Weight Loss and Hunger

How much weight are you looking to lose? But o try not to think about food much. I plan my meals and stick to them, but if I have a craving for something fatty, I eat a avacado, drink some water and my brain will think it just had a burger example. Our bodies will crave what it needs, but it's our choices to give it the healthy needs. Chocolate I eat a protein bar, and it gets me full the chalkyness will make me eat less then what I originally wanted and I got my chocolate craving out of the way. Want soda? Get mineral water add cranberry juice. These are the small strides I do.

Yesterday I had quite a hungry day, so I ate over my goal. But I'll be trying to balance yesterday's calories throughout this whole week as I prefer to look at the weekly calories and deficit. (I tend to lose a little bit of weight at around 1600-1800 net calories)

Once you have been dieting for longer, your body gets used to the new "normal" amounts of food. When I began using MFP, I could easily eat 2500-3500 calories every day and still be hungry. Now I'm usually satisfied with 1800 or even less.

I agree 2000 is a lot of calories

Are you eating foods that are calorie dense? I eat 1200 or under every day and I'm pretty satisfied all day, almost too full sometimes to be honest.

I think it's normal to be hungry when you're making a lifestyle change like cutting calories. When I first started cutting my calories I had a hard time with hunger pains. My body was used to sending out hunger signals and being rewarded with food at any time. I agree with most people, you want to find protein and fiber rich foods to help slow a sugar spike and subsequent crash..
I managed to lose about 34 pounds thru diet alone and now I'm eating between 1300-1500 calories per day and I do not get the hunger pains I did when I first started out. In the beginning I was eating MORE calories and still getting "hungry."
Drinking water is key - if you find yourself getting hungry and you ate recently then try going for a 5 minute walk, drinking water with lemon squeeze in it, eating a sugar free peppermint (the minty freshness can sometimes curb an appetite) and if the feeling passes within 15 minutes then it may have been boredom and not true hunger.
I would advocate that if the feeling persists for longer than 30 minutes you'll want to have some pre-packed healthy snacks to keep the satiety (I have little jerky sticks, pre-packaged 100 calorie roasted almonds, a banana, or a bag of grapes in my fridge at work - any one of those will hold me over until a meal)
Best of luck!

KarenKrayon wrote: »

For those of you who have lost a lot of weight- do you still struggle with hunger? I drink 64 ounces of water daily sometimes more. I'm on 2000 calories a day. Just curious if hunger will always be an issue. Thanks.

When you have a sudden craving for something specific, it's emotional and you will almost always choose the unhealthy option. When you feel hungry, anything will calm the beast. If your 64 ounces only consist of water, mix it up with some lemonade, caffeine free green tea, decaf hot tea, soy/almond milk. Yes, the water can help you feel fuller, sometimes, but substance will help you actually be fuller and stave hunger cravings.

One great suggestion if I'm feeling hungry is to snack on plain lettuce. If it's really hunger, I will want lettuce. If its not really hunger and just a craving for something in particular, then I won't eat. Find a lettuce you like and keep it around ready to eat. I will grab the bag and even if I eat the whole bag, I just ate 40 calories. I did find that as I lost the weight if I make sure to eat at least 40 g of fiber/ day and keep my carbs under 40% of my calories then I can usually be satisfied on 1200 calories/day. I find that to be full on fewer calories I need to fill my plate with at least 50% vegetables. Often it's 75-80% vegetables. If I get my calories from pizza or refined carbs, I could easily eat a days worth of calories in a single meal! If it helps for reference I've lost 34 lbs. but still have more to go.

I'd say for a basic answer is to try and eat more fat and protein. Olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, etc. will help.

My carbs are around 100-120 grams a day and I'm eating 1500 or so calories a day and am full. I have 100 pounds to lose and am not active due to injuries and am still able to lose while not feeling like I'm starving.

If you haven't yet, try getting the help of a dietitian to adjust your actual daily needs will probably get rid of the hunger.

I have learned that fruit or vegetables are lower calorie per serving and satiety lasts longer. If I eat primarily carbs at a sitting, then I will be hungry sooner. I find that splitting my days calories into 5-6 "meals" really helps me.

Actual hunger? No...but my diet is pretty rich in whole foods...lots of fiber and lean protein so it's pretty satiating. Do I sometimes want to eat just to eat? Sure...but that's not actual hunger.