Emotional vs. Physical Hunger

Do you know the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger?  It's ok if you dont, i didn't either before I started looking deeper into it.  I had a basic understanding, based on my own assumptions but i definitely clarified things upon researching better.  Emotional hunger can be powerful. As a result, it’s easy to mistake it for physical hunger. But there are clues you can look for that can help you tell physical and emotional hunger apart.

• Emotional hunger comes on suddenly. It hits you in an instant and feels overwhelming and urgent. Physical hunger, on the other hand, comes on more gradually. The urge to eat doesn’t feel as dire or demand instant satisfaction (unless you haven’t eaten for a very long time).

• Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods. When you’re physically hungry, almost anything sounds good—including healthy stuff like vegetables. But emotional hunger craves fatty foods or sugary snacks that provide an instant rush. You feel like you need cheesecake or pizza, and nothing else will do.

• Emotional hunger often leads to mindless eating. Before you know it, you’ve eaten a whole bag of chips or an entire pint of ice cream without really paying attention or fully enjoying it. When you’re eating in response to physical hunger, you’re typically more aware of what you’re doing.

• Emotional hunger isn’t satisfied once you’re full. You keep wanting more and more, often eating until you’re uncomfortably stuffed. Physical hunger, on the other hand, doesn't need to be stuffed. You feel satisfied when your stomach is full.

• Emotional hunger isn’t located in the stomach. Rather than a growling belly or a pang in your stomach, you feel your hunger as a craving you can’t get out of your head. You’re focused on specific textures, tastes, and smells.

• Emotional hunger often leads to regret, guilt, or shame. When you eat to satisfy physical hunger, you’re unlikely to feel guilty or ashamed because you’re simply giving your body what it needs. If you feel guilty after you eat, it's likely because you know deep down that you’re not eating for nutritional reasons.

     Simply put, Emotional hunger leads to alot of typically bad food decisions and can typically give itself away if you know that what you suddenly crave is in no way nutritious or will probably make you slightly hate yourself half an hour later.  Physical Hunger makes the stuff my girls usually make funny faces at look just as appealing as chocolate coated cavity givers.  Mind you with physical hunger everything looks good so you can still make bad decisions, its just alot simpler to make good ones.

Need tips on how to stop emotional eating? Keep following my blog, tips coming soon!!