The Difference Between Hunger, Cravings, and Thirst

Hi,

Been staying on the program pretty well. I did have one mishap last Tuesday, but I immediately made the correction and got back on track so the weight loss still seems to be happening. So far this week (on day 6) I've lost an average of 2.14 pounds. I'm happy with that.

Tomorrow is the cheat meal and I'm planning on making home made spaghetti. I've bought all the ingredients and have been reminding myself that they are for Saturday only -- which, oddly enough -- has been working. I think it has only been possible because my meals are healthy and satisfying and, for the most part, I've not been craving -- just as promised on the program.

This means a lot to me because I've never been one to be able to clearly distinguish hunger from cravings or even from thirst. I've discovered that for most of my life I was dehydrated. I did drink water but only an average of one, maybe two, tall glasses of water per day was all I would normally do. I was never a big soda drinker and rarely drank coffee or tea, either. I drank milk pretty often, and occasionally had some orange juice but not often because it would always make my stomach burn. I did not actually realize that I was dehydrated until just a few years ago. Perhaps that is part of the reason I rarely had any "get up and go."

I think that I may have been responding to thirst as if it were hunger. So I would eat when I was thirsty, not being familiar with the distinction. Even now I nearly never think that I am thirsty unless my mouth is actually dry. I can only tell if I am dehydrated by low output of water on the other end. So it is rather important for me, especially, to pay attention to getting 64 ounces of water into me every day. I have three 32-ounce bottles in the fridge with the aim of drinking two of them each day.  The other is for backup or if I need more for some reason.

In the morning, I have some prescriptions and supplements to take. Quite a few supplements, in fact. So I have about three pretty large handfuls of pills to take and it requires an entire 12-oz bottle of water to down them properly. Then I fill the bottle again (from the larger bottles in the fridge so I can passively keep track of my intake.) I may sit my drinking bottle on the counter and swig from it every so often, or I might put it in the fridge to keep the water cold. Somehow, through the day, the water gets downed -- for the most part -- so that works for me.

Since I still don't have an active "thirst detector" I pay attention to the clues my body gives off. Sometimes just seeing the bottle sitting there waiting prompts me to swig a little. Sometimes if I recognize that I've been sweating I will drink a bottle to replenish. If I've been doing some house cleaning and my throat feels dry, I drink a little to "whet my whistle."

I try to drink both before and after I swim -- just like my therapist would have me do in her office. Before I go to bed I have one more handful of pills to take so I often drink half a bottle, at least, before bed. I also make sure I have a bottle of water ready in the fridge before I go to bed. Then when I get up in the night and switch sleeping places I grab that bottle of water and have a few sips. I place it on the table beside me and I sip some more during the night sometimes, and I sip a little more when I wake up. Now that I'm drinking two or three cups of different kinds of tea during the day that helps keep me from being dehydrated, too. So that is how I deal with "thirst."

Having been eating pretty right for two weeks now, and knowing that eating low carb will eliminate "cravings" I can usually now recognize when I am hungry. I gotta admit that sometimes, especially on the first three days, while I was going through "sugar withdrawals," I got hungry way more often than I thought was right or even possible. What I did was to follow the program advice and simply eat some veggies and a protein when I felt hungry -- whether it made sense to my mind or not. I just said "oh well," and ate. That got me through until things started to normalize.

Now I trust my body when it gives me the sensations that make me realize that I am hungry. I don't worry that it might be "too soon" according to some one else's ideas (and especially not my own!). If I feel hungry I eat. Having the salad ready in the fridge really is helping me to eat right. I fill up my salad bowl and choose a protein. Not always, but sometimes, I eat the salad before the protein is done cooking. That does not bother me either. It does not matter except that I need to eat them together. I figure one right after the other is pretty darn "together." For the most part, I eat them at the same time but do not hesitate to satisfy my hunger whenever it is upon me.

