Can you be thin without being hungry?

melsinct

I lost 30 pounds, am now "thin" (I think?- 5'7" size 6/8) and am rarely hungry. I mean truly hungry, not "I want to snack because I can" hungry. Big difference and a big part of weight loss is differentiating between the two.

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:)

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.

I am saying that I am not underweight ! never was ! it's only when BMI is used that I become underweight and unhealthy.
My resting heart was gained by training not by a brain injury. The heart can get stronger like any other muscle. It's probably up to 48 by now as I haven't exercised in weeks. I started at ~76.
You feel when you run how strong you are, no need for heart rate measurements. If you can run 11 miles with ease, you are probably healthy.

qtiekiki

What do you mean being hungry? Like constantly hungry? That you can't eat a lot? Or do you mean that you can't eat even when you are hungry?

I am thin. I eat when I am hungry. I never let myself go hungry for the sake of being thin.

crazyvermont

Try putting in terms of can you be healthy without being hungry and Yes, you can and your body will then hit and maintain it's natural weight. If hungry all the time, I'd evaluate the foods consumed, how often, and really compare you calories consumed to those spent. You can not win and maintain your desired weight if you net caloric intake is too low. Eventually our appetite wins out. Best luck as yu continue your journey to health!

rml_16

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.

I'm overweight. By BMI, body fat, whatever you want to use, I'm overweight. My resting heart rate is 52. I am quite healthy (at least according to all my doctors). I imagine if I continue to exercise as I do and get down to a much healthier weight, my RHR will be pretty low.

I was 102 pounds at 5'3" when I was SIX MONTHS PREGNANT. And the docs weren't worried. I was healthy. I had a healthy body and gave birth to a 7lb 6oz, healthy baby who is now a healthy nearly 18-year-old.

The girl who started this whole thing does not appear to be unhealthy. She has some muscle and fat on her. She's 20. She probably hasn't finished growing yet. If she's still having periods (and you have NO WAY of knowing that), she's probably OK. She took more than a year to lose 30 pounds. If she were truly starving herself, it would not have taken that long. Let her family, friends and doctors worry. You don't know enough about her from what you've seen on this website to say she is underweight FOR HER.

neverstray

Being hungry is more in your head than actually in your stomache. When most people think they are hungry, they really aren't. When most people say they are full, they are actually over-full. It's a mind game. It's rarely actually physical hunger.

MizCJ84

You can be any size and not be hungry. It's all about getting ahold of your hunger by eating the right foods. For me, I choose to eat low carb, high fat and high protein. This keeps me satisfied for many hours.

fteale

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?

I am below that, but I get hungry a lot. I don't feel hungry when I am a bit heavier. I am currently 123 lbs and look ok, but feel kind of low grade hungry most of the time.

bookwormwendy

It seems the longer I do this, the less it takes to fill me up, though on days with big burns I tend to snack more. Having said that, finding low calorie foods you can load up on helps. Veggies, salads (watch the dressing!), fruits, and foods that you can enjoy without a large calorie accumulation help.And water, lots and lots of water. A lot of times when we feel hungry our body wants water.

fit4lifeUcan2

Yes, your appetite shrinks.

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

I wouldn't say you have less of an appetite but I was skinny till 2 years ago. Always was skinny till then. Long term use of heavy doses of steroids for MS caused me to balloon up. It also made me feel famished all the time.

OK that being said to control my appetite now I eat foods that are filling and that last longer in your gut like oatmeal, cottage cheese, blue berries, lots of fresh raw veggies. Get the picture? In other words high fiber foods. Instead of having that 200 calorie nutella on white bread have a 3 cup bowl of romaine lettuce with mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes etc and a cup of chopped up chicken breast meat, and 2 TB spoons of a lite dressing. The salad is fewer calories and has more bulk to it and is more satisfying than the nutella which is loaded with sugar and hydrogenated oils and doesn't fill you up at all.

mfpcopine

I think it depends on the person. But it is important to distinguish between true hunger and a desire to eat.

LorinaLynn

I would have to think that if you're hungry and not satisfied with the amount of food you're eating to maintain a weight, you're trying to be a weight that's too low for your body. The happiest I've been is when I stopped giving a damn what the number on the scale said. I was about 125 pounds last October and have gained since then, currently around 133. I'm the same size or smaller than I was then, going by how clothes fit, photos and measurements. The number on the scale is meaningless. But if I'd tried to stay at exactly 125, I'd have to "diet" to stay that weight. And I don't want to diet. I never wanted to diet.

I'd like to be a little tiny bit leaner for Halloween, so I'm eating at a slight deficit... and that's a total of about 2000 calories a day. I'm completely satisfied with the amount of food I eat.