Can you be thin without being hungry?

likemeinvisible

Yes, I've been thin all my life and rarely felt hungry. You get used to your intake.

auroranflash

The more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs to maintain that muscle, thus raising your RMR or resting metabolic rate. Eat smart (lean meats, fruits, veggies, whole grains, not a lot of sugars or calorie-heavy simple carbs such as chips), exercise to strengthen your body, and make sure you are getting enough to eat.

MFP sometimes sets your calorie goals too low. Check here: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

Run your numbers and you may be surprised what you find. The numbers may require some tweaking to find the 'sweet spot', but, to the surprise of many people, you do not have to be in a severe deficit to lose weight and change your body composition. It does take time and dedication, planning and action, but it is definitely doable.

If you make a plan you can stick with and think of it as a lifestyle choice instead of a diet, you are much less likely to feel the need to 'quit' the 'diet' and risk gaining back any weight you have lost.

Best of luck.

chachita7

It always comes down to what it is that you are eating... if you are keeping a balanced diet (and by diet I don't mean DIET) you shouldn't feel hungry all the time.

For me (and of course might not be the same for everyone) the 40, 40, 20 works (of course when I am 100% keeping up with it) - what that means is - my eating is divided in to 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats

NovemberJune

I've gone from 85 lbs overweight to healthy weight and I don't go hungry.
I usually eat around 1800 now. I know that's a lot for some and low for others. 2000 seems like it will be about right for me.

SarahofTwins

Whether I've been big or small I'm always hungry or wanting to snack on something....

I know of others who eat small meals and still get pretty full.

likemeinvisible

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.

The BMI was invented 150 years ago, there are better ways to measure health. My highest BMI ever was 18 and I never was at a worse state.

Hendrix7

Of course you can.

To think otherwise or to purposely put yourself through such stress on a day in day out basis is totally absurd.

cruzcrzyMarie

It does come down to WHAT you are eating. I am at goal (129 pounds) and I eat constantly, LOL.

psuLemon

The more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs to maintain that muscle, thus raising your RMR or resting metabolic rate. Eat smart (lean meats, fruits, veggies, whole grains, not a lot of sugars or calorie-heavy simple carbs such as chips), exercise to strengthen your body, and make sure you are getting enough to eat.

I want to stress this point. If you want the ability to eat more calories, then work on gaining another 20 lbs of muscle. More muscle = more calories.

Arexxx

Um.. 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.

The BMI was invented 150 years ago, there are better ways to measure health. My highest BMI ever was 18 and I never was at a worse state.

BMI has been heavily debated for people that are at the high end point of the range because of the muscle/fat body ratio. However, at a low BMI, there isn't enough fat (nor muscle) to change your health status. Basically, from one underweight person to another, they all have a very close % of body fat and muscle.
Your genetics may have made you thin, but this person above was not born this way...she had to lose 30 lbs.
She was at a perfectly healthy weight before she started MFP to lose the weight (BMI 21.7), right smack in the middle of the healthy weight range. She didn't "unintentionally" lose the weight, which gives off signs that this person is unhappy with their body image when at a healthy weight.... which would be another sign of the anorexia nervosa diagnosis.

meggonkgonk

Probably depends on what you are eating...

Graelwyn75

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.

The BMI was invented 150 years ago, there are better ways to measure health. My highest BMI ever was 18 and I never was at a worse state.

BMI has been heavily debated for people that are at the high end point of the range because of the muscle/fat body ratio. However, at a low BMI, there isn't enough fat (nor muscle) to change your health status. Basically, from one underweight person to another, they all have a very close % of body fat and muscle.
Your genetics may have made you thin, but this person above was not born this way...she had to lose 30 lbs.
She was at a perfectly healthy weight before she started MFP to lose the weight (BMI 21.7), right smack in the middle of the healthy weight range. She didn't "unintentionally" lose the weight, which gives off signs that this person is unhappy with their body image when at a healthy weight.... which would be another sign of the anorexia nervosa diagnosis.

Totally agree with you.

