Hunger vs. Habit: How to Tell the Difference
Are you eating because you’re truly hungry — or just out of routine? In this episode of The Path to Better A1C, Jenny Peña, NBC-HWC, unpacks the subtle but powerful difference between hunger and habit. You’ll learn how to recognize the signals, break out of autopilot eating, and make more intentional choices for your blood sugar and energy.
This is the third part of our October Cravings Series, following Cravings Explained and Decoding Your Cravings.
✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:
The key signs of true physical hunger
How habit cravings form and why they’re so strong
Simple tools like the “pause test” and “apple test” to tell the difference
How to move from autopilot eating to intentional eating
🎁 Free Resource: Download your Blood Sugar Balancing Snacks List to help you respond to real hunger with steady, satisfying options.
👉 Get it here: https://www.subscribepage.io/snacks
🔗 Connect with Jenny:
Website: https://www.jennypena.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/coachjenp
Episode Transcript
Hello my friend and welcome backto the Path to Better A1C
podcast. I am your host, Jenny Pena,
National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, founder, CEO
of GMP, coaching and specializing in diabetes
prevention and loving to come here every week, every Friday
morning and giving you some awareness, some education and
(00:36):
some strategies that you can apply right away.
And before we get started, because the topic today is very
interesting about hunger and habit, but before we get
started, please don't forget to grab your free blood sugar
balancing snacks list, add subscribe page dot IO forward
slash snacks. It is a very simple resource.
(00:58):
I created it. I actually modified it recently
to help you stay steady and makeintentional choices when
cravings hit. OK, well, all right, let's dive
in. Here's a question for you.
How do you know if you are really hungry or if you're just
(01:21):
eating out of habit? Because this is something that a
lot of us, I'm going to put myself in there.
Sometimes we don't have it as clear.
We have all been there, right? Standing in front of the fridge
or reaching out for a snack and then realizing, wait a second,
am I actually hungry? Or am I just eating because,
(01:43):
well, what is there to do, right?
Today we are going to break downwhy this happens because knowing
the difference between hunger and habit can actually change
sustainably how you eat, how youfeel, and how you manage your
(02:06):
blood sugar. Now, hunger is your body's
physical signal for fuel. You will notice the signs.
You will have the stomach glorying and you're going to
have all these energy dipping and maybe you're getting
irritable, you're getting Moody,you're getting hangry and having
(02:26):
trouble focusing, right? Like those are noticeable signs
that you're hungry and hunger usually builds gradually.
That is like one of the key components.
It is gradual. It's not that you are fine and
all of a sudden you're about to die.
It's not sudden. And when you're truly hungry,
(02:48):
most foods sound appealing. You're open for options.
You're open for a meal, for a snack or something simple.
And here's the key, When you respond to hunger with food, it
eases. You feel satisfied.
Your energy lifts and that's your body saying thank you so
(03:10):
much for listening right now. What habit hunger looks like,
it's a little bit different. Habit hunger, on the other hand,
comes from queues and routines. It doesn't come from your
stomach. And maybe you always snack while
(03:31):
watching Netflix, or your brain says 3:00 means cookie time.
Over time, these associations get so wired in, your body just
starts expecting that food, evenif it doesn't need fuel.
Unlike true hunger habit, hungeris picky.
(03:55):
You don't want just any food, right?
It's not about the fuel, you want a very specific thing.
And even if you eat it, you might notice that the
satisfaction doesn't go away fortoo long.
It seems like it doesn't last. I worked with someone who always
(04:15):
made popcorn at IBM, not becausehe was hungry, but because the
routine of the TV and the popcorn was so strong.
And that is what habit hunger is.
Now, why do habits form this way, right?
Like, and it's not just with food, right?
(04:36):
Like whatever I'm sharing this particular portion, it's not
just about food, it's about habits in general.
Our brains are efficiency machines every time we repeat an
action, right? Whether it be snack with coffee,
dessert after dinner, the brain connects the dots and makes it
(04:59):
automatic. The brain is trying to make it
easier on you. So eventually that habit runs
itself. And whether or not you're truly
hungry, it's like, oh, OK, like this is what we do all the time.
And, and think about it, it's not just food.
There are things that we do throughout our days that we
don't really have to put much mind.
(05:20):
And that's because the brain is doing all the rationaling and
all the thinking for us. We don't have to put that much
effort. And that's why even building new
habits can be hard because the brain is trying to correct you.
It's like, wait a minute, you, you don't do this typically.
Why are you doing that? And that's why that resistance
(05:42):
at the beginning and the whole theory.
And I know there are many theories out there about how
many days it takes for habit to stake, but technically that's
what is happening. Your brain is very efficient and
it's trying to correct and it's following patterns.
Now, what are some tools? What are some things that you
(06:04):
can use to tell the difference right between the habit and the
hunger? How do you know what what's what
1st? And you're going to hear that a
lot. Try the pause test.
Stop and ask. Am I feeling physical signs of
(06:26):
hunger or was I just triggered by a cue or a habit?
Second, use the apple test. I know, laugh at me.
Would I eat an apple right now? If yes, it's most likely hunger.
(06:46):
If no, but you would still go for the chips or the cookies,
that's definitely habit craving.You see the difference?
When you're hungry, you are not as picky.
You're looking for fuel, genuinely, your body wants that
energy. But when you're having that
(07:08):
triggering hunger that that habit craving that it's not
really physical, you're going tobe picky and you're going to
want something very specific that is habit craving.
Now, Third, right, like we said,first you pause test.
Second, use the Apple test. And 3rd, try to delay and
(07:30):
distract. Wait 5 or 10 minutes, drink
water, take a quick walk, March in place.
If the urge fades, it was truly not hunger.
It was not your body saying I need fuel when it is hunger.
That's where having balance snack options ready makes all
(07:53):
the difference. Instead of defaulting to a
habit, you can actually fuel intentionally and that will
actually help you curve those cravings.
Now, hunger and habit aren't necessarily good or bad, right?
Like I'm big like we have been raised in this diet mentality
(08:17):
and assigning this is good, thisis bad.
Like judgment on a lot of things.
I want you to really let go of that mindset.
Hunger and habit aren't good or bad.
They're just different signals. Hunger says I need fuel.
Habits says this is what I typically do.
(08:39):
This is what I usually do. And when you can tell them
apart, you step out of that autopilot.
You move from reacting without thinking to making a choice with
a awareness like you're aware ofwhat is happening.
You are like, OK, I'm not going to rush into this.
(09:02):
Let me think this through. And that's where you start to
feel more in control. OK, Today we decoded this
difference, right? Like, and I know that maybe a
lot of these things sound like so simple and yet they're so
powerful. When you become aware of this
(09:23):
decoding, the difference betweentrue hunger, what are the signs
of hunger and what are the signsor habit hunger.
Next week we're going to take this further.
We're going to continue talking about cravings and talk about
emotional eating and that 3:00 PM slump.
It's one of the most common triggers for cravings.
(09:45):
I think like regardless if you're pre diabetic or diabetic
or have insulin resistance, right, like PCOS and all these
other conditions, I think all ofus know and understand what that
3:00 PM slump is. It's one of the most common
things to experience. So don't forget grab your free
blood sugar balancing snacks list that I modified and updated
(10:10):
at subscribe page dot IO 4 slashsnacks is your go to guide when
hunger is real and you want to feel steady and satisfied.
So thank you so much for listening.
Share this with anyone that maybe is struggling with
cravings and I will see you on the next episode every Friday
morning. As always, episode 45 is next.
(10:34):
Have an amazing rest of your week and thank you for
listening.
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