How to control hunger

Don't go more than 3 hours without eating protein.

These are my really general tips for hunger:

1. Make sure that 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 having a hard time. 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. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

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.

I keep a bit of cooked chicken in my fridge for when I need protein, or I feel super hungry. It usually does the trick. I'm more of a grazer though, so, for example, I may not eat a real breakfast, but I snack on veggies until lunch.

The trick is finding out when eating works best for you, and what foods you need to eat to feel sated.

nvmomketo wrote: »

Fats helped me. I eat LCHF, and find my appetite is greatly diminished. I could forget to eat for 6 hours at a time.

Definitely this. But if I eat fat with a bunch of carbs (like a cheesy creamy pasta bowl) forget it. Hungry in an hour or less. So for me it's both lower carbs and eat more fat. I try to keep protein moderate.

Eat healthy fats, lean proteins and veggies. Decrease processed garbage that doesn't provide micronutrients to your body. Look up "low glycemic foods" in Google and stick to eating food on that list. Eating a treat every now and again is good too, but shouldn't make up the majority of the foods you eat.

If you open your diary, you can get more specific advice.

This is what I do.

Although sometimes I work through my hunger, I don't always. I have some ~100 calorie snacks that take the edge off when needed. This is in addition to the 5-6 times a day I eat. These meals are about 200-400 calories and I try to ensure I have good amounts of protein and fiber in them. My diary is open.

Like others have said or implied, if you are having trouble your current calorie allotment, it would be better to increase it while still being in deficit.