How do you deal with hunger?

13

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 28,238 Member
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    So...do I just bake/roast it???

    You can. If you bake one whole, it can be mashed and used in dips and things (like baba ganoush - though that has tahini so more caloric, but other dips are possible). Chunks in soup or stew or pasta are good, either cooked with the food, or roasted/sauteed/stir-steamed and added at the end. I like to roast slices with a topping, sometimes (stuff like pizza toppings, say); or use thin layers to make a thing similar to lasagna but with eggplant instead of lasagna noodles. Thin slices can also be used to make a rolled-up baked thing (rollatini) with a filling. You can make them into boat-shapes, and stuff with a filling (use the scooped-out part in the filling, or put it in soups or whatever).
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    edited February 2021
    Re: how to deal with hunger.

    I don’t think I’ve ever actually felt real hunger before.

    I’ve been fortunate to always have food in my house or available to me. I wouldn’t wish hunger on anyone.

    The stories I have heard from elders about hunger during the war years has left an indelible mark on me. I desire to eat food, yes. I crave food sometimes yes, but true hunger .. no.

    To the OP - is it a craving? A desire to eat as much as you used to maybe? Are you starving yourself?

    There is a difference between hunger and appetite. Hunger is physiological. Appetite is simply the desire to eat.

    When I’m about to reach for a snack.. I ask myself am I hungry.. or do I just like to eat?

    If I’m over my calories. I drink tea or have water.
  • JCT1000
    JCT1000 Posts: 19 Member
    I usually do IF, either 16/8 or occasionally 22/2. The only time I really felt hungry to an extreme it was due to being dehydrated. I try to stay busy / occupied and drink lots of fluids.
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,065 Member
    I've learned to be okay with hunger at certain times. It's absolutely okay for me to be hungry at 11:30 am while I'm cooking lunch. It's okay to be hungry at 5 pm while cooking dinner. I learned that it's helpful to have 80-100 calories about 4 pm so I wasn't shaking while cooking dinner, and that I like about 250 calories in the evening so that I go to bed with something in my stomach. (I eat a very light breakfast cause food in the morning is just...ugh... for me, and I can't even with most food until about ten am.)

    My main problem is that when I'm either emotional or in pain I like to snack. Also I'm a really good cook and I like food and I'm not too good at estimating portion size by eye.
  • mpkpbk2015
    mpkpbk2015 Posts: 766 Member
    if it's between meals and I get hungry I drink water, usually 16 to 32 oz. I space my meals so I don't get hungry alot. I have breakfast - then a mid-morning snack- then lunch- then and late afternoon snack- then dinner - then I have a hot cup of green tea a couple hours after dinner or mint tea before bed.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    I know this has been mentioned a lot already but for me it's all about timing and size of my meals.

    I have played around with both meal size and timing in the past and it gets me all messed up and constantly hungry if I do anything other than my usual: A small breakfast around 200 cal, far larger lunch & dinner at specific times, and then SOME days a snack roughly the same size as my breakfast (~200 cal). For me it's around 7 am, noon, and 5-6 pm and that leaves me never hungry.
  • vanmep
    vanmep Posts: 400 Member
    OP you have made me reflect about hunger 😊. One of the things I have enjoyed about MFP lifestyle is that I no longer have the wild swings of being “hangry” or stuffing myself and feeling gross. My sugar intake is more controlled and reasonable and my food intake is intentional. . I also enjoy the hunger that appears before a meal these days because it feels really natural and I get to satisfy it with yummy food and that’s the best feeling ever.
  • nytrifisoul
    nytrifisoul Posts: 499 Member
    OliveSalt wrote: »
    nytrifisoul wrote: »
    spicy pickles, and spicy pickled peppers.

    Yes same! Little pickles and pepperoncinis. Or kimchi.

    I have yet to try Kimchi. I started pickling my own hot peppers and pickles because the store brands are not spicy enough. The hotter they are, the less you eat, and the better they curb the hunger.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 931 Member
    For me, the one switch that has finally helped me to feel full, satisfied and energetic is eating a large breakfast at 10-11am consisting of 40-50g of protein and 700-800 calories. I used to eat a smaller breakfast and lunch and I never felt satisfied. I would always have to resist the temptation to snack. Before, I would’ve demolished all the truffles! Today, my sister offered me a truffle and I honestly didn’t even want to have it. Also eating enough calories helps. I’m kinda tracking calories/guesstimating/intuitive eating and I roughly eat between 1800-2600 calories depending on my activity level.
  • MaggieGirl135
    MaggieGirl135 Posts: 817 Member
    I eat often. I have first breakfast at 8 A, then second breakfast (
  • MaggieGirl135
    MaggieGirl135 Posts: 817 Member
    Let’s try again...
    First breakfast at 8 AM
    Second breakfast at 11 AM (very Hobbit-like)
    Lunch at 1 PM (largest meal of the day)
    First snack at 4 PM
    Second snack at 5 PM
    Dinner (salad) at 6:30 PM
    And frozen grapes for dessert
    Typically 1350-ish calories/day
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 26,519 Member
    4Phoenix wrote: »
    @dancingMoosie....eggplant is great as long as you don't bake/fry it in oil!

