head hunger

Is It Your Head Or Your Stomach That’s Saying “Feed Me”?

April 9, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

“I’ve got to have a donut—the kind with chocolate icing and sprinkles.” “I really, really want some crispy, salty French fries and a strawberry shake.” But, are you really hungry or is it your head that’s yapping at you?

Your head can be very proficient at ringing the mindless eating bell. It’s often the culprit when you find yourself eating even though your body isn’t physically hungry. For instance, it’s not unusual to eat in response to a learned behavior. Does your head tell your body to eat everyday at noontime — whether or not your body actually needs food?

What’s Head Hunger?

Head hunger comes on suddenly. Does this sound familiar: you’re not hungry – and then all of a sudden you absolutely must have a candy bar or a slice of pizza, or a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie.

Head hunger might appear as a craving, or when you find yourself mindlessly munching, or when you eat in response to triggers – and you’ve not stopped for a second to ask yourself if you’re really hungry (or maybe you have and decided to ignore the answer).

Head hunger can happen at any time — with no physical symptoms — and might be triggered by time cues and sensory triggers, like smell, taste, or texture. Obsessing about food, certain habits (like watching TV, working on the computer, or driving), and emotional or personal triggers can all make you think that you’re hungry when you really aren’t.

What Does A Growling Stomach Mean?

Physical hunger, or stomach hunger, comes on slowly and usually happens two to four hours after you’ve last eaten. With true physical hunger you might have an empty or growling stomach, lightheadedness, hand tremors, fatigue, or a headache. It’s your body’s way of telling you that it needs fuel and it’s time to eat. Depending upon how truly physically hungry you are you can be satisfied with almost anything – unlike the cravings for sugar, salt, fat that frequently ring the head hunger bell.

Calorie Savers

Head hunger will eventually go away if you ignore it. Your body isn’t telling you it needs food for sustenance. It’s your head talking to you, and sometimes it’s doing so in quite a loud voice.

Try to put off shoving some food into your mouth by distracting yourself and not engaging in conversation with your head hunger. It usually goes away if you divert your attention. Often a cup of tea or coffee or a glass of water will do the trick, too.

If your hunger is really screaming at you it might be tough to ignore. Ask yourself when you last ate. If it’s been three to four hours you might actually be physically hungry and not just head hungry. Have something to eat!

This post is a selection from my upcoming book about 50 easy ways to save calories.

What Do Eating And Crossing The Street And Have in Common?

May 22, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Do You Look Both Ways?

Didn’t your parents teach you to look both ways before you cross the street? The very act of looking and analyzing the situation before you step off the curb means that you are being mindful of your surroundings and aware of potential problems – like a car or bike speeding toward you.

What’s That Got To Do With Eating?

The same process – analyzing the environment and being mindful and aware of your situation — should be true with eating.

Before you pop food into your mouth do you check in with yourself and figure out if you’re really hungry? Is your stomach growling and are you queasy and having trouble concentrating because you haven’t eaten in a long time and your blood sugar is low? Or is your desire to eat being triggered by the wafting smell of the freshly baked bread coming from the open door of a bakery or the sight of just out of the oven chocolate chip cookies?

Those are the kind of triggers that can create an irresistible urge to eat – even if you’ve just had a good sized and satisfying meal.

What’s The Issue?

There are many situations — like the bakery trigger — when you eat in response to external cues (what you see, hear, smell, or even think) rather than mindfully checking in with your body and determining if you’re actually hungry. It’ sort of like looking both ways before you cross the street and then making your choice to cross or not to cross, isn’t it?

Check It Out And Then Make Your Decision

Let your body talk to you – and then listen to it. Before food starts traveling the path to your mouth, stop and ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you have head hunger — the urge rather than the need to eat because your emotions and external cues are telling you that you should. Do you really need to eat or are your emotions sending you “feed me” messages?

Stop for a moment and look both ways before you decide to take the eating path — and then step off the curb into the street if you deem it safe and decide that’s what you want to do.

