Hunger is a need for food.

Appetite is an interest in food.

Cravings is a desire for specific foods.

For those of us who have difficulty controlling our food-intake,
it is important to stop and examine why we want to eat something.

Hunger is a signal from the body that it needs food for energy.

Our stomachs and brains will provide cutes that tell us to eat.

Signals from the stomach could be growling, an empty,
hollow feeling, or hunger pangs.

The brain’s signals can be a headache, trouble concentrating,
irritability or fogginess

Some people experience physical fatigue.

Hunger doesn’t go away over time. It only gets worse.  
...(An exception exists when you are several days into a water fast.)...

Any food will satisfy hunger and take the hunger signals away.

Appetite is not the same thing as hunger. It actually refers to an interest in food.

Cravings are very different than hunger, but are very similar to appetite.

To crave means “to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly”.

Usually the foods one craves are not a necessity, and don’t serve
a life-sustaining need.

Cravings, unlike hunger signals, will change over time,
even over a period of 10 minutes. They are usually triggered
by emotions like stress, boredom, sadness, etc.

Unlike hunger, where any food will quell the sensation,
only one specific food will satisfy a craving.

Hunger, Appetite and Cravings are all a normal part of eating,
and have a place in a healthy diet. However, we need to learn to satisfy outselves
in a controlled manner to keep from overeating, especially since the majority
of the foods we crave are high in sugar, salt, fat, or some combination of the three.
Those of us who have difficulties with our weight need to work to make conscious decisions.

Some people find a “Hunger Scale” (such as the one below)
useful to assess their hunger levels.

Hunger Level Sensations and Symptoms
1 Starving, weak, dizzy
2 Very hungry, cranky, low energy, a lot of stomach growling
3 Pretty hungry, stomach is growling a little
4 Starting to feel a little hungry
5 Satisfied, neither hungry nor full
6 A little full, pleasantly full
7 A little uncomfortable
8 Feeling stuffed
9 Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
10 So full you feel sick

I think the ideal weight-loss or maintenance eating goal would be to acheive Number 5 at mealtimes.
IF one is eating in response to body signals,...rather than specific mealtime schedules...
one would eat when feeling a Number 2 or 3 hunger level... but only eat until one is Satisfied,
and no longer Hungry, but not actually Full.  

I've always found assessing and responding to hunger levels to be an extremely challenging task,
and personally, I tend to fail at it far more often than I succeed.  That is one of the main reasons 
for my personal choice to record all my daily food intake, and count my calories.

 

The old saying is "Live and Learn",
but somewhere in my brain, there must be a disconnect,
that causes me to be "slow" when it comes to learning not to repeat
my mistakes involving food-intake. 

Frankly, Stupid, IS the word that accurately describes this mal-function.

I've chosen to make the same food mistakes in
the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, the 2000's,
and on occasion I find myself still doing it in the 2010's

I give myself a break for my behavior in the 40's,
because I choose not to hold myself responsible
for my overeating errors when I was a very young child.

I don't point this out to be negative.
It is just a fact of my life that I have learned to accept.
However, Acceptance of that truth
doesn't keep me from working to change my behavior.

A common behavior is to alternate between
being “good” at sticking to our chosen eating plan,
and being “bad” when one slips.

This can be a frustrating cycle for most of us,
especially when we consider how labeling our “badness”
with regards to our food behaviors creates a self-defeating attitude.

A change in our self-talk and thought will help us
change our attitudes about our eating, our bodies, and our weights,
which will help us to change our behavior.

In terms of weight-loss, our behavior is often an indication
of how we feel inside, which becomes reflected in how
we appear on the outside. When we feel good about ourselves,
we can’t help but become more attractive to others.
THIS is the Ultimate Goal…
to feel better about ourselves inside,
so that our bodies and our personalities will reflect confidence and light to others.

A few things I’ve found to be helpful are:

Be Supportive, Not Critical, of yourself.

People lose weight at different rates.
Weight may drop off quickly at first and then plateau,
or vice versa. One’s body composition may change,
even though their weight stays the same.

The important thing to keep in mind is that
long-term, consistent, and appropriate eating behavior
will bring positive results. Hard work will ultimately pay off.

Reward your Behavior, and not your Weight

People are used to rewarding themselves,
and being rewarded by others for losing pounds,
rather than for changing their behaviors.

However, it is far better not to judge one’s progress
by one’s weight…which is a RESULT of behavior,
but to focus on acknowledging to oneself
that during the week, or the day, or the hour….
one has successfully engaged in BEHAVIORS
which will be rewarded ultimately, at some unknown future time.

 Remember, our thoughts are what guide us to action,
whether they are positive or negative.

If we are self-depreciating in thought,
our behaviors will be unproductive,
and we will become discouraged easily.

On the other hand, if we acknowledge small accomplishments,
like more positive self-talk, increased activity, making
better food intake choices, then our behaviors will reflect that.

We will be more encouraged to exercise,
find it easier to resist food temptations,
and gain self-esteem…not BECAUSE of weight-loss,
but because we are choosing to manage our lives and our bodies
in a responsible way that is worthy of praise.
The Weight loss that follows is a side effect of our Behavior. 

                             
Nothing is going to work if it isn’t convenient,
enjoyable, and not too difficult, or if it lacks the ability
to be a smooth integration into one’s daily life.
Having information on hand that addresses problems
that are associated with correct eating and exercise,
without putting oneself through torture is valuable.

Once equipped with little, but effective, changes,
one needs to look toward effective maintainable weight loss,
which requires a healthy state of mind.

Keeping oneself motivated and inspired is difficult,
and sometimes it can be helpful to read or hear
just a few words of wisdom to help one keep going.
This is what I am hoping to accomplish by my daily writings
here at DietHobby, and my short “Words of Wisdom” videos.

Anyone can easily read past articles by going to the ARCHIVES.
Also, under RESOURCES, Videos, Words of Wisdom
you can find more than 100 videos of inspiration
that are all less than thirty seconds long. 

I am hoping that my son will write me a code that will make
this into a "playlist", but until he does that,
you can access such a Playlist by going to my DietHobby YouTube Channel
and clicking the first "Words of Wisdom" video there.
This feature makes all the videos in that playlist run automatically.

  To inspire myself, I frequently go to DietHobby at YouTube and click
the first Words of Wisdom video, then let the list run through while
I do other things in the room.  In that way, I hear the inspirational sayings
back to back in about a ten minute time frame.

I usually hear at least one saying there that helps me with  my day,
and this process...repeated over and over, day by day....
helps to firmly implant those positive thoughts and
positive affirmations into my mind. 

I find this personally helpful. 
Perhaps it will help you also.

Do exactly what you can do, no more and no less.
Do not judge yourself if you falter on this journey
because it is about progress, not perfection.
And most importantly, never judge yourself against others.

Each of us are unique individuals going on a very personal journey.
We can support, inspire, and motivate each other along the way,
but in the end this is a very personal experience.

So be kind to yourself.

  I am pleased to be able to report to you
that I am making progress with the recovery of my wrist and hand,
and yesterday I was able to make another new cooking video: Chocolate Milkshake
You can find it at DietHobby in the RECIPE section under Sweet Tastes,
although it could also be used as a Mini-Meal.