Weight Management: Hunger, Appetite and Feeling Full
Do I need to eat or do I want to eat? Can I tell the difference? Am I supposed to eat only when I’m hungry?
Some find it a challenge to answer these questions when they are not sure if they are really hungry or even why they want to eat. Hunger is the physical need for food. In most cases this means an empty or growling stomach. Some people have ‘hunger pangs’, fatigue, irritability and even a decrease in blood sugar levels. Wanting to eat for reasons other than hunger is called appetite. This has more to do with the sight and smell of food. We also eat for other reasons like habit, social activity and time of day.
Hunger is a basic physical drive to survive. Appetite involves the eating experience. It may involve seeing a tempting dessert after eating a full meal. There may be times when you are hungry but do not have an appetite, such as when you are sick. Both hunger and appetite in part decide what, when, why and how much we eat.
The opposite of hunger and appetite is satiety (sa-TIE-eti). This is the physical and mental feeling of “fullness” that comes after eating and drinking. Feeling full seems to be a function of the amount you eat. Most of the time, it will take a whole sandwich rather than just a bite to feel full or satisfied. If you include more vegetables with your meal it will help to increase your feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Fat, protein and carbohydrates will also help you feel full. Carbohydrates provide energy right away to reduce hunger. Protein provides feelings of fullness with smaller portions. Fat provides long-lasting satisfaction. A meal or snack that includes a carbohydrate, protein and fat is often the best for hunger and appetite control.
Sorting out hunger, appetite and fullness is an important part of lifelong weight management.
Helpful Hints
- Eat regularly. Avoid skipping meals or going too long without eating. Eat about every 4 to 5 hours. It you don’t, you’ll get overly hungry and a starved body usually stuffs itself.
- Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes after you start eating before you feel the effects of the food you have eaten. Eating slowly allows you to be aware of the signals your body sends you about having had enough to eat.
- Notice what you are eating while you are eating. Do not read or watch TV while eating. This often leads to mindless eating and eating too much.
- Have foods that satisfy you. Make sure you have a mixture of foods that include protein, carbohydrates and fats. For example, about 1 to 2 hours after eating a plain bagel and orange juice for breakfast, you’ll be hungry. Put peanut butter on the bagel and you won’t be hungry for 3 to 4 hours.
- Decide whether eating 3 larger meals or 4-5 small meals works best for you. Many people attempt to satisfy their hunger with a meal that is too small. They find themselves thinking about food all the time and end up snacking and grazing more. Be sure to eat enough at meals to feel satisfied.
- Eat foods that you enjoy. If you don’t like the foods you eat or don’t feel satisfied, you may find yourself looking around for something else to eat soon after you leave the table.
- Be sure that where you are eating is pleasant. This helps you focus on eating.
- Question yourself to see if emotions are part of why you are eating. You will need to work on other ways to deal with your feelings.
- Keep in mind what it feels like to be hungry and full. You want to avoid the extremes of being very hungry or starved. If you get to this point you may feel weak, irritable, fatigued, headachy and your stomach may growl nonstop. You also do not want to feel overfull or stuffed. If you get to this point you may feel lethargic, bloated, physically uncomfortable and guilty. You want to aim for a range of just getting hungry to comfortably full as on the scale below.
Stuffed |
Overfull |
Comfortably Full |
Not Hungry or Full |
Just Getting Hungry |
Very Hungry |
Starved |
Do you need help managing weight in relation to your other medical conditions? Would you like a program individualized to your lifestyle? Are you having difficulty knowing how to begin? Is it difficult for you to stay motivated? Then we encourage you to meet with a registered dietitian at any of our locations listed below.
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The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Last Updated: 01/22/2013
Copyright © 01/22/2013 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. HF#408
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