HIYA!

Do you really wait until your hungry before you eat? I do believe it's best, but the times I am truly hungry before I eat are rare. There are times in the morning when I won't eat until I'm hungry. I usually eat pretty late in the morning so there are times that I'm hungry before I eat. Then even without having a big meal, I won't get hungry until who knows when. I seldom wait. It's a bit frustrating that I can eat so little and stay unhungry for so long. I don't often drink coffee or take in other stimulating things, even in my food. I havne't investigated this, but feel that if I only ate when I was hungry, that I'd get very few calories. And I don't believe for a minute that I'm so clean that my body really only needs such little food.

I'm just trawling for comments here.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

hey man-yeah it depends.
I mean at home alone I'll"stick with soooome rules".There I'll only eat when truly hungry for FOOD.

But on road trips,hanging out with boyz,etc,etc I'm a garbuarator!!
I mean hours on end NON STOP eating.I put everyone to dust.
Overeating on raw is a very minor prob IMO.Undereating tends to be thwe prob IMO(our foods these dayz are nutritionally viod).
Meh.

Cheers to a wicked day though,....Dorian.

See you at the top!!

I almost always wait until I am really hungry before eating. I have the opposite problem as you though. I am hungry ALL the time!!! I wonder if that will ever go away for me.....

I eat a lot for entertainment, or because it's "time to eat" or something. Rarely do I eat because I'm really truly hungry. Sometimes it feels like that if I don't eat breakfast until later in the day, but once I get started... it is hard for me to stop snacking!!

Another time I feel really ready for food is after a few hours of physical labor without snacking!

Another reason I eat sometimes is if I am emotionally upset and don't want to feel that, or if it's late at night and I have too much energy and I want to bring myself down.

It's an exploration for sure. By the way, whoever has any doubts or concerns whatsoever about being able to eat enough calories just by eating mostly fruit, rest assured it is NO PROBLEM!!! LOL

Love,
Uma

The Hygienists seem to say that most people don't really know what true hunger is, most of us eat from what is really just appetite. One thing to look for is, if you are really truly hungry, any food (within your diet) will satisfy you. If someone offers you lettuce or celery or an orange and you say, no, i'm not really hungry for that. But I'm really hungry for a piece of raw pizza or for a handful of nuts or something... then this is not hunger. If it's specific to just a certain food or foods, it's just appetite.

Love,
Uma

I almost never eat unless I really feel hungry (not just appetite) except when I know I have to eat early because I have to be away from food for most of the day doing some kind of hard work.

I'm curious though. Sometimes I get this feeling like I'm really hungry but really full at the same time. Anyone else feel that way ever? I used to feel that way much more often when I ate cooked grains, but now (on all raw) I only feel that way when I've gone a full day on just fruit, or several days on just fruit and nuts/seeds with no salad.

I usually just eat some nuts or seeds or a salad, and the feeling goes away.

Anyone else ever feel really hungry and really full at the same time? I don't mean "appetite", where something maybe sounds like it would taste good to eat. I mean really hungry in my stomach.

Anyone?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2007 05:03AM by suncloud.

I don't think I've ever really been hungry my whole life. Maybe a couple times in college.

I usally wait to eat until true hunger calls but do agree with Avojamacada that when I am out on the road or away from food I will always bring a good amount with me in case hunger calls.

And what Uma said is so true about true hunger.

Cherimoya

Love Peace and Happiness,

"I'm curious though. Sometimes I get this feeling like I'm really hungry but really full at the same time. Anyone else feel that way ever?"

I get that a lot. I told my husband about it and he didn't believe me, as though I were telling him I saw a UFO or something. He said I was crazy. So I have no clue what it's all about. Sorry I can't help, but you've helped me to feel not like such a freak!

Eleanor
=)

i loved this thought...thanks uma!the description between hunger and appetite.i loved this.thanks taylor

Thanks MissEleanor, you've helped me too!

-Ally (suncloud)

All I know is that when I feel hungry, and then if I don't eat within a certain amount of time, I get really spacey, nauseous, and can't think very well. I also get a headache and super tired if I don't eat. Anyone else get these symptoms?

I often get "hungry" but don't want food. I think it is just muscle contractions in the stomach when it gets empty. The raw food, smoothies and such, satisfy my body's logning for nutrients so that when the gnawing begins, I simply don't want to eat.

