Next time you’re aimlessly sifting through cupboards looking for a snack, ask yourself:  Am I really hungry?  People have the tendency to eat for reasons other than hunger.  This mindless eating is due to psychological hunger and not physical hunger.

So, what causes psychological hunger?  There’s many reasons, such as that delicious sizzling steak you just saw in a commercial, or possibly you eat on a schedule (scheduled breaks at work, for example) even though you aren’t hungry.  And there’s many emotional factors like being sad, angry, nervous and even happy.  And I’m sure we’ve all mindlessly snacked out of boredom.

So what can you do about your psychological hunger?  Here’s a few tips to distinguish whether you’re psychologically hungry or physically hungry:

Hunger scale
Next time you’re feeling a craving ask yourself exactly how hungry you are on a scale of 1 to 10.  You can use Bob Greene’s hunger scale below or check out one of the many different hunger scales that Intuitive Eating has to offer.

10 – Stuffed: so full that you feel nauseous
9 – Very uncomfortably full: you need to loosen your clothes
8 – Uncomfortably full: you feel bloated
7 – Full: you feel a little bit uncomfortable
6 – Perfectly comfortable: you feel satisfied
5 – Comfortable: you’re more/less satisfied, but could eat a little more
4 – Slightly uncomfortable: you’re just beginning to feel signs of hunger
3 – Uncomfortable: stomach is rumbling
2 – Very uncomfortable: you feel irritable & unable to concentrate
1 – Weak and light headed: your stomach acid is churning

The idea is to eat when you are at a 3-4 and stop eating when you reach 5.

Imagine
Are you craving something sweet even though you just ate a little bit ago?  Think of eating vegetables or a chicken breast instead. Why?  Because if you are in fact hungry then the vegetables and/or chicken will sound good, so go ahead and eat them.  If they don’t sound good then it’s most likely a psychological craving for something sweet and not a physical hunger pain. 

Drink water
Sometimes our brain may confuse thirst with hunger.  Next time you’re feeling a little hungry try drinking a glass of water and wait and see if that cures it.

Food diary
By recording your emotions along with what you eat you may be able to find patterns of when and why you eat the most.  For example, you may notice that when you are angry you find yourself constantly snacking.  You can then combat this problem by exercising or performing a non-food related activity to relieve the stress of anger.  Learn more about food diary’s.

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