EccentricDad

Yes. The question is, can you not be hungry and still be healthy? And the answer is "no".

likemeinvisible

BMI has been heavily debated for people that are at the high end point of the range because of the muscle/fat body ratio. However, at a low BMI, there isn't enough fat (nor muscle) to change your health status. Basically, from one underweight person to another, they all have a very close % of body fat and muscle.
Your genetics may have made you thin, but this person above was not born this way...she had to lose 30 lbs.
She was at a perfectly healthy weight before she started MFP to lose the weight (BMI 21.7), right smack in the middle of the healthy weight range. She didn't "unintentionally" lose the weight, which gives off signs that this person is unhappy with their body image when at a healthy weight.... which would be another sign of the anorexia nervosa diagnosis.

There's nothing wrong about wanting to be thinner when you're already thin, doesn't mean you're crazy. Just because her BMI was at a healthy range doesn't mean she was healthy, she could be very weak and suffer lack of nutrients. Don't rely on BMI as a measurement of health.
When are you thin ? when you feel like it. I didn't feel good about myself when I could pinch a handful off my belly. I've sorted that out and improved my health, see my resting heart rate to the left. If I asked people before I started they would say, you're too thin to workout, go get a pizza. I could do just that, be happy with my body image, and be much less fit but I Imagined a firmer body for myself:)

snowgrrl83

BMI has been heavily debated for people that are at the high end point of the range because of the muscle/fat body ratio. However, at a low BMI, there isn't enough fat (nor muscle) to change your health status. Basically, from one underweight person to another, they all have a very close % of body fat and muscle.
Your genetics may have made you thin, but this person above was not born this way...she had to lose 30 lbs.
She was at a perfectly healthy weight before she started MFP to lose the weight (BMI 21.7), right smack in the middle of the healthy weight range. She didn't "unintentionally" lose the weight, which gives off signs that this person is unhappy with their body image when at a healthy weight.... which would be another sign of the anorexia nervosa diagnosis.

There's nothing wrong about wanting to be thinner when you're already thin, doesn't mean you're crazy. Just because her BMI was at a healthy range doesn't mean she was healthy, she could be very weak and suffer lack of nutrients. Don't rely on BMI as a measurement of health.
When are you thin ? when you feel like it. I didn't feel good about myself when I could pinch a handful off my belly. I've sorted that out and improved my health, see my resting heart rate to the left. If I asked people before I started they would say, you're too thin to workout, go get a pizza. I could do just that, be happy with my body image, and be much less fit but I Imagined a firmer body for myself:)

Are you trying to say that a resting heart rate of 44 BPM is healthy while being underweight? You better check your numbers and your science. Look up sinus bradycardia, it is both characteristic of athletes and anorexia patients. It is characterised as a heart rate of under 50 bpm.

Tokkeditok

I can only tell you my experiences, but I think one can be not hungry and thin. I was anorexic for a very long time but have finally recovered (after 3 years of therapy, I think I'm able to say "recovered" and mean it ) I am still very thin with a BMI of 18. I am eating what I like, when I like. And if I want some more, I eat it as well! I just love healthy eating so I'm not the chocolate binger anymore. When I am hungry, I eat some carbs (like fruit or a slice of bread with cheese), and a handful of nuts. The fat in the nuts make you full for a long time, until it's time to have a larger meal. I'm not hungry at any time of the day and still am thin.
And I also have some days, like every two weeks or something like that, when I literally binge and eat a lot, even unhealthy foods. I try to eat normal the next day - and I never gain weight with that, and if, only slightly.

estitom

It depends on what your body wants and needs. And how you define 'thin'.

MelissaGraham7

For me, the trick is really learning what HUNGRY is. Eating for me was mostly habit rather than hunger. Emotional eating, time of day eating, etc. Seldom am I really HUNGRY. I have to really work on that...not eating just because I am accustomed to eating when I'm through work, snacks, etc. I have found myself eating when I'm still full but for some reason thinking I'm hungry. I am sure the answer is YES, you can be thin without being hungry. You can be fat without being hungry. You need to train your brain to understand and respond to actual hunger cues not emotional, habitual, and eating out of boredom, etc.

starcollapsing

don't know if you can be... I've had an ed for a long time and though I'm not underweight at the moment I am a way below *my* healthy weight (and don't get my period) and I am really struggling because I am ALWAYS hungry.