Emotional VS Physical Hunger - How To Tell The Difference?
Do you eat to relieve stress?
Or maybe you eat at night to distract yourself from feeling lonely? (I used to be the poster girl for this! I would save up all my “allowed” foods and eat them all at night in my room as a way to protect and distract myself from not having anywhere to be on a Saturday night. P.S. eating disorders steal a lot more than just weight from you).
Maybe you eat because you’re bored?
Or, just simply, it makes you feel better after a crappy day?
Food, and eating, has become one of the most complicated human necessities we have to do each day, multiple times a day.
No longer is it as simple as eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full.
Now, food is a source of comfort. It makes you feel better when it feels like nothing, or no one else can.
So, how can you recognise emotional versus physical hunger and spot the difference between eating for comfort and a genuine need for fuel?
The good news is, with some practice in mindful eating, you can become the expert in understanding your hunger and the meaning behind your food choices.
What is Emotional Eating?
Emotional eating is when food is used to make one feel better from feelings of stress, anger, loneliness, exhaustion, boredom…..the list of emotions goes on.
Food is no longer rationally used to fulfil hunger. Rather, it is used as a coping mechanism to avoid feeling certain emotions.
For example, Sally has just been dumped by Harry. She feels depressed and alone. To make herself feel better, she goes to the supermarket after work each day to buy a large tub of Ben & Jerrys which she will eat that night to feel not so lonely.
Don’t get me wrong, eating when you’re not physically hungry isn’t always a bad thing (i.e. celebrating/because it tastes sooo damn good/convenience if can’t eat later on….in fact these are signs of intuitive eating #goals). However, if it becomes your go-to, to open the fridge whenever you’re feeling stressed/sad/angry, you can become stuck in a harmful pattern as emotional eating can’t be filled with food.
Rather, in these situations, your body needs something that feeds your soul, not your stomach***.
***Please bear with me, before I start losing you on the wishy-washy…
With emotional eating, food may make you feel better at that exact moment. However, those feelings that preceded the eating, are still there. And often these feelings are made even worse after an ice-cream tub deep.
So, how to tell if it’s physical or emotional hunger?
Below are 4 things I want you to check in with next time hunger strikes!
Physical Hunger:
Comes on gradually, can keep going with tasks at hand
Can be satisfied with a range of foods
You can recognise when you are full and stop eating
Leaves you feeling satisfied, not guilty.
Emotional Hunger:
Comes on sudden, with a sense of urgency
Can only be satisfied with specific foods/cravings i.e. chocolate, chips, bread
You eat until you are uncomfortably full
Leaves you feeling guilty.
How to Differentiate Between the Two?
I want you to HALT. (Brownie points for literally HALTING mid-movement).
Next time you are unsure if physically or emotionally hungry, I want you to ask yourself:
Are you HUNGRY?
When was the last time you ate?
If over 3 hours from your last meal/snack, I would recommend finding something nutritious to eat.
If you have recently eaten something nutritious (within 1-2 hours), tune into your body. Are you thirsty? Are you bored? If either of these, fix these first. It’s incredible how our emotional hunger subsides when we are doing something meaningful in our day.
Are you ANGRY?
What is on your plate right now (metaphorically speaking that is)?
Is work/school/home stressful? Is the stress making you angry?
How can you diffuse that anger in a non-food related way? I.e. talking to a friend/exercising/meditating? I am a firm believer that a problem shared is a problem halved!
Are you LONELY?
When was the last time you socialised/did something fun?
Do you have something fun to look forward to?
If not, can you reach out to your support network for comfort, rather than food?
Are you TIRED?
Have you been sleeping well lately?
Have you been respecting your energy needs and giving your body some rest?
How can you energise yourself, non-food related? (this means without the 3pm sugar hit) Take some time out and relax today.
Things to Keep in Mind:
This takes time. You are not going to get it right every time.
You cannot tell your body what to do AND listen to it at the same time #intuitive eating goals.
Trying to control your appetite by denying it or ignoring it is going up against strong physiological (and psychological) forces.
The amount of food your body needs at any given time is unique to you. Comparing your intake with someone’s is unhelpful and gets in the way of staying tuned in with your own appetite.
When you respect your appetite, your body does something magical and finds its natural healthy weight, with no restriction, guilt or self-loathing involved.
If you would like more individualised dietary advise, please book a consult here.