Have you heard of stomach hunger vs. mouth hunger? Many nutritionists and dietitians talk about this. A client mentions having eaten something bad and the practitioner asks: “Was it hunger in the stomach or in the mouth?”
A variation of the question is: “Was it physical hunger or emotional hunger?”
Peak performance motivator Anthony Robbins says, “If you ask bad questions, you get bad answers.” Asking a customer if he ate out of stomach or mouth hunger, or physical or emotional hunger, is the classic bad question.
And get bad responses. Answers like “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure.” Sometimes the answer is another bad question: “How do I know?” The client is trying to find out if she was hungry for physical or emotional reasons.
Despite these rampant failures, the question remains. One book even uses the term “gut hunger.” Does anyone out there have any idea what that is? If I can’t figure it out, what chance do my customers have?
a better question
Here’s an idea that might clear things up. I never use the term “hunger” for anything other than physical hunger. Instead, I ask, “Were you physically hungry or did you just feel like eating?”
That question gets real answers and can uncover some major issues. People can tell the difference.
The need to eat can have a lot behind it: emotions, stress, changes in brain chemistry, changes in hormones. Some clients may need training to explore the emotional component and retrain their responses to not involve food. Some may need to change their diets to change brain chemistry and/or hormones.
royal hunger
Hunger is a specific physical signal that the body needs food. I have explained in detail what hunger feels like to clients who do not experience it.
Why don’t those customers experience hunger? Some may not because, for years, they have been eating for reasons that have nothing to do with hunger:
• the clock says that it is time to eat
• everyone else is eating
• appetizing food is here now
• ate too much at the last meal
• are stressed, depressed, anxious, or even happy.
Readers may conclude that the items in the last bullet show “emotional hunger,” but I am suggesting that the word “hunger” causes the confusion. It is more appropriate to use it only when there are physical signs of hunger.
How do I know if I’m hungry?
Customers who never feel hungry may be confused about how to determine hunger. If someone says, “I had breakfast at 7 am and now it’s 12:30, so I must be hungry,” that’s a thought process, not hunger. The best tactic is to help clients retrain their hunger recognition through increased awareness of bodily cues.
It helps to be aware of misinterpreted signals. An obese customer told me his hunger was “here” and he put his hand to his throat. Subsequent questioning revealed that he actually had GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder), which we alleviated in two ways. One was monitoring his workplace after lunch (sometimes he worked from home in bed). The other was taking an over-the-counter remedy before the meal. (Don’t worry, I checked with your doctor.)
Customers who eat a lot of sugar may not feel hungry. Despite research, I have yet to find a satisfactory explanation for that. Clients’ symptoms, however, can usually be traced back to drops in glucose. If someone says, “I’m not hungry, I have a headache,” that could be a sign of reactive hypoglycemia. There are other examples.
So, the absence of hunger could reflect lack of awareness, chronic overeating, or chronic high sugar intake. When I figure out a solid explanation for the latter, I’ll definitely let you know.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a nutritionist, shop around and find one that doesn’t ask about hunger in the mouth.
