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Is hunger physical or psychological?
I looked up the word 'Hunger' in Word Web and here's what i got:
n.
A physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
Strong desire for something (not food or drink)
"hunger for affection"
Sometimes, hunger is physical and sometimes it is just a desire for food.
The question is, how do we know when we are just desiring food and entertaining ourselves and how do we know when our body needs food for fuel to function?
When is it physical?
When i have not eaten one meal by 3 PM and i become hungry, i know it is physical because i have not eaten for more than half a day. I know that food gives the body nourishment for it to function and if the body had been using up its energy all day, walking, cleaning, driving etc. and if the mind is using the body's energy thinking about many things at home and in the office, for more than half a day, i know by using common sense that it is hungry for nourishment. It's not that i have to wait and not eat for more than half a day to be able to find this out, this is just an example.
When is it psychological?
When eating a 'Standard American Diet', and i ate a full meal at 7 AM , had a snack at 9 AM, had a full lunch at 12 PM, had a snack at 4 PM, had a full dinner at 6:30 PM and at 7:15 PM while watching TV, i grab a pack of kettle chips and eat the whole package with an artichoke and cheese dip plus root beer - it's psychological.
When eating a Vegetarian Diet, and i ate a full meal at 6:30 AM, had a vegetarian cheese sandwich at 9:30 AM, had a full vegetarian meal at 12:30 PM, had a snack at 4:30 PM, had a full vegetarian meal at 7 PM and at 7:15 PM while watching a TV series, i grab my rice and sesame chips plus a root beer flavored kombucha and finish the whole pack of the chips and a half pack of guacamole - it's psychological.
I found out that what is driving me to eat psychologically is:
1. Boredom
2. Fear of not knowing what will happen if it is a suspense thriller i am watching
3. Fear of not knowing whether the answer to the 'Who Wants To Be A Milliionaire' TV show is right or wrong and whether i will 'celebrate or be disappointed'.
4. Wanting to boost entertainment when relaxing with friends
When i am alone in the house, i need something to entertain myself because i am so used to being entertained by family and friends rather than being comfortable within who i am, when i am alone. This is when i use food for entertainment rather than use food as a substance that nourishes my body.
When i am watching a suspense thriller and i do not know what will happen next , asking myself in my mind, 'is the hero going to be shot or will he come out alive?' I stop or pause my breath for a moment and then relax. It is only when i know the hero is safe that i relax and freely breathe. This is creating so much stress in the body. I realized this is me projecting my own fear of death to the hero rather than breathing through the apprehension and realizing that i can watch the movie without projecting my own fears to the hero and instead of projecting into the future, remind myself to be where i am - in the living room watching TV, stop and breath through the apprehension and watch without reacting. This will stabilize me. Using food to entertain me while i am projecting my fears into the future is a behavior that stems from my misunderstanding of the word 'food' (using food as a form of entertainment). So, rather than do that, watch in awareness and use food as a form of nourishment.
When i am watching a game show, i project my own desire to win and project my fear of losing to the contestant instead of realizing i can watch the show by just breathing through the apprehension. This way, i will not use food to entertain myself (using food as a form of entertainment to satisfy my own desire to win competitions) while i await the result of the game but rather use food for what it is intended for - nourishment (food being a substance that is used for nourishment).
According to the Word Web,
Food is Any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment.
When relaxing with friends, i have this idea that i can increase my 'positive experience' by relaxing and at the same time eating foods we all enjoy instead of just enjoying myself with them, enjoying the food and giving my body nourishment.
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