How long did it take for the hunger feelings to go away?

Helloitsdan

So, how long did it take for each of you to finally not feel that tugging feeling when you were hungry from your trimmed calorie diet? I'm currently on week 3 of my diet and exercise plan and I still feel hungry at times. Right now my stomach is a bit achy even though I have almost met my limit for today and have been making decent choices.

Will I eventually get used to it?

I'm never hungry. How many cals are you allowing per day? Hope you arent cutting too much since you look kinda lean in your photo.

apriltrainer

I started skipping breakfast. It took 2 weeks for me to no longer want breakfast. ( I usually do leangains style daily fasting)

i used to try the protein route too but it didn't matter. I'd still be hungry 2 hours after breakfast. IT didn't matter if it was healthy irish oats or egg veggie omelet. I'd be hungry with either.

So two weeks and I no longer wanted breakfast. Amazing because I am usually hungry ALL the time.

Then again...there are some weeks I will have breakfast like regular people and be hungry all the time! This was one of those weeks.

Other times..i won't touch breakfast at all.

I find that when i am about to start my period, I want breakfast. When it's over- i am fine and not as hungry.

So it never REALLY goes away. It can come back. I just find that I know there are times i will be able to control it and sometimes i cannot.

rml_16

So, how long did it take for each of you to finally not feel that tugging feeling when you were hungry from your trimmed calorie diet? I'm currently on week 3 of my diet and exercise plan and I still feel hungry at times. Right now my stomach is a bit achy even though I have almost met my limit for today and have been making decent choices.

Will I eventually get used to it?

Part of this is figuring out what foods are more satiating than others and you haven't been doing it long enough to have that figured out. One of the best ways to start is make sure each meal or snack has a good mix of fat, fiber and protein. And tricks like drinking something hot (tea or coffee) help with hunger when you know you shouldn't eat.

You will get the hang of it eventually.

imhungry2012

I felt the exact same way at first...took about a month and a half for me to adjust to my lower cal daily intake and exercise. I was eating way too much before and not exercising so it took some getting used to the reduction as well as making better choices.

I eat pretty much all of my calories and most of my exercise cals everyday now and actually feel uncomfortably full when I go over on the occassions that I go out to eat/drink with friends! Give yourself some time and don't beat yourself up if you go over...just continue to imrpove your choices and try to stay on track..eventually it will be second nature!

desiv2

When I only ate 1200 calories, this is what I did and it worked:

- Eat more veggie type foods, higher volume/lower calorie
- Try including more protein or fiber (The stuff that 'sticks' to you)
- Drink more water/tea/coffee (Anything that isn't full of sugar and calories that can help you feel more satisfied)
- Chewing gum really helps
- Space your meals out so you eat every 2 hours

When I ate this way with 1200 calories I wasn't often hungry, I got used to it but I had also been eating that way for months..now that I've raised it to 1600 I'm defiantly not hungry and way less miserable thanks to the energy boost. I also lose more! It still helps to eat this way, I feel like I can stick with it now.

bethann4486

I went from around 2000 calories a day, I'm sure sometimes more, all the way down to 1200 and it was definitely an adjustment but I also started walking 4 miles every day and always found that just the exercise itsself would help with the cravings, usually once I came back from my walk it woudl take me a long time to be hungry and ready to eat. Filling up on more protein and fiber though will help to keep you full even if they have more calories it's worth every one to not have that nagging feeling in your stomach.
I've been doing this for over 6 months now and there's no way I could ever eat the way I used to, making the change is hard but SO worth everything in the end. Just keep up the good work!


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hollyNhollywood

Honestly, I never felt hungry. It was a matter of cutting out certain foods/drinks and instead eating more balanced, whole foods. Just being wiser with choices.
The times I DO get hungry, I listen to my body and eat more.

*To add to what others are saing, I eat protein and good fats (love avocado) and I try to eat 5 - 6 meals (I usually have a morning and afternoon snack, as well as a dessert)

DG82

I find I have the same problem too, maybe I should start adding protein to each mean/snack to keep me over... I've been trying really hard to make a huge effort in drinking a LOT more water since I pretty much existed on coffee prior to getting back on MFP. Good luck! We can do this!! :-)

profgal43

I will agree with others; protein and healthy fats helps stave off the hunger for me. I love avocado on everything. I have also learned to eat more frequently. When I am hungry I eat something: a greek yogurt, cottage cheese, a piece of fruit... Maybe I 'm wrong but I don't thing you should be hungry all the time. If you are maybe you need a bit more food. I have fallen down in the past because I could only go hungry for so long. I know I can keep this up for the long run because I am not hungry all of the time. Best of luck!

