Do you need to feel hungry to lose weight?

Ladybird1103

Does weight loss have to be uncomfortable? In my experience so far the answer is YES. I am losing 2 pounds a week consistently eating 1200 -1400 calories a day (5'3" female with 50 pounds to lose) and I don't "workout" - but have been getting at least 10,000 steps a day with my fitbit.

The problem is, I am hungry very often. Some days I feel like I'm hungry all of the time, some days its easier. I discuss this with my friend who is also losing weight, and the only conclusion I reach is that you have to suffer a bit to get the weight off. When I feel hungry, I assume my body is going into its stored fat (and carbs and muscle yes) and using that for fuel. I don't have room for any snacks between meals if I want to stay in my calorie goal range. If I were to eat whenever I'm hungry, I don't think I would still lose weight. So do any of you actually lose weight without that nagging hungry feeling as your companion?

IsaackGMOON

Simple answer; No.

whmscll

Yes and no. I tolerate mild hunger pangs for an hour or two if I know I'm going to be eating soon or if I'm going to bed. Anything more than mild is a distraction, though, and then I'll have a small snack. I'm never uncomfortable. I take care never to get too hungry because then I cannot wait to eat and Scarf whatever is at hand instead if something that fits in my calorie allowance.

Jgasmic

If you lowered your goal to 1 or 1.5 pounds a week you would have an extra 250-500 calories a day and probably wouldn't feel as hungry since you'd have calories for snacks. I know it's tempting to lose it as quickly as possible, but it's important to do it in a way that is sustainable to you.

TimothyFish

When you're losing 2 pounds a week, hunger is to be expected. But you could lose at a much lower rate and not even notice the hunger.

ASKyle

No.

Try eating foods with more volume to fill you up.

North44

I'm hungry sometimes, but not all the time. It's not too bad. I eat 1220 but eat all my exercise calories so end up eating 1500-1600 a day. I'm losing a pound a week or a bit more. I would be too hungry on only 1220 a day. I find I go over on days I don't exercise at all, which is rare. Hasn't affected my weight loss much tho.

NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner

I started off at 1200 calories to lose 2lb a week. Hated feeling hungry all the time so decided my well being was more important than shifting weight at a rapid pace. I reduced my goal to 1lb a week and with an extra 280 calories a day to play with I was a much happier bunny.

ACyclingAdmin

No, but yes you will need to feel hungry at first. There is a HUGE difference between belly hunger and head hunger. Once you start figuring that out you'll know the difference and will eat when you're actually hungry and not just snack craving.

It's not good to ignore actual hunger for calories your body needs to survive. If you absolutely have to have a snack, eat the most nutritious choice available, research foods with higher water / nutrition content as they will usually have less calories and end up being way more filling. Find things that are filling that aren't calorie dense like broccoli, smoked salmon on some spinach and a bit of capers etc...

Athijade

I refuse to be hungry while losing weight (except for the obvious hunger before I eat my next meal lol). I do that by eating higher in fats which seem to keep me full longer and by not eating at too drastic of a deficit. I think I am set at 1.5lbs a week. If I wanted to do 2 lbs a week (doable at my size) I know I would be hungry and miserable! So at 1600ish calories it seems to be just right.

AMTaylor1980

Hunger is your body's way of begging for food to avoid eating it's own reserves, not a sign it's actually doing it.

Verabrown94

Drink lots of water and eat lots of fruit and veggies to fill you up as a snack. Helps me out since I'm not eating as much trying to lose weight. Just try that and see if it helps

ketorach

I eat a lot of dietary fat and moderate protein. I rarely feel hungry. Losing weight.

Queenmunchy

ASKyle wrote: »

No.

Try eating foods with more volume to fill you up.

This. I eat pretty large egg/vegetable breakfasts, soups, stews, chili, etc all made with plenty of vegetables, salads, stir fries, noodled vegetables, etc. Big meals, low calories, no hunger.

CoachJen71

Some days are worse than others for me. We have very similar stats and goals. Lately I have been eating smaller amounts more often, drinking lots of water, and chewing lots of gum. Check my diary on my profile if you like. Word of warning, I do eat treat meals, so my weekly cals are higher than yours.

ketorach

CoachJen71 wrote: »

Some days are worse than others for me. We have very similar stats and goals. Lately I have been eating smaller amounts more often, drinking lots of water, and chewing lots of gum. This is my diary, if you want to peek. Word of warning, I do eat treat meals, so my weekly cals are higher than yours.

That link goes to my personal diary (it's a generic link, not specific to you). I was looking at it thinking, "Hey, she had maple breakfast sausage for breakfast, too!" Lol.

Click on CoachJen71's name and then you can click on her diary.

enterdanger

thecyclingadmin wrote: »

No, but yes you will need to feel hungry at first. There is a HUGE difference between belly hunger and head hunger. Once you start figuring that out you'll know the difference and will eat when you're actually hungry and not just snack craving.