Cravings. Cravings are a whole different animal. Cravings are insistent -- but they always and only insist on something sweet -- or maybe salty. Cravings are pressurized. I remember the first time I recognized the "pressure" right in the middle of a huge craving that I was trying to control with will power. I noticed I was picturing the item of choice at the moment (probably candy or sweets of some kind) but did not want to submit. I suddenly looked inside my body and noticed I was clenching my teeth and my muscles were tight and I might even have been holding my breath. I was shocked that I was under so much pressure! In the past I gave in to the pressure, threw up my hands, and went and got the item in question. When I would eat it the craving would go away and I could breath normally again. I would be comforted by eating the item, but always felt guilty for the bad behavior.

Cravings bring up pictures of "favorite" high carb items in my mind. Rarely do they bring up into inner vision a cucumber, or a salad, or a healthy low carb item. Cravings are indicative of a hormonal imbalance. Cravings come on the heals of previous high carb meals or snacks -- in fact, the more meals you eat with high carb items, the more intense and often come the cravings knocking at your psyche. The more high carb items you eat, the more you want them. At least that is how it is for me, and it seems to be universal from the reading that I've done. You know what that means? It means you really are experiencing an uncontrollable bodily reaction -- an addiction. Think of a drug addict. They behave exactly the same way -- even going so far as to steal from family and friends to support their habit. Addiction is a powerful negative force inside the body that if left to its own resources will kill you.

That is why it is hard for a carbohydrate addict to tell the difference between hunger and cravings. Cravings take a normal bodily function (hunger) and transform it into a beast within you. If your hunger seems to be in the form of a roaring lion that insists on being fed unhealthy sweets and snacks beyond all reason -- that is probably not normal hunger. But there is a rather simple solution to the problem of taming the lion of carvings.

I'm not going to get technical and discuss insulin, blood sugar levels, and ghrelin or even adiponectin -- I'm only going to talk about the solution to the cravings. The solution to cravings is a three-day carb fast that allows the "out of balance" to come back into balance. It allows insistent insanity to subside and be replaced with peaceful sanity. The sanity comes when, on those three days, you simply eat raw veggies and protein when you feel the slightest craving. They will come often, but will temporarily subside with veggies and protein.

If you do that for three days (at the most four) you will then begin to experience some peace. You can put that lion to sleep if you keep eating raw veggies and protein for the next week. You will even lower your blood sugar numbers and probably lose some weight, too. If you continue on to week two, you still might stumble a little, but it will be easier to get back on track.

Carbs are not the culprit. Eating carbs too often is the culprit. The body actually needs some carbs to function properly but if you are living on the back of the lion, you are giving your body way too many carbs for it to handle. It is just so odd that if you eat too many carbs, you only want more and more to infinity -- but that is how it is. The only way to reign in the lion is with the three-day carb fast and following the program as outlined on http://cureprediabetes.blogspot.com/2012/01/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html  There are, of course, other programs that will give you the three-day fast -- but if you are a diabetic or a pre-diabetic ... and if you are a post-menopausal woman (or not).... this one may work for you.

The weekly, hour-long, cheat meal lets you consume your favorite high carb items once a week. You don't have to be completely deprived of your favorite foods. You can keep the lion sleeping while you tip-toe past and eat your favorite things if you follow the guidelines that help you replenish and rev up your metabolism without waking up the lion.

You won't know for sure until you try it. That is what I am doing -- I am trying it out. I am on day six of week two and looking forward to my cheat meal tomorrow but it is not like it was when I was on the back of the lion. The real test will be on weeks three and four and beyond.

I felt quite happy when I spoke to my sister-in-law and she shared that her grandson told her exactly the same thing about the cheat meal that I'm trying out. He said he keeps his weight under control with a once a week cheat meal and it was gratifying to hear about his success. It seemed only a coincidence that he is doing what I am starting to do... but I'm glad I got confirmation from another trustworthy source.

I hope you are well and have gotten off the lion, too. Comment below and let me know how you are doing. Even if you are not doing well -- sharing about it will help to motivate you. Taking action sometimes comes from simply sharing your testimony about what is happening with you. It gives you a more clear picture. That is what the blogging does for me. Go ahead and take the opportunity to support yourself by commenting below.

Be back soon,

Marcia