I'm hungry. Bt that's ok.

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  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    When in doubt, drink a glass of water and wait 15 minutes. If you still "feel" hungry, EAT!
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
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    If you're hungry - EAT. Maybe your calorie goals are too low and your body is trying to tell you something.

    However, if I know I've eaten all my calories for the day and it's a decent amount, normally water helps me. But I don't feel hungry anymore.
  • otter090812
    otter090812 Posts: 380 Member
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    I'm still learning about what hunger is, and it's not as straightforward as I used to think (i.e. feel hungry -> eat), which got me to the middle of the 'obese' range.

    First step for me is to check whether it's hunger, or whether it's sadness, anger, boredom, loneliness or tiredness sneakily masquerading as hunger. With those little devils ruled out, then I check it's not thirst, and then, finally, I have to remind myself I'm not going to die of hunger if I have to wait another hour until dinner.
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
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    Personally, I get hungry in the evenings, so I eat. I don't see the point in depriving myself if my body is giving me signs that it would like nourishment. I understand ignoring a craving, but if I'm hungry that's different.

    I noticed a trend early on in my weight loss, I'm always hungry when I wake up, again in the mid morning, then again in the early to mid afternoon, eat a normal dinner between 5-7 depending on my work schedule, and then always between 8-9 I need something small. That hasn't changed from my start at 235 to where I am now in the low 170s.

    I suppose instead of trying to ignore it or satiate it with a glass of water when I know it's probably a call for more nutrients, I've made it possible for my body to have what it needs at the intervals it asks for it.
  • Kabiti
    Kabiti Posts: 191 Member
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    Reading this thread is making me hungry!! It's very easy to trigger hunger and I'm just re-starting so hunger is common.

    On the other hand, I was never hungry but for that first week or three and I had excellent results before by eating the right things. Leafy greens are very filling.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
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    I also feel hungrier in the evenings too, But then I work out in the evenings too - What times do you work out?

    Also why don't you try having a later dinner & a bit bigger?

    Have a snack before bed to fill you up?

    Pick high protein foods - They will keep you fuller for longer : )
  • yc4king
    yc4king Posts: 117 Member
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    The very first thing I did when I started my lifestyle change was train myself to be able to tolerate hunger. Hunger to me was like an order from my body to find food immediately.

    It was a painful 2 weeks of forcing myself to feel hungry, but then feeling good every time I triumphed over my body by forcing it to feel hungry for at least 2 hours before eating anything. Eventually the extreme hunger turned in to mild hunger, and then eventually just in to a "signal".

    So now when I feel hungry it's not "real" hunger, it's simply a signal that I get from my body that feels like "hey, you might want to eat something in the next while, but if you don't it's no big deal, just think about it".

    I am perfectly ok with being hungry. I have my plan for the day and if I feel hungry outside of that plan then TFB because i'm not changing the plan.

    There are lots of people that say you should never feel hungry, or that it isn't good for you, or that they think X,Y,Z. All I have to say is that's great for them, i'm glad they are living the way they are and it's working out for them, but what worked for them won't work for me. I feel the hunger "signal" half the day, I can't eat all day. I'm also the healthiest i've ever been in my life. Lost 50lbs, running 5-10km multiple mornings a week, all the while eating healthy and feeling hungry quite often. My diary is public, check for yourself.

    Hunger is just a signal, you can choose to ignore it whenever you want. Whether you choose to or not is up to you but there is no one right or wrong answer. Find what works for you and do that.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    A lot of people here say they can't trust their hunger signals. I think really experiencing them is the first step in learning to read them right and trust them. If you're afraid to ever get actually hungry, you'll never learn how to tell what is hunger vs. the urge to munch.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    A lot of people here say they can't trust their hunger signals. I think really experiencing them is the first step in learning to read them right and trust them. If you're afraid to ever get actually hungry, you'll never learn how to tell what is hunger vs. the urge to munch.
    This is completely true! I constantly was mistaking boredom, cravings, etc for hunger. There is now a distinct difference for me and being able to know that difference is HUGE
  • Nojoke81
    Nojoke81 Posts: 131
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    Since I decided to do something about the state of my physique I quickly came to the conclusion that part of sorting my sht7 out was getting used to being hungry for a few hours a day.

    Being hungry won't kill you, get used to it.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    For me it just really depends on what kind of hunger I have. Most of the time... it doesn't bother me. But sometimes I get so hungry I get physically sick (probably blood sugar or hormones related). Then it's another problem entirely and I HAVE to eat. So yeah, I'm afraid of being hungry and getting to that state.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,136 Member
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    I'd like to clarify what my "hunger" is. When I'm hungry, I get abdominal muscle cramps. If I leave it for 30 minutes, the cramps move around to my back, feeling a lot like labor pains (or kidney stones). Then I get dizzy, light-headed, and have difficulty standing upright unless I'm touching a wall or something. Since I hate being in pain when it can be easily avoided, I eat when I start getting hungry.

