Is it Head Hunger or Real Hunger?

For me, one of the hardest aspects of maintaining my goal has been dealing with "head" hunger.  I see myself as a food addict and I treat my relationship with food as such -- so I work hard to avoid eating for emotional reasons.

People talk about head hunger all the time -- and truly, there are times when it is painfully obvious that head hunger is what we are experiencing.  Other times, however, head hunger can be really tricky to discern from real physical hunger.

That said, since my relationship with food had been so emotionally connected for so long, it was often hard for me to differentiate between head hunger and real hunger.   Here are some of the ways I have learned to identify the difference:

1. Eat on a schedule -- do not graze.  If I have eaten in the last one or two hours, then it simply is unrealistic that I am actually hungry. This is a flag that I should look to see what is really triggering my desire to eat.
2. Cravings are almost never a sign of real hunger.  If I "just have to a have a bite of that cupcake in the break room" -- or want a hamburger, handful of nuts, even some yogurt -- if I am craving particular food items -- that's a great sign that I am not actually hungry but rather have head hunger.  If you are really physically hungry, it isn't for any particular item. 
3. Association with an activity -- for example while watching tv, seeing a movie, or talking with friends.  If I want to eat/snack while doing something -- especially if it's a repeated feeling -- it's almost certainly head hunger.  
4. Association with an emotion -- and for me, when I was almost 350 pounds, every emotion was a call to eat.  If I was sad -- I'd cheer myself up with a treat.  Needed to celebrate? -- let's go to dinner!  Depressed, bored, grieving, happy, content -- didn't matter -- all emotions culminated with my good friend food.  This one can be the hardest one to identify because it takes self-contemplation that isn't always present.  And that leads me to my last one:
5. Guilt.  Often times when we succumb to eating due to head hunger, we feel guilt.  This isn't a typical response to eating due to physical hunger.  Guilt and eating isn't a healthy combination.

Learning to identify head hunger has been key for me in battling against using food as a coping device rather than for nutrition.  I had to come to terms with the fact that using food in this way would ultimately not only hinder my weight loss, but also to avoid regain.

Such fantastic insight, Kat. 

I was also a "every emotion" eater. I do still struggle with boredom eating. I have to keep myself busy, busy, busy. 

Absolutely.  That is one of my go-to coping strategies!

This is great!!  Very well written and informative!

Eating by the clock is the only way that I can keep myself on track.  If I let myself eat when I'm "hungry" I would be eating all day long.  As a food addict, I have no idea what real hunger feels like because I've never allowed myself to feel it.  I have always stuffed my face at the first possible sign of hunger.  I still feel like eating constantly but I force myself to wait until the next scheduled meal time.

My stomach is a lying, little, SOB!  It's lied to me for my entire life. telling me I'm hungry when I'm not.  I refuse to trust it to tell me when I'm hungry now.  I'm wrestling that little ******* into submission!

Fantastic post Kat. Golden advice.

Great post, Kat!!   I find head hunger to be an issue of mine as well. 

Good post. Another consideration is that sometimes when we think we are hungry we are actually thirsty. I read this somewhere and have often found it to be true

EXCELLENT post, KAT !!!

My name is Gina, and I am a grazer....and I hate it...and I fight it daily, with PLANNED eating and activities...MOST times it works :)

Guilt.

Wow... that really hit home.

Thank you... I think that one is a great indicator to me (albeit after I've already consumed the offending item ).

So those fried onions I had between getting home last night and before eating dinner... those were truly unnecessary, because I definitely felt guilty for eating them, and adjusted my good protein to allow for those... not a good choice on my part.