Eating only when hungry. Does it work?

sjay2101

Does eating only when hungry help with weight loss. Honestly, my dad does this and claims he lost weight, but I'm skeptical. It doesn't sound bad in theory, but I'm afraid it might reduce my metabolism rate (from what I've read online). Has anyone tried this before?

COGypsy

I try to only eat when hungry and stop when satisfied. I use the Hunger Scale, I eat at a 3 and stop at a 6 or 7. I've literally never heard of that "reducing metabolic rate" (whatever that means). It hasn't seemed to be a problem for me, I've lost 5 pounds so far since the beginning of the year.

Theoldguy1

You won't reduce your metabolic rate. The key is many people are used to "comfort" and don't know what hunger is. In that case they are eating when they are "uncomfortable" but the body doesn't have a physical need for food.

neanderthin

Works for me. After starting low carb and periodic ketogenic schedules I found it pretty easy to not only stop overeating but found it satiating to the point that I have to remind myself to eat sometimes, which I found pretty strange at the beginning. It's mostly hormonal for me and any taste of sugar can begin to creep into my brain and if I have a day where I consume say for example, a pastry of some kind, I'm off to the races trying to convince myself it'll be ok to have another, lol, not a good space for me to be in because I know where that road leads, and it's binge rd. and all the stores are open. Anyway I went from 245 to around 180 and have kept it off for a decade and I don't count calories, many on a low carb don't.

AnnPT77

It works for some people. It doesn't work for all of us, because some of us have broken hunger/appetite perceptions.

If you lose weight too fast, that can cause fatigue. Fatigue makes us move lessTh, rest more, so burn fewer calories than we otherwise would if properly fueled (losing weight sensibly slowly). The fatigue can be subtle or obvious. What do I mean by subtle? For example, research suggests that fidgety people burn up to a few hundred calories more daily than otherwise similar non-fidgety people. Would you notice if you fidgeted less? I wouldn't. (I'm not saying you should fidget. That's just an example.)

The "metabolic damage" idea is just a dumb thing that's run wild on the internet. Yes, a person who's lost weight may require fewer calories after weight loss than someone of the same size/activity who has always been slim. However, that can be temporary, and it isn't a big enough magnitude to be a big deal for most people long term.

That's a very complicated subject, the long term implications of weight loss for calorie needs. If you want to learn some of the science related to that idea, this thread is good:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1

If you start using hunger cues to lose weight - or any method, really - pay attention to the scale and how you feel. Wait until you have around a month of experience eating that way, and weighing yourself, before evaluating. (If you're female of the right age/stage, compare your body weight at the same relative point in at least two different menstrual cycles.)

If you lose faster than 0.5% of your current weight weekly on average over that month, eat more (unless you're severely obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or health complications). If you lose slower, it's OK to eat a little less.

However, if it looks like you're losing weight lots faster than that before the month is up, AND you start feeling weak or fatigued for no other obvious reason, eat a little more right away. Fast weight loss is a poor plan.

Best wishes!

frhaberl

I have heard some people indicate this approach works for them, and it might even work for me if I had a different lifestyle, but I can definitely say it doesn't work for my current lifestyle. I don't have a lot of flexibility in when I eat, as it needs to work with my work schedule and it's impractical for me to eat at a different dinner time than my family.

The aspects of the "intuitive eating" that I do find valuable are understanding what are real hunger cues vs emotional "hunger", and understanding what portion sizes of food are actually satisfying and sustaining. I just take that knowledge and implement it in a planned approach. I eat on a schedule, but allow flexibility to have a snack if my hunger level would be "too high" by the time my next scheduled meal would occur. And I plan portion sizes that meet my calorie targets for the day and have the option to add some low calorie "filler" (usually broccoli, leafy greens, or other veggie) if I'm not feeling "full" after eating that portion.

If I had a goal of shifting to intuitive eating, I would still utilize MFP to track calories while I was figuring it out, then stop logging once I had a track record of eating a sustainable diet based on those hunger cues. Logging of food would be retrospective rather than planned, but I think it's still important to understand how many calories you're taking in. I have found that the volume and type of food that satisfies me now is different than what I would have considered satisfying before, partially because I had to get my body used to those adjustments. I think that if I had started with intuitive eating without logging, I would have risked gaining weight because I hadn't adjusted my diet and understanding of hunger cues enough to eat in a deficit. Now that I know how good I can feel in a deficit, I automatically take smaller portion sizes of calorie dense foods and "fill up" on nutrient dense foods. I would trust my ability to eat intuitively a lot more now than a year ago.

