How to deal with hunger while dieting?

noecharo

Hi everyone!
I'm new to the weight loss and healthy lifestyle world, and something that I've been struggling with is hunger. Yes, I eat all my meals and I try to have a balance or carbs,proteins and fats, however sometimes I STILL get hungry, how can I stop this craving for food? Any hacks??

RaphaBianchi

I plan to eat every 1-2 hours so if I get hungry I know it's not long to wait until I can eat something. If I can't wait then I'll either drink water/tea/coffee to fill the stomach or eat sugar free sweets to take my mind of it.

tinkerbellang83

Do you think it is genuine hunger or boredom?
Have you set a very agressive weight loss rate?

GauchoMark

Stay busy and drink plenty of non-carbonated zero calorie liquids. The busier I am the less I eat, but if I sit around the house and veg, then I get hungry.

Also, you say you are eating a balanced diet, but you might need to tweak your diet some to find what combo keeps you satisfied longer. For me, carbs are a big no-no, but protein and a little fat helps. Carbs just make me want more carbs.

Sara1791

There are some weeks I'm hungrier than usual, so I eat at maintenance. Sometimes, I have a large quantity of high volume, low calorie food like a whole bag of frozen broccoli, roasted. Sometimes, I just remind myself that dinner is only an hour away. And sometimes I mess up and eat all the things.

3rdof7sisters

Distract yourself.
Drink water. Go for a short walk. Read a book.
Keep low calorie veggies prepped and on hand.

size102b

I get hungry I eat melon drink tea and have porridge in the evening
I just tell myself my body's burning fat lol

noecharo

GauchoMark wrote: »

Stay busy and drink plenty of non-carbonated zero calorie liquids. The busier I am the less I eat, but if I sit around the house and veg, then I get hungry.

Also, you say you are eating a balanced diet, but you might need to tweak your diet some to find what combo keeps you satisfied longer. For me, carbs are a big no-no, but protein and a little fat helps. Carbs just make me want more carbs.

I find it rlly hard to avoid eating carbs, what foods would you recommend to avoid/eat when trying to reduce your carbs intake ?

IdahoAdventurer

When I eat a few eggs in the morning, I'm not hungry for most of the day. I know that's a pretty simple and unexciting solution, but it works really, really well. I've lost 40lbs since Christmas and I'm not starving myself.

aflane

There's nothing wrong with carbs, they're in everything. I think the poster was talking about starchy carbs such as those found in bread, rice, potatoes, crackers, etc. While I occasionally eat starchy carbs, I find they don't keep me satisfied for long periods.

Lots of protein does the trick, for me. I start my day with Greek yogurt, which keeps me satisfied until lunch. If I find that I'm getting hungry, I keep some beef jerky sticks in my desk drawer. It takes a while to eat (SERIOUS chewing work-out... lol), tides me over, and is less than 100 calories per serving. Another good, high protein snack is yogurt.

If you find yourself hungry between meals, before reaching for a snack, stop to think a moment. Are you hungry, or are you actually THIRSTY? Many people find that they were actually thirsty, and have misidentified thirst as hunger. So, get something to drink, wait 5 minutes, and if you're still hungry, get a nutritious snack and log the calories. I've found that if I don't get a snack, when truly hungry, it's harder to stay on track.

GauchoMark

noecharo wrote: »

GauchoMark wrote: »

Stay busy and drink plenty of non-carbonated zero calorie liquids. The busier I am the less I eat, but if I sit around the house and veg, then I get hungry.

Also, you say you are eating a balanced diet, but you might need to tweak your diet some to find what combo keeps you satisfied longer. For me, carbs are a big no-no, but protein and a little fat helps. Carbs just make me want more carbs.

I find it rlly hard to avoid eating carbs, what foods would you recommend to avoid/eat when trying to reduce your carbs intake ?

For me, refined carbs trigger hunger. I love sweets and once I start eating them I have to be really careful not to overeat. So, I just cut those out for the most part. If I eat any, I try to do it at night as a little treat before bed assuming I have calories available.

Complex carbs are a better choice for me, so starchy vegetables, rice, bread, pastas, are good if I want carbs during the day. Also, if I really need something sweet, a small apple (like you would get at Panera) or some grapes are a good dessert or sweet snack. Frozen black grapes are pretty awesome actually...

GauchoMark

for me it helps to think in terms of blood sugar. Try eating like a diabetic. You can even get a blood sugar test kit at the pharmacy and experiment if you want, but I try to keep my blood sugar fairly constant when I am trying to lose weight. That means, limiting sweets, eating every few hours, and making choices that do not spike blood sugar.