It's not good to ignore actual hunger for calories your body needs to survive. If you absolutely have to have a snack, eat the most nutritious choice available, research foods with higher water / nutrition content as they will usually have less calories and end up being way more filling. Find things that are filling that aren't calorie dense like broccoli, smoked salmon on some spinach and a bit of capers etc...

This, but with the "head hunger" sometimes there is just a difference between feeling full and feeling not hungry. Don't know if this makes sense but I totally confuse being full and being not hungry. I'm used to feeling stuffed and satiated. Now I'm trying to get used to being not hungry which really isn't the same. It gets better around a month in.

kshama2001

I've set my goal for losing 1 pound per week and am not getting ravenously hungry. (I will get a little hungry right before a meal.)

Maybe reduce your goal and make sure you are getting plenty of protein and fiber, and enough fat.

http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html

...Tips on how to feel fuller

So how can we best try to enhance these feelings of fullness to help us control how much we eat? Here are some top tips for helping you feel fuller:

• Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.
• If you are watching your weight, opt for lower fat versions, using leaner cuts of meat, cutting off visible fat and avoiding the skin on poultry as this will help reduce the energy density of the diet, which can help to enhance satiety (see below).
• Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.
• Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.
• The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods. Click here for more information on energy density.

Ladybird1103

Thanks all. Will try setting weight loss goal to 1 pound and see how that feels for a week or two.

I find myself looking at thin women and wondering "are you hungry ALL of the time???" Haha I might just start asking them.

DeguelloTex

I find it hard to believe that one can eat at even a moderate deficit and not have your body respond with hunger signals to one degree or another, but maybe some people can manage it.

For that matter, I've noticed myself being much hungrier on my current intake than I was on one 600 calories a day lower.

try2again

I'm at 233 right now, and as much as I'd like to get the weight off faster, I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate the constant hunger on top of the everyday stresses of life. My goal is set at 1.5/week and that leaves me room to drop down further as the weight comes off. Making myself miserable would not be sustainable

sfonken

Eat more protein and eat foods that are harder to digest, like canalop etc. you will not be hungry. If you haven't yet, try QUEST bars and chips. 20 G protein. You can buy them at GNC.

TimothyFish

After a while of being hungry all the time, you kind of forget about it. Sunday night, I ate till I was full for the first time in a long time. It actually felt strange to no feel a little hungry.

Teddy_B

I'm fortunate because I happen to really like broccoli. Foods that are high in protein and in fiber are your best friends.

jemhh

I was rarely more hungry than "oh, it's supper time" while losing weight. When I would get to the point where I was hungry regularly, I took it as a sign that I needed a week off. So I'd finish my week and then take the next week off to eat at maintenance (logging and exercising as usual) and then by the end of that week I'd be back to my normal non-hungry self.

ACyclingAdmin

Ladybird1103 wrote: »

Thanks all. Will try setting weight loss goal to 1 pound and see how that feels for a week or two.

I find myself looking at thin women and wondering "are you hungry ALL of the time???" Haha I might just start asking them.

Keep in mind that as you lose weight your calorie intake also needs to decrease even further, and that itself will take a small adjustment period.

CoachJen71

ketorach wrote: »

CoachJen71 wrote: »

Some days are worse than others for me. We have very similar stats and goals. Lately I have been eating smaller amounts more often, drinking lots of water, and chewing lots of gum. This is my diary, if you want to peek. Word of warning, I do eat treat meals, so my weekly cals are higher than yours.

That link goes to my personal diary (it's a generic link, not specific to you). I was looking at it thinking, "Hey, she had maple breakfast sausage for breakfast, too!" Lol.

Click on CoachJen71's name and then you can click on her diary.

Well dang! LOL Thanks for the heads up!

ACyclingAdmin

Teddy_B wrote: »

I'm fortunate because I happen to really like broccoli. Foods that are high in protein and in fiber are your best friends.

I'm with you, I can eat a whole pound of broccoli alongside a chicken breast and be full for hours.

holhol12

I used to eat 1200-1400/day, and I was hungry and miserable which would set me on a binge when my will power finally broke down. I decided this time around (after 5 years of binge eating/restrict/binge), to eat more. I'm eating 1750/day, losing 1 lbish a week (down 27 so far), and I'm rarely hungry. When I am, it is usually because I am bored or stressed or extremely tired, so I recognize that and make a decision on what to do. Normally once I recognize it, it passes....if it doesn't, I'll eat a little more, but still under maintenance. I'm in this for the long run, so figure a day here or there where I'm not at a deficit won't hurt me...maybe even help as when I am gentle with myself and allow myself to eat more, I stop myself from binging/"failing". Definitely try eating more - most of us severely underfeed ourselves when dieting and it makes it really hard to keep going over the long term.

professionalHobbyist

I few stuffed eating lots of veggies with fiber.

Not gonna lie, I thought no way I would lose weight at first...

But it worked.

I agree that once in a while feeling hungry is good. I like the flat belly feeling. Love handles are gone completely. Now just working on some belly fat pinches. Feeling hungry reminds me of what I am doing.

And I know that is all mental. But the weight loss thing is also mental. Making your mind up and sticking with it!

jrline

no don't eliminate too much fat and you should not be feeling that way