That said, I don't have any goal to switch to intuitive eating because of the schedule restrictions I mentioned before and because I love data and I actually enjoy the process of entering my foods and monitoring the change. For those who consider food logging to be a chore, I think it's definitely a goal they could set to use a food logging period to learn what intuitive eating patterns would be successful for them and then drop the logging after that process.

As far as lowering your metabolism, I haven't heard any studies that indicate that is a risk for intuitive eating.

tulips_and_tea

It works for me and no, it hasn't slowed my metabolism. But, I'm not someone with "broken" hunger and appetite perceptions, as Ann mentioned applies to some people.

Just like everything else, it has different meanings to different people, so maybe eating only when hungry overall doesn't work for you, but using it in certain contexts might. Such as, going to an event where food is available. If you're actually hungry, eat and enjoy. But, there's no need to eat just because food is available. Probably an unpopular opinion on my part, though. But, as I said, it works for me and I don't count calories.

tomcustombuilder

There is actual hunger, boredom hunger and dehydration hunger. It never hurts to let yourself be a bit hungry if it’s actual hunger.

E43V15C

I like/prefer intuitive eating if I can do it- but my hunger cues are messed up/confused- I don't have any dietetic support at the moment/it's one of many things I have to do- last yr I tried but the waiting lists are long/it is expensive and public/free community clinics rejected me bc I am in the complex case/needs category- I am sick of having to retell my story/explain my circumstances- I am trying to DIY for now- I do go longer periods of time w/ out eating and it's a vicious cycle, I've tried to have small meals/snacks during the day at regular times/it doesn't come naturally to me bc a part of me is thinking "but I'm not hungry", "ugh do I have to eat now", what is my weight doing- is it up or down- and it's just me organising my meal/snack schedule around whatever I am doing, there is zero pressure or accountability- however it impacts functionality, self-esteem, mood, what is going on w/ my weight etc- I will be really busy/active and at the end of the day I am ravenous- I have no/limited ability to stop eating sometimes- lots of things can trigger it. For example I had to get up early this morning and I was triggered bc I had less time to sleep

I didn't eat much all day yesterday until 9pm last night- my stomach was bursting from fluid/food-I was in a lot of pain- I wonder if demon hunger is from a psychic attack (is there a metaphysical aspect to it) from others and I went into a zone- it was like reactive eating which I'd had before, just from my weight being down a bit on Sunday/being too restrictive w/ food over the weekend- I went for a few short walks and did some housework in the first half of the day to ease the pain/discomfort of feeling over full- I felt like crap/bloated from food/fluid weight etc- this afternoon/evening I tried to moderate my food intake/portions etc- I felt like I didn't have many strategies other than trying not to eat too much- I don't want to go to bed feeling overfull etc- during the day I can handle a few snacks etc- at night obviously I'm trying to eat less/cap my dinner/dessert- it is messy- I don't want to slow my metabolism down either/train my body into not trusting me- this isn't really a yes x y z will work or it won't but this is my experience of listening to hunger- many other things influence it- you might benefit from some support/some accountability if you are struggling w/ motivation/self-esteem etc

HoneyBadger302

Like stated, it won't affect your metabolism.
The issue for most of us is that we don't recognize when we are actually hungry vs not, and resisting that delicious "whatever" when we technically aren't hungry anymore can be nearly impossible. There's also a time lag between when you eat something and your brain's ability to recognize how full your stomach is. Eating slowly can help with this if you're tuned in enough to recognize it.
As a weight-loss tool, for the vast majority of us, it does not work.
Personally, along with other more tried and true methods, I am trying to pay more attention to this and recognize when I'm actually full, or not, or wanting to eat out of boredom/habit, etc. I'm hoping to get better at stopping myself when I'm almost satisfied, rather than when I'm "over" satisfied. This is NOT something I am particularly successful at yet, but I'm noticing more that I'm picking up on not really being hungry - there are times it has yet to stop me from something though!

whimsy38

I have lost 50 pounds in a program that uses only hunger and enough. There are hundreds of others in the program who have had success long term. No problem with metabolism. Most people have messed up perceptions of hunger because they have been trained to eat for so many other reasons. Some people who have spent years doing overly restrictive dieting have messed them up a lot. No matter what with time and attention they can get in touch with their real signals. If the process brings on severe anxiety, that’s a sign you may need outside help with your issues.

Lietchi

cruzka02 wrote: »

I think that it is better to eat smaller portions and more often, this is what has a good effect on metabolism

That's personal preference. I once tried to lose weight eating 6 smaller meals per day and I never felt satiated. I ended up gaining weight

neanderthin

The opposite of hunger is satiation, so I eat until I'm satiated, which is the same as full. I eat mostly a broad range of whole animal products and their fats and that works for me. It's easy for me because there are no nutritional labels to confuse me.

