Hunger, Cravings, and the Desire to Eat: Linda

During our diet group today, we talked a lot about differentiating among hunger, cravings, and the desire to eat.  The rule of thumb is that true hunger is what you feel when you’ve fasted for several hours and your stomach is empty; a craving is a physiological and emotionally intense urge to eat; and the desire to eat comes when you are not particularly hungry but eating because there is food around (discussed on Day 11 of The Beck Diet Solution).  For most dieters these three things can be difficult to tell apart, especially if they have a lifetime of confusing cravings and desire with hunger.

Linda has been having trouble with this lately. She reported today that she has been feeling very hungry lately, even though her eating has generally been the same.  We asked her whether she often feels hungry an hour or two after a meal; she thought about it and said yes.  Chances are Linda is confusing hunger at these times with either cravings or the desire to eat.  We discussed with Linda an experiment she can try which will help her get a better understanding of what true hunger really feels like.  One day this week she will skip lunch (if her doctor okays it) and rate every hour, between breakfast and dinner, how hungry she feels (Day 12).  This is an important experiment because it will prove to Linda three very important things:

1. What true hunger feels like.

2. That hunger comes and goes

3. That she CAN tolerate being hungry

Learning this about hunger will be invaluable for Linda and is one of the many tools that will help her keep the weight off for the rest of her life.

“If I hadn’t joined the group…”

We asked our diet group to complete the sentence, “If I hadn’t joined the group…” Here’s what they have to say about how the group, The Beck Diet Solution, and the techniques of Cognitive Therapy have helped them.

If I hadn’t joined the group…

Maria: “I would most likely have serious health problems and still would have been more than 44lbs heavier than I am today. I was becoming an introvert; I didn’t want anyone to see how fat I had become.”

Diana: “I would have gained 25 pounds.”

Brenda: “I would continue to try other fad diets and ultimately fail because I would not have learned behavior that would enable me to make conscious lifelong changes in my eating habits.”

Linda: “I would probably still be eating cheese steaks and chips and stopping by a fast food drive-thrus.”

Charlotte: “I would have continued putting on ~2 pounds/year for the rest of my life.”

Carolyn: “As a result of your weight loss group I have learned to take an active role in applying the following key words to my life: Decision – I have made a life-time decision to make positive food planning choices; Choice – I have learned that hunger is not an emergency and that I must practice “No Choice” on a daily basis; Lifestyle – Proper eating habits should be practiced as a way of lifefor the rest of my life; Maintain – Maintaining is worth the perpetual outcome it brings.  If I had not attended your weight loss group I really don’t believe that I would have the positive mind set that I have today. The phrase “Mind Set” being key.”