Are You Really Hungry Or Is It All In Your Head?

May 15, 2012 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Argument. Stress. Overwhelm. Fatigue.

Cookies in the shopping cart. Candy bar from the gas station. Chips from the vending machine. Raiding the refrigerator for leftovers followed by ice cream.

Sound familiar?

You could be stuffed to the gills but all you can think about is getting that cookie, candy bar, chips, or leftovers and chowing down – even though you’re not hungry and probably won’t enjoy what you’re about to eat.

There’s Real Hunger And There’s Head Hunger

Real hunger or physiological hunger is your body’s way of telling you that it’s time to eat food because your body needs nourishment. It’s when you have that empty, rumbling feeling in your stomach, a headache, maybe some lightheadedness and difficulty concentrating. It usually starts around four hours (plus or minus) after your last meal.

Head hunger or psychological hunger doesn’t really have physical symptoms and can happen at any time. It can be triggered by emotional situations, habits you associate with food or eating (like watching TV, working on the computer or driving in the car), by food cravings, or can be a form of procrastination. Whatever triggers your head hunger can make you think you’re hungry when you’re really not.

Emotions: Common Triggers For Eating

Emotions are common triggers for eating. Head hunger is a form of emotional eating that is usually in response to stress, sadness, loneliness, anger, fear, fatigue, overwhelm, or boredom.

Head hunger also serves as a distraction because the eating it provokes can be a way to distract yourself from difficult situations, projects, and encounters.

The feelings and situations that create head hunger are a part of your life. Eating won’t make them go away. Eating in response to head hunger often keeps you from figuring out what’s causing the feeling in the first place.

“I want chocolate” might really mean “I need comfort” or “I worked my tail off and I really need to be recognized for it.” Those trips back and forth to the fridge or the vending machine might be the ultimate form of procrastination – is there a project that needs to get done that you’re struggling with?

What To Do

Wouldn’t it be great if it was as simple as figuring out what’s causing your head hunger and dealing with it. Actually, that’s the answer. Eating can’t really satisfy your emotional needs. Left unmet, those needs will trigger your head hunger over and over. So, you overeat, you mentally beat yourself up, you feel awful, and the whole process is triggered all over again.

To break the pattern, first stop beating yourself up when you do eat in response to head hunger (as opposed to eating because you’re starving and your stomach is growling like crazy).

Devise a plan to figure out what caused you to eat in the first place. Try keeping a written record of what happened and how you felt before your head hunger took control. Looking back at a series of entries might give you a clue. Once you get a handle on your triggers, come up with a plan to deal with them and make a “go-to” list of ways to reward, calm, comfort, and/or distract yourself without resorting to eating when you’re not actually physically hungry.

Allow yourself to figure out what “real” hunger actually feels like and the feelings that accompany true hunger.

Are You Using The Holidays As An Excuse To (Over)Eat?

November 15, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Gotta have the Christmas cookies, the candied yams, the stuffing with pecans, both pumpkin and pecan pies, the peanut brittle, eggnog, and whatever else your particular holiday, culture, and family traditions dictate.

Really???

Ask yourself why. Are your groaning table and edible holiday delights really because of tradition – or, in part, an excuse to surround yourself with the food you love and want to eat?

There is nothing wrong with tradition and wanting to share your memories and love through food.

Are Holidays An Excuse To (Over)Eat?

The big question to ask yourself is: am I really sharing/holding to tradition and memories of the season – or am I using the holidays as an excuse to make and eat a whole lot of food that I really would prefer not to eat – or eat in such quantity?

Most people who know me also know that I bake really good Christmas cookies – for a lot of events, not just Christmas. I baked them for a party for my son’s July wedding (not a Christmas tree in sight) and as I brought them out there was a chorus of “Christmas cookies” from his friends who have eaten them many times before. Didn’t matter that it was July. The recipe was the same, they tasted the same, and they came from my kitchen.

