Embarrassing question

Audmama26
Audmama26 Posts: 6
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
How do I know if hungry?

Today is my first day of my lifestyle change and I don't want to over eat or indulge into mindless snacking.

Replies

  • slittle80
    slittle80 Posts: 80 Member
    For starters, drink plenty of water. When you feel like you're hungry, drink some water and try to focus on something else to make sure it's not boredom or emotion. If you still feel hungry 10-15 minutes later, have a small healthy snack.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    If you hear your stomach growling, you're hungry. But that doesn't mean you have to eat.
  • jagi410
    jagi410 Posts: 97 Member
    My diet "coach' says: "If you're feeling hungry, picture eating a plate of vegetables (raw or steamed, no seasoning or sauce). If that truly sounds appetizing, you're probably hungry."
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    What slittle said. Sometimes when you are hungry its becayse you are mistaking it for thirst. Drink some water. If that doesnt do it in 20 minutes and you are still there , then its likely to be hunger.

    What id say is look at your diary and see what you are eating, make sure its a realistic calorific deficit you are setting and maybe look at what you are eating, then move towards foods that will leave you feeling fuller longer.

    As its a lifestyle change and the project is going to take some time, then just logging without restriction is useful prep so you get an understanding of what you eat. Set a realistic traget when you start and dont be too severe or you will burn out/ binge.

    Get some friends and let them review whether your target is reasonable as well as giving basic advice on what to eat.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    It doesn't matter if you're hungry

    What's wrong with being hungry?

    Chances are if you've just eaten it's not hunger.

    Stick to your defecit ,,if you've eaten within the last 30 mins don't eat more ..take a drink of water, if you're still hungry after 30 mins of first hunger pang eat something if you can afford it in your calorie defecit
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    What's your calorie target?

    If your target is reasonable for your height/weight/age/activity level, then just wait it out. Sometimes it takes a week or two to adjust and to stop feeling hungry. That's mostly psychological hunger, but it can feel just as real as the physical kind.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I agree with many of the above. It's OK to be hungry. You're going to be hungry. Stick to your budget.

    Personally, I'd have to be ravenous to find a big plate of vegetables appetizing... ;)
  • salobrau
    salobrau Posts: 38 Member
    Keep saying "Hunger is your friend!" and drink some water.
  • lindsaylove07
    lindsaylove07 Posts: 444 Member
    jagi410 wrote: »
    My diet "coach' says: "If you're feeling hungry, picture eating a plate of vegetables (raw or steamed, no seasoning or sauce). If that truly sounds appetizing, you're probably hungry."

    This. If you are 'craving' something unhealthy, think for a minute of a steak or a salad, something healthy. If ALL you want is that unhealthy thing, you are just craving that thing, you are not truly hungry.

  • adillhoff1
    adillhoff1 Posts: 3 Member
    If you think your hungry try drinking a glass of water first, if that stops the thoughts then you were board or thirsty. If not its not good to "starve" your body, Keep a yogurt on hand its only 90 calories and makes a great snack. Also get up and do something, one it keeps you active, and two your mind will focus on something else and let the hunger slip away untill you are actually hungry.

    Good Luck!
  • GingerbreadCandy
    GingerbreadCandy Posts: 403 Member
    I found that if I need to question myself about whether I'm hungry or not, I most likely am not hungry.

    Also, a bit of hunger is fine. :)
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    Our company nutritionist suggests that you regulate your hunger by being aware of it... gauge it from 1-10... with one being your so hungry you're ready to start looking for gum from underneath desks. chairs and tables... and 10 being your so full you're avoiding any sharp objects less you get poked and burst like a balloon. The idea being to keep it on "5" so.. throughout the day...you gauge... if you get to 2 or 3 it's time to have something to eat...but stop if you think your approaching 7 or 8...

    She also said that many times thirst is confused for hunger... so always start a meal with a glass of water before hand. AND take your time eating... a balanced diet is NOT just about making sure you stick to balancing the nutrients... it's also about maintaining a balance to you when, where and how much you input.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I'm thinking that big plate of vegetables sounds pretty good about right now.
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  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
    jagi410 wrote: »
    My diet "coach' says: "If you're feeling hungry, picture eating a plate of vegetables (raw or steamed, no seasoning or sauce). If that truly sounds appetizing, you're probably hungry."

