Do you get hungry when dieting...?

jseo123

This may sound kind of stupid, but does anyone else get hungry when cutting calories? I usually eat 1300-1400 a day (5' 3", 123lbs), and I'm usually really good about keeping it up, but on some days, I get really really hungry.

Right now, I'll just eat at those times when I just get too hungry to stand it (I don't go crazy and overeat or anything, maybe eat 300 more calories or so), but would you have any tips or ideas for what to do in those situations? Is it okay to just eat (like I'm doing now) or should I be doing something else?

I'll eat and then get a bit scared that I won't lose weight and all the efforts and everything I've been doing up till now is useless.

CallMeRuPaul

I don't get hungry at all. matter of fact, I can't hit my calorie and protein count. I'm on a strict diet for the next 8 weeks and I have to eat 3400 calories of clean food. I'm consuming, on average, 3000 calories a day. the struggle! I think you need to eat more protein to keep you full longer.

365andstillalive

A little bit of hunger is pretty typical, but you shouldn't feel like you're starving. If I'm under-eating, I 100% feel that way.

I obviously know absolutely nothing about you or your eating habits, but I'd really encourage you to figure out what your BMR is and eat to that; that will ensure that you're not under eating, which means that your body (assuming you eat well) will be getting the nutrients you need, as well as enough calories to properly function and to stop real hunger. If you're constantly feeling the need to go over what you're eating now, its a good bet that your BMR is higher than the 1300-1400 a day you're aiming for. If you also calculate your TDEE you'll be able to see the difference between those numbers. Even a 500 calorie deficit means 1lb lost per week.

Just to give you an example, I'm 5'6ish, around 170, and 22 years old; my BMR is 1620, my TDEE just over 2200, so my daily deficit is around 580 calories, so around 1.2lbs per week.

Rayman79

Firstly, yes, hunger is perfectly normal when in a caloric deficit ("dieting"). You are essentially giving your body less fuel than it needs to survive so it will tap into its stored energy sources - your fat. Naturally, especially early into a diet, you are going to get pretty hungry sometimes.

How you approach the hunger is very dependent on the individual though. Some people are able to have small snacks and see off their hunger 'til their next meal, but this doesn't work too well for me. I personally would rather put up with the hunger for a while, and plan a really voluminous meal for later in the day that is going to really fill my stomach (think about 2+ pounds of food). I can fit a lot of lean protein and vegetables in with a low calorie total, so this works great for me.

The most important thing to remember is that for weight loss/fat loss it is your total intake that matters most, followed by the quality of food sources, then your meal timing as a distant third. Just experiment to see what works best for you personally.

ahoier

Actually......since this new "lifestyle change" (I refuse to call it a diet.....I'm a lifer here....in it to WIN it.....for LIFE) I have found I'm not as hungry as I used to be......I've found since ditching the crackers, sodas, potato chips, etc......I'm simply not as hungry as I used to be.....likely due to the fact that I now focus on real food.......rather than fake, "for the moment" food.......granted, I still eat my cheese cake, I still eat dunkin's donuts......go to all you can eat buffets.......but it's all about timing.....if I feel I deserve it, I'll take it I bust my butt in the gym at least 4 days a week.....sometimes 5-6 even.

On a similar related note....take for example, I used to eat Subway a LOT.....I could down a whole foot long tuna sandwich on wheat.....ofc, I feel for the "health craze" that oh it's a sub, loaded with veggies, it's healthy! Well.....since my journey, I don't know, I find it hard to even down a 6 inch.....lol. My ma tells me oh your stomach is just shrinking.....but I don't know......I still load up on some all you can eat lol....my typical cheat meal

Kalikel

Hunger is very typical when you first start. Your stomach has to shrink and all that. It's also normal to be hungry sometimes when you're not eating enough. It's okay to be hungry when you're losing weight.

You need not be hungry. You can eat loads of lettuce and berries and other low cal things and fill up on those.

I have learned to listen to my body. When it don't feel like eating, I just don't. When I'm hungry, I eat.

I wonder how many people out there have days where they eat more and days when they eat less. I'm going to start asking healthy people.

RegularOats

Depends on the foods I had consumed and water intake throughout the day, generally warmer foods with minimal calories such as soup or porridge fill me much longer than non warm food with the same calorie intake. Likewise, the more water I consume, the less hungry I become.

I do get extremely tired, as my body is clearly not use to restrictions on intake.
Generally most people do get hungry

kimny72

You've already gotten some great advice! So I just wanted to add one more thing...

While you can lose weight eating anything that fits in your calories, some foods are more satisfying to some people than to others. Like how some people can eat takeout Chinese and be hungry an hour later

It might just be taking your body time to adjust, but if you are eating a lot of calorie dense foods, you might want to try eating more lean protein, or more veggies, to get more "volume" in your diet without increasing the calories. Just something to keep in mind if you are struggling with the hunger you are experiencing...

Hang in there and good luck!

NoMoreBlameGame

Yes, I do get hungry...or at least I think I'm hungry, but I redirect and drink a big glass of water and either do my wall exercises, or I'll read my book, or I'll come to the forums here, lol...or I'll play with the dogs, or *something* other than eat...usually I'm not hungry after I do that, which tells me that I wasn't really hungry, just *bored* and thought it was hunger.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's my body that's hungry, or just my mind.

ana3067

Only if I'm eating waaay too carb-heavy or I'm under-eating. But I do not go below 2000 (~20% deficit for most TDEE websites based on my stats) thus I don't often feel all that hungry. If I were eating your caloric goal, I'd definitely be hungry.

Turning_Hopes_to_Habits

Yes, but so far I've just held it off for a little while and sometimes it goes away. If it doesn't I eat healthy things that I also enjoy until I'm not hungry anymore. That means sometimes I do go over my calories, but usually the day after or the next day, I'm naturally less hungry for whatever reason and it evens out. Actually, it doesn't even out, I eat less more often than I eat more. I keep careful track of my weekly averages so make sure I'm still at a deficit each WEEK. My monthly cycle seems to have a significant impact on my hunger levels, with fairly predictable days of super-hungry beforehand and then a day or two of absolute food apathy after. So far it's working, which is nice, because I am miserable when I am truly hungry. And as annoying as it is, my reality is that there are days when it takes a whole hella lot to not be hungry. Luckily I like many healthy foods such as vegetables and leafy greens and seafood and fruits and oatmeal and popcorn and mini-wheats with almond milk. I binge on those, and while my calories go over a few times a month, they aren't empty calories and the over-days are more than offset by the under-days.

But I'm only 6 weeks or so in, with a LONG time ahead of me, so I can't know that what is working now will continue to work as I'm less overweight. Hope it helps you some, though.