Starving, Hungry, Peckish

MiniMansell1964

There are often posts where people comment that they are starving hungry

it got me thinking.
Someone who is massively obese with a very high calorie intake would be used to a feeling of having a full belly. and they would snack constantly to keep it full

missing a meal would make them feel different. slightly less full, (not empty though)

we all have a similar level of comfort, at our own eating levels.

So. how long before the feeling of "Starving" comes in? for me, if i dont eat sufficient for a few days i feel some discomfort. and catch up.

Aaron_K123

If I'm in a calorie deficit and I don't eat for a long time (like 8 hours) I can start to feel a little dizzy or groggy or other symptoms associated with having really low blood sugar. I don't really get the "starving" feel. Or I just consider that word reserved for really extreme situations where others might use it more...liberally.

If I'm not in calorie deficit so I'm getting lots of food then for me personally I can go a long time without eating and feel almost no affect from doing so.

A lot of the "drive" to eat for me is that food starts to sound good and then I like the idea of eating food. But my body isn't starting to shut down or anything. Its possible thats what people call hunger or starvation, I kind of assume those terms are more reserved for something more severe then simply wanting to eat though.

MiniMansell1964

i agree.

i see them used often on here though

kschwab0203

My first week here I had my goal set at 2 lbs per week...1200 calories a day. By day 4, I was STARVING!!!!

MiniMansell1964

kschwab0203 wrote: »

My first week here I had my goal set at 2 lbs per week...1200 calories a day. By day 4, I was STARVING!!!!

lol. 4 days in, you where sure Hungry. but starving = on the way to death.

kschwab0203

shredcamps wrote: »

kschwab0203 wrote: »

My first week here I had my goal set at 2 lbs per week...1200 calories a day. By day 4, I was STARVING!!!!

lol. 4 days in, you where sure Hungry. but starving = on the way to death.

Let me re-phrase "I felt like I was starving"

stealthq

It usually hits if I've been working all day and not taken the time to eat. It is especially bad if it happens to be my long run day because I run fasted in the morning.

I usually get nauseated first, then I start feeling a sudden need to sit down before I fall down. Usually I grab a little food at that point and then become very hungry, but not what I'd call starving.

Sometimes, though, I get so hungry that my stomach cramps badly enough that I can't even stand up straight. That's 'starving' to me.

CattOfTheGarage

I get very strong hunger pangs if I go maybe half an hour past my usual time to eat. If I leave it much more than that the feeling goes away, then I start to feel queasy, headachey, irritable.

The actual feeling of hunger is mainly habit, I think.

MiniMansell1964

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

I get very strong hunger pangs if I go maybe half an hour past my usual time to eat. If I leave it much more than that the feeling goes away, then I start to feel queasy, headachey, irritable.

The actual feeling of hunger is mainly habit, I think.

do you get the same pangs if your not wearing a watch? ie. if you lose track of time, on holiday, or whatever

bininj

I eat my three protein packed meals per day along with vegies and dairy. I rarely feel hungry and my sugar cravings are low. If I feel I must have something sweet I eat a bit of dried fruit.

ahoy_m8

Aaron makes a good point... how I tolerate hunger depends on whether I've been in a deficit for a while or not. My stomach might start growling before my next meal, but that doesn't constitute "starving" to me. I've done IF, both 5:2 and 6:18, so short fasts don't bother me. If I go several days at an extreme deficit, however, it will take me a couple days to feel normal again. During that time I might feel famished, where even after a meal I'm low energy and just not myself.

I've also at times done longer fasts (spiritual reasons), and my body reacts really quickly to fasting (within 24 hrs vs what is said to be the more typical 3 days). Energy nosedive. I need appreciably more sleep and exercise is out of the question, but I can concentrate and do my job. My stomach stops growling, but hunger never goes away. "Refeeds" after long fasts, if you want to call it that, are kind of tricky. I'm not sure I ever handled it well.

Back to your initial example, OP, if an obese person has metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance, blood might be teeming with glucose but receptors fail to get it across cell membranes from the blood into muscles. The muscles might actually be starving, even right after a meal!

Interesting to ponder. Thanks.

Intentional_Me

I'll second some others and say I feel the effects of low blood sugar far before feeling starving feeling comes into play. I always eat when I feel those symptoms coming on because I hate that sick feeling.

daniip_la

shredcamps wrote: »

There are often posts where people comment that they are starving hungry

it got me thinking.
Someone who is massively obese with a very high calorie intake would be used to a feeling of having a full belly. and they would snack constantly to keep it full

missing a meal would make them feel different. slightly less full, (not empty though)

we all have a similar level of comfort, at our own eating levels.

So. how long before the feeling of "Starving" comes in? for me, if i dont eat sufficient for a few days i feel some discomfort. and catch up.

I'm curious as to where you get the information that obese people don't feel as hungry, or that their stomachs don't feel empty. I'm obese. My stomach doesn't keep food in it while eating at a deficit just because my body has extra fat.

I've been at a steep calorie deficit for almost 6 months. I get hungry when I skip a meal. Not a "oh, my stomach feels less full", but a "I'm going to faint soon if I don't eat". If I undereat for a few days, I get massive headaches and get dizzy to the point of actually passing out. It's not like our bodies can run indefinitely on the fat we have stored without serious consequences.

GottaBurnEmAll

I honestly don't know. I have to walk a tightrope with not eating because it can trigger my migraines.

I'm not always necessarily very hungry when I eat, but I know that if I don't, I'll be heading for trouble.

As it is, due to my years of having issues with food, I know that my hunger signals are completely faulty.

Aaron_K123

Intentional_Me wrote: »

I'll second some others and say I feel the effects of low blood sugar far before feeling starving feeling comes into play. I always eat when I feel those symptoms coming on because I hate that sick feeling.

Yeah basically this. I've never felt "starving" because I eat before I get that way. I also kind of assume that when others use "starving" they are exagerating what they are feeling.

CattOfTheGarage

shredcamps wrote: »

CattOfTheGarage wrote: »

I get very strong hunger pangs if I go maybe half an hour past my usual time to eat. If I leave it much more than that the feeling goes away, then I start to feel queasy, headachey, irritable.

The actual feeling of hunger is mainly habit, I think.

do you get the same pangs if your not wearing a watch? ie. if you lose track of time, on holiday, or whatever

Yes. If I lose track of time then hunger will clue me in. Your body is more aware of the time of day than you realise. Animals know what time it is, so do we subconsciously.

Of course it isn't like clockwork, if I ate a huge, late breakfast then I won't be hungry come lunchtime, and if my breakfast is inadequate I will get hungry earlier. But if I'm eating as I usually do, then I will get hungry at my habitual mealtimes.

awinner_au

shredcamps wrote: »

So. how long before the feeling of "Starving" comes in? for me, if i dont eat sufficient for a few days i feel some discomfort. and catch up.

If i compare being hungry to being thirsty, I would say i never get hungry. Thirst wise, i know the feeling when i just have to have some water. Food wise i might get the occasional rumble if i have forgotten to eat but i dont equate that to hunger because i can chose to ignore it.