Don't feel that hungry often

sjay2101 · February 4

Has anyone ever noticed reduced hunger since the start of a weight loss journey? I still eat 2-3 times a day for nutrition and health, but I never feel hungry when I eat them. For example, if I have a protein shake with banana for breakfast, I don't feel hungry until dinner. Is this normal?

zebasschick · February 4

some people here do intermittent fasting, which means they don't eat for a set amount of hours each day. to the best of my very little knowledge, the body adapts to an eating schedule, so people who do IF intermittent fasting) aren't hungry all the time.

i also had a close friend years ago who ate breakfast, dinner, and a before bedtime snack. he didn't get hungry till dinnertime, and he was otherwise healthy. he did eat plenty of calories for breakfast and dinner, so he wasn't losing weight and even put on some muscle while doing that.

Harriet9748 · February 4

No

DFW_Tom · February 4

sjay2101 wrote: »

... I don't feel hungry until dinner. Is this normal?

It was normal for me, but everyone is different and responds differently to changes in what and how they eat. When I learned how to control the swings in my blood sugar 2 years ago, I was surprised to discover what I had always thought was hunger was really carb cravings from insulin resistance. It was sometimes difficult to get in the calories from the unprocessed, whole food meals I knew I should be eating while I was still morbidly obese because I just wasn't hungry. Now, 5 months into maintenance, I do get mild hunger pangs depending on my activity level earlier in the day, or even the previous day.

Like you, I also eat multiple times a day. Not so much to control hunger, but rather so the proteins I consume are spread throughout the day and have a chance to do what they are suppose to.

PAV8888 · February 4

The short answer is that it will depend on:
--total energy reserves available to lose
--size of daily deficit
--activity level
--type and extent of exercise
--timing of activity and eating
--how long you have been doing this
AND
--how fast you are actually changing your energy reserve accumulations relative to the above

Even with larger than long term optimal deficits someone with a lot to lose may go through a honeymoon period where it is all smooth sailing.

A smoothy and a banana can be 300 Cal or it can easily be over 1000 Cal or somewhere in between depending on exactly what and how much goes into that smoothy and the weight of the edible portion of the banana.

If you're getting moderately reasonable results... yeah! Else: adjust

AnnPT77 · February 4

Normal? Yes. Average? Maybe not.

The idea that we need to suffer for weight loss implies that being fat is a sin we need to expiate via suffering, which is 100% not true. Hunger/appetite is possible, but not universal.

Not sure how long you've been at this. For some, there will be a sort of honeymoon period at the start when they feel highly motivated, and that kind of suppresses appetite perception. If you're past the first couple of weeks, that's less likely to be part of the picture.

If you've found foods that are filling for you, and add up to good overall nutrition, it can be normal to feel reasonably sated, at least until the next meal is getting close. (Good nutrition is not directly linked to weight loss, but sub-par nutrition can trigger cravings.)

Some people experience more appetite triggers from things like habitual eating times, eating differently from old habits, eating less of what they previously ate but not adjusting food choices to feel fuller, being in social situations where others are eating lots, intense exercise, and more.

It's also normal to feel hungry during weight loss, especially during the first couple of weeks until old habits fade from not being indulged. (Yes, that's exactly the opposite of what I said above about the first couple weeks being an easier honeymoon. People differ!) Often, if appetite/hunger is a problem for someone, it can help to thoughtfully adjust food choices, nutrition, timing of eating, or even plate size (that last is psychological!).

Lots of variations are normal. In this case, I'm not sure what's average.

A help - of course! - is not to try to lose silly-fast in the first place, by cutting calories ultra-low. A sensibly moderate loss rate can potentially get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than an extreme fast-loss attempt that causes compensatory bouts of deprivation-triggered over-eating. breaks in the action, or even giving up altogether.

If you're feeling reasonably sated most of the time, that's a Good Thing. Sometimes we do need to make adjustments as we go along to keep that feeling, and that's OK to.

Best wishes for continuing success!

Harriet9748 wrote: »

No

If you're hungry, that's normal . . . but may be able to be improved upon. Good luck!

Corina1143 · February 8

Yes. At least it happened to me, too.
My hunger is very protein driven. When I first started having sufficient protein for EVERY snack and meal, i was almost never hungry. But if I messed up and ate a cookie or two instead of a meal, I got Hangry in a couple of hours. Nothing wrong with my appetite, just one more lesson learned while trying to eat healthier.

COGypsy · February 8

I almost never feel noticeably hungry between breakfast and dinner. I take meds for ADHD that blunt my appetite. Plus I like to feel full after breakfast, so lunch isn’t appealing to me at all. I ended up needing to look for subtle signs of hunger in my body. I have a reminder set to check in with my hunger at 4:00 pm. The size of my afternoon snack depends on how I’m feeling on my hunger scale. But yeah, totally get not feeling hungry most of the day.

Don't feel that hungry often

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