Most people coming out of Diet Culture view hunger in a one dimensional way.
They associate hunger solely with the physical sensation in their stomach we are all accustomed to.
This is a good start, as physical hunger is an important signal that your body is missing something (energy, calories, etc).
But hunger is multidimensional. There is physical hunger, but there is also mental hunger.
This is the hunger you experience when you just ate, no longer have physical hunger, but still feel a drive to keep eating.
You think – “I can’t possibly be hungry, I just ate!”
And that’s party true – you aren’t physically hungry anymore, but you ARE still mentally hungry.
I think of mental hunger as psychological hunger. Cravings tend to fall in this bracket.
This kind of hunger is just as important to address as your physical hunger. Because if it’s neglected, you’ll continue to feel a drive to eat well past your body’s caloric needs.
Physical hunger tends to be focused around feeling satiated, while mental hunger has to do with feeling satisfied.
This lack of satisfaction that drives mental hunger is the reason why you can eat a nice sized meal, but still feel like you could keep eating.
Your satisfaction needs weren’t met, so your body is sending you a signal to get more of it.
In order to meet your body’s needs, your food should do 3 things – satiate, satisfy, and nourish.
If any one of these variables are lacking, the drive to eat will still be there.
This drive can be suppressed temporarily through willpower, but you’ll eventually give in.
So the next time you feel like you “shouldn’t” need more food, ask yourself which kind of hunger you’re experiencing.
Then directly address the missing need.
Talk soon…