    I like this.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I think when you are starting out you may find that hunger isn't a great signal to go by. Start with a modest deficit and get into the habit of sticking to that. Take this time to pay attention to how your body feels at various points across the day, but don't necessarily eat just because you feel hungry. Once your body gets used to less food and more defined meals, your hunger will start to make more sense. At that point you do want to start to follow your hunger signals a bit more. Generally how I do it is I use my hunger to figure out my snacks. I eat 3 meals a day and I want to be hungry about 30-60 minutes before each meal. If I am getting hungry much sooner then I will have a snack in between my meals. If I am hungry at 11 and lunch is at noon, I'll usually wait until lunch to eat. The time when I will let myself get and stay hungry is after dinner, although if I feel ravenous I will eat a snack because otherwise it would interfere with my sleep.
  • Davies_EL
    Davies_EL Posts: 15 Member
    I've found that it helps to plan little (healthy!) snacks in my day. A few carrot sticks mid morning or the like, til I get used to eating less.

    And yes. Water. Lots of it. If you find water a bit boring get one of these:
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fruit-Infusing-Bottle-Infuser-colours/dp/B00L4JN8SM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1421686006&sr=8-5&keywords=fruit+infuser+water+bottle

    Although some fruits will add a lot of calories to your diet, mint and lime works pretty damn well though
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    The thing is, the OP hasn't mentioned how many calories she's eating.

    Audamama26, if you entered your info into MFP and targeted a rapid (1.5-2lb/week) loss, and MFP told you you should eat 1200 calories, then, depending on your height and weight and how much you have to lose, you could well be eating too few calories.

    The first thing to make sure is that your deficit is reasonable for your stats and goals. If it is, great, stick with it, and give it a few weeks and you'll probably stop feeling hungry. If it's not, reduce the deficit to something reasonable and *then* do the above.
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    Seriously?

    How do you know if alive?

    --

    FYI - hunger is a request, not a demand. You are free to ignore that request whenever you like. Most of the successful folks here have that one all figured out, even if they don't state it explicitly .
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    I generally agree with girlviernes above.

    When I started, my focus was on how best to split up my calories for the day. I started with a modest breakfast and lunch to leave extra calories for the rest of the day. If I felt hungry in the middle of the afternoon, I would check my available calories against the snack in mind. Knowing what would be left for dinner, I decided if a snack would be worth it or not.

    To help ease the transition, I recommend starting with preportioned breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. This makes tracking and counting calories much easier, as well as training your body on proper portion control.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited January 2015
    I learned myself to eat 5 times a day
    3 meals and 2 snacks.

    So i am not hungry i have an appetite around the time i normally eat something.

    Really hungry goes with feeling weak and could eat a horse right now..maybe tired etc. Growling stomach.

    Well for me.
    So i ignore any appetite in the hours i dont normally eat. My simple thought behind this is that i am not going to die in the meantime if i wait till it is time to eat something.
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
    I agree with basically what everybody has said! When you start, you will feel "hungry" all the time. It'll take a while to get used to a reduced calorie intake, so you just need to make sure and hit your calorie goals and drink plenty of water.

    Once you are used to it, you will KNOW when you're hungry.
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    edited January 2015
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    If you hear your stomach growling, you're hungry. But that doesn't mean you have to eat.

    So....don't do what your body wants to do? You do not get where you want to be by forcing your body into not eating when it wants to. That, I believe, is what people with anorexia do because they have self-hatred and feel they should suffer. That will only have a boomerang effect. The trick is to learn how your body will use the food, and learn what will satiate you for longer while still making your body operate efficiently. When you are hungry, you should eat, because when you force yourself not to eat, neurons cannot fire, you lose brain power, you get weak. When all that starts to happen, you have waited too long. You will never gain more by eating when you are hungry. Where people gain weight is eating when they are not hungry, and/or eating too much when they do eat.

    Medical issues aside, the only way people gain weight (in the long term) is by eating more than they use. So instead of fighting hunger, embrace it, but just educate yourself on how to eat in a way that will benefit your body. That is where the challenge lies. I think that if anyone says "don't eat" when you are hungry, they don't have a clue.

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