Appetite and hunger

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ClearNotCloudyMind
ClearNotCloudyMind Posts: 238 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi - been on this site off and on for over 10 years. Have lost and regained the same 15(ish) kilos more times than I like to recall.
Started again in mid-March and losing weight just like I did before. I know how to do it. Basically I stop eating biscuits (no control there) and IF from supper through to the next lunch.

This time something weird has happened. I am continuing to eat healthy balanced meals, but I get full REALLY fast. As in it stops me eating.
Part of me is delighted, as this feels like a really sustainable and comfortable way to manage my weight long-term. However I’m having to massage my calories up most days so what I’m logging matches my state of satiation.
I am very aware of the dangers of over-restricting calories but I don’t think I could comfortably eat larger meals as things are now. I am finishing feeling quite quite full. But if I don’t jigger my calories then MFP says I’m under eating. Now that is NOT what it feels like.
Do I trust my body or the app? Has anyone else had this? Does it last? What is going on?

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,609 Member
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    I would trust you body more than an app. If your body says you've eaten enough, that's good enough unless there are extenuating circumstances.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,618 Member
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    ClearNotCloudyMind wrote: »
    Hi - been on this site off and on for over 10 years. Have lost and regained the same 15(ish) kilos more times than I like to recall.
    Started again in mid-March and losing weight just like I did before. I know how to do it. Basically I stop eating biscuits (no control there) and IF from supper through to the next lunch.

    This time something weird has happened. I am continuing to eat healthy balanced meals, but I get full REALLY fast. As in it stops me eating.
    Part of me is delighted, as this feels like a really sustainable and comfortable way to manage my weight long-term. However I’m having to massage my calories up most days so what I’m logging matches my state of satiation.
    I am very aware of the dangers of over-restricting calories but I don’t think I could comfortably eat larger meals as things are now. I am finishing feeling quite quite full. But if I don’t jigger my calories then MFP says I’m under eating. Now that is NOT what it feels like.
    Do I trust my body or the app? Has anyone else had this? Does it last? What is going on?

    Better food choices can be better for satiety. Stick with it for the next few weeks and adjust calories if need be. An app is only a guideline and not the be all end all of finality when it comes to these things and they are only as good as the data being input to it.

    Your body doesn't know numbers, it knows if it's being given energy to either gain mass, lose mass or maintain mass.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,913 Member
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    You've yo yo diet for years and now that your eating differently, your full and the app says your undereating. What are you eating and what is your basic macro breakdown if you don't mind me asking?
  • JLG1986
    JLG1986 Posts: 211 Member
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    I would suggest a checkup with your doctor to rule out any medical reason that you’re suddenly getting full so fast. Hopefully all is well, but it’s always a good idea to double check when you notice a major change in your body’s patterns.

    Assuming that’s a green light, maybe feeling full is a good thing that means you’re eating balanced nutrition and your body is just feeling satisfied with the healthy food you’re giving it! Trust those signals - for me personally one of the big reasons I struggle with my weight is not being good at recognizing when I’m hungry/not hungry.
  • ClearNotCloudyMind
    ClearNotCloudyMind Posts: 238 Member
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    Thanks for the responses. Couple of questions to answer.
    Food-wise I’m eating much as I ever did, just cutting out biscuits and not taking second helpings etc. MFP says it’s pretty consistently around 50% carb, 25%protein and 25% fat with fluctuations. That’s what’s so weird… I’ve not changed my eating choices but am getting full. Lunch is a sandwich or healthy school dinner followed by a home cooked meal with the family. A chicken curry in dall and rice with a serving of dark green leafy vegetable would be typical. It’s food I’ve eaten for years, just in smaller portions and cutting out biscuits!
    Sadly the NHS isn’t in a state where I’d get a useful feedback from the GP about whether this is ok so seeing a doctor isn’t really an option. I feel healthy so will trust that.
    Think what im getting is that somehow now the full cues are getting through to my brain and that I can trust my body. Really appreciate the reassurance. Will admit it’s what I wanted to hear.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,956 Member
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    Well, undereating over time will catch up to you. As long as you have energy and you're sleeping well and your hair isn't falling out then you're likely okay - for now. Just be aware that at some point you'll probably want to eat more.

    As far as lying about your intake? I wouldn't. You don't have to close out the day's food diary. It is not a necessary function and all it does is lie back to you, "You'll lose X pounds n five weeks." Um, no you won't, because that calorie number isn't accurate.

    Just don't close it out.

    My guess is that you're eating more than you think, or you just haven't been at it long enough for your body fat to get low enough to cause you hunger.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 739 Member
    edited May 2023
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    ClearNotCloudyMind wrote: »
    Hi - been on this site off and on for over 10 years. Have lost and regained the same 15(ish) kilos more times than I like to recall.
    Started again in mid-March and losing weight just like I did before. I know how to do it. Basically I stop eating biscuits (no control there) and IF from supper through to the next lunch.

