Appetite vs Hunger; That is the Question

When I was younger and my metabolism was seemingly supercharged, I did not ponder differences between appetite and hunger! They were the same in my teens and early twenties. I was an active boy/man and ate until I was full.

I also had the habit of wolfing down my food and since I always cleaned my plate (and then some), I did not ever feel full before I was finished. So what I am saying is I guess I don’t really know if I was full before I stopped eating when I was younger.

In this post I am going to try an distinguish between appetite and hunger because I have noticed that this is a continuing hurdle I am running up against. I am recovering from the flu right now and have been able to stop eating before my plate is cleaned for the first time in years! Here is a quick video of the difference between appetite and hunger.

Rob Stevens of Thintuition, makes the distenction for us about appetite and hunger. I additionally viewed his introduction video here, and am glad to see he had figured out how to lose and keep the weight off.

Since having the flu has allowed me to notice when I am full while eating a meal, I think examining more about appetite and hunger is appropriate.

• Hunger = Body’s need for food
• Appetite = Body’s want for food to satisfy hunger & other needs

What are “other needs?” I think taste, boredom, anxiety, depression and so forth trigger appetite (or any other activities in our control that feel good)!

For me I have noticed that I do not differentiate between appetite and hunger very well so I try to stick with one diet (read menu items) that I know are ok. For instance I generally eat an egg sandwich for breakfast, a sandwich and apple for lunch and boca or turkey burger and veggies for dinner. That way I stay within my 1500 to 1800 calories a day.

The problem comes in with variation because when family visits or my wife makes something different – I tend to overeat!

It would be so much easier if I could learn to differentiate between appetite and hunger like I could while I had the flu!

Here are the hints I’ve heard that should help:

• Eat slow
• Drink a lot of water before eating
• Never finish a plate but leave some
• Portion control
• Stick to a diet
• Eat more low calorie foods

And so on… but to me wouldn’t it be easier if I could just train my body to stop when my hunger was satisfied? My parents like so many of the time, instilled into me that money did not grow on trees and to: waste not – want not! I had to finish my plate at every meal (trust me – that was not a problem for me). The crazy thing is to this day – I still feel like I have to finish my plate!

To take this one step further, I feel like I have to finish the leftovers and food cannot ever go bad. I know this is counter productive to learning how to eat what is good for me but it is still a part of me for some reason.

Now for the good news, I have been able to maintain my weight loss and exercise level. After I finish my recovery (still kind of weak and have a cough), I’ll slowly work back into my routine with a new twist in the exercise category; I’m going to work in some strength building during my hour of cardio time.

So my five hours of running will now be five half-hours of running and five half-hours of dumb bells, calisthenics, bag work and katas. That should allow the missing part of my routine (strength building) to start having a part of the whole fitness plan (was diet and cardio but now will be diet, cardio and strength building!).

I hope all is well in your world and let me know if you can think of ways to help me distinguish between appetite and hunger! That would make all of this so much easier!!!