Do you dampen your appetite or satiate it?

FitAndLean_5738
FitAndLean_5738 Posts: 90 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm still trying to figure out how to turn this whole weight loss gig into a lifestyle I'd like to live for the rest of my life (at least while in college). So there seems to be two camps from my (admittedly limited) research:

Those that actively suppress their appetite via coffee, intermittent fasting, eating on a schedule, etc.
Those that satiate their appetite via eating when hungry and anticipating their future appetite by banking calories

My question is this: is either method superior? Would it be best to eat on a regular schedule, or just wait until I'm hungry and eat until I've used up all my calories for the day? If I'm hungry outside a predetermined meal time should I dampen my appetite until the next meal time or go ahead and satiate it in that moment (assuming I stay within my caloric goals either way)?

And now I broaden the question to the collective you: What do you do? Do you have set meal times or just eat whenever? Do you strictly regulate what you eat or eat whatever you want in that moment as long as you have the calories for it?

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I think whatever works at the end of the day will be different for everyone.

    I don't really have certain set meal times, but I try to make sure I eat breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner in a deficit. (The exception would be if I am in a bulking, in order to make sure I eat enough I have to eat every 2 hours or less). I am fairly strict of my food choices at certain times... Monday to Friday from 7am-5pm... .then after that dinner and weekends I am more flexible. As long as I am getting enough protein/calories I tend to ignore hunger and manage it with distraction and caffeine.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    IMHO neither is better, and I do a little of both. I have coffee in the morning which helps me lay off the calories in the morning, and I bank calories for an evening snack because I know I'm going to be hungry. Pre-logging and then tweaking what I've logged as I go is also really helpful, and often keeps me from spending all my calories in one place without forethought.

    You didn't technically ask this, but under the "making this a lifestyle" umbrella, I will add becoming more active. Both committing to exercising regularly as just "what I do" and increasing my NEAT have been major factors in maintaining my weight loss. And I believe I've seen some studies suggesting that increased activity level seems to be a key to successful maintenance.

    This is an awesome thread about increasing NEAT:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    I do this as well.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I kept my eating schedule the same as before I decided to lose weight.

    I also kept my food choices the same as before I decided to lose weight.

    The only changes I made was to make sure my protein was the focus of each meal, eat smaller portions, and to move more.

    You may need to experiment to find what works for you.

    What worked for me, and has worked through 9 yr of maintenance, was making as few changes as possible.

    Cheers, h.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    IMHO neither is better, and I do a little of both. I have coffee in the morning which helps me lay off the calories in the morning, ^and I bank calories for an evening snack because I know I'm going to be hungry. Pre-logging and then tweaking what I've logged as I go is also really helpful, and often keeps me from spending all my calories in one place without forethought.

    You didn't technically ask this, but under the "making this a lifestyle" umbrella, I will add becoming more active. Both committing to exercising regularly as just "what I do" and increasing my NEAT have been major factors in maintaining my weight loss. And I believe I've seen some studies suggesting that increased activity level seems to be a key to successful maintenance.

    This is an awesome thread about increasing NEAT:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    ^This. I also do a little of both and am a big fan of focusing on the formation of habit to effect lasting change. Increasing my NEAT was one habit I got into and now it's all just second nature. Same for regular exercise.

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    As others have said, depends on the person. I wouldn't call it suppressing vs. satiating appetite, though.
    FitAndLean_5738 wrote: »
    Would it be best to eat on a regular schedule, or just wait until I'm hungry and eat until I've used up all my calories for the day? If I'm hungry outside a predetermined meal time should I dampen my appetite until the next meal time or go ahead and satiate it in that moment (assuming I stay within my caloric goals either way)?

    I think you have to figure out what works for you. Some people are just not hungry in the morning and get more hungry when they eat, so for them following their natural preferences seems to work. For me, my hunger seems to follow a schedule if I get in the habit of eating then, and I've always basically enjoyed eating the traditional meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If I workout more (like do a truly long run or bikeride or something unusual) and so am extra hungry I might fit in a snack (or during workout fuel), but otherwise if I were extra hungry I might just eat more at a meal. And usually I'd eat my normal meal and find that in fact I was perfectly satisfied afterwards.

    Some people do well eating when hungry, but my desire to eat (which might feel like hunger) is very much habitual and responsive to other things (food I like being available, others eating and socializing, wanting to take a break or put something off or reward or comfort myself). Therefore, thinking I should eat when hungry and not eat when not hungry doesn't work for me. I'm much, much better off with structure, which means three healthful meals and maybe a small extra after dinner. But that doesn't mean I'm suppressing appetite, it means I'm normally hungry when I eat and not thinking about food when I'm not (other than perhaps anticipating something I will eat later).

    I don't have set times when I eat breakfast/lunch/dinner, although normally breakfast is after I run in the morning (so maybe 7) or else earlier if I don't run (6), lunch is broadly around noon (11:30-1:30), and dinner is pretty late since I get home late and cook (9-10). On Fridays I might skip breakfast or lunch and eat much earlier if I'm going out (dinner before theater or the like), or on Saturday/Sunday I might have a brunch/late breakfast and then dinner. I'm flexible, I just don't snack and like some sort of structure.

