Did you feel less hungry after a while eating in a deficit?

oat_bran

Are there a lot of people who felt hungry in the beginning but after a while their hunger levels demished?

I struggle a lot with hunger even though I have a very small deficit (250-500cals) and eat almost no processed food, and absolutely no junk food (i don't like it anyway), lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains, nuts and seeds. My macros are 45%carbs, 30%fat and 25% protein. I also eat at least 45g of fiber per day. My daily calories are 1700-1900 depending on the TDEE that days. I drink at least 3l of water per say, often more.

Some days I am ok, not feeling too hungry, but other days I feel ravenous all day and think about food non stop. And sometimes I can resist it and other days I can't and end up overeating. And because my deficit is so small I often end up ruining all the progress I've made in the previous days or even weeks. It's so frustrating.

I have a history of EDs (bulimia, EDNOS and compulsive overeating), so I realize that it's normal to have messed up hunger cues and struggle with weight loss. But the hunger I feel often feels so strong and so real...

I keep telling myself that I should just stick to my deficit for several weeks without overeating and then it will get easier. I guess I need to hear some encouragement that it gets easier.

SkinnyGirlCarrie

When I was just starting out I often felt hungry. Once I started logging I realized I was probably eating around 3000 cals a day and dropping back to 1800-2000, so I reasoned that my body would feel hungry for awhile because it was used to getting so much more food. It did normal out after awhile!

Not sure if you are exercising at all, that may affect your hunger levels as well. I find I can be ravenous after HIIT, strength training and running.

lemurcat12

Yes, I think a lot of it CAN BE feeling hunger associated with habitual times that you would eat, wanting to eat at those times, seeing food you would normally be eating (just because it was there) and perceiving the desire to eat as hunger, etc. As you break the habit, you will often stop feeling hungry. At the beginning I had raw vegetables I ate if the desire to eat between meals hit me, and after a couple of weeks I stopped (mostly) thinking about eating between meals and didn't need them. One way to focus on whether it's real hunger is to eat things like raw veg that are low calorie (or the old apple trick). If you don't want them, it's likely not real hunger and sometimes realizing that helps.

It also can be worth experimenting with meal timing and macros. The biggest thing that affects how hungry I am, actually, is sleep -- really common to perceive being tired as hunger, as you need energy.

It also could be worse for you because of the ED history and any attempt to cut calories may be triggering memories of being way too low cal, possibly -- I don't feel like I can really comment on this, except it might be worth working with someone briefly to try to get past it, as it might well be adding more stress that your body is reacting too.

kell0606

I'm about 5 weeks in to eating at a deficit, and for the first three weeks I felt like I was starving all. the. time. I would eat lunch and then be hungry again an hour later. Good news though, about a week or two ago I felt like I really turned a corner, and am not having those crazy hunger pains anymore. Stick with it - it will get better!!!!

nevadavis1

I'm in the same boat in a lot of ways. History of disordered eating, was already eating whole foods, not junk, etc. I was just used to eating a lot of food by volume. The first two weeks I felt hungry all the time. Depending on my calories I sometimes tried to snack on something low calorie, or sometimes I took some fiber pills to settle my stomach. Fizzy water (no calories) also would help settle my stomach. I tended to get a kind of nausea with my hunger so the fizziness helped a lot.

It did get a LOT better, but I still sometimes feel hungry when, by looking at my calories, I should be fine. Sometimes that has to do with stress honestly--I feel like my stomach empties quickly when I'm stressed... Or the TOM--get really hungry then.

Also many people experiment with more protein or more carbs or whatever, to find what helps them feel full a little longer. I agree on the sleep too--I was so used to eating to give myself more energy when I was tired.

vivelajackie

At first, definitely it was harder. I was accustomed to grazing between meals and my meals were already pretty dense. I was an emotional eater too. So, not constantly eating was a trying task. Now, I have days where I'm fine not eating into the afternoon/evening.

SezxyStef

to be honest I can't say I felt hungry (outside the norm right before meals) while I lost the weight.

I read up on how to ensure I was comfortable and it meant getting in lots of protein and fats so that is what I did.

Still do it that way.

animatorswearbras

Yep I did and always thinking about food sometimes made it worse (I also have had some phases of disordered eating and emotional eating which was related to my depression/anxiety), now I still think about food but in a practical way and although I still enjoy it I don't medicate my mood with it nearly as much, it gets easier and exercising to give me more wiggle room in my calories (and also helps my mental health) has helped alot.

Also don't be hard on yourself if you go over some days, just log it and move on and don't feel you have to punish yourself the next day, I've also started looking at my deficit in the terms of a weekly deficit of around 2000 calories (roughly 300 below maintenance a day), some days I maintain, some days I'm over, some days I net 900 cals because of working out hard, as long as I have a reasonable deficit on average for the week it's all good. x

Running_and_Coffee

No, I've never actually felt hungry. I eat a nice balance of high-protein foods, fruits/veggies and fats and eat pretty frequently and drink a lot of water. That helps.

I do get bored/want (psychologically) a cookie or a glass of wine every now and then. It's not physical hunger, it's something else. Like last night I was packing the kids' lunches and ate half a pack of those mini Nutter Butters. I had already had dinner and a Halo Top and definitely was NOT hungry. Just wanted some sugar & fat!!

mudonthetires856

It gets better over time. It took about 3 weeks for me to stop being ravenously hungry. I used to absolutely stuff myself and when I stopped doing that, my stomach argued with me. I've learned that hunger and cravings are 2 different things. I actually like the feeling of being stuffed, so I bank my calories throughout the week and get to eat a big meal on Friday. Being hungry is a part of weight loss but it gets a lot more manageable.

