Eat only when hungry? I don't think so.

Blogged this yesterday evening but want to post it here too.

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Is there any scientific basis for the following? I have no idea. There may, or may not, be smarter brains than mine who have studied this. What is below is just my own ramblings that make sense to me.

How many of us used to eat when we weren't hungry?

How many of us used to skip meals because we didn't feel hungry?

My guess is... a lot of us. And that's why we're here.

Our bodies are miraculous things. They can adapt to cold and to heat, to humidity and aridity, to privation and plenty.

When we are cold, our brain tells our muscles to shiver and our hairs to stand on end to warm us up. When we are hot, our brain tells our sweat glands to go on high alert to layer a slick of cooling water on our skin, to increase circulation near the skin to transfer that cooling power to the depths of our bodies.

When there is privation, our brain tells our body to slow down, to not use so much energy, to store that excess fuel, initially sending out lots of hunger cues to try and get us to eat more, but eventually stops sending those cues because it too takes energy.

When we skip meals, or don't eat enough, we tell our brain that there isn't enough fuel. It thinks it needs to conserve its energy.

When there is plenty, our brain tells our body "full speed ahead", use that fuel, and sends hunger cues regularly as the body needs to refuel.

When we eat, but we're not really hungry, our brain will tell the body to store the excess, and as there is more weight the more fuel is needed to power it; our brain is going to start telling us the body is hungry more because it does need more fuel to run the larger system.


The brain is a miraculous organ, but not infallible. By yo-yo dieting, we've been sending mixed messages to our brain and it no longer knows when to tell us we need more fuel and when it doesn't.

So many say, "Eat when you're hungry. Don't eat if you're not hungry." Unfortunately, for many of us, this is not good advice; at least, not in the beginning. When we first start eating regular, healthy meals; our brain may be a bit confused. It needs time to adapt.

We're here to retrain our brain and our body to know when it needs fuel, and when it doesn't. But in the beginning we need to use the tool called MFP as it is intended.

We need to be honest about what we weigh, what our activity level is, and how much we are exercising. MFP will give us a reasonable goal. We need to eat when it is the right time to eat, even if we are not hungry. We need to stop eating when we have reached our caloric goals, even if we are still hungry (within reason here, folks).

Soon we will be able to trust our brain when it tells us we're hungry, or that we are not.

But in the beginning of our journey, we need to do what is healthy, regardless of what our brain is telling us.


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Your NET calories (on your home page) should be as close to the daily goal MFP set for you as possible.

Your REMAINING calories (on your homepage and food diary page) should be as close to zero as possible.