A doc told me something no one else has....

This is soooooo true! Thank you for posting it!

I am a snacker by pure habit. It has nothing to do with hunger. The last 2 days, I decided to say "I am committed" versus "I'll try". Day 1--I logged what I ate and it was hard!!! I definitely ate a few things and then didn't log them late at night.
Day 2, I was going stir crazy watching an episode on tv with my son that we watch together with no snack!!! Not hungry, just habit. My portion at dinner was probably larger than the websites.

So I have realized, it will take "training" for me. I will feel hungry, but it is learning how to eat within my goal range and not snack secretly at night!!!

one post i read recently "If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, you aren't hungry".

Anyway, thanks for the post and the responses!

This is soooooo true! Thank you for posting it!

I am a snacker by pure habit. It has nothing to do with hunger. The last 2 days, I decided to say "I am committed" versus "I'll try". Day 1--I logged what I ate and it was hard!!! I definitely ate a few things and then didn't log them late at night.
Day 2, I was going stir crazy watching an episode on tv with my son that we watch together with no snack!!! Not hungry, just habit. My portion at dinner was probably larger than the websites.

So I have realized, it will take "training" for me. I will feel hungry, but it is learning how to eat within my goal range and not snack secretly at night!!!

one post i read recently "If you are not hungry enough to eat an apple, you aren't hungry".

Anyway, thanks for the post and the responses!

I saw something similar recently about if you are hungry eat some broccoli. If you don't want the broccoli then you aren't that hungry. Same analogy as the apple except apples are delicious and I would definitely eat an apple even if I wasn't hungry. Broccoli is good too, but it doesn't curb my sweet tooth.

I would MUCH rather feel hungry than be a heffer for the rest of my life.

My advice to you is what I've actually been following myself. Somebody told me when I started NOT to freak out about being hungry. Be hungry. You're body is just looking for something to burn... So let it. SET snack and meal times. This is a bit easier for me since I work in an office and have the same lunch time every day, wake up and have breakfast the same time each day, etc. If you feel hungry in between, drink water. Often our body mistakes thirst for hunger. Chew on some ice chips.

It sounds odd, but it works for me. I've lost 13 pounds by keeping my meal and snack times set. I have breakfast at 7, morning snack at 10, lunch at 12, afternoon snack at 2:15, and dinner around 5:30. This is slightly more flexible.

For me it is not a question of hunger.....I am almost never huiingry and when I am....I just eat more.

Weight loss mean that you can't be childish and get what you want when you want it.

I have yet to be hungry while losing weight. I eat easily 4x as much now as I did before, but I'm eating good, healthy, nutritious foods so I get to eat a lot more of them for a lot less calories (I'm losing 2lbs a week).

Ditto. Though, I have slowed down to about 1-1.5 lbs per week. I'm eating a 1250 calorie diet, working out at least 20-30 minutes a day alternating cardio and strength and eating back most of my exercise calories. If I feel hungry, it's usually because I didn't fuel myself properly before a workout or because I didn't make a smart snack choice. I'm a huge advocate of protein. And I don't eat "starchy carbs" for dinner- I have them for breakfast or lunch so that I have time to burn them before bed.

I didn't find that to be the case. I was never really hungry (unless it was close to meal-time when I should be hungry). I just ate roughly 2000 calories a day and let things happen. I never felt like there was any reset or transitional period.

If you are hungry, then you are doing it wrong.

this is a good time to adjust your daily protein intake higher, i wouldn;t say cut out carbs, but lowering them to 40% is perfectly normal, and is easily sustainable, increasing your protein with this will help with feelings of hunger because it's very filling and lasts a good while, also foods that are naturally high in protein are generally lower in calories, so you get a massive benefit from this very minor adjustment

well worth looking into

I agree on Atkins marketing being very gimmicky since they push "frankenfoods" loaded with weird ingredients (like their bars, which are okay in moderation, although I never eat them).

A keto approach (focusing on getting your carbs from vegetables and some fruits) has helped me eat more whole foods. I've been cooking at home instead of going out or getting drive thru foods, shopping for fresh produce, and the change has been drastic. I, for one, have had more energy since making these changes.

No, you don't need to do keto, Atkins, South Beach, etc. to experience this or learn how to eat properly. But keto taught me how to fuel my body without feeling hungry, so I'll stick with that "gimmick" for as long as I can.

But back to the OP:

In my personal experience, I find that the less the food is processed, the longer it "sticks with you."

