Slightly hungry yields better weight loss?

nikkylyn

I think for most of us being overly hungry before eating can lead to overeating.

I have better results when I eat at regular intervals. Hit your calorie goals and exercise thats really all it takes. I know when I don't lose its because Im going over my calorie goals. You gotta really just focus and eat the right foods so your not hungry. You can def eat more volume if its healthier options vs not so healthy options so you dont have to feel hungry to lose weight.

DebbieLyn63

The question is a bit confusing, but if I understand you correctly, here is my response-

If you feel hunger because you are eating at a deficit, then in that sense, it would help you lose weight. However, some people are hungry even if they are overeating, due to what foods they are eating and their emotional levels, so just the fact of feeling hunger doesn't necessarily mean you are burning all your calories.

If you wait to eat until you are feeling a little or even moderate hunger, then that might help you stay within your calorie goals, rather than just eat because it is time to eat and food is in front of you.

nikkylyn

Right!! LOL.

I wish! I'm hungry right now - maybe I'll be skinny by tonight! :bigsmile:

mmm_drop

I can't stop watching this.



Also, eating at a caloric deficit is what causes you to lose weight; you don't have to feel hungry to do that.

KylaDenay

No, being hungry does not help with weight loss.

How come?

Why would it? You lose weight by being on an overall caloric deficit. What would feeling hungry before a meal burn more calories?

Because it means the calories are burned faster...

Where did you get this information?!

vismal

agree with above. And also, starvation mode doesn't really have anything to do with "hunger" exactly. If you believe in it (which I personally do but I know many others don't), it is an extended period of time in which you don't give your body enough calories to function on (I believe, though I'm not a doctor or anything). In that state, people usually aren't hungry actually, from what I've read. It's something that takes place after days, weeks or months of eating too few calories, not in depriving yourself when you feel hungry.

If you have plenty of fat stores you don't need to give your body lots of calories to function on. It will use the fat stores for energy. People who starve to death are not fat. It takes months and months of eating well below your maintenance level to starve. Your metabolism will slow with any kind of prolonged dieting but fat loss will still continue. Why would it stop? If you eat less then you burn where does the body make up for the discrepancy in energy?

wibutterflymagic

No, being hungry does not help with weight loss.

How come?

Why would it? You lose weight by being on an overall caloric deficit. What would feeling hungry before a meal burn more calories?

Because it means the calories are burned faster...

WHAT????? Are you even serious?

This is starting to sound like a troll to me. No one can be this ignorant on how a body loses weight.

Nicholec2003

Being hungry is not necessarily a bad thing, but I don't think that it would help with weight loss. I also don't think it would put you in "starvation mode." How far before meal time is it? If you're hungry right before meal time, it just probably time to eat. If you are still hungry between meals, eat a snack. Something like raw carrots, snap peas, or cucumber slices have crunch and will fill you up without a lot of calories. 2 cups of plain non-fat yogurt mixed with 1 ranch seasoning pack (I like the spicy ranch) is only around 10 calories per tablespoon. I am sure you could try other dressing flavors.

If your question is more "Does the fact I am hungry more mean I am burning more calories?", then possibly. If you have been exercising for a while, it is possible that you metabolism has gotten a little better and is burning calories faster.

CaitlinW19

agree with above. And also, starvation mode doesn't really have anything to do with "hunger" exactly. If you believe in it (which I personally do but I know many others don't), it is an extended period of time in which you don't give your body enough calories to function on (I believe, though I'm not a doctor or anything). In that state, people usually aren't hungry actually, from what I've read. It's something that takes place after days, weeks or months of eating too few calories, not in depriving yourself when you feel hungry.

If you have plenty of fat stores you don't need to give your body lots of calories to function on. It will use the fat stores for energy. People who starve to death are not fat. It takes months and months of eating well below your maintenance level to starve. Your metabolism will slow with any kind of prolonged dieting but fat loss will still continue. Why would it stop? If you eat less then you burn where does the body make up for the discrepancy in energy?

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

vismal

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

But this almost never happens. The body will not use muscle over fat unless your body fat is very low, you don't get in adequate protein, and you don't lift weights. A lb of muscle provides the body with around 7-800 calories worth of energy. A lb of fat provides the body with around 3500. Your body isn't dumb. It will not release muscle for fuel until fat storage become rather low.

Strokingdiction

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

But this almost never happens. The body will not use muscle over fat unless your body fat is very low, you don't get in adequate protein, and you don't lift weights. A lb of muscle provides the body with around 7-800 calories worth of energy. A lb of fat provides the body with around 3500. Your body isn't dumb. It will not release muscle for fuel until fat storage become rather low.