SezxyStef

I sometimes wonder if people actually know the difference between hunger and appetite?

Hunger is not a requirement for weight loss...I think that is one of the reasons people often fail.

Too few calories and too little protein to help keep you feeling fuller longer and the fats for satiety that lots feel are "bad"...this is what causes the problem

I mean to say you are "ravenous" or "hungry all the time" seems well...not a good thing.

Derf_Smeggle

For me eating on a "3 meals a day" schedule, leaves me feeling hungry most of the day. What I have found works better is eating 5-6 times a day. Just as I start feeling hungry, bam! 200-400 calories. That's one thing that has worked for me. It might be something to fiddle with in your habits to see what fits you personally.

Increasing fat intake also helps me on those days where I just can't seem to eat enough. Fat stimulates the hormone and brain activity that makes you feel satiated/satisfied for longer periods of time. Avocado, sauteed veggies with a little extra butter, fatty fish, a little bit of fatty meat, etc. Maybe increasing your fat macro percentage here and there would help?

Then there are those days where nothing seems to be fitting the bill. Those days I just eat over my calorie goal, then start fresh the next day. We don't gain actual fat weight from indulging once in awhile. Only when we over indulge everyday.

RachelElser

yes, if I fall off the wagon and then start bring good again I am HUNGRY for about two weeks, but after that my body adjusts.

amusedmonkey

Yes, because I eventually understood more about my hunger, what foods help, what foods don't, how to manage meal timing...etc. I also understood my mental triggers, where not eating the foods I love in the way I love them gives me "faux hunger" that feels physical but is largely mental (no zucchini noodles for me when I want pasta). There are times when I still feel hungry all day, but they're mostly hormonal. I do experience hunger before meals, but that's normal. For the most parts I've managed to learn a lot in the past few years and I'm able to avoid unjustified hunger most of the time. I also experience hunger when I allow myself to feel hungry on purpose, like when saving calories for a social situation or a higher calorie meal I've been wanting for a while. This kind of hunger is purposeful, tolerable, and even kind of pleasant.

I know that, personally, I need a lot of food, so a lot of vegetables and volume fillers (air and water) are a must. I also need starches for every meal, so bread, rice, potatoes, grains, beans, pasta...etc usually play the starring role in my meals. I save most of my calories by limiting fat to a level that just good enough to taste good (because fat is not satiating for me) and by not drinking my calories most of the time. Some people do better on the exact opposite diet.

You need to experiment and see which foods/macros/combinations make you feel good (these are individual so other than telling you our personal experience we can't give you real answers). There is also the fact that you can earn more calories by being more active. Unfortunately, you may not be able to avoid hungary 100% of the time, and that's okay, but being hungry all time is NOT okay and you need to do something about it.

gamerbabe14

I'm 123 days in and there are days I am more hungry than others. But that's life and I manage it by thinking about my short term goals or I do eat more and take extra long walks.

gamerbabe14

Oh and eat soup, they're the most filling food in my opinion.

bribucks

Tossing in small snacks (like those 50 cal low fat string cheese sticks!) helps a lot. Also, maybe consider more protein. Eating more protein helps me feel fuller.

lemurcat12

SezxyStef wrote: »

I sometimes wonder if people actually know the difference between hunger and appetite?

Hunger is not a requirement for weight loss...I think that is one of the reasons people often fail.

Too few calories and too little protein to help keep you feeling fuller longer and the fats for satiety that lots feel are "bad"...this is what causes the problem

I mean to say you are "ravenous" or "hungry all the time" seems well...not a good thing.

Lots of people really don't know how they are supposed to feel and/or have issues with mental hunger. You can't say it's just about eating too little or not in a satiating way, although they may need to experiment to see what's satisfying for them too, of course.

For some it IS understanding that a little hunger is fine, not something to panic over, and something that will go away if you wait it out usually. For others it's more the mind reacting in an extreme way to any restriction or craving or a trained response to stress/emotion or all kinds of things.

laurenebargar

I was starving until I realized I needed more protein and fat, now i'm content all day.

sardelsa

Yea this was true for me. Transitioning from a high calorie bulk to a deficit (even with a week maintenance in between) I found myself very hungry starting out.. both psychological and stomach growling, headache hungry. Over time though, it gets better. Playing around with macros helps too. I think also for some of those who are lean trying to get leaner it is especially difficult because there is legitimate hunger there despite having sufficient protein and fibre and a small deficit. But you get used to it to some degree.

toxikon

When I'm following a high-carb diet, I get soooo ravenous. It just doesn't work for me.

I definitely have the most success when following a low-carb diet when it comes to satiety/lack of hunger. I find that fat and protein keep me full for a much longer period of time, in smaller portions.

I can easily chow down on 2000+ calories on high-carb and still feel hungry, but when I eat low-carb, sometimes it's hard for me to reach 1300 calories - sometimes I'll have a 600 calorie lunch and not be hungry during the evening at all.

My macros are 5% net carbs, 25% protein, 70% fat (keto diet).

I also do IF and that makes a big difference. Instead of having 3-5 small meals during the day, I only have 2 meals a day: lunch and dinner. Therefore I get larger portions that fill me up more.