carrot? Nope; too much vegetable matter for a guy to handle just now. His lunch contained quite a few vegetables. What about a hot fudge sundae? Now that would really hit the spot.

Then Jack takes pause and does a double-take on his thoughts. He doesn't really want the hot fudge sundae - which would put him over his planned caloric values for the day.

He decides that he has a raging appetite, a gnawing in his gut that is not related to hunger, rather to the nibbles.

He decides to enjoy a diet soda and wait until his next healthy meal arrives.

In Summary

Two dieters - two different situations and both handled them excellently to march forward to achieve weight loss success.

 

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