    Unfortunately, that is the only way I like eggplant :(

    I think it's a texture thing. Sufficient oil changes the texture enough.

    I like mushroom flavor but not texture, so I cook with them and then pick them out and give them to my OH.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 28,238 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    4Phoenix wrote: »
    @dancingMoosie....eggplant is great as long as you don't bake/fry it in oil!

    Unfortunately, that is the only way I like eggplant :(

    I think it's a texture thing. Sufficient oil changes the texture enough.

    I like mushroom flavor but not texture, so I cook with them and then pick them out and give them to my OH.

    Have you tried mushroom powder (can pulverize dried ones in a blender or food processor, since some of the commercial powders are salty or seasoned)?

    Sorry, off topic: Mushroom powder is tasty, but not especially filling, except in pasta sauce with lots of nice tomatoes and lentils and the right seasonings.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 47,102 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    For me, the one switch that has finally helped me to feel full, satisfied and energetic is eating a large breakfast at 10-11am consisting of 40-50g of protein and 700-800 calories. I used to eat a smaller breakfast and lunch and I never felt satisfied. I would always have to resist the temptation to snack. Before, I would’ve demolished all the truffles! Today, my sister offered me a truffle and I honestly didn’t even want to have it. Also eating enough calories helps. I’m kinda tracking calories/guesstimating/intuitive eating and I roughly eat between 1800-2600 calories depending on my activity level.
    And it's opposite for me. If I eat breakfast, for some reason I tend to keep eating throughout the day. Why? Not sure. Probably a lot more psychological than physical. I don't eat breakfast and do really well if I follow my routine of not eating till earliest 11:30am.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 47,102 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    4Phoenix wrote: »
    @dancingMoosie....eggplant is great as long as you don't bake/fry it in oil!

    Unfortunately, that is the only way I like eggplant :(

    I think it's a texture thing. Sufficient oil changes the texture enough.

    I like mushroom flavor but not texture, so I cook with them and then pick them out and give them to my OH.
    I've always ate egglplant the way my mom cooked it. Mash the eggplant, dip it in raw egg, then scramble it. Throw on some hot sauce and yum.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,468 Member
    sweetheart1399 wrote: »
    I have dinner at 6-630 )
    A couple of hours later like 930-10pm I get hungry again ugh I usually just have a little cereal with milk to kill the hunger. Could it be I need eat more during the day?

    When you eat dinner at 6, it’s 4 hours to 10. It’s “time” to be hungry. Think about it. Breakfast at 7, lunch at 12, but you’re so hungry you have a little snack in between. Dinner at 6, but probably need a little afternoon pick-me-up. I plan a mini-meal late
    At night for just that reason. I don’t sleep well if I’m hungry.
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,065 Member
    corinasue1143 wrote: »
    sweetheart1399 wrote: »
    I have dinner at 6-630 )
    A couple of hours later like 930-10pm I get hungry again ugh I usually just have a little cereal with milk to kill the hunger. Could it be I need eat more during the day?

    When you eat dinner at 6, it’s 4 hours to 10. It’s “time” to be hungry. Think about it. Breakfast at 7, lunch at 12, but you’re so hungry you have a little snack in between. Dinner at 6, but probably need a little afternoon pick-me-up. I plan a mini-meal late
    At night for just that reason. I don’t sleep well if I’m hungry.

    It's why I always save 200-300 calories to the end of the day, so that I can have a snack and then go to bed. I know that it's very triggering for me to lie in bed and be hungry, and often will set off a binge (NOT helpful) so having a little something means that I'll be okay to go to sleep.
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
    For me, if I'm really truly hungry -- i.e., my stomach is rumbling -- then I'll eat a snack or whatever meal it's time for. If it's close to a meal then I just ignore it as best I can. --- But if I'm not really hungry and am just feeling like I need to eat something, which is often a craving for something sweet after I've finished eating a meal, then I'll drink some hot tea. For some reason I only need a little bit of sugar in my tea, unlike coffee (which I always drink in the morning) which has to be sweeter. So for a large mug of hot tea I use just a teaspoon of sugar (the real stuff, not artificial sweetener). Maybe I'll have a small piece of chocolate with it.

    Also, I just recently found some large VERY delicious oranges at my grocery store. I often eat one of those mid-afternoon.... not sure if it's the sweetness or the juiciness but whatever it is it's very satisfying.

    Now, I haven't been at this very long so maybe my advice isn't helpful for those of you who have been working at weight loss longer....but so far it's worked for me.
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
    i eat food that is filling. and i try to eat throughout the day ..as in grazing but planned grazing. i always bring snacks in the car where i spend a lot of time . i eat with out thought so if i dont bring them i will go through a drive thru somewhere and get something that i know i shouldnt be having. drink alot of water, tea , coffee whatever ..just have it with you because it keeps you filled up . its a mind game mostly

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