Post by lizlor on Jul 11, 2021 7:11:12 GMT
Differentiate Between Hunger, Desire, and Cravings
Beck says: Almost every dieter I’ve worked with has had difficulty distinguishing between true hunger (when you’ve fasted for several hours and your stomach is empty), a desire to eat (not being particularly hungry but eating because there is food around), and a craving (a physiological and emotionally intense urge to eat). Interestingly, many of them initially thought they could tell the difference. What about you? Think about times in the past when you’ve leisurely finished a rather large meal, perhaps when eating out at a restaurant or during a family celebration. I wonder if you ever had such thoughts as, I’m still hungry ... I think I’ll have seconds ... I’m hungry for dessert. If so, you confused hunger with a desire to eat. Today’s task will help you figure out when you’re truly hungry, so you can tell yourself, Okay, I’ve finished the food I planned to eat for this meal, and I’m still hungry ... But that’s okay ... It might take my brain 20 minutes to send a message to my body that I’m full ... I’ll wait to see how I feel in 20 minutes. to strengthen my muscle (described, along with the giving-in muscle, here).
Monitor Your Hunger
How do you know when you’re really hungry?
Think about three recent occasions when the following occurred: You hadn’t eaten for many hours and really felt ravenous. That empty sensation in your stomach, often accompanied by stomach rumblings, was hunger. You ate a big meal and yet you still wanted to continue to eat more. That was a desire. You had a very strong urge to eat, which was accompanied by a feeling of tension and an unpleasant yearning sensation in your mouth, throat, or body. That was a craving. To better differentiate between these sensations, pick a day to note what you experience before, during, and after you eat. Most dieters have difficulty distinguishing between true hunger, a desire to eat, and a craving.
tip!
If it has been anywhere from 20 minutes to up to 3 hours since you’ve eaten a reasonable-sized meal, remind yourself that any urge to eat is probably due to a desire to eat, not to hunger.
Before you sit down to eat each meal and snack, notice how your stomach feels. Write a description of this feeling in My Hunger Monitoring Chart. Also, rate your stomach hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not hungry at all and 10 being the hungriest that you’ve ever felt. Halfway through the meal, notice how your stomach feels. Write a description of this sensation in the chart. Then rate your hunger, using the same 0 to 10 scale. Rate your hunger again once you’ve finished eating. Notice your thoughts: Do you still want to eat more? Do you feel a physical sensation in your stomach? Is it more in your mouth or throat? What does it feel like? How strong are your sensations? Do you want to eat a specific food (which probably means you’re desiring or craving) or will any food do (which probably means you’re still hungry)? Describe the sensations in the chart. Twenty minutes after you’ve finished eating, rate your hunger and then describe any physical sensations or desire to eat that you’re experiencing in the chart. For more info, refer to day 11.
When you eat, how are you able to distinguish between hunger and a craving? Do you pay attention to each? How do you handle cravings?
Beck says: Almost every dieter I’ve worked with has had difficulty distinguishing between true hunger (when you’ve fasted for several hours and your stomach is empty), a desire to eat (not being particularly hungry but eating because there is food around), and a craving (a physiological and emotionally intense urge to eat). Interestingly, many of them initially thought they could tell the difference. What about you? Think about times in the past when you’ve leisurely finished a rather large meal, perhaps when eating out at a restaurant or during a family celebration. I wonder if you ever had such thoughts as, I’m still hungry ... I think I’ll have seconds ... I’m hungry for dessert. If so, you confused hunger with a desire to eat. Today’s task will help you figure out when you’re truly hungry, so you can tell yourself, Okay, I’ve finished the food I planned to eat for this meal, and I’m still hungry ... But that’s okay ... It might take my brain 20 minutes to send a message to my body that I’m full ... I’ll wait to see how I feel in 20 minutes. to strengthen my muscle (described, along with the giving-in muscle, here).
Monitor Your Hunger
How do you know when you’re really hungry?
Think about three recent occasions when the following occurred: You hadn’t eaten for many hours and really felt ravenous. That empty sensation in your stomach, often accompanied by stomach rumblings, was hunger. You ate a big meal and yet you still wanted to continue to eat more. That was a desire. You had a very strong urge to eat, which was accompanied by a feeling of tension and an unpleasant yearning sensation in your mouth, throat, or body. That was a craving. To better differentiate between these sensations, pick a day to note what you experience before, during, and after you eat. Most dieters have difficulty distinguishing between true hunger, a desire to eat, and a craving.
tip!
If it has been anywhere from 20 minutes to up to 3 hours since you’ve eaten a reasonable-sized meal, remind yourself that any urge to eat is probably due to a desire to eat, not to hunger.
Before you sit down to eat each meal and snack, notice how your stomach feels. Write a description of this feeling in My Hunger Monitoring Chart. Also, rate your stomach hunger on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not hungry at all and 10 being the hungriest that you’ve ever felt. Halfway through the meal, notice how your stomach feels. Write a description of this sensation in the chart. Then rate your hunger, using the same 0 to 10 scale. Rate your hunger again once you’ve finished eating. Notice your thoughts: Do you still want to eat more? Do you feel a physical sensation in your stomach? Is it more in your mouth or throat? What does it feel like? How strong are your sensations? Do you want to eat a specific food (which probably means you’re desiring or craving) or will any food do (which probably means you’re still hungry)? Describe the sensations in the chart. Twenty minutes after you’ve finished eating, rate your hunger and then describe any physical sensations or desire to eat that you’re experiencing in the chart. For more info, refer to day 11.
When you eat, how are you able to distinguish between hunger and a craving? Do you pay attention to each? How do you handle cravings?