It works well for me.

TimothyFish

Considering that dieting is about eating less than your body needs, hunger is a healthy and desired outcome. You can no more eliminate the feeling of hunger when you undereat than you can eliminate the feeling of being stuffed when you overeat. I found it helpful to associate the feeling of hunger with my accomplishing my goal of weight loss. While extreme hunger should be avoided, I welcomed and looked forward to that feeling of hunger. Plus, it makes meals taste so much better.

LivingtheLeanDream

Is the hunger genuine? it takes a while to adjust to less calories, drinking water helps this. Also what kinds of foods are you mostly eating - plenty of protein/fat/fibre will see you are fuller for longer.

It could partly be habit, you will have to re-train yourself as we are creatures of habit so new habits have to be formed. If you know you can't be hungry because its not long since you've last eaten a filling meal then its more a mental game. Again I would say, sip on water, it really does help.

Have you set your loss too high per week which means an aggressive calorie deficit? perhaps you should re run the numbers in MFP for losing at a slightly slower rate and that will give you more calories to work with.

Francl27

Your goal might just be too aggressive. Setting your loss at 2 lbs a week won't do any good if you're too hungry and give up, for example.

changin4better

Try to eat three meals per day, at around the same time. Eating smaller, more frequent meals is a myth when it comes to weight loss. Your body is receiving a constant infusion of insulin and therefore not breaking down fat. It takes a while to get your body trained if you are used to eating more frequently. Once you do, your weight loss will be improved.

LivingtheLeanDream

sharonrimgale wrote: »

Try to eat three meals per day, at around the same time. Eating smaller, more frequent meals is a myth when it comes to weight loss. Your body is receiving a constant infusion of insulin and therefore not breaking down fat. It takes a while to get your body trained if you are used to eating more frequently. Once you do, your weight loss will be improved.

^^ not necessary. I eat 5 times a day at least, it never impacted my weight loss. As long as we don't eat more than we burn, we lose.

amtyrell

I have found a glass of water when I am hungry helps me.

happyauntie2015

I find if I get some form of protien in with every meal/snack and drink plenty of water that I'm not hungry. I also noticed sometimes it's not that I'm hungry but bored or just want to chew something so I've been chewing sugar free gum as well

cbelc2

Make sure you are getting enough fiber, protein, and healthy fat in your diet. A tiny bowl of low fiber cereal and skim milk will leave you wanting to pull the curb at fast food. Instead, do a quick stirfry with a cup or two of veggies and a little avocado oil, maybe 1/4 cup leftover whole grain, and throw in an egg. Make hearty soups with beans, chicken, greens, grains. Top salads with beans, nuts, berries, olive oil, and a nice flavored vinegar. Fill a roasted half of a winter squash with cooked grain and top it with a thin broiled fish fillet and fresh herbs. Top your old fashioned oatmeal with fresh fruit, nuts, and plain yogurt. Eating enough of the right food is key.

trigden1991

Hunger is a normal response to being in a calorie deficit.

jdwils14

noecharo wrote: »

GauchoMark wrote: »

Stay busy and drink plenty of non-carbonated zero calorie liquids. The busier I am the less I eat, but if I sit around the house and veg, then I get hungry.

Also, you say you are eating a balanced diet, but you might need to tweak your diet some to find what combo keeps you satisfied longer. For me, carbs are a big no-no, but protein and a little fat helps. Carbs just make me want more carbs.

I find it rlly hard to avoid eating carbs, what foods would you recommend to avoid/eat when trying to reduce your carbs intake ?

using oils in cooking, while calorie dense, can aid in this. As I sit here, I have a plateful of bacon, eggs, and asparagus, about 700 calories worth (70% of calories are from bacon) (my "sedentary" daily goal is 1900cal, and I am far from sedentary). I cooked the bacon first and then I cooked eggs/asparagus in it. Its 6:30 am, will keep me full til past noon.

some particular foods you might consider:
eggs
avocados (they go on sale, and you can stock up. They last about 3-4 weeks in the fridge, give one day to let soften)
veggies with ranch dip (carrots, broccoli etc)
nuts
tuna sandwiches with mayo and cheese (pick a good bread that has mostly fibrous carbs and protein....Dave's Killer Bread is my favorite, but it is a bit pricey---its my only splurge)
You could also try putting butter on stuff.
Full-fat yogurt with fruit

Good luck!

