Different kinds of hungry

I am not usually hungry when I wake up in the morning.  But I force myself to eat, following the recommendation of countless dietitians to get my metabolism going.

It's a common dieting mistake.  Some people skip breakfast, thinking they will consume fewer calories and lose weight when, in actuality, they are suppressing their metabolism (i.e. burning fewer calories) by failing to break the fast (break-fast) from the night before.  Once the stomach has food in it, the digestive system starts nourishing the body and, in response, the body becomes more active (i.e. burns more calories).

In addition to suppressed appetite in the morning, I experience many levels of hunger throughout the day.  I wonder if others experience a similar fluctuations in their hunger...

There is the "it's almost lunch time" hunger when my stomach is empty and growling because I ate breakfast 5 hours prior (more than enough time for a meager bowl of cereal to be broken down into molecular bits).  This hunger is usually accompanied by a slight headache, the kind I usually get when my blood sugar is low.  So I eat, and I feel better.

I tend to have a snack in the mid-afternoon, around 4pm.  This prevents my blood sugar from getting too low at the end of the work day, but it also mutes my hunger signals.  By the time I get home and it's time to make dinner, I am in a bind.  My stomach is not growling enough to motivate me to cook a huge meal, but I know if I do not eat a balanced meal of protein and vegetables, my blood sugar will soon tank and I will become a cranky person (which I try to avoid, for the sake of my housemates).

Then, there is the "ravenous hunger" I experience after long-duration exercise.  For example, the other night I biked 19 miles after eating only two slices of peanut butter and honey toast for dinner.  By the time my biking partner and I returned to the house, I was so hungry I ate a large plate of cheesey lasagne, a tall glass of juice, and 2 more slices of peanut butter honey toast.  I probably consumed 700-800 calories in 20 minutes.  And it felt SO good!  (To replace the calories burned on the hour+ long bike ride).

I find that, the less I exercise, the fewer "hunger signals" my stomach sends my brain.  There are days when I am unable to exercise (bound to my office chair during the day, teaching in the evening) and hunger is almost non-existent.  These are the days I find it most challenging to eat my daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables -- the less hungry I am, less less delicious food tastes.  And the less delicious food tastes, the more I gravitate toward sugary, fatty foods to stimulate my dulled taste buds.

Winter squash: good source of beta-carotene

Sugar is also my food of choice when emotional hunger strikes.  Sometimes it's surving a long and challenging day at work that has me craving a chocolate reward.  Other times a handful of cookies helps me fill up the emptiness of feeling lonely.  This type of "hunger" is not biological in nature, but is a powerful motivator to eat.

Some would say that emotional hunger is a dangerous beast.  "Watch out for emotional hunger, it leads to weight gain!"  However, despite the wild fluctuations in my hunger, I have no problem maintaining a healthy weight.  Perhaps it is "normal" to experience different types and levels of hunger throughout the day...  But I wish I was ravenous hungry more often.  Food tastes so much better when the hunger is biological.