This. For men, this won't occur until around under 4-5% body fat and under 7-8% for women.

CaitlinW19

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

But this almost never happens. The body will not use muscle over fat unless your body fat is very low, you don't get in adequate protein, and you don't lift weights. A lb of muscle provides the body with around 7-800 calories worth of energy. A lb of fat provides the body with around 3500. Your body isn't dumb. It will not release muscle for fuel until fat storage become rather low.

Actually I understand it completly the opposite of you and we could continue to argue the differences in what we've both read, etc. but that seems pointless to me as I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm only pointing out to OP that the idea of "starvation mode" is not at all what she seems to think it is.

seltzermint555

I sure miss him.

+1

vismal

Actually I understand it completly the opposite of you and we could continue to argue the differences in what we've both read, etc. but that seems pointless to me as I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm only pointing out to OP that the idea of "starvation mode" is not at all what she seems to think it is.

Not to be mean but from a scientific point of view, the way you understand it is wrong. Starvation mode confuses people, especially new people when it is even brought up. The bottom line is that 99% of people in 1st world countries never need to worry about starvation. The body doesn't just give up muscle easily, especially when it has a surplus of fat to use, not to mention when that fat provides 4 times the energy when burnt that the muscle does. That's the whole point of fat storage. The body has more energy then it needs so it stores the energy for later use like in times of famine where calorie intakes will be low. If the body was meant to use muscle for fuel when calories are low, why wouldn't it store the majority of it's surplus energy as muscle?

gotolam

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

But this almost never happens. The body will not use muscle over fat unless your body fat is very low, you don't get in adequate protein, and you don't lift weights. A lb of muscle provides the body with around 7-800 calories worth of energy. A lb of fat provides the body with around 3500. Your body isn't dumb. It will not release muscle for fuel until fat storage become rather low.

Actually I understand it completly the opposite of you and we could continue to argue the differences in what we've both read, etc. but that seems pointless to me as I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm only pointing out to OP that the idea of "starvation mode" is not at all what she seems to think it is.

There are not "two sides" to this argument. You are simply wrong.

CaitlinW19

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

But this almost never happens. The body will not use muscle over fat unless your body fat is very low, you don't get in adequate protein, and you don't lift weights. A lb of muscle provides the body with around 7-800 calories worth of energy. A lb of fat provides the body with around 3500. Your body isn't dumb. It will not release muscle for fuel until fat storage become rather low.

Actually I understand it completly the opposite of you and we could continue to argue the differences in what we've both read, etc. but that seems pointless to me as I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm only pointing out to OP that the idea of "starvation mode" is not at all what she seems to think it is.

There are not "two sides" to this argument. You are simply wrong.

Good point and with such compelling and sound, fact based evidence! Lol. Seriously people, lighten up. Being right or wrong is no where near the point. OP was a bit confused. End of story. I'm going to go have a great friday and I hope you all do to.

seltzermint555

So basically...this thread reminds me of my mom and aunt talking about Weight Watchers in the 1970's and how some of the "key ingredients" to weight loss are always going to bed hungry (growly stomach or you're doing it wrong), and always eating grapefruit & cottage cheese.

They also went to a fitness center with those rolly things to roll away the fat and vibrating bands to jiggle away problem areas.

hmmm....

Crateria_

No, being hungry does not help with weight loss.

How come?

Why would it? You lose weight by being on an overall caloric deficit. What would feeling hungry before a meal burn more calories?

Because it means the calories are burned faster...

What?

kikiboniki

That's pretty much what I was saying...so I'm not sure what your point is. But actually, in starvation mode, your body feeds off the muscle first because muscle uses more energy/calories. Weight loss doesn't stop, you just loose muscle, not fat first. I didn't say your body didn't have fuel, but it's not getting it from the food you put into it which is, essentially, what starvation mode is as I understand it. Also, I said nothing about starving to dealth. That is a different.

But this almost never happens. The body will not use muscle over fat unless your body fat is very low, you don't get in adequate protein, and you don't lift weights. A lb of muscle provides the body with around 7-800 calories worth of energy. A lb of fat provides the body with around 3500. Your body isn't dumb. It will not release muscle for fuel until fat storage become rather low.

This. For men, this won't occur until around under 4-5% body fat and under 7-8% for women.

show me the research

missylectro

Hunger is just a feeling. It has nothing to due with weight loss. Weight loss is entirely about creating an energy deficit (eating less calories a day then you burn). You can be hungry and gain weight or you can feel full and lose weight, that's all about food choices.

How is it just a feeling? Doesn't it mean your body is out of fuel?