What does hunger feel like?
Samina Qureshi is the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of Wholesome Start. Her nutrition counseling practice is based in Houston, Texas and she provides virtual nutrition counseling sessions to clients across the country. Schedule your FREE 15-minute nutrition session today!
Hunger is a physiological signal that people of all sizes experience. Let me say that louder for the people in the back. ALL people, regardless of their body weight, shape, or size experience hunger! The reason I highlight this point, is because of the obvious weight stigma in our society. Weight stigma is the bias, fear, and stereotyping based on a person’s body size. People in higher weight bodies are discriminated against regularly just for living and being themselves. But weight-stigma does not just impact the lives of people in higher-weight bodies. Weight stigma harms everyone across the size spectrum due to fatphobia.
I acknowledge that I am privileged as a cis-gendered, thin, able-bodied person. This blog is written with ease on my behalf because of these privileges. I do not face aggressions daily for just living in a larger body or struggle with any of the concerns people in higher weight bodies experience regularly. I am using my voice and privilege to help share information about how fat-phobia, weight stigma, and diet culture are toxic to our society and do not promote mental, physical, or emotional well-being.
Let’s get back to the biological signal that we call hunger. It’s simply a sign that it’s time to fuel your body, not something to be ashamed of, ignored, or annoyed at. Ghrelin is a hormone produced by the stomach and duodenum that signals hunger. It rises between meals when the stomach is empty and rapidly diminishes as a meal is consumed and hunger is reduced. Crazy huh? How hunger just happens to disappear once we listen to our bodies and provide it with nourishment. Hunger isn’t as simple as that, there are many other hormones and environmental factors that influence hunger signals. But what we do know is that hunger can be easily fixed by listening to your body instead of ignoring or suppressing your hunger signals. You are not abnormal for feeling hungry even if you just ate. The normal thing to do when you feel hunger is to provide your body with adequate fuel.
Just because we all experience hunger doesn’t mean that it will feel the same for everybody. If you’ve spent years ignoring your hunger signals or restricting your intake you may have a hard time recognizing what hunger feels like. Here are a few ways hunger can present itself. You may have all or some of these signs of hunger.
Would you add anything else to my list of how hunger can present itself? Comment below to let me know!
Not sure how to nourish your body without stress, fear, or guilt? Schedule your FREE 15-min nutrition consult today to learn how to ditch diets for good, get back to enjoying your favorite foods, and reclaim your health! Be the first to know about the latest in nutrition and wellness by joining the Wholesome Start Community!