What causes hunger?

I think I am about to ask a daft question....?

But what causes hunger? We know that some food keeps us fuller for longer, but I just cannot imagine being in a calorie deficit and NOT being hungry for quite a substantial amount of the day.

For example, I am eating around 1,400 calories a day. I am full after my meals as I eat protein, good fats and plenty veg, but 2 to 3 hours later I am starving (like right now!) and it is at least an hour till the next meal.

Is it actually possible to be in deficit and not be hungry? Given that surely the point of hunger is our body telling us we need more calories.

Please share your magical secrets.

Replies

mymodernbabylon

I'm at a 15% deficit from my TDEE. I am rarely hungry as I'm taking this weight loss slowly. Once, in a grand while, I will be - but mostly it's because I'm thirsty (and hunger can sometimes come when you haven't had enough water) or because I'm bored (so not true hunger). Big deficits will most definitely cause hunger more often.
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- Perhaps you need to consider having snacks in between meals so you aren't quite so hungry?

DemoraFairy

If you want a scientific explanation for hunger then there are plenty out there, the Wikipedia page is pretty good!

It's certainly possible to be in a calorie deficit and not be hungry (or at least no hungrier than you'd get otherwise). I've had days before where I've eaten 900 calories and not been especially hungry. If you get hungry between meals you could always have a low-calorie snack.

TheLittleFangs

As the others have said try to plan in some snacks. And drink water

no one needs to feel hungry to lose

JoRumbles

Had an apple and a decaff coffee with semi-skimmed- still bloody starving.....I'm off to look at that wikipedia page and then probably read a load of science about satiety

Sued0nim

When I'm hungry I eat

Hunger can be dehydration, it can be habit and psychological or it can be your body saying you're not eating enough, I don't trust you feed me now

A small amount of what we perceive as 'hunger' is probably good for you .. what isn't good is the overfull feeling we recognise as satiety .. eating enough doesn't mean you're overfull .. that's the part you have to retrain

PS I eat a lot - but my meals are lower calorie eg generally breakfast under 200, lunch and supper under 400 calories to allow me to eat every 2 to 3 hours and through the evening .. because that's how I like it

blktngldhrt

I struggle to get at least 1200 calories some days. I eat high fat, low carb, moderate protein and drink a lot of water/liquids. The fat helps me with satiety.

Last night I was full and still had over 150 calories left before getting to 1200..so I had to make something. It wasn't a struggle to eat the extra calories by any means..but I could have gone without.

paul_phish

The release of leptin hormone causes hunger.. Leptin is released by the fat cells when energy reserves fall. This drives the brain to seek food. When we eat the stomach releases ghrelin hormone which blocks the leptin turning it off. Some people produce leptin when there is no need to so they are continuously hungry and therefore eat too much all the time in a grazing manner. Some fail to produce enough ghreline which means when they eat the instruction to stop is not given so leads to over eating in a binge. These are of course clinical conditions and should not be confused with lifestyle (eating poor food, drinking too much and doing no exercise) or comfort eating with is a psychological matter. Many people say you should eat x or y to stop you being hungry as that's what they do but really you have to work out what is right for you. Are you a constant craver, over eater, lifestyle junkie, or comfort eater? different 'conditions' require a different mix of carbs, proteins, fats etc. Same can work in a reverse for weight gain.. do you not eat enough because you are not hungry or get full quick? once again the diet must fit that situation. You need to research for your self the appropriate diet. Maybe look up 'What diet is right for you' on the BBC website.. you may find that helpful.

Tabithas_Transformation

paul_phish wrote: »

Maybe look up 'What diet is right for you' on the BBC website.. you may find that helpful.

^ Just want to second this bit here. I watched the Horizon programme they did on this and decided to try and change-up my diet to suit the kind of eater I am and it really helped me. As a 'Feaster' by their terms, once I start eating I don't know when to stop. I have switched to high protein, low-gi carb based meals and it has really helped me to feel fuller for longer.

Obviously you have to find what works for you and it does take some trial and error when you're doing this in the long term but once you find what works, you should find the experience much more enjoyable and hopefully more successful too! Good luck!

JPW1990

Ravachu wrote: »

paul_phish wrote: »

Maybe look up 'What diet is right for you' on the BBC website.. you may find that helpful.

^ Just want to second this bit here. I watched the Horizon programme they did on this and decided to try and change-up my diet to suit the kind of eater I am and it really helped me. As a 'Feaster' by their terms, once I start eating I don't know when to stop. I have switched to high protein, low-gi carb based meals and it has really helped me to feel fuller for longer.

Obviously you have to find what works for you and it does take some trial and error when you're doing this in the long term but once you find what works, you should find the experience much more enjoyable and hopefully more successful too! Good luck!

I'll 3rd it.there are three parts to it, all on YouTube. It covers the science of hunger and discusses a lot of bad food habits with strategies to break them.

4legsRbetterthan2

A few thoughts:

There are different kinds of hunger, there is the you are actually running out of fuel and need food hunger, and then there is the I am bored so why not just eat something hunger. You have to learn to tell the difference and find other ways of coping with bordom, stress, and emotions than through eating.

As said above, try working some snacks into you day if you don't do well going for longer periods without eating.

Make sure to eat alot of protein and fat, it is more filling than carbs. In your example you ate an apple, which has some great nutrition, but if you had eaten some string cheese and a handful of nuts maybe you would have another outcome. Try different things.