    I wanted to say that so I wouldn't be lumped in with the people who think I'm boredom eating or thirsty or have First World Problems about not getting to the nearest Micky Ds.
  • lizchic82
    lizchic82 Posts: 46 Member
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    I also feel hungrier in the evenings too, But then I work out in the evenings too - What times do you work out?

    Also why don't you try having a later dinner & a bit bigger?

    Have a snack before bed to fill you up?

    Pick high protein foods - They will keep you fuller for longer : )

    Thanks. Last night I worked out 5.30-6.40pm. Then came home, and ate tuna, green salad, greek yogurt and berries, with flaxseeds. Finished eating by 8.20...posted around 10pm ish...I ate over 130grams of protein yesterday, so I know I am getting enough, or at least on the right ratios.

    When I posted, I was purely noticing (for once) how my body actually *felt* rather than how I *thought* it should feel... Seems alot of people understand, the notion that we must eat whenever we feel the slightest pang of hunger, or think we feel hunger, is what landed us as overweight in the first place. I am not one to be starving hungry, as I know thats the point at which I am not serving my body properly, and its telling me something very important. I am however, trying to feel comfortable with listening to my body appetite and not to my head appetite!
  • lizchic82
    lizchic82 Posts: 46 Member
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    Since I decided to do something about the state of my physique I quickly came to the conclusion that part of sorting my sht7 out was getting used to being hungry for a few hours a day.

    Being hungry won't kill you, get used to it.

    yep :-)
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I always plan a 9 PM snack into my macros If you are honest with yourself, and plan accordingly/follow the plan you will not be hugry I have a bit of fruit or if it i spost workout a few egg whites and a bit of fruit Dont ignore your body!
  • Bellodesiderare
    Bellodesiderare Posts: 278 Member
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    I go to bed when I get hungry that late... lol
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    I always plan a 9 PM snack into my macros If you are honest with yourself, and plan accordingly/follow the plan you will not be hugry I have a bit of fruit or if it i spost workout a few egg whites and a bit of fruit Dont ignore your body!
    You can say that about yourself but you can't make the blanket statement that "if you plan accordingly you will not be hungry". Different people experience hunger in different ways. Some people can do everything right, plan perfectly, eat satiating foods, and still be hungry. Just because this doesn't happen to you doesn't mean it doesn't happen to anyone else.
  • rayonrainbows
    rayonrainbows Posts: 423 Member
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    reading this thread has really helped me form & clarify opinions i didn't even know i had about hunger.

    i remember last night thinking this is the first time in forever that i'm choosing to not eat whatever i want until i'm stuffed, just because my tummy said WTF where's my 500-midnight-calories it's used to getting, not to mention the constant flow of calories from sipping drinks all night that my body has come to expect.

    and turns out this morning i'm fine. i didn't wake up wanting to eat my arm. in fact, i still haven't made bfast because i'm waiting on my bf to wake up.

    anyway 'hunger' obv. has different connotations for everyone, so there's going to be a mix of opinions on how to 'treat' it (or how to view it as something that doesn't need to be 'treated').... i feel like most everyone on this thread has expressed a pretty healthy view of hunger --> if it bothers you, or is a starvation signal, plan your day better to accommodate it, or just eat something that satiates without going against your fitness goals --> if it's just your body's habitual response to boredom, thirst, sadness, excitement, whatever, treat it as the bodily experience it is, and learn to rise above it.

    i feel like both solutions that people have mentioned are a healthy way to deal with this complicated bodily signal, and approaching hunger without that paranoid fear so much marketing has ingrained in us can be really satisfying in regaining control of our that part of our lives
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
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    Since I decided to do something about the state of my physique I quickly came to the conclusion that part of sorting my sht7 out was getting used to being hungry for a few hours a day.

    Being hungry won't kill you, get used to it.

    ^^This. I find it very hard to feel full. It doesn't matter if I'm dieting, maintaining or bulking, I'm hungry most of the time. I've just accepted that I can't eat going by my hunger cues alone or I'd be back flirting with 200lbs on the scale. It's a small price to pay , imo.
  • MyMalfunction7
    MyMalfunction7 Posts: 61 Member
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    I definitely do experience a desire to eat way, way more often than I experience actual, physical hunger. Especially the last few weeks, when I've been in recovery from surgery and laying around the house all day, I've been eating out of boredom more often than not and it's been giving me some issues. I'm still trying to learn how to separate physical hunger from just wanting a snack, and it's rough. Luckily, I'm back to work soon haha.

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