I was raised believing that if I was hungry, first drink water and if the water doesn’t fix the feeling, then eat. I just believed that my entire life but now that I think about it, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Is it real? And if so how does it work?
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Are you a woman and the advice came from your mom?
Yes it is real. As for why… some suggest it’s because hunger and thirst are seen over by the same part of the brain so wires can get crossed. Others suggest that some people get so used to ignoring their own hunger/thirst feelings that they don’t notice the difference. Maybe both?
A lot of people seem to claim this, but does anyone have a link to a study or something?
Yep! It’s especially noticeable in small children. Children often forget to drink at preschool and school and need to be reminded. They are often thirsty but think they are hungry. (even when they’ve just had lunch).
Apparently it’s true that being dehydrated can trigger similar feelings to hunger. But also drinking before a meal will also lead to you eating less…
Yes. And hunger can be something your body produces because of hormone spikes, not because you are in dire need of nutrients.
For me I figured out that i actually need to eat once to twice a day to function. Anything else is extra. If i do sports then i add a meal on the day im exercising.
I feel active longer and dont get lazy after lunch because i dont eat lunch. If i feel i need some sugar, then sweetened tea is enough.
When i started this I thought i was going through the worst hunger i’ve ever had. And i was a fat kid. But after 5 days/1 week my body adjusted, and I didnt feel the need to eat as much as often. I was just being used to having regular big meals (3x per day).
I assume your body makes the hormones to prepare for the meal, and when you skip the meal you feel very hungry because of their overproduction.
Anecdotally when I’m thirsty I crave sugary food
I think similar to this it’s lack of electrolytes, for a lot of us we need far less food per day than we think due to a sedentary lifestyle, and if you drink a glass of water with a pinch of salt it will make you feel a lot better
Having lost a good bit of weight recently, actively thinking about being hydrated (drinking 2L over the work day), drinking water before meals, and tracking calories (1200kcal is the goal, lunchtime snack, and then main meal in the even, multivitamins and calcium supplements daily are important too) — doing all that consistently with one cheat day every 2-3 weeks works (no alcohol either rip). Takes a bit of time to adjust but once it becomes routine it’s easy. After 4-5 months people notice and you feel great
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Very true. Drink water first, give it 20 mins.
Being from the Czech Republic, this is the saying, but the drink of choice was always beer.
This is true, but also most “hungry” feelings people get are just your body craving carbs. Humans don’t get actual hunger after not eating for a couple hours.