Corina1143

I've heard it works for some people. I believe them.
It doesn't work for me.
Will it work for you?

kshama2001

E43V15C wrote: »

I like/prefer intuitive eating if I can do it- but my hunger cues are messed up/confused- I don't have any dietetic support at the moment/it's one of many things I have to do- last yr I tried but the waiting lists are long/it is expensive and public/free community clinics rejected me bc I am in the complex case/needs category- I am sick of having to retell my story/explain my circumstances- I am trying to DIY for now- I do go longer periods of time w/ out eating and it's a vicious cycle, I've tried to have small meals/snacks during the day at regular times/it doesn't come naturally to me bc a part of me is thinking "but I'm not hungry", "ugh do I have to eat now", what is my weight doing- is it up or down- and it's just me organising my meal/snack schedule around whatever I am doing, there is zero pressure or accountability- however it impacts functionality, self-esteem, mood, what is going on w/ my weight etc- I will be really busy/active and at the end of the day I am ravenous- I have no/limited ability to stop eating sometimes- lots of things can trigger it. For example I had to get up early this morning and I was triggered bc I had less time to sleep

I didn't eat much all day yesterday until 9pm last night- my stomach was bursting from fluid/food-I was in a lot of pain- I wonder if demon hunger is from a psychic attack (is there a metaphysical aspect to it) from others and I went into a zone- it was like reactive eating which I'd had before, just from my weight being down a bit on Sunday/being too restrictive w/ food over the weekend- I went for a few short walks and did some housework in the first half of the day to ease the pain/discomfort of feeling over full- I felt like crap/bloated from food/fluid weight etc- this afternoon/evening I tried to moderate my food intake/portions etc- I felt like I didn't have many strategies other than trying not to eat too much- I don't want to go to bed feeling overfull etc- during the day I can handle a few snacks etc- at night obviously I'm trying to eat less/cap my dinner/dessert- it is messy- I don't want to slow my metabolism down either/train my body into not trusting me- this isn't really a yes x y z will work or it won't but this is my experience of listening to hunger- many other things influence it- you might benefit from some support/some accountability if you are struggling w/ motivation/self-esteem etc

From what you've said, it sounds to me like a cognitive sort of therapy like CBT or DBT might be more useful to you than simply working with a dietitian. I don't know what you mean by "complex case/needs category" but perhaps that would help get you in with a therapist who can help with this.

tomcustombuilder

cruzka02 wrote: »

I think that it is better to eat smaller portions and more often, this is what has a good effect on metabolism

eating frequency has no effect on metabolism

frenchy807

I am not as sure about the metabolism piece, and I do think eating only when your hungry can help, but weightloss is more directly related to the amount of calories in vs. how many calories out (burned). For me, its a lot more about the choices of food.

For example, eating a tuna sandwich with two pieces of cheese, mayo, and a couple of pieces of bacon, is nearly the same volume as eating a turkey sandwich with mustard, veggie toppings, and one piece of cheese, but the calorie difference can be significant.

Yet, both sandwiches would make a person full/satiated. Focusing on what food choices are being made, vs. the volume of how much is consumed would be more maintainable and builds healthy eating habits (such as choosing veggie toppings vs. bacon).

COGypsy

frenchy807 wrote: »

I am not as sure about the metabolism piece, and I do think eating only when your hungry can help, but weightloss is more directly related to the amount of calories in vs. how many calories out (burned). For me, its a lot more about the choices of food.

For example, eating a tuna sandwich with two pieces of cheese, mayo, and a couple of pieces of bacon, is nearly the same volume as eating a turkey sandwich with mustard, veggie toppings, and one piece of cheese, but the calorie difference can be significant.

Yet, both sandwiches would make a person full/satiated. Focusing on what food choices are being made, vs. the volume of how much is consumed would be more maintainable and builds healthy eating habits (such as choosing veggie toppings vs. bacon).

I agree that choices are the crux of the matter. I would point out though, that if I'm eating mindfully and paying attention to my hunger cues, I likely wouldn't be able to finish the first sandwich before I was satisfied and ready to stop eating. The second sandwich option would be more likely to be finished, but it's hard to tell. In my experience, once I got a handle on hunger cues, the calories took care of themselves for the most part.

xbowhunter

This reminds me of the time I went to a weight loss hypnosis event.
After the event I didn't think it worked. However, at my first meal after the event I pushed the 1/2 plate of delicious food away because I was no longer hungry. Typically, I would eat the entire plate.

Pretty powerful stuff. Too bad it didn't last more than a week... lol