    As far as what I eat, I've always had the sense that meals = protein + vegetables (or maybe fruit instead at breakfast) + whatever else fills it out, and always tended to eat pretty healthfully at meals (portions and snacking and treating a nice restaurant as a reason to ignore portions were my downfalls). So my preference AND my plan are basically aligned, except I'm even more focused on trying to eat a good amount of veg at all meals (including breakfast) and making sure I have a decent amount of protein at all, unless for some reason it's not possible. I don't snack because I don't find that satiating, and I tend to regret wasting the calories unless something is really, really special, and then I try to work it into day and will include it as part of a meal/dessert.
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    IMHO neither is better, and I do a little of both. I have coffee in the morning which helps me lay off the calories in the morning, and I bank calories for an evening snack because I know I'm going to be hungry. Pre-logging and then tweaking what I've logged as I go is also really helpful, and often keeps me from spending all my calories in one place without forethought.

    You didn't technically ask this, but under the "making this a lifestyle" umbrella, I will add becoming more active. Both committing to exercising regularly as just "what I do" and increasing my NEAT have been major factors in maintaining my weight loss. And I believe I've seen some studies suggesting that increased activity level seems to be a key to successful maintenance.

    This is an awesome thread about increasing NEAT:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    Exactly. A little of both.
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,353 Member
    I think in order to make it a lifestyle, it mainly takes flexibility between all the options. Not every day is the same as the one before or the one after.

    During the week, I eat on a pretty set schedule. I get up at 4 am, have First Breakfast which is a light smoothie and head to the gym a little before 5 am. I get to work between 7 and 7:30 and have Second Breakfast once I'm settled at my desk. I have Elevensies between 10:30 and 11:00. Then I'm pretty much done eating until dinner around 7:30 or 8:00. Most of that schedule is determined by my work schedule, so things might shift a bit around meetings or deadlines, but really don't change much.

    Weekends, on the other hand tend to run more like one or two meals a day. I always eat some kind of breakfast when I get up--which is most definitely NOT 4 am on weekends! Then I usually either wait until I'm hungry or until I go out to eat with friends.

    For me, my eating schedule matters far less than determining whether I'm "hungry" or just "want to eat". Coming from the gym--I'm almost always truly hungry. Breakfast--always hungry. Watching Netflix on the couch--probably just "want to eat". Middle of the afternoon working on a project at work--probably just "want to eat", but maybe not at that point, depending on what I had to eat earlier in the day. Once I've figured out what the driving factor behind that feeling is, then I can decide whether to eat, what to eat, and/or how much to eat.

    I know it's said so often it's almost trite--but it really does come down to what works best for you and not some cookie cutter mandate.
  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I kept my eating schedule the same as before I decided to lose weight.

    I also kept my food choices the same as before I decided to lose weight.

    The only changes I made was to make sure my protein was the focus of each meal, eat smaller portions, and to move more.

    You may need to experiment to find what works for you.

    What worked for me, and has worked through 9 yr of maintenance, was making as few changes as possible.

    Cheers, h.

    ^^^ this.

    For me to sustain anything, I had to be almost unnoticeable that I was making changes. Other than portion sizing and making a conscious effort to go out and move and do things I love (wandering through nature, photography, hiking), my life is not that different than before I lost the weight. It's taking me a while to get to goal (well, to be fair, a couple years of that was due to health / food allergy issues), but other than a 10kg up/down difference in those sticky years, I've kept off the bulk of the weight I lost in 2012/2013. Now, I'm finally pushing to goal!

    To answer your question: I love coffee, so... I don't use it to suppress appetite per se, but because I LOVE COFFEE. Coffee is LIFE. I drink enough that it probably helps my appetite suppress AND my NEAT. XD XD I'm already jittery enough, too, lol.
  • Xanifur
    Xanifur Posts: 44 Member
    I'm doing IF and keto, it's pretty easy to go without eating and not even realize it. I'm not even hungry until about 3pm. Stick with it for a few weeks then it just turns automatic (at least for me) and is definitely a lifestyle change.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Some people are just not hungry in the morning and get more hungry when they eat, so for them following their natural preferences seems to work.

    I am so glad this happens to others. I thought I was the only one! I have noticed that hunger comes and goes, so I try to remind myself that it will pass until I'm scheduled for my next meal.

  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    kittybenn wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Some people are just not hungry in the morning and get more hungry when they eat, so for them following their natural preferences seems to work.

    I am so glad this happens to others. I thought I was the only one! I have noticed that hunger comes and goes, so I try to remind myself that it will pass until I'm scheduled for my next meal.

    Seems to be fairly common. I know that my life has been a lot easier once I starting pushing off my first meal until 11am. If I eat before that, I am hungry all..day..long! Plus, it gives me bigger/more dense meals later in the day.
  • kittybenn
    kittybenn Posts: 444 Member
    kami3006 wrote: »
    kittybenn wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Some people are just not hungry in the morning and get more hungry when they eat, so for them following their natural preferences seems to work.

    Seems to be fairly common. I know that my life has been a lot easier once I starting pushing off my first meal until 11am. If I eat before that, I am hungry all..day..long! Plus, it gives me bigger/more dense meals later in the day.

    I'm with you. That's exactly the time I try to wait to eat - 11 a.m. Call it IF if you want. All it does for me is shove more calories to later in the day, which is the way I'd rather eat.

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