What’s my point? I love baking these cookies, and I love sharing them. There are a whole host of emotions wrapped around these cookies.

I also know that I love eating them. Have I ever used an occasion as an excuse to bake them – even though things would have been fine without the cookies? You bet I have.

Why? I love those cookies. I love to eat them. I love to eat the dough (I’m really not endorsing that – It’s a bad habit and the dough does have raw egg in it).

The bottom line is that I end up eating hundreds of calories – delicious, but not healthy ones – that I certainly don’t need. And, even though I’m sharing what I consider to be “a little bit of love from my kitchen,” I still, very frequently, use the holiday or the event as an excuse.

Some Helpful Hints

I’m certainly not advocating giving up baking Christmas cookies or whatever your specialty or tradition is. What I am suggesting is that you ask yourself the reason for doing so. Recognize and be mindful of your reasons.

If you do make your specialty – plan for it. Make it and then keep it out of sight (out of mind). Eat it with everyone else – not in a constant stream of tasting and little snatches from the fridge or cupboard.

Store your amazing food out of sight and, hopefully, out of mind. Far away, too. Usually if we have to work to get food it may take some of the desire out of it. So store the food in the basement or someplace out of the kitchen.

Leftovers? Send them home with your family and friends. I’ve fed lots of college dorms and offices with my leftovers. Freeze them and store them in the back of the freezer where you can’t see them (although I can attest that frozen Christmas cookies are great – my sons once ate a whole container of them out of my downstairs freezer without my knowing about it. Had to bake another batch before Christmas dinner.)

Traditions are important and food is nurturing. Traditions, family, and holidays can also be stressful. Cook away if that’s your pleasure. Just ask yourself if you are using holidays, traditions, guests, and family as excuses to (over)eat.

Head Hunger

April 26, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Have you ever followed an argument with a friend – or maybe with your Mom – with a trip to the bakery or the closest candy store?

You could already be stuffed to the gills. But, all you can think about is getting that cookie, or candy bar, or bag of pretzels and chowing down – even though you’re not hungry and may or may not actually enjoy what you’re eating.

There’s Real Hunger And There’s Head Hunger

Real hunger or physiological hunger is your body’s way of telling you that it’s time to eat food for nourishment. It’s when you have that empty, rumbling feeling in your stomach, a headache, maybe some lightheadedness. It usually occurs two to four hours after your last meal.

Head hunger or psychological hunger doesn’t have physical symptoms and can happen at any time. It can be triggered by emotional situations, habits — like watching TV, working on the computer or driving in the car — or by food cravings or as a form of procrastination. Whatever triggers your head hunger can make you think you’re hungry when you’re really not.

Emotions: Common Triggers For Eating

Emotions are common triggers for eating. Head hunger is emotional eating usually in response to gremlins like stress, sadness, loneliness, anger, fear, or boredom.

Head hunger also serves as a distraction – the eating it provokes can be a way to distract yourself from difficult situations, projects, and encounters.

The thing is, these feelings and situations are a part of life and eating won’t make them go away. Eating in response to head hunger often keeps you from figuring out what’s causing the feeling in the first place.

What To Do

Wouldn’t it be great if it was as simple as figuring out what’s causing your head hunger and dealing with it. The fact is, that’s the answer. Eating can’t really satisfy your emotional needs, and left unmet, those needs will trigger your head hunger over and over. So, you overeat, you mentally beat yourself up, you feel awful, and the whole process is triggered once again.

To break the pattern, first stop beating yourself up when you eat in response to head hunger — as opposed to eating because you’re starving and your stomach is growling like crazy. Devise a plan to figure out what caused you to eat in the first place. Try keeping a written record of what happened and how you felt before your head hunger took charge. Looking back at a series of entries might give you a clue. Once you get a handle on your triggers, come up with a plan to deal with them and make a “go-to” list of ways to reward, calm, comfort, and/or distract yourself without eating.