Dr. Smita Mehta, MD

It has happened at one time or another…I eat a big meal. I have proof: my eyes saw how much I ate, and my wallet definitely feels lighter. Twenty minutes later, it’s as though it was all a distant dream. I’m literally starving, and I simply cannot explain it to myself. The “helpful” ones quickly and smoothly step in to tell me how I lack self-control, lack motivation, and of course, how I lack the will to lose weight.

But do I, really? Between me and my thin-as-a-stick friends, isn’t it me who has the interest, the motivation, and the will to lose a size or two? My friends assure me they haven’t given their weight and size nearly as much thought as I have my own. I’m practically obsessed, they say. So where does this discrepant thought process in my mind arise from? Who put it in my head that my feeling hungry so soon after a meal definitely implies only certain defects in me, my character, and my morals? Is there a chance I could be misled to a wrong conclusion by someone, somewhere…someone who’s gleefully pocketing my cash daily and is now, at this very moment, rubbing their hands with excitement at the thought of my coming right back to gorge myself some more? The more bad I feel about myself, the less energy I’ll have. The more tired I feel, the more I’ll turn to the comfort promised by my five compulsively-lying-to-me senses who are in the habit of getting their own way almost all the time. Remember what I said before in my post “The 5 Surprising Enemies of Happiness”?

To the possibility of a juicy conspiracy theory, I’ve heard it said that anything is possible. So let’s dive into some different kinds of possibilities here. How many different kinds of hunger do I feel in a day?

There’s the “legitimate” hunger I feel when my stomach is empty and my blood sugar is starting to drop.

There’s the hedonistic hunger I feel when my taste buds are dancing with joy at licks of icecream (or sandwich cookies, or chips – take your pick), and I cannot get them to stop asking for more.

There is the timed hunger I feel when my stomach demands to be fed at the same time I fed it yesterday.

How do I tell which kind of hungry I’m feeling? How do I satisfy that particular hunger so I can get on with real business of dropping a clothes’ size? More importantly, can I predict which kind of hunger I’m going to be attacked by next? If I have advance notice, I can definitely mount a counter-offensive and protect myself from my body’s vicious hunger attacks on me, right? Think about the beauty of it — the enemy launched a full-on attack on me but thanks to my preparedness, I won a major victory instead.

Hunger: Zero, Me: Won.

I should have mentioned I love puns. Sorry about this one (and this one)! Keep laughing (or groaning) until next time!

Thank you for staying and reading till the end. I sincerely appreciate all your comments and feedback. Please keep writing. I’ll soon share more on anticipating the different kinds of hunger and the fine art of emerging relatively unscathed from the battle. Have a victorious week!