How do you CURB you're hunger PANGS?

florentinovillaro

I'm currently on a 20:4 Intermittent Fasting schedule so I'm okay most of the day until the very last hour before feeding. I starting drinking water to feel more full throughout the day shortly after I started IF. I recently added chewing gum throughout the day that this significantly lowered (or extended) hunger pangs.

What are some of the ways you help curb your hunger pangs?

Your feedback is appreciated.

qnotes

There is debate on chewing gum when you are hungry. My understanding is that chewing gum can fool your stomach into producing stomach acid when you don't need stomach acid. This could lead to ulcers.

I probably shouldn't be answering your post b/c I'm going to be a negative Nancy. Fasting is detrimental to weight loss, and long term goals. The best thing to do when trying to lose weight is not to disrupt your blood glucose levels because you want to be burning as much as often as possible...you can't do that on an empty stomach.

If you don't consume calories, your body starts to go into starvation mode. When you're in starvation mode a few things happen:

1. your brain starts disliking you; you get sleepy, having trouble focusing, experience brain fog. Interestingly, your sleep is also not good sleep--sleep is when your body heals, and when your basal metabolic rate is pretty high...all that breathing, blood detoxifying in your liver and kidneys, sweating, and sexy dreaming takes calories.
2. any time you do consume calories, your body will immediately store them AS FAT. In essence, not eating will make you gain fat stores.
3. You may see weight loss, but it will likely be in the form of water loss, and muscle loss. As you starve, your body eats away at the stored energy in your body, and the first one is your muscles. Carbs and proteins provide a *whopping* 4 cals per monomer, while fat provides 9. Your body is smart, and it will decide that breaking down 4 units of energy requires less energy to break down than 9 units of energy.
Furthermore, when this happens, there are side effects which can cause you to sustain harm to your body, and specifically your brain. When the liver catabolizes (breaks down) the polypeptides (chains of protein) in your muscles (composed of carbon--brain and muscle food--hydrogen, and nitrogen) you're left with a nitrogen. It's a chemical which the body cannot use, and so it has to be excreted, BUT the caviate is that it will affix itself to carbon creating this chemical called a ketone--the process called ketosis.
Ketones are bad news for your brain. They enter the blood brain barrier, accumulate, and don't easily leave. Acquiring too many of these can ultimately cause brain disturbances, and potentially ketotic coma (extreme case). and remember that water loss thing above, your kidneys have to work over time to flush the ketones! You could even be promoting the collection of lovely little jagged beads in your kidneys--yay kidney stones.

There are more things which occur, too. Protein imbalance in your body over time can cause youto have bloat in your abdomen. Etc, and so on.

I always cringe when people say "I'm on a fasting diet." I'm a nay-sayer for sure, and I know sooooo many people will disagree with me, and that's fine, but fasting is like trying to voodoo away your fat.

florentinovillaro

Not here to debate, IF but from personal experience over a month here's my observation:

Energy through the roof.
Clarity.
Senses like eyesight, hearing and taste improved.
Better sleep.
Less prep time for making breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.
More efficient at work due to less "breaks".

I've personally seen more positive, and honestly, no negative from IF.

On to the subject. What are other ways we can curb appetite? This question is more for the community than myself.

livingleanlivingclean

Besides consuming food? No idea....

Foreverfitnancy

Try drinking herbal tea. The flavours make you feel like you have eaten and the water helps you feel full : )

ndj1979

There is debate on chewing gum when you are hungry. My understanding is that chewing gum can fool your stomach into producing stomach acid when you don't need stomach acid. This could lead to ulcers.

I probably shouldn't be answering your post b/c I'm going to be a negative Nancy. Fasting is detrimental to weight loss, and long term goals. The best thing to do when trying to lose weight is not to disrupt your blood glucose levels because you want to be burning as much as often as possible...you can't do that on an empty stomach.

If you don't consume calories, your body starts to go into starvation mode. When you're in starvation mode a few things happen:

1. your brain starts disliking you; you get sleepy, having trouble focusing, experience brain fog. Interestingly, your sleep is also not good sleep--sleep is when your body heals, and when your basal metabolic rate is pretty high...all that breathing, blood detoxifying in your liver and kidneys, sweating, and sexy dreaming takes calories.
2. any time you do consume calories, your body will immediately store them AS FAT. In essence, not eating will make you gain fat stores.
3. You may see weight loss, but it will likely be in the form of water loss, and muscle loss. As you starve, your body eats away at the stored energy in your body, and the first one is your muscles. Carbs and proteins provide a *whopping* 4 cals per monomer, while fat provides 9. Your body is smart, and it will decide that breaking down 4 units of energy requires less energy to break down than 9 units of energy.
Furthermore, when this happens, there are side effects which can cause you to sustain harm to your body, and specifically your brain. When the liver catabolizes (breaks down) the polypeptides (chains of protein) in your muscles (composed of carbon--brain and muscle food--hydrogen, and nitrogen) you're left with a nitrogen. It's a chemical which the body cannot use, and so it has to be excreted, BUT the caviate is that it will affix itself to carbon creating this chemical called a ketone--the process called ketosis.
Ketones are bad news for your brain. They enter the blood brain barrier, accumulate, and don't easily leave. Acquiring too many of these can ultimately cause brain disturbances, and potentially ketotic coma (extreme case). and remember that water loss thing above, your kidneys have to work over time to flush the ketones! You could even be promoting the collection of lovely little jagged beads in your kidneys--yay kidney stones.

