How to tell if you're actually hungry

“Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied.” As far as weight loss advice goes, it’s one of the simplest tips out there. But seeing it through can be surprisingly difficult.

“Part of your appetite comes from physical hunger, in which your body actually wants energy,” says Stephan Guyenet, PhD, author of The Hungry Brain. “But some [aspects of appetite] can come from thinking that a brownie looks really amazing.” Of course, eating when you’re actually hungry gives your body fuel to get through the day. It’s that other kind of eating practically guarantees that you’ll take in extra calories that you don’t actually need.

So how can you tell the difference? Fortunately, it’s easier than you might think. Here’s what you need to know about your appetite, and how to decipher the confusing signals it can sometimes send.

Being able to tell when you’re truly hungry can help you avoid eating for other reasons. But making a few simple changes can help prevent more of these confusing situations from happening in the first place. “If you modify your environment so it doesn’t present easy, tempting food cues, you’re not going to have to fight your impulses as much,” Guyenet says.

One way to do that is by making tempting foods harder to access. For instance, tucking snacks away in the back of the pantry instead of keeping them out on the counter where they’re easy to grab without thinking. Or, not having them around at all. “If your brain knows that you’d have to go to the grocery store to get ice cream, it’s easier to resist, and you might not even get a craving for it,” says Guyenet.

Stay on top of your emotional state, too. For many, feeling flustered or overwhelmed can trigger a feeding frenzy, Albers says. So take steps to keep your stress levels in check — like exercising, meditation, or even journaling. And get your z’s. It’s easier to get frazzled when you’re exhausted (which then often leads to overacting). However, findings show that getting enough sleep can act as a buffer against stress eating.

So the next time you think you’re hungry, do a gut check. Ask yourself:

• Am I feeling physical sensations, such as tummy rumbling and low energy?

• What am I about to put in my mouth? Would I still do so if it was an apple?

• What is the effort needed to quell your hunger?

• How are you feeling?