Have you considered a low carb or ketogenic approach? Eat as much as you like within reason. The loss of refined carbs means you never feel hunger pains. I dont want to preach too much but I highly recommend looking into it as it completely changed my perspective on "diets".

low carb diets are gimmicks. unless you plan to live that way for the rest of your life, they don't really help you learn how to have a healthy relationship with food. it's better to learn how to eat all foods in moderation, because that best equips you to maintain your loss 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years down the road.

i suggest an "If It Fits Your Macros" (IIFYM) approach. unless you have a medical condition that requires you to limit carbs, carbs and fiber are useful nutrients.

I have to disagree. I agree that its not practical to eat low carb for life, at least in the strictest sense but to call it a gimmick ... in the nicest possible way ... shows ignorance.

the ignorance is on your part, not mine. low carb is very much a gimmick diet. you will lose water weight as a result of cutting your carbs drastically, but this is not sustainable. professional bodybuilders do that in the days leading up to a competition in order to get their "leanest" look, but you can't sustain it. atkins is also a well recognized gimmick diet that cuts carbs down to minimal levels. again, this is not something you can sustain for long periods of time without facing possible health risks.

http://www.atkinsexposed.org/printer-friendly.html

This is way too complex a subject to argue about here I suggest we just withdraw with grace.

We can both through studies and pages at each other that will make the other look wrong but ultimatly its down to individual choice and needs.

carbs are not bad. and any low carb diet is an unnecessary restriction in my opinion (unless medically necessary). that doesn't mean that certain types of foods don't fuel your hunger. breads and pasta do it for me. they are calorie dense (carb dense) and they leave me hungry again, sooner. but i don't have to go low carb to avoid overeating and i don't have to omit those foods from my diet. i just have to exercise restraint and decent choices with my meals most of the time. this is the key to success and sustainability.

the issue i have is with this argument.

A can lead to B. B is bad. therefore A must be avoided.

it's completely spurious and it's a frustratingly common mindset i run into with low carb'ers. i wish everyone who didn't have to restrict carbs for medical reasons, could free their minds and understand that IIFYM is the simplest and most direct method for planning your caloric and nutritional intake. but for whatever reason, some can't see the forest through the trees and become militant about their low carb philosophies. if you haven't seen them, you will soon enough. there are 3 or 4 well known ones who will likely discover their thread and come in here before the day is through...

I agree on Atkins marketing being very gimmicky since they push "frankenfoods" loaded with weird ingredients (like their bars, which are okay in moderation, although I never eat them).

A keto approach (focusing on getting your carbs from vegetables and some fruits) has helped me eat more whole foods. I've been cooking at home instead of going out or getting drive thru foods, shopping for fresh produce, and the change has been drastic. I, for one, have had more energy since making these changes.

No, you don't need to do keto, Atkins, South Beach, etc. to experience this or learn how to eat properly. But keto taught me how to fuel my body without feeling hungry, so I'll stick with that "gimmick" for as long as I can.

But back to the OP:

In my personal experience, I find that the less the food is processed, the longer it "sticks with you."

put better than I managed. Appologies to the OP for hijacking with my arguments :oD like the above I get fustraited when people think low carb is all atkins and eating steak all the time lol.

Doctors aren't nutritionists.

Have you considered a low carb or ketogenic approach? Eat as much as you like within reason. The loss of refined carbs means you never feel hunger pains. I dont want to preach too much but I highly recommend looking into it as it completely changed my perspective on "diets".

low carb diets are gimmicks. unless you plan to live that way for the rest of your life, they don't really help you learn how to have a healthy relationship with food. it's better to learn how to eat all foods in moderation, because that best equips you to maintain your loss 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years down the road.

i suggest an "If It Fits Your Macros" (IIFYM) approach. unless you have a medical condition that requires you to limit carbs, carbs and fiber are useful nutrients.

I have to disagree. I agree that its not practical to eat low carb for life, at least in the strictest sense but to call it a gimmick ... in the nicest possible way ... shows ignorance.

oh the irony..... please, please, please show me one peer reviewed study where limiting carbs had any effect on fat loss vs a control group eating the same number of calories and not limiting carbs....... please...... just 1.

When I feel hungry I go for raw vegies or a spoon full of peanutbutter or a change in what I"m doing it helps .and drinking all your water it helps too [ keep ya full ]

I am never hungry, just bored
I had to learn to tell the difference.