BRIENMALONE's CalorieKing blog
Tuesday, May 20 2008 - Levels of Hunger - Starving Past the Craving?
View BRIENMALONE's food & exercise for this day
I had something interesting happen today... To start, let me say that I don't advocate this path, I just thought it was interesting.
The past few days, I have been working flat-out. I had major assignments due for school and a major software release at work. I brought my usual healthy fare for snacks and lunch today, but I ate -none- of it. Protein pasta and w/ground turkey and tomato sauce for breakfast... and nothing from 5am until 5pm.
At 10:30am, I looked at the clock and was ravenous. I couldn't take a break from work, to I figured I'd just catch up on food at lunch. 1:30 came and went... so did my 3:30pm snack time... I didn't eat a bite.
What I noticed during that time (since I was conscious of the clock) was that at 10:30, I was craving simple carbs, but from noon onward, I was just hungry.
At 10:30am, it was as if my body was saying "Well, I'm hungry, but we've been eating enough recently... so here is a hunger craving for what I'd -prefer-" ... Then by noon my body went "Okay... It has been 6 hours since you ate last, I will take whatever you can give me."
Unfortunately, I know from experience that this craving and lack of craving is not a hard boundary. I remember weeks where I was not eating enough... I'd go to bed with my stomach growling and a near irresistible sugar craving. By morning I wanted a fat hamburger. I would work out without eating, and crave sugar.
The body is a fickle thing...
The past few days, I have been working flat-out. I had major assignments due for school and a major software release at work. I brought my usual healthy fare for snacks and lunch today, but I ate -none- of it. Protein pasta and w/ground turkey and tomato sauce for breakfast... and nothing from 5am until 5pm.
At 10:30am, I looked at the clock and was ravenous. I couldn't take a break from work, to I figured I'd just catch up on food at lunch. 1:30 came and went... so did my 3:30pm snack time... I didn't eat a bite.
What I noticed during that time (since I was conscious of the clock) was that at 10:30, I was craving simple carbs, but from noon onward, I was just hungry.
At 10:30am, it was as if my body was saying "Well, I'm hungry, but we've been eating enough recently... so here is a hunger craving for what I'd -prefer-" ... Then by noon my body went "Okay... It has been 6 hours since you ate last, I will take whatever you can give me."
Unfortunately, I know from experience that this craving and lack of craving is not a hard boundary. I remember weeks where I was not eating enough... I'd go to bed with my stomach growling and a near irresistible sugar craving. By morning I wanted a fat hamburger. I would work out without eating, and crave sugar.
The body is a fickle thing...
3 comments so far.
3.
a decade ago
You are so right. 10-10:30 seems to be my carb crunch time as well.
by MAMA
2.
a decade ago
^^Sorry for my cryptic comment. I may have went a little overboard in attempting to drumb up support for my hyperlinks petition here on CK. I can relate to getting lost in work as a fairly good way to control hunger.
by BEYOU
1.
a decade ago
You are so right. And I always wonder how much it has to do with MY mental/emotional state!
:) Some days I do just fine and other days I struggle! At times the healthy food fills me but does not satisfy.
:) Hope you will have a good rest of the week! Eliza
Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. Generally I am upbeat and I guess I have lived long enough that I know "this too, will pass and it will be something else".
by ELIZA