As you feel emotionally hungry, your stomach isn’t empty but you still want to eat something possibly because you feel boring, depressed, distracted, irritated, or nervous. Emotional hunger often happens to you, but you may not know.
When you feel bored at home, have you thought about snacking yourself?
When you feel nervous before an interview, have you ever fed yourself with food and drinks?
When you feel no taste in your mouth, have you had thought of chewing something?
All of the above are emotional hunger. Here are some tips to stop emotional hunger.
Track your diet. Tracking the time of your meals is useful for you to know how much time exactly passes since your last meal. It usually takes about 6 to 8 hours to get your meal digested in your stomach on average. If your hunger arrives before such time or just after your last meal, then you’ll know whether you need to eat or not.
Use a hunger scale. Familiarizing yourself with your hunger pangs before, during, and after eating can also help you understand emotional eating more deeply. In the long run, this can help you with your overall health and weight loss.
Listen to your body. If you feel hungry next time, try to ask your body the question “Are you truly hungry?” and see how your body reacts.