Sara1791

trigden1991 wrote: »

Hunger is a normal response to being in a calorie deficit.

Yes, that's true too. But sometimes it is excessive and can be mitigated.

Seffell

trigden1991 wrote: »

Hunger is a normal response to being in a calorie deficit.

I don't quite agree. Depends how big of a deficit. I've never been hungry (talking genuine hunger, not chocolate cravings and such) since I started to lose 13 months ago. My deficit is quite small admitedly (between 100cal and 300cal per day and not every day). But I would never increase it if it makes me hungry. I can do this forever if I had to, it doesn't bother me. I still lose. I've lost 25lbs so far.
Why would one torture themselves with hunger if they can lose without any?

midpath

My guy does better if he eats higher carb. I definitely stay fuller if I nix carbs. You have to find your personal balance

coreyreichle

noecharo wrote: »

Hi everyone!
I'm new to the weight loss and healthy lifestyle world, and something that I've been struggling with is hunger. Yes, I eat all my meals and I try to have a balance or carbs,proteins and fats, however sometimes I STILL get hungry, how can I stop this craving for food? Any hacks??

FWIW, there's nothing wrong with being hungry between meals. We weren't really meant to be sated 24x7.

But, drink water. Many people think they are hungry, when in fact, they are thirsty.

Harbin2017

Once i drastically reduced grains, bread, pasta, pizza, sugar, alcohol and eliminated any juices or sodas from my "diet" i am a lot less hungry although i eat about 1300 cal per day. As ppl say it is individual for everyone, for me those things make me more hungry or trigger cravings, so i stay away from them. I do have a piece of dark chocolate almost everyday. I never feel hungry although my daily intake is more than 500 cal below my tdee.

daniel_parrett

I would say find a go-to low calorie snack/meal to get you by. for me, 2 eggs with a mini torilla and a small strip of ketchup puts me around 250 calories, so i'll start with that. if im still hungry in 30-60 minutes i'll make another. I would also add a bag of frozen vegetables to the mix to make you feel fuller, but after a while your body will get used to it and you will be eating just enough to take the edge off without feeling full

fitmom4lifemfp

coreyreichle wrote: »

FWIW, there's nothing wrong with being hungry between meals. We weren't really meant to be sated 24x7.

But, drink water. Many people think they are hungry, when in fact, they are thirsty.

I completely agree. I surely have times where I was not able to eat according to my normal routine. I wind up in a meeting that runs 3 freaking hours, or I end up staying at the hospital all day (elderly parents) or whatever, and sometimes I find myself listening to a growling tummy. I usually have a couple of bars with me in my car, so I know I can grab one if I really need it. But if I have lunch waiting for me back at the office, or something I had planned for dinner, I certainly am not going to screw that up by eating something else. I drink some water, chew some gum. I know food is not too far away and I will probably live. Seriously, I think it's just discipline. And getting used to not being completely full all the time. No one needs to be full ALL the time.

trigden1991

gebeziseva wrote: »

trigden1991 wrote: »

Hunger is a normal response to being in a calorie deficit.

I don't quite agree. Depends how big of a deficit. I've never been hungry (talking genuine hunger, not chocolate cravings and such) since I started to lose 13 months ago. My deficit is quite small admitedly (between 100cal and 300cal per day and not every day). But I would never increase it if it makes me hungry. I can do this forever if I had to, it doesn't bother me. I still lose. I've lost 25lbs so far.
Why would one torture themselves with hunger if they can lose without any?

Hunger doesn't have to be torture. I have run massive deficits without hunger pangs but it is the normal human response caused by leptin and grehlin.

cross2bear

Hunger can be just a psychological trick that your mind (and body) are trying out on you. If you think you are hungry, (at least, this is the exercise I try), ask yourself what would satisfy you? If its a carrot, or a salad, or a chicken breast, then that sounds like real hunger. If my head is telling me that my "hunger" will only be eased by eating a doughnut, or a calorie dense something or other that I think of only as a treat and for which I havent planned for my day, then maybe its not really hunger. I know this wont work for everyone, but its something that makes you stop and think and examine your feelings a little more intensely before deciding whether or not to act.

The other thing is the emotional component - a struggle for lots of people, myself included. Am I hungry or bored? Happy and wanting to celebrate? Sad and wanting comfort? Stressed and looking for an escape? Again, it comes down to the unplanned doughnut or the chicken breast kind of thing.

Habits are hard to break, but discipline and will power (and wanting to reach your goals more than wanting the unplanned doughnut) are important too.