Hungry Enough to Eat an Apple?
Here’s the scenario:
It’s about an hour after dinner. I’m relaxing on the couch with Dave, probably reading, watching television, blogging, or some combination of these. (We bloggers tend to be multi-taskers, right? 
) At some point I enjoy my portioned-out dessert of a cookie or two.
And then I want another one.
Why do I want another one? That seems like a rather simple question to answer, and yet sometimes I’m not totally sure. Do I want another cookie because I’m still hungry? Because it tasted really good? Because I’m stressed/anxious/bored/procrastinating and want that cookie as a distraction?
As someone who has struggled with disordered eating, the situation is particularly loaded for me. Because I spent years eating in an out-of-control fashion – and for all of the wrong reasons – the question of whether or not to eat another cookie is in many ways a question of whether I am in control of my food, or if my food is in control of me.
And so I ask myself this question: ARE YOU HUNGRY ENOUGH TO EAT AN APPLE?
(Source)
I use this question to help me determine if what I am feeling is physical hunger, or if my desire to eat is coming from some other place.
When I ask myself, “Are you hungry enough to eat an apple?” there are generally three possible answers:
Possible Answer #1: No, I have no desire to eat an apple right now. I must not really be hungry, so I’m not going to eat another cookie. Instead, I’ll turn my attention elsewhere and stop thinking about food.
Possible Answer #2: Yes, an apple actually sounds really good right now! What I’m feeling must be physical – not emotional – hunger, so I am going to go ahead and have something else to eat. Since I’ve already had a cookie or two, I’ll satisfy my hunger with a more nutrient-rich food…maybe even an apple!
Possible Answer #3: No, I don’t want to eat an apple. I must not be experiencing physical hunger, but I still really want another cookie. So I’m going to go ahead and eat it, but not in an emotional, out-of-control way. Instead, I’m going to eat the cookie mindfully, savoring every bite and not feeling an ounce of guilt over it!
Regardless of which option I ultimately choose, asking myself, “Are you hungry enough to eat an apple?” helps me to make mindful and wise decisions about what I eat. It prevents me from overeating out of reasons that have nothing to do with physical hunger.
Of course, apples aren’t really the best choice for me, considering that I love them, but you get the idea. 
Do you have any little tips or tricks that you use to help prevent emotional overeating? Have you ever asked yourself a question like this? Do you think you will in the future?
Themocracy
This is a great tip for many people! If I’m feeling “hungry” I usually will go ahead and eat the apple and then assess my emotional/physical needs afterward. The calories in the apple won’t break my daily-diet and can help curb many needs/desires.
Thanks for sharing! My little trick that I try to use at parties or functions where I don’t want to go overboard (because let’s face it, sometimes I really do let myself go for the full splurge) is to really focus on what my favorite items are. Instead of adding everything to my plate, I let myself eat bigger portions of the things I like best – and truly feel more satisfied in the end.
I really liked this post and rationale. I definitely need to start using it–especially since I bring apples to work a lot and never eat them since I am not in the mood for one or want something else (so I think!)
For me, when I think I am hungry when I shouldn’t be or about to munch mindlessly, I go take a little walk or have some water and wait 10 mins to see how I feel.
I used to do this sort of thing all the time. I’m far enough along in my intuitive eating now that I know when it is emotional vs. physical without much thought at all. And like you said, sometimes, I still make the choice to eat emotionally but doing so with awareness makes all the difference in the world.
ohh i have long used this question…unfortunately I wind up on 3 a number of times and now the goal is to stop that. But I have also learned the art of truly enjoying my treat
This is a great tip! So simple but definitely helps figure things out. I love it!
Another blogger did a post on this particular topic, except she used canned green beans as her example (which I kind of like cause apples are also sweet and delicious whereas canned green beans… you eat them for utilitarian purposes!)
But cookie consumption… oh goodness. Sugar is so addictive! It’s hard!
Yeah, canned green beans are probably a better example…I love apples so much it kind of defeats the purpose sometimes!
This is really a great question to ask you’re self!
When i’m “hungry” or think im hungry I usually do the same thing with fruit, or i’ll have a class of water and if im still feeling hungry then I will have something to eat.
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I really like this!! This is a great way to determine whether you are really hungry or just eating for the sake of eating (which I do a lot)!
I love this idea! I am also trying to curb my snacking on unhealthy items. I have been drinking tea when i have a desire to snack and am unsure if i am actually hungry. Also after dinner, but before bed when I really shouldn’t eat more, tea is my ‘go to’.
I have been doing alot better on noticing when I am hungry… then eating!
Congratulations, that’s so awesome! And your tea-drinking idea is a great one!
[...] had a great idea a while back. Whenever I think I want to eat something, I ask myself “am I hungry enough to eat an apple?“ Unfortunately, I now love apples (thank you, vegetarianism), so this isn’t always [...]
I love this suggestion! I have never thought about using a simple thing like that–I usually go the boring route of just saying “Am I hungry”, but the “hungry enough to eat an apple” question is better because it actually gets through to the heart of whether or not I’m just hungry for something junky, i.e., not actually physical hunger (emotional in disguise). Love it! Thanks for this suggestion!