Play with meal timings. I find that I don't get hungry for several hours if I don't eat breakfast. When I do I want to snack alllll morning.

Also previously mentioned but important, make sure you are drinking enough fluids.

Lastly, if it is that bad then it might be worth upping your calories and slowing your loss rate. Its frusterating to go slower but if you cant sustain your current goal you will get there faster going slow than falling into a binge and or quitting cycle.

~Best Wishes

mjrdore

Not a daft question at all in my opinion! My slim wife and I were discussing it yesterday. She asked if I ever feel "satisfied" now after eating less. It was a strange question to me, because even when I eat more, I never felt satisfied. The only way I can lose weight is to measure what I am eating and at 1790 calories per day, accept the fact that it should be enough to provide enough nutrients for the day - making hunger and satisfaction irrelevant for now. I drink water if I think I feel hungry, get busy, do something else, however, if I am still "hungry" if that's what it is - I eat a small nutritious fatty snack, such as a tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Usually, if I am on track with my eating and counting, there is room for this. My goal is despite the fact that I am supposed to lose weight at the stated myfitnesspal goal calories, I still want to end the day with a few to spare - just in case - so my method works well.

So, in fact, I don't expect to feel satisfied after eating, but rather try to enjoy what I am eating for its taste and pleasure. For example, I love the small rectangles of 72% dark chocolate. Each piece is 30 calories, and I usually treat myself to 4 per day. After eating 4, I still want more (thus not "satisfied") but if I eat 8 I am still not "satisfied" - if I eat 12 I would still feel the same as after eating 4, because they are so good and addictive! So, if I feel exactly the same after eating 4 or eating 12 - I choose 4 and eat 240 less calories with the same end result!

Mind games got me overweight, so I am fighting fat with MIND GAMES - for now - as my goal is to retrain the brain with real signals - I am being more attentive to what "true hunger" is, trying to relearn what I have obviously unlearned through years of indiscriminate eating. I cannot be hungry 30 minutes after a good meal. That would not make sense. So, if I think I am "hungry" after a meal has had time to get absorbed to a certain degree, then I say "That is NOT hunger" and act accordingly. If I haven't had anything for a few hours, I drink water, distract myself and eventually if the feeling persists, then have that nutritious snack, trying to listen to my body and mind - but trying to relearn the signals.

I am hoping that by the time I reach my healthier weight, I will have retrained myself to read the signals more accurately!

SwankyTomato

JoRumbles wrote: »

I think I am about to ask a daft question....?

But what causes hunger? We know that some food keeps us fuller for longer, but I just cannot imagine being in a calorie deficit and NOT being hungry for quite a substantial amount of the day.

For example, I am eating around 1,400 calories a day. I am full after my meals as I eat protein, good fats and plenty veg, but 2 to 3 hours later I am starving (like right now!) and it is at least an hour till the next meal.

Is it actually possible to be in deficit and not be hungry? Given that surely the point of hunger is our body telling us we need more calories.

Please share your magical secrets.

One of my "secrets", is that I half the meal and then go and eat the rest of it later.

I have an issue with breakfast (easy for me to eat 700+ cals at breakfast) and have been playing around with different strategies for myself to help me with calorie control.

So what I have been doing is prelogging the breakfast and then eating half. I eat the other half for lunch. I am still in the research phase if you will but so far it has been helping me.

Example, with my coffee, I prelog 2 cups (I add cream and sugar), drink 1 cup and then hold off on my other cup for later.

This morning I am going to make egg salad sandwich for breakfast. I cut it in half, then eat the other half for lunch.

Anyway not a perfect system but so far it is working for me.

tekkiechikk

I'm also in the group that likes to break up the calories throughout the day... instead of eating 3 big meals, I like to have snacks in between. I've also found that I'm more satisfied from protein than carbs... maybe you should review when you are most hungry and then take a look at the last meal you had... was it highest in fat, carbs, or protein? Then try making a change to see if it makes a difference.

It is true as someone else said that many times we're just thirsty but it comes across as hunger, so perhaps drink more water during the day.

The idea of splitting meals (half now, half later) is a good one and one I do myself. I also try to drink a lot of water as I'm eating and take calm bites and chew my food (rather than inhale it as I used to do). The stomach is more satisfied, I think.

And if you are so hungry that you can't think of anything else- have a sensible snack.

JoRumbles

Thanks. I have seen the Horizon programmes and I am a "feaster", so I have already tried to switch to lower GI foods with plenty protein and fat and it does help a little. I do like to feel "stuffed" after a meal, but I am trying to accept that that is not healthy and I should stop eating when I feel comfortably full. When I do that i do feel satisfied for a couple of hours.

I do feel that inbetween meals it is genuine hunger as it occurs at least 2 hours after a meal, maybe more and I can feel light headed. So perhaps I do need to look at maybe eating a couple hundred calories more.

rml_16

If I eat the right foods, unless I'm PMSing, I stay pretty satisfied. You want a mix of protein, fat and carbs (fiber) with each meal and snack. You also need to give your body time to adjust to eating less. Sometimes hunger is because your body is used to a schedule and you've changed it.

I think your problem is thinking that feeling hungry is a bad thing. It isn't. I feel hungrier when I'm bored than I do when I keep my mind distracted. It isn't always a physical signal, but a mental one. However, if you're really and truly starving (not in the literal sense because I know someone will jump on that word), eat something light. It's OK to have a snack.