The hygienists say that true hunger is never associated with negative symptoms such as nausea or confusion or weakness, etc. They say it is a very pleasant sensation. Apparently it is very rare for people to experience true hunger, even after fasting for a decent length of time. What a trip!

Love,
Uma

So then what is it that is going on with my body?? Why do those symptoms go away after eating some food? If the symptoms didn't go away, I wouldn't think they were related.

Yogamama Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All I know is that when I feel hungry, and then if
> I don't eat within a certain amount of time, I get
> really spacey, nauseous, and can't think very
> well. I also get a headache and super tired if I
> don't eat. Anyone else get these symptoms?

Spacey, nauseous...low blood sugar.

Headache, tired...detox.

uma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The hygienists say that true hunger is never
> associated with negative symptoms such as nausea
> or confusion or weakness, etc. They say it is a
> very pleasant sensation. Apparently it is very
> rare for people to experience true hunger, even
> after fasting for a decent length of time. What a
> trip!
>
> Love,
> Uma

Hm interesting...if it's so rare how do these people know what true hunger is. I would agree that no hunger isn't associated with pain etc. I get low blood sugar even when not fasting and I get weak, nausea etc. but I can't say that I'm hungry at all at those times, I just eat to make the sympstoms go away.

If something like that happens, should one ignore those sympstoms and rest or...that's why I always have trouble with water fasts! Anyone familiar with this?

Well, perhaps the hygienists are simply wrong in the matter of true hunger. I fairly much agree with them on most other things, but this one I wonder.

Yogamama Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All I know is that when I feel hungry, and then if
> I don't eat within a certain amount of time, I get
> really spacey, nauseous, and can't think very
> well. I also get a headache and super tired if I
> don't eat. Anyone else get these symptoms?

I do. I've been told it's hypoglycemia, but never had that confirmed by testing. I also know that I am most susceptible to it when my system is out of balance.

Judy

I know what you mean about eating to make the symptoms go away. I used to be hypoglycemic and have a lot more symptoms when I would miss a meal or two or god forbid fast for a few days! But the more I balance out, the less of these symptoms I get.

Some of these hygienic educators do have their own experience with fasting until what they call true hunger, returns.

It's funny, I'm reading Doug Graham's "The 80/10/10 Diet" right now and after I read this thread this morning, I opened up his book to read the following, in the FAQ section:

"What do you mean by true hunger?

"True hunger is a sensation that occurs primarily deep in the low throat, much like the feeling of thirst, but a bit lower, about where the concave "notch" apperas between the collar bones, at the bottom of the neck. The sensation might be described as resembling a dull ache.

"The stomach sensation we commonly associate with hunger is often the result of its muscular walls shrinking after completing the digestive task of the last meal. If a perceived feeling of hunger is accompanied by feelings of faintness, stomach pangs, headaches, or other discomforts, it is actually a sign of withdrawal from harmful substances.

"A healthy person can skip a meal or two with no feelins of weakness or distress. hen one is healthy, true hunger signifies no urgency for food, since the body knows it has reserves for its use in time of need."

Excellent posts, Uma! Thank you very much.

It seems that we probably don't need as much food as we've been led to believe. I now wait to eat each day until I'm really hungry and that is often late afternoon or evening. Some days I am barely hungry at all.

A great book that presents this theory is Glimpses of Reality by Benito de Donno. He has been a fruitarian for over 10 years and eats only once a day.

This is an interesting thread. . .

Love,
Julie

We are led to believe we should eat a lot of food. Our instincts about food are so murked up. I have never been hungry in the morning. I started eating a breakfast a few years ago because I was trying to shed pounds. Since going raw I threw all the things I have been taught about when and how I should eat out. Now sometimes I don't eat until two in the afternoon. I will then snack the rest of the day. I don't think I ever get hungry like I thought I did when I ate cooked. I used to eat and eat cooked food, even when I could feel I was full. I just felt like I "needed" to eat. I read I did that because my body wasn't getting the nutrition it needed so I was continuing to eat. Eating raw is different for me. When I get enough of something I usually have no attraction to eat any more of it. I feel more satisfied now. Sometimes I get a feeling of being full but not satisfied in my tummy until I have had some fat.