Big eyes. Hunger out of habit or boredom. Do you use food to deal with your emotional problems? There are countless reasons why so many people are overweight, but overeating for no reason is becoming a national sport that we're not even aware of. Besides that, we don't distinguish between thirst and hunger, even though in more than half the cases, a glass of water can satisfy what feels like severe hunger that actually originated in our mind and not out of real need.

That’s why we offer you 6 tips to check whether you’re actually hungry, thirsty, or just bored. Try following these rules for a day and you'll see that you can get through the day without hunger.

1. Check the time

Keep in mind that your body is strongly affected by sugar for an hour or two after a meal, so don’t eat more often than every two hours. This applies to salty snacks, sweets, and even sugary drinks ... Instead, drink a glass of water or a cup of green tea.

2. Listen to your stomach

You know the awkward moment when your stomach makes noises so loud others can hear them. But a growling stomach is not always a sign of hunger. It could just be intense digestion, which is not a bad thing. If your stomach is making noises, check the time again. If it’s been more than 4 hours since your last meal (including snacks, fruit, sweet drinks), then you are probably truly hungry. Otherwise, drink a glass of water and the growling will go away.

3. Check your energy level

Another way to verify if you’re really hungry is to check your energy level. If you’re hungry and feeling listless and weak, then you’re really hungry (if you’ve followed the previous tips). But be careful! When you’re low on energy, you need energy-rich foods.

4. Wait 15 minutes

When you feel hungry, wait 15 minutes. It's not always real hunger. Hunger that appears suddenly, or as a result of watching TV (there are tons of cooking shows and channels nowadays), is called emotional hunger and is just pointless calorie accumulation. If after a quarter of an hour you’re still hungry, the cooking show is long over, and you’ve followed the first three tips, then you can safely eat something. Just remember: always eat slowly and take small bites.

5. What do you want to eat?

Real hunger never means craving a specific food (like pizza, cevapcici, chocolate, cookies...). Genuine hunger doesn't care, as long as the body gets food. Remember: if you’re dreaming about just one kind of food, it’s emotional hunger and you can safely ignore it.

6. The vegetarian test

And the final test: when you’re struck by intense hunger, think about what you’d most like to eat. If just the thought of spinach, cauliflower, carrots, and so on seems satisfying, you’re almost certainly truly hungry. But if you have steak, pizza, pasta, or sweets in mind, then this is hunger that has originated in your head.