Real Hunger or Head Hunger

Hi Everyone, I thought I would mix it up a bit and post something totally different and here it is:

Physiological hunger or real hunger starts to occur about two to four hours after your last meal. Symptoms include an empty or rumbling feeling in your stomach.  If you ignore this signal you body then sends you a stronger signal in the form of a headache, dizziness or lightheadedness. This type of hunger is your body's way of telling you it is time to nourish your body. So go

eat some protein.

 

Psychological hunger or head hunger occurs at any time and has no physical symptoms.  Obsessing about food, emotional situations, certain personal triggers, or food cravings may cause you to think that you are hungry when you're really no****ching TV and wanting to eat is head hunger. Grazing is head hunger.

 

To assist you to identify which type of hunger you're feeling and what action you should take with that feeling, look at our Hunger-Satiety Rating Chart.

 

Hunger vs. Satiety Chart

1...………………….Stuffed to the point of feeling sick

2…Very uncomfortable, you need to loosen your belt

3….………….……Uncomfortable full, you are stuffed

4…….……Very full, you feel like you have overeaten

5…………………...Comfortably full, you are satisfied

6……………………Contented, neither full nor hungry

7………………………….Beginning signals of hunger

8……………………………………Hungry need to eat

9…………………Very hungry, unable to concentrate

10………………………………Starving, dizzy, irritable

 

Where are you right now on this chart? At number five you have satiety, if you are above this

number on the chart you have over eaten. If you are at six, you are neutral, nether hungry or full.

If you are at a seven, then you are beginning to get hungry and need to consider eating soon. If

you let your hunger go for a while you will start to feel the physical signs of hunger.

 

Where do your habits fit into this chart? If you are waiting to eat until you are "starving", irritable, or unable to concentrate; you will eat to fast and then you will likely eat beyond a comfortable feeling of fullness just to get rid of those bad physical feelings. Start paying close attention; start eating when you have early signals of hunger (level 7) and stop eating when you are comfortably full (level 5).

 

Keep a written record of your feelings of hunger, using this chart. This will help you to recognize if you are waiting too long to eat, or eating beyond a comfortable, satisfied level. Record what and how much you are eating - when you are too hungry versus the times you are just beginning to feel hunger.

 

This exercise will assist you to adjust your eating schedule to accommodate your true need for food.

 

DISCLAIMER: Information provided by this flier is for informational www.obesityhelp.com/ohsupportgroups

Purposes and is not medical advice. Only you and your doctor can ObesityHelp Support Group Leader Program determine what regimen meets your specific needs.  [email protected]

Wishing everyone a great Thursday!
Terry

Hi Terry,

I belong to an eater disorders support group and we use this scale a lot.  It's very helpful in distinguishing between head and physical hunger.  Distinguishing between the two is such a challenge when you first recognize the difference. 

Thanks for posting this excellent tool.

MsBlues

Thank you for posting this.  It will be a valuable tool for me.  I have a hard time with hunger.  I tend to always wait too long to eat, or then there are my days when I graze, mostly on sunflower seeds.  I am going to print this out and keep it around, in my purse.

Again thanks, Diane

Thanks for posting this! I think most (if not all!) of us struggle with head hunger and a little reminder to check in with yourself before you put something in your mouth is always a good thing!

=)
Shells