How do you beat hunger?

I have some really general tips for hunger that might help:

1. Make sure your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're so hard to stick to. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.

Wow, congrats on 4 years without smoking!!!! You should be very proud of that.

As for the hunger, I don't have any miracle solutions, but a lot of healthy foods can help curb appetites. Foods that are high in protein can help you feel fuller longer. I'm not a dietician or health expert by any means, but I've found that eating things like Kind bars, almonds, or veggies and hummus in between meals helps a lot. Any my motto is, if it's healthy, it's ok to indulge! So eating "too many" veggies with hummus is ok in my book. If I'm eating something nutritious, it feels more acceptable to me to keep eating until I don't feel those hunger pangs anymore. Better to keep going back for more almonds than more potato chips, I say!

I also think a lot of it is mental. You overcame the urge to smoke, so you know you have amazing will power! I've never been a smoker, so I can't understand what you went through to get to this point, but I know sometimes giving something like that up can lead to taking on other habits, like over eating, to compensate for it. But you overcame one hurdle, so I believe you can overcome the other.

you already received excellent advice. more than anything, too many starches and sweets, not enough proteins and fat causes us to feel hungry and overeat.

AmigaMaria had some good advice too, except - salads I eat for the veggies, not to help keep me full. You'll have to try it to see if it works for you.

eat filling foods, beans and soups are great this time of year, peanut butter, cottage cheese,cheddar cheese, lots of protein and fiber

I found that for me, scaling back the calories bit by bit - a hundred calories every few days - helps my body adjust to the lower calorie count without feeling hungry all the time. I've also noticed that after a week of eating at a deficit, that hungry feeling subsides as my body gets used to the lower calorie intake.

Losing weight can be very hard, but I think the biggest block is a mental one. You can definitely do this!!

Calorie counting is 99%of the battle. The notion that almonds and raisins are "good" foods and potato chips bad is all wrong. For some of us, 1oz of almonds is a good snack, because it is very satiating for 180 calorie. But if you are sitting on front of the TV munching almonds, you'll hit 800 calorie by the first commercial and keep on gaining weight faster than you will with potato chips. Set a realistic calorie goal, be honest with yourself and experiment with what type of food and meal timing proviral maximum satiety. Finally, accept that hungry is not the opposite of full. I've lost 50 pounds in 4 months and haven't been hungry once, but I've also rarely been full.

Josephfunk wrote: »

Hi my name is Joe and i'm new to the forum. I'm once starting again on working myself in better eating habbits. I have failed many times before and would really like to make it stick this time. I went though this when I quit smoking as well I would try and fail over and over again but in time the cravings went away. I'm 5'9 and weighed in this morning to see my starting point and well?... I clocked the scale at 324.6 pounds! My problem is hunger it seems no matter what I do I'm always hungry! If anyone has beat this please share with me I'm done failing damit! I find hunger a worse craving than quiting smoking cold turkey when I smoked a pack a day. On the bright side of things it has been 4 years no with out smoking and those went away but what can I do about hunger? Any help would be great thanks!

I began my journey at 350+, although I'm half a foot taller than you. I've lost significant weight, but I've never allowed myself to go to sleep hungry. Let's see--

(1) I began with a gradual reduction in my calories. E.g., the first few days I logged 3,000 calories! I didn't lose, but at least I didn't gain. I brought that down 100-200 calories/day.

(2) I learned to recognize true hunger. When you're hungry, you actually feel it in your tummy. It's not when you lick your lips visualizing cookies or fries or chocolate.

(3) Liquids can be very filling! I had three large green teas yesterday. That made it challenging to find room for more than half a sandwich when lunch rolled around.

(4) Some foods are "triggers" and make you feel like eating more. Some foods are more filling than their calorie count implies. You'll learn these over time, but generally expect fiber and protein and vegetables to be more filling than fat/sugar combinations or liquid calories.

(5) Exercise grants you a bigger calorie budget, and often you feel less hungry afterwards.

(6) Stop eating when you're full! Don't eat when you're bored. Don't eat out of habit. Don't eat to be polite. Don't eat out of stress. Save food and calories for when you're really hungry.

(7) Wait a few minutes to let the food settle before going back for seconds.

Well I will probably get some flack here but I do the low carb high fat and am never hungry. It is a totally different way of eating verses low calorie low fat. I was starving on that way of eating. Now I can go long periods of time with out even thinking of food. IT is difficult to give up the breads but if you look at my food diary you will see I a eating pork skins with cream cheese and olives for breakfast. Or I could eat a 6 OZ pork chop and eat the fat on it if I cold eat that much. I can not as I get too full. Friend me Joe if you have more questions or just look at my foods. I have lost 20 pounds and 10 in the last month.

jjuliusjr wrote: »

I would add to the last post. AllOutfo_Bubblegum is right about high fiber foods, or what is called complex carbohydrates. They are more complex than simple foods, that quickly convert to sugar; and it takes more energy to digest them than simple carbs. If you combine a complex carb with a protein for a meal, it helps to regulate your insulin, which is a hormone, that determines whether to use food as energy, or store it as fat. It also helps you to feel full, when you combine these foods together. When combined together, it takes longer to digest what you eat, therefore helping you to feel satisfied for a longer period. I would add to the last post that eating 4-6 small meals, (which includes eating snacks like a whole piece of fruit; or cutting up some veggies and munching on them); and by spacing out your meals through out the day in 2 1/2 to 3 hour increments. You also will better control your body's release of insulin. Water, is very important in helping you curb your hunger as well. Many times when we think, that we are hungry, we are really thirsty instead. Only water will satisfy our thirst. Not any other drink will do. Sugary drinks, and this includes healthy fruit drinks, actually make you more hungry. This is due to the insulin response to them. So keep yourself well but not over hydrated, by drinking at least 8-10 8 oz glasses of water; and add 2-3 more glasses, if you do intense workouts that day! I hope this helps you in your journey.

Such a great reminder...thank you When I do this it makes a world of difference ...if I don't eat every 2-2 1/2 hours my blood sugar begins to drop very noticeably. I agree eating a combo of fat/protein/carb makes such a difference and also the complex carb vs. the simple carbs can really keep the cravings away.

I appreciate you posting this... sometimes I stray off the path and this has helped me realize how important it is to stick to this for my body.