Can you be thin without being hungry?

fteale
fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering.
«13

Replies

  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    I have a friend who has to eat every three to four hours, she is hypoglycemic and she weighs about 105 lbs. She isn't any hungrier than I am. So...yes one can be thin without being inordinately hungry
  • shan1204
    shan1204 Posts: 36
    Yes, your appetite shrinks.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Yes, your appetite shrinks.

    Does it? That's never happened to me! I just get hungrier the thinner I get.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
    Yes, your appetite shrinks.

    Doesn't I eat like a buff and I'm lean, it's a subtle mix between habits, genetics, culture and mindset :)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I'm only hungry when it's time to eat a meal or snack. Then I eat, and I'm no longer hungry.
  • jllove871
    jllove871 Posts: 84 Member
    Yes, starving isn't necessary! Reducing serving sizes is and yes there will be a short adjustment time as your stomach shrinks. I have noticed over the years that when I am hungry I am not loosing weight, rather I am gaining as a natural body defense to hunger...starvation mode. When I eat small portions and snack in between meals combined with exercise I lose much faster. I think its the combination of frequent small bits of healthy intake that boosts metabolism and exercising burns off excess not needed in the form of energy. I could be wrong but thats my take.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    I eat more than many people bigger than me but I eat healthfully - lots of fruits and vegetables, things like rice and quinoa to bulk it up. If you eat enough fiber and protein you will stay full but not go over you calories. You can eat about 3 cups of vegetables for only 100 calories. That's a TON of food so mentally you feel full too.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
    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
  • Patovader
    Patovader Posts: 439 Member
    I eat like a horse and am at goal, in fact I think I eat more than I ever did but I exercise a lot more as well :)
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    I'm thin--at goal--and I eat when I'm hungry. I work out 6 days a week so that I can eat, but I eat pretty much what I want. Even have dessert most days. I agree with some of the others that you have to eat well. Processed carbs make you hungry. Plenty of protein and fiber make a difference.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    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.
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    I eat more now than I ever did! Every time I go to my dads place for dinner he comments on the fact I eat so much food and that he doesn't understand how I've lost so much weight, the only times I'm hungry are at 3am most nights.
  • Angie_1991
    Angie_1991 Posts: 447 Member
    I didn't used to think so...either I'm used to the calorie intake now or my brain finally got smart and figured out I didn't need all the crap...
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Yes.
  • blakjac6
    blakjac6 Posts: 41
    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.
  • catodd
    catodd Posts: 37 Member
    You need to proportion your food the right amount of carbs protein and fat. If you get your carbs from fruit and veg and not rice bread and pasta. You should feel loads better. Read a book called enter the zone. It explains everything you need to know about how it all works. When I first heard of it I thought it was aload of crap, then I read it and ive been zoning for some time and I can honestly say I havent felt better!!! EVER.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    The only time I get really hungry now is if I blow my calories on really lousy food choices. Most of the time, I'm fine, and I'm still eating at a deficit to lose. I'm assuming it will be the same or better when I'm at maintenance.

    When I was 107 lbs (way back...waaaaaaay back), I did fine. I ate well, but I also exercised well - I wasn't hungry - I was satisfied.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Back when my metabolism still existed, I ate anything and everything I wanted and wore a size 3.

    Now that I have to watch, I just choose what I eat more carefully. A good combo of fat, fiber and protein with each meal or snack will hold you. I actually struggle to eat more than 1,000 calories. Yesterday, I was at 1,300 with a 300 calorie elliptical session first thing in the morning and I felt so stuffed by the end of the day I could have puked.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    If you don't starve yourself, sure.
  • tjphelps73
    tjphelps73 Posts: 171 Member
    Well....I am not thin...BUT - ALL my thin friends eat me under the table, so, YEP, you can be thin and not starve. I think everyone needs to understand and recognize the signs of being hungry versus needing hydration - both can send hunger pain signals.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    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.

    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
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    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
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    5,9, Size 4(and shrinking) and eats about 1700-2000 calories day... Def. not starving on that.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    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
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    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
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    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
    snowgrrl83 Posts: 242 Member
    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
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    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
    hughtwalker Posts: 2,213 Member
    I'll be sure to let you know if I ever find out - okay?
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    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!

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