How hungry are you, most days? Are you comfortable being hungry?

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  • harmar21
    harmar21 Posts: 215 Member
    edited June 2015
    LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »
    harmar21 wrote: »
    LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »
    I'm in a permanent state of hunger whether I'm cutting or maintaining. I'm a hungry girl.

    If I'm honest with myself, it's not always actual hunger - I just love to eat. I eat when I'm happy, sad, bored, stressed, sleepy, excited, neutral, etc. I eat at home, work, on the go, etc. I'm always up for food. That's why pre-logging and tracking in general is so important for me if I don't want to weigh 600 lbs.

    In reality, I'm never so hungry that my stomach is growling and I feel like I'm going to die if I don't eat soon. However, eating high-volume meals/snacks as often as possible keeps me pretty happy throughout the day. I can always eat more, but I know I shouldn't if I don't have the macros to spare, so I don't. I do have actual hunger more often when cutting, and that's totally normal and expected. It all comes down to self discipline as long as you're not depriving yourself too much in the first place. If you're hungry because you're only eating 1000 calories per day, you need to eat more. If you're eating at a moderate deficit and losing at an acceptable rate, it's up to you to ignore a few hunger pangs here and there.

    When I'm actually hungry and my body really does need food, I get cranky (or hangry, if you must). That's how I know it's real hunger versus something else. If I'm in a crap mood, my husband is always there to say, "we need to get some food in you, now." I only get that way maybe once or twice a week during maintenance, and that's usually because I like to put off breakfast on weekends so I have fewer hours to fit all of my macros into - therefore, bigger meals. Sometimes I put it off too long and my mood takes a nosedive until I eat.

    I used to be like that. Figuratively, a bottomless stomach. The only ways I felt were hungry or stuffed. Never satisfied. Doing 6 months of keto completely fixed it for me. I stopped keto a few months ago and still no longer have that problem. Most of the time im either satisfied or just slightly hungry. I do sometimes get late night cravings though, so Ill grab some carrot sticks.

    Yeahhh, glad it worked for you, but this girl will never do keto. However, I did Atkins for four months when I was in high school and it made me hate food (and life in general), so it's kind of the same thing. Screw low-carb - I'd rather be fat, to be quite honest. Luckily, those aren't my only options.

    ah ok. Yeah defeinitely not for everyone. I originally started with Atkins and didnt like it. I switched to keto and enjoyed it more. But after about 6 months of doing it I started finding it too much of a pain in the *kitten* so I stopped. But doing keto provided the benefit to me of having no more bottomless stomach (although maybe I would have had the same benefit from any sort of diet.. maybe it was more my stomach just shrunk)
  • SFCStank
    SFCStank Posts: 25 Member
    Soopatt wrote: »
    I have been hungry every day since starting this. Every single day.

    Not a problem - I can manage it - it is not going to kill me or anything, but there it is.

    Does anyone not get hungry, eating at a deficit? I can't see how that would work. If you were having enough, I imagine you would be eating at maintenance, not a deficit....

    I'm rarely hungry and when I am, I eat. The trick is to eat right, with the right foods. Walking around hungry is just walking around miserable and that just makes zero sense to me because it's self defeating. No one wants to constantly be reminded that your trying to loose weight and to me that's what the hungry feeling is.

    I'm 46 and currently eating at a 500 calorie deficit (1706) from my RMR requirements (2206). I exercise 2 to 3 times a week to increase my caloric burn (free weights - running / elliptical). What I've found is I plan my food ration for the day (I log it every morning when I wake up - my entire day) and drink a gallon of water daily.

    But enough about me. The reason you should not wait till your hungry to eat is because it can actually lead to burning through your food ration too quickly and cheating. It takes your brain quite a bit of time to stop the hunger signals even though you have enough food in your stomach to make it happy. The trick I use is eat BEFORE your body tells you you're hungry. I find that if I wait till I'm hungry I start craving more which is also self-defeating because it creates the "well I could cheat now, and burn it off later with more exercise." The problem is, I never do. I don't want to put myself in that position of questioning myself, it only creates more misery. Weight loss doesn't have to be miserable. If you are miserable while doing it, you're probably not going to sustain it which is why I'm here now, again. I've dropped 60 lbs in the past through sheer willpower but I couldn't maintain it because I was miserable. This is a lifestyle change not just a body change. If you're suffering through hunger, you really should reevaluate your food intake method.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    edited June 2015
    I tend to be hungry during the day even when maintaining, because I chose to save like 60-70% of my calories for dinner and late night snacks since thats when I enjoy eating. Its worth it. On days where I'm REALLY hungry I'll eat and just cut down later, but most of the time its not a problem
  • biggsterjackster
    biggsterjackster Posts: 419 Member
    I only eat when I start to feel hungry so yes, I experience a little hunger every day.
  • Northernlight03
    Northernlight03 Posts: 1,980 Member
    If i don't drink enough water during the day I feel like my belly is screaming for food, as to when I'm really hydrated and having water with my all day I seem to manage better
  • golden6911
    golden6911 Posts: 50 Member
    Interesting thread.

    I am fortunate in that I have almost always been in the normal BMI range for most of my life. Recently, probably due a combination of being over 40 and having a more sedentary job, I have been pushing the higher end of normal (24), so I have been trying to be more vigilant about keeping under my calorie goal. If I don't track anything, and I am just left to eat whatever, I am rarely ever very hungry, just slightly between meals. However, when I do feel very hungry, It is very intense. I tend to get light headed and weak and I need to eat NOW or I just have no energy.

    The last few weeks I have been strictly weighing, measuring, and eating under my calorie goal, and I have to say it is very hard for me. I am pretty much a little hungry and lightheaded most of the time, even just an hour or two after eating, with periods of intense hunger late in the afternoon. It is too early to know if I am making any real progress, but I am not sure if I will be able to sustain this for months at a time. I am trying to make sure I am getting a decent amount of protein, which does help a bit. I am not even eating at a huge deficit either, just looking for 0.5lb a week loss.

    Maybe I am just wimpy, or I am just not used to it, but I really hope it gets a bit easier.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    I'm usually not hungry. I'm starving today, but that's ok. I'll try to eat healthy today and do the same tomorrow. I find when I eat healthier, I am not as hungry. more nutrient dense foods with lots of protein and fiber.
  • Holly_Wood_888
    Holly_Wood_888 Posts: 268 Member
    When you are hungry, often your body is saying 'give me water!'
    Drink More
    If your hungry eat veggies that are almost free:
    Bell Peppers, Celery, Cucumbers, Onions ...
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