There are more things which occur, too. Protein imbalance in your body over time can cause youto have bloat in your abdomen. Etc, and so on.

I always cringe when people say "I'm on a fasting diet." I'm a nay-sayer for sure, and I know sooooo many people will disagree with me, and that's fine, but fasting is like trying to voodoo away your fat.

bro, you might want to read up on IF/ Lean gains before you blast it …I am not sue how you would lost muscle when you have a four to six hour eating period where you consume all your calories for the day. I mean you still hit your protein/carb/fat macros you just do it differently.

OP - I would recommend changing your feeding window to 18/6 that should solve your problem..or 19/5 …

jayrudq

Qnote you are not a negative nancy, you are simply mistaken. And your first instinct was probably correct. No such thing as starvation mode from IF. #1, #2, #3. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Why do they call it breakfast? Does this happen every night when you sleep and not eating? No.

Okay...frankly, I am good at 18/6 but am very cranky and unhappy at 20/4. In fact, my natural hunger and eating habits lend themselves really well to 18/6. Not hungry in the morning, prefer to eat the majority of my calories in the evening. I am curious, why not do 19/5 if that is what your body seems to want? Do you think there any significant advantages to waiting that last hour? Or more importantly, disadvantages to adding an extra hour? I am curious about your thinking on this. I tend to be more intuitive about these things and know there is good science, but not a whole lot more.

Good luck!

AHack3

I would recommend that you chose food high in fiber and protein, also healthy fats, they will stick with you and make you feel fuller longer. Drinks a lot of water like you said. I would also say exercise, it tends to curb hunger.

tulip_in_a_cup

yep, drinking water. That's my trick! Also putting emphasis on consuming foods high in fiber and protein...

Cindyinpg

Join the Intermittent Fasting group, it is excellent and ask your question there. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting

Kevalicious99

I just never get any. No problem.

diannethegeek

I agree with loosening your schedule to 19:5 or 18:6 unless there's a particular you chose a 20:4 schedule.

LiftAllThePizzas

By eating food.

florentinovillaro

Thank you all for the input!

Some background:

I drink a gallon a day to "fill up".
My macros are 33% across the board.
I eat -1000 under my 2800 BMR

I will definitely try the Herbal tea, I've heard that many times and haven't got to it.

I have taken some of the IF members advise and is backing down an hour or 2 from 21:4, the whole purpose was to maximize my burn, but yes, I agree, I should listen to my body.

The other assumption is could it be I am not eating enough calories and -1000 under 2800 is too much?

tulip_in_a_cup

Oooh, I thought of another one- brushing teeth!!!

diannethegeek

Thank you all for the input!

Some background:

I drink a gallon a day to "fill up".
My macros are 33% across the board.
I eat -1000 under my 2800 BMR

I will definitely try the Herbal tea, I've heard that many times and haven't got to it.

I have taken some of the IF members advise and is backing down an hour or 2 from 21:4, the whole purpose was to maximize my burn, but yes, I agree, I should listen to my body.

The other assumption is could it be I am not eating enough calories and -1000 under 2800 is too much?

Are you taking your cut from your BMR or your TDEE. Either way, a 1000 calorie cut may be too aggressive, but make sure you're cutting from your TDEE rather than your BMR.

florentinovillaro

Oooh, I thought of another one- brushing teeth!!!

That's right! I refuse to eat after I brush due to my obsessiveness lol

florentinovillaro

Just an update, I decreased my fast to 16:8, and wow, my appetite came back hard yesterday. I think increasing the gap between meals during my feeding window caused me to experience some mild to severe hunger pangs.

Today I increased it to 17:7, and actually upped my calories by 100-200 on the first meal. I definitely feel more satisfied and will update everyone IF I survive today under my goal

Happy Aloha Friday Everyone!

jamiebxo

Pretty crappy, obvious advice, but apart from drinking water, I just occupy myself. Clean my room, do some Uni work/revision. I find it passes pretty quickly when I don't focus on it.

GradatimFerociter

I drink tea and coffee. No sugar and little milk.

RunFarLiveHappy

Funniest use of the wrong your I've seen lately.

I'm hunger pangs? You talkin' to me? Lol.

In all seriousness I do 16:8 and love it. I rarely want to eat outside my 8 hour window but I'm not sure I would be successful on 20:4.