    This time something weird has happened. I am continuing to eat healthy balanced meals, but I get full REALLY fast. As in it stops me eating.
    Part of me is delighted, as this feels like a really sustainable and comfortable way to manage my weight long-term. However I’m having to massage my calories up most days so what I’m logging matches my state of satiation.
    I am very aware of the dangers of over-restricting calories but I don’t think I could comfortably eat larger meals as things are now. I am finishing feeling quite quite full. But if I don’t jigger my calories then MFP says I’m under eating. Now that is NOT what it feels like.
    Do I trust my body or the app? Has anyone else had this? Does it last? What is going on?

    How many calories are you eating and how are you measuring those calories? What is your calorie goal?

    “Lunch is a sandwich or healthy school dinner followed by a home cooked meal with the family. A chicken curry in dall and rice with a serving of dark green leafy vegetable would be typical.”

    These things could potentially be using all the calories you need? Also, I love that you’re eating the same meals as you’re losing weight. I need to add them to my menu!
  • ClearNotCloudyMind
    ClearNotCloudyMind Posts: 238 Member
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    Fair questions. I’m 75kg and 167cm. I’ve created recipes on MFP of meals as we cook them and that gives me an idea of what a serving is. Once I’ve measured and weighed something then I tend to repeat how I prepared it and copy forwards rather than measure every time, so it’s not perfect and certainly not mega accurate.

    To counteract my rough measuring I sometimes go “prudent” on portion sizes, saying I’ve eaten 1.5 of what I would have guessed is on my plate. I’m generally eating around 700-800cals for supper and 400ish cals for lunch. It’s not lying so much as trying to allow for my human tendency to assume I’m eating less than I really am. Basically I agree with you who said I’m probably under measuring. It’s just the getting full that’s weird. It’s not really happened before.

    I’m working on not snacking as that’s how I think I regain weight. A little hunger between meals is fine. It makes those first few bites taste so good!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,956 Member
    edited May 2023
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    It’s just the getting full that’s weird. It’s not really happened before.

    When I cut out wheat and sugary treats but keep my protein, vegetables, and fats up I can stay comfortably in my calories without cravings. You may have inadvertently stumbled on your particular types of foods and scheduling.

    If you have only been doing this for a short time, maybe hunger hormones just haven't settled in yet.

    If you're under-eating by more than a couple hundred calories or if your macros are too far out of balance, hunger will come.

    Enjoy it while it lasts.

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,618 Member
    edited May 2023
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    It’s just the getting full that’s weird. It’s not really happened before.

    When I cut out wheat and sugary treats but keep my protein, vegetables, and fats up I can stay comfortably in my calories without cravings.


    Imagine that…
    😎

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 739 Member
    edited May 2023
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    ClearNotCloudyMind wrote: »
    Fair questions. I’m 75kg and 167cm. I’ve created recipes on MFP of meals as we cook them and that gives me an idea of what a serving is. Once I’ve measured and weighed something then I tend to repeat how I prepared it and copy forwards rather than measure every time, so it’s not perfect and certainly not mega accurate.

    To counteract my rough measuring I sometimes go “prudent” on portion sizes, saying I’ve eaten 1.5 of what I would have guessed is on my plate. I’m generally eating around 700-800cals for supper and 400ish cals for lunch. It’s not lying so much as trying to allow for my human tendency to assume I’m eating less than I really am. Basically I agree with you who said I’m probably under measuring. It’s just the getting full that’s weird. It’s not really happened before.

    I’m working on not snacking as that’s how I think I regain weight. A little hunger between meals is fine. It makes those first few bites taste so good!

    Sounds like you found a comfortable way of eating in your macros, and not so much under eating to me. I completely get your method of adding previous recipes and logging that way, like you said we’re only human. The only time this would concern me personally is if I plateaued for a long time. In this case I would need to tighten that up to assess where I really am and not where I *think* I am.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,130 Member
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    Some people find that reducing less nutrient-dense but high calorie foods (such as biscuits) will help them moderate their appetite. Maybe you're one of them?

    If you did that before, without seeing this effect . . . well, sometimes things change with time and circumstances, oddly enough.

    Usually, for quite a few people, getting more nutrient-dense but calorie-sparse foods will result in better satiation. That's not 100% universal, but it seems pretty common.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,913 Member
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    Sometimes it's as simple as reducing snacking and if that snacking are biscuits aka ultra processed food and other types of snacks, it has an effect on hormones in the gut and brain and you may have effectively triggered a satiating effect where your eating less but not actually feeling hungry, anyway a whole food diet can and does reduce the desire for sugary, carby and salty foods by these same mechanisms for many people as well. For me, it's a whole food lower carb diet. Cheers.

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