Do you eat even if your not hungry?

patriciamoretti2 · October 2019

Trying to loose weight, my highest has been 275, my lowest was 195 many years ago, but in my younger years I was 160-175. I am older now of course (young 65). Have been dieting off and on for many years, lose, then gain. I believe I sabotage myself once I'm doing good. Went to see a weight management specialist, she told me I should eat between 1200-1500 + exercise. I have no problem with that, I've actually have been trying to do 1,200. I got down to 210, then (now), I'm 224 (5"4). Do I eat even if I'm not hungry? Today, I have 2 cups of coffee and yogurt. Its afternoon and I'm not hungry, but usually I eat lunch around 12:00 (at work), if I'm hungry or not. So, say I'm hungry around 4:00, and eat. Then when I get home I cook dinner for my husband and kids, and usually will eat dinner with them, even if I'm not hungry. So, should I just eat the 1,200 calories no matter what time it is. Or should I eat something around breakfast, dinner? I know, I'm confusing myself. I could wait until my next weight mgmt appointment, but that's 5 weeks.

ElizabethKalmbach · October 2019

The *time* you eat doesn't matter, as long as you get your minimum calories in. After that, it's whatever works best with your schedule and your appetite.

I have to time my feedings around medications that can and can not be taken with food, so I go largely with that and haven't had any problems.

I frequently have appetite problems, so there are days when I set timers to remind myself to check if my calories in = my calories out. I have trouble eating more than 1200 calories at one go, so I try not to let it get too far off from that if I'm having a number of days when I just don't feel like eating. If I've not been hungry by dinner, I just try to meet my calorie goal for the day while I eat with family, because then all the chewing doesn't seem like an imposition on my time.

ElizabethKalmbach · October 2019

You might benefit from pre-logging planned meals and packing your lunches/snacks in advance if your brain follows instruction better than your stomach does.

anubis609 · October 2019

You're not hurting yourself if you don't eat when you're not hungry, especially if you have a lot of fat to lose, but daily protein is important, and even more so if you're dieting (it's important for organ and muscular function and repair). You can't bank protein like you can with fat or carbs.

Easily digesting protein like whey isn't very filling, and is an easy way to get protein in throughout the day if you're not hungry. The not so scientific estimate for protein is to eat 0.7-1.0 grams of protein as your ideal weight. If your ideal weight is 120lbs, then you would get anywhere between 84-120g per day.

Though, when you ARE hungry, do eat as well as you can with a focus on nutrient dense food as a majority, and whatever else you like as long as you're within your calorie goals.

lgfrie · October 2019

I scope out my whole eating day in the MFP Diary in the morning to make sure my calories for the day will hit the target precisely, although as the day rolls on there's usually a few adjustments here and there. My eating day ends at 7 pm sharp with dinner/desert, so if I have any calories left over, I eat Dove Promises 43 calorie chocolates until the calories are all gone LOL I try never to eat more than 20 cals under the target. Especially on a 1,200 calorie plan, I think it's unwise to eat under the target and that number should be considered the minimum, not the maximum.

HoneyBadger302 · October 2019

You may find that hitting a weekly, rather than daily, deficit more helpful. That would give you some wiggle room - days you're not hungry, you can "bank" a bit, and then if you're especially hungry one day, you can "safely" have a little more.

I am almost never not hungry (a bad injury when I was really fit being the one time in my entire life I've had to force myself to eat - no appetite for over a month - but knew I needed food and protein). There are days I'm less hungry, but those are almost always soon followed by "extra" hungry days.

I still try to eat in my calorie range though, and just deal with the hunger (or lack thereof). If I'm not particularly hungry, it can be a good day for eating something in my cupboards/fridge that is more calorie dense, or I can add some butter to my veggies or some other "treat" - easy ways to bump calories if you're struggling to hit your goals regularly.

AnnPT77 · October 2019

Good nutrition and adequate calories are important for sustainability of a weight-loss plan, over the months (maybe even years) it will take to lose a significant amount of weight.

The rare day where you're less hungry, it's not a problem to under-eat your goal by a bit, but it's not a great idea to under-eat it by a lot day after day or otherwise frequently. Undereating can lead to subtle fatigue that drains activity out of daily life (rest more, active less) so can result in reduced daily life calorie burn: That would be counter-productive.

If you've recently increased the proportion of your eating that's nutrient-dense for its calories - more veggies, lean meats, etc. - that kind of eating can be more filling, especially at first. But it's still necessary, most days, to get in adequate nutrition (enough protein, healthy fats, and those veggies/fruits, especially).

Personally, even now (in year 4 of maintaining a healthy weight), I don't let myself go under my protein, fat, and veggie/fruit targets very often, even if that means going a little over calorie goal occasionally. I think routine, consistent good nutrition is even more useful and important as we age (I'm 63).

NovusDies · October 2019

The answer is that it depends. As @AnnPT77 points out there is the issue of energy management that many people do not take into account. I have figured out through trial and error that even if I am not hungry for an entire day (which does happen to me) that I have to eat a certain minimum of calories because it will tank my energy by the next day. When my energy tanks my hunger will sometimes kick into overdrive and I will eat far more than I actually need. This was a contributing factor to my weight gain.

I can also skip my lunch (first meal of the day for me) or delay it so long I get ravenous later.

While I eat different amounts on different days I eat at around the same time because routine keeps me consistent. I manage myself by a 7 day average and when it falls too low I simply eat a nice treat meal like pizza to bring it back up.

Athijade · October 2019

Yes and no.

I try to only eat when I am actually starting to feel hungry. That is my preferred way to handle things and what I believe to be healthiest for me. That said, it can be hard due to my work schedule, when I have meetings, what I need to do after work, and when I need to get to bed. So sometimes I am stuck eating when I am not really hungry, but I know in 1.5 hours I will be and I have a meeting then so that would not work well. Meetings plus hunger make me cranky. So I would eat before the meeting even it I wasn't as hungry as I would like to be.

maybe1pe · October 2019

No, part of what made me overweight to begin with was eating when I wasn't hungry. Over the last 3 years I've taught myself how to listen to my hunger signals again and only eat when hungry. It's allowed me to maintain 115 lb loss for going on 2 years. Somedays I'm more hungry and somedays less so. Over the course of a week or two it balances out.

rainbow198 · October 2019

If I'm not hungry I don't eat. If I'm having a hungry day I will go over my calories. I do work and workout from home so it is easier for me then most people.

Also, I look at my calories on a weekly basis, so some days are higher or lower then others. But at the end of the week I maintain my weight (or continue losing when I was losing weight) since my calories all balances out.

Maybe try playing around with your macros or planning out your meals ahead of time. You mentioned you eat lunch around 12 if you're hungry or not. Maybe try getting in a light walk on those days when you're not hungry if you can.

Jockyscott95 · October 2019

Yes it’s a big problem for me over the last few years. It’s almost a compulsion to keep eating even if I’m full. Probably one of the factors to me gaining so much weight recently but I still don’t know the cause.

Sylphadora · October 2019

I have to, or else I would never eat!

I do zero carb and I'm never physically hungry but that doesn't mean I don't have an appetite

I love food and look forward to my meals very much

Do you eat even if your not hungry?

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