LorinaLynn

First, I had to differentiate between hunger and boredom. The desire to munch on something isn't the same as true hunger. If I wanted to eat, for instance, an entire bag of Butterfingers, that wasn't hunger. When I'm hungry, I just plain want to eat, not just a craving for a particular food.

Choosing the proper weight loss rate and activity level mattered a lot, too. 1200 calories, even with exercise calories, was too low for me. I never had enough weight to lose to choose 2 pounds a week anyway, so when I moved to one pound a week, and then a half pound a week, it afforded me enough calories to satisfy my hunger.

Having more protein than MFP suggests made a difference, too. Not so much in my appetite, but in my energy and fitness levels. Once I started aiming for 100g of protein a day, I was able to run faster and longer, hold planks longer, do pushups from toes instead of from knees... everything just got easier. And it takes our bodies longer to digest protein than carbs, so we stay feeling full longer. And I love carbs, but their for quick energy... like lighter fluid. Getting more protein and fat is like having a slow burning log catch flame.

Once I figured those things out, I was only hungry when it was time for a meal or a snack. If it was between meals, I had a snack, like a piece of fruit or a protein bar, sometimes a candy bar or ice cream or pretzels. But usually no more than 200 calories. If it was close to meal time, I'd just wait til meal time.

namluv

People may hate me but I didn't really struggle with hunger... but there is a reason. I drink 5-6 24oz glasses of tea during a 8hr work day and I am consistently over the daily fiber goal by 5-15 by getting in all my fruits/veggies.

jlapey

Judging from your profile pic, you definitely don't look overweight. You look great. But...if that's not a true portrayal and you are hungry then perhaps you dropped too many calories too soon. I can't tell you what you might be doing wrong since I can't see your diary but here's what my trainer told me:

Multiply your current weight by 10 or 12 (10 if you have a lot to lose, 12 if it's just a few pounds) The number you get is how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current size. To lose weight, subtract no more than 200 or 300 (do not go under 1200). This is your daily calorie amount. You must eat this much or a little more. NOT LESS! On days you exercise, eat a bit more to fuel your body. You should get 30+ minutes of strength training 3 times a week and a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week. More is better with cardio. You should eat breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. Spacing your meals this way keeps your metabolism going. Try for 40% carbs (NO WHITE STARCHES), 30% protein (lean), 30% fat (good fats).

I'm only 5 feet tall, 159 pounds and 42 yrs old. I want to lose 40 pounds. This is the advice he gave me. You can try it. He made it sound like a pretty general formula for MOST people. At least, it's a place to start and you can tweak your program to what's best for you.

Good luck!

edited to add: Drink LOTS of water!

JanieJack

Some meals still leave me feeling ravenous not matter how big the portion, so I avoid them: soups, vegetarian salads,

OH my goodness yes!! This is so true. I used to date a bodybuilder who insisted that you can fill up on veggies. He insisted I was just mental/lacked willpower when I told him that's not true for me.

I can eat a HUGE mixing bowl full of salad and NOT feel full. But if I add some hard boiled egg or some tuna, THEN I feel full. That protein really helps my body. Every body is different.

SailorJerrysRum

Subway sandwiches (why??).

Me too! I'll have a footlong and 20 minutes later I'm still unsatified, yet a teeny burger and small fries with hold me over for 4 hours.

As for the OP's question, depending on how bad your original diet it could be days, weeks, months, even years. I was and sometimes still am a person that eats as a hobby. I still have trouble with accepting my new portions, and I'm two month in the game. Yet I see people who had it much worse than me and they are skating by faster, so it's mental also.

A lot more fat in the burger and fries. Fat and protein will make you feel full longer.

perhaps I should get extra mayo and olive oil?

neverstray

You shouldnt ignore legitimate hunger. Ever.

I would have a pretty strong argument that almost no one on this site knows what that means.

alpine1994

Just to preface, I'm not one of the angry people!

I started my journey in May this year, and I still have days where I'm hungry all day. I try to stay within my calorie goals, but I refuse to go to bed starving. Yesterday was one of those days actually, and before I went to bed I had a banana with PB and felt much better. Went over my cals a little, but I was under for a few days previously, but it all worked out.

The first 6 weeks or so was really hard. It's so insanely hard to break life-long eating habits. Now, even though it's only 5 months later, it's like second nature to be healthy. I've lost about 14lbs since May, so it's going slowly, but creating new habits is the MOST important part. The weight is consistently coming off (after a 1 month plateau in August, I just did a little readjusting) and I set mini goals for myself along the way.

Bottom line, eat when your hungry, but just try to eat something that will benefit you and keep you full. Protein helps a LOT, and you can search the message boards for "protein ideas" to help when you're making your grocery list. Of course lots of water too. But really, most important thing is willpower. You just gotta want it.