Using hunger as a gauge

SarahAnne3958

For me personally feeling 'hungry' is completely disconnected from my calorie intake. Instead it's tied to habits/boredom/time of day/time of month and where I am in my hormonal cycle, and then what my macros splits are.

RealWorldStrengthLLC

There's a certain "in tune with your body" sort of intuition that can be gained from long term athletics and eating for a goal over time...you shouldn't ignore it.

thanos5

i smoke weed so using hunger as a gauge is a horrible idea for me =/

scarlett_k

If you're genuinely feeling hungry all the time you're probably eating too little, or you're not eating a fairly balanced diet. But like people have said it could also be your hunger cues out of whack, or even thirst can feel like hunger.

tnebell

oops! Never realized people were commenting! So, for instance right now. I sit here working and my stomach has been growling non stop for the past hour. I've been daydreaming of a small avocado I have in the fridge. LOL
Lunch was a tuna fish sandwich and some homemade kohlrabi pickles. Breakfast was an english muffin, peanut butter and a hard boiled egg.
Its not an constant usually but there are days that I've eaten the recommended 1200 calories but I get past lunch and realize I'm really hungry. (aka big noisy growls from stomach). Today I know I'll be over because I would have to pretty much skip dinner in order to be within my 1200 calories.

goldthistime

tnebell wrote: »

oops! Never realized people were commenting! So, for instance right now. I sit here working and my stomach has been growling non stop for the past hour. I've been daydreaming of a small avocado I have in the fridge. LOL
Lunch was a tuna fish sandwich and some homemade kohlrabi pickles. Breakfast was an english muffin, peanut butter and a hard boiled egg.
Its not an constant usually but there are days that I've eaten the recommended 1200 calories but I get past lunch and realize I'm really hungry. (aka big noisy growls from stomach). Today I know I'll be over because I would have to pretty much skip dinner in order to be within my 1200 calories.

Can you give us more info? Very often when someone says they are sticking to a goal of 1200 calories and are hungry a lot, it’s because their target is too low.

feisty_bucket

>1200 calories

Are you on the lose-two-pounds-a-week setting? Why so low? Are you in a hurry? If not, maybe slow it down.

Silentpadna

I trust my hunger cues about as much as I trust my satiety cues, which is to say not at all.

If I waited until I 'felt full' it would be long past the time I actually was full. By 'full' I really mean satisfied.

My discipline crutch is coffee. Since I use an IF protocol to limit my caloric intake (because I like more food in a given sitting), I don't generally eat until about 2pm and stop about 8pm. I wake up early feeling hungry. I ignore it for awhile, then I feel a bit more hungry about 10am. That's coffee time. 1 cup and I'm good until 2pm, without much effort.

I acknowledge that being in a deficit gives me more 'hunger' cues than maintenance, but those pass. Probably doesn't work for everyone, but does for me.

zippie2223

Hunger is truly in the mind. Ran by hormones. It lies.

anubis609

tnebell wrote: »

oops! Never realized people were commenting! So, for instance right now. I sit here working and my stomach has been growling non stop for the past hour. I've been daydreaming of a small avocado I have in the fridge. LOL
Lunch was a tuna fish sandwich and some homemade kohlrabi pickles. Breakfast was an english muffin, peanut butter and a hard boiled egg.
Its not an constant usually but there are days that I've eaten the recommended 1200 calories but I get past lunch and realize I'm really hungry. (aka big noisy growls from stomach). Today I know I'll be over because I would have to pretty much skip dinner in order to be within my 1200 calories.

Who or what recommended 1200kcal to you? Even if it was accurate given your height, weight, body fat,etc., you are consistently active according to your initial post. While exercise in general burns less than most people think, it still carries energy expenditure and depending on the type of exercise, your body would need nutrients to recover.

Everyone who diets experiences hunger to a degree and that's just part of the game. But experiencing gnawing hunger is likely a sign of not eating enough usually because the deficit is too steep for too long, which doesn't do much good for developing long term eating habits. Try adjusting your calorie goal to a less aggressive daily goal or have some days higher with some lower days. As long as you're averaging a net deficit, you're fine.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

My hunger and satiety cues are working fine. I’m just a greedy moo. I ignore the fullness cue and eat at the first sign of hunger pangs.

kshama2001

tnebell wrote: »

oops! Never realized people were commenting! So, for instance right now. I sit here working and my stomach has been growling non stop for the past hour. I've been daydreaming of a small avocado I have in the fridge. LOL
Lunch was a tuna fish sandwich and some homemade kohlrabi pickles. Breakfast was an english muffin, peanut butter and a hard boiled egg.
Its not an constant usually but there are days that I've eaten the recommended 1200 calories but I get past lunch and realize I'm really hungry. (aka big noisy growls from stomach). Today I know I'll be over because I would have to pretty much skip dinner in order to be within my 1200 calories.

Unless you are very very short and sedentary (which you have already indicated you are not) you can eat more than 1200 calories and lose weight: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

hungrywombat

Thirst and hunger signals are often confused. Are you hydrated enough?

You might need to experiment to find out what gives you the most satiety. Personally I find protein-rich foods really filling and I get hungry quickly if I eat a more carb-heavy meal. Everyone is different but it's worth looking into. Also, as other posters have said, you may be able to up your calories, feel more satisfied and still lose

psychod787

zippie2223 wrote: »

Hunger is truly in the mind. Ran by hormones. It lies.

Bro... hunger is controlled by the brain. Yes, hormones such as ghrelin play a role, but its signaled by the hypothalamus in response to the level of leptin. Spread your hooey elsewhere please.