Can you be thin without being hungry?

nxd10

I was skinny and ate a lot for 30 years Then I gained 10 pounds and was still thin and not hungry for another 15.

I gained 20 pounds after that until I hit slightly overweight. I've lost that with MFP over the last 5 months and am still not hungry.

For me, it was a matter of finding foods that I loved and found satisfying and dropping a couple of foods that had more calories than I knew. Things that had lots of calories that I ate as treats - like milkshakes - I still eat now, just in much smaller portions.

I also learned a couple foods that MADE me hungry that I don't eat any more. Oatmeal and rice and waffles and other really high carb foods with no protein are great and healthy enough but I eat them and feel like I'm starving two hours later. If I eat them now, I just make sure I have food with me later.

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BTW, my son in 6'2" and in the Peace Corps. He was always really thin - he left the country at 150 pounds. But he's lost 20 pounds since and he's STILL not hungry. He just eats a diet with no snacks at all and walks around 10 miles a day because that's how people get around in rural Africa.

elyelyse

well I can't talk about thin, because I haven't been thin since I was 16, lol but, having recently lost a bunch of weight consistently over the past few months I feel confident saying...

If you pick the right foods to eat, you absolutely can eat within the appropriate number of calories and not be hungry. BUT you REALLY have to pick the right foods. (lots of protein, some good fats, whole grains) If you waste a few hundred calories on the wrong foods, then even if you consume the calories, you may not feel satisfied for more than a short time.

I don't even think its about filling your belly, shrinking stomachs etc. How filled up my belly is is not the major factor in determining if I am hungry. I went from regularly overeating by a LOT, to a 1200-1400 calorie a day routine from one day to the next, and yeah, I wanted to eat more! but I wasn't actually "hungry" I just wanted to eat.

I think a big part of this challenge is learning the difference between actual hunger, having an empty belly, and wanting to eat (which isn't the same as hunger).

dad106

5,9, Size 4(and shrinking) and eats about 1700-2000 calories day... Def. not starving on that.

beattie1

Yes, your appetite shrinks.

Does it? That's never happened to me! I just get hungrier the thinner I get.

To me, being that hungry is a signal that I'm trying too hard with the diet so a binge isn't far away. I find if I diet more gently I lose weight a bit slower but I can keep it up longer, so that strategy wins in the long run.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Really? Yes, as long as you're making smart decisions you should be fine. I find that on days when I eat candy I'm hungry, on days when I use those calories instead on veggies and fruits I'm never hungry. Oh, and I exercies and eat like a fiend.

Yanicka1

I think I am pretty thin and pretty much never hungry.

I also eat 1700 calories for weight loss and 2000 for maintenance........ahhhh the joy of taking care of your metabolism.

snowgrrl83

yes i am 5'9" and 117 lbs. I lost close to 30 lbs since starting MFP and I've kept the weight off no problem. I lost the weight over the coarse of a year or 2, thus slowly "shrinking" my stomach. If you lose weight quickly, yes you will be thinner but alot hungrier because ur stomach never got smaller it just got empty haha.

I don't want to be rude..and you probably already know this but... You are underweight.
Eat more.

skylark94

Absolutely you can. I've lost nearly 40 pounds since starting with MFP and I am rarely starving. If I am hungry, I eat.

hughtwalker

I'll be sure to let you know if I ever find out - okay?

SPNLuver83

um YES!!!

You DO NOT have to starve yourself to be thin and lean!!!

I am living proof girl.

There's this video called "eat more to weigh less" on youtube. you should check it out. http://www.youtube.com/jaymebales83

It's time ppl realized you do not have to starve to lose weight!

psuLemon

The more active you are, the more calories you can consume. Hell, I am rarely hungry at 2600-3000 calories a day.

myofibril

I think I eat more than I ever did but I exercise a lot more as well

We have a winner...

rml_16

yes i am 5'9" and 117 lbs. I lost close to 30 lbs since starting MFP and I've kept the weight off no problem. I lost the weight over the coarse of a year or 2, thus slowly "shrinking" my stomach. If you lose weight quickly, yes you will be thinner but alot hungrier because ur stomach never got smaller it just got empty haha.

I don't want to be rude..and you probably already know this but... You are underweight.
Eat more.

She's 20 years old. Leave her alone. Unless she's not having a period or ACTUALLY starving herself, she's probably fine.

snowgrrl83

How thin? I can tell you between a BMI of 19 and 21, I can maintain that weight, and never be "hungry". When I go under, I'm always hungry and it sort of drives me crazy. That being said, I try to maintain my weight at a certain level. Eating fiber foods and protein, and balancing out my macros didn't matter when I was under that BMI 19 threshold...I was simply hungry. My stomac didn't shrink or anything....

I'm pregnant now....so I'm in a whole new world.

hughtwalker

Don't you just hate it when you're just feeling virtuously 'peckish' and good about your progress and someone says, "You're not eating enough".

JennaM222

umm yes!!!!

snowgrrl83

yes i am 5'9" and 117 lbs. I lost close to 30 lbs since starting MFP and I've kept the weight off no problem. I lost the weight over the coarse of a year or 2, thus slowly "shrinking" my stomach. If you lose weight quickly, yes you will be thinner but alot hungrier because ur stomach never got smaller it just got empty haha.

I don't want to be rude..and you probably already know this but... You are underweight.
Eat more.

She's 20 years old. Leave her alone. Unless she's not having a period or ACTUALLY starving herself, she's probably fine.

I don't support anyone that is underweight to the point of meeting the BMI criteria for anorexia nervosa. Especially when they say they weren't always naturally this thin. BMI of 17.3 is NOT healthy, even at the age of 20.

AnninStPaul

Not me personally. In order to stay thin I have to deal with being hungry much of the time. No tweaking of macronutrients affects this much. The stranglehold required to not eat when I'm hungry is wearing, so after a couple of years it will eventually burn out. Then I gain weight until it recharges and comes back online. When that happens I can lose it and maintain for another couple of years.
YMMV

That's what I find too. I can eat a mixing bowl full of vegetables and still be hungry. My body naturally wants to be about 130 lbs, I think.

If that is where your body is comfortable, why not stay at 130?

determinedbutlazy

Yep. Protein and exercise. I see a lot of small, active people on here that eat over 2000 calories in maintenance.

cjosenga

Are you eating food with a high satiety level? Some foods make you feel full longer. Here is a link to som information on satiety. http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/fullness-factor