Not hunger
The urge to eat when you are not hungry.
Ready
The urge to eat something. Start when you are ready.
0:00 / 3:00
You did not have to win. You only had to wait.
A different urge
If you want to keep going
From the Lab
The urge to eat when you are not hungry
There is a difference between hunger and the pull to eat, and the pull is often about something else: the end of a hard day, a quiet house, a task you do not want to start. You do not have to work out which one it is right now. Sit with the pull for three minutes and see what is left of it, because quite often what is left is not hunger.
This is the same three minute wave as the main urge surfing timer, with the wording set for this one. It is free and anonymous, there is nothing to type, and if the urge is still there when the wave ends you can ride another.
Common questions
How do I tell real hunger from an urge to snack?
Real hunger builds slowly and will accept most foods. An urge tends to arrive suddenly and wants one specific thing. Waiting a few minutes usually tells them apart.
Is this a diet tool?
No. It does not count anything or tell you what to eat. It only gives you a few minutes between the urge and the decision.
What if the urge does not pass?
Then eat. This is not a test you can fail, and no single exercise should override what your body is telling you.
Why riding it out works better than fighting it
Fighting an urge keeps your attention locked on the thing you are trying not to do, which tends to make it louder. Urge surfing does something different: you stop arguing and simply watch the wave move. The technique comes from the psychologist Alan Marlatt and is used inside mindfulness based relapse prevention, dialectical behaviour therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. How long a given urge lasts varies a great deal and no honest tool will promise you a number, which is why this one starts short and lets you go again.
This is a self-guided exercise for everyday urges, not treatment. If an urge involves harming yourself or someone else, or if it is tied to alcohol or drugs, please talk to a doctor or a crisis line rather than riding it out alone.