But what if you're NOT HUNGRY?

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sugarandspice27
sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Lemme aksyoosomting... if you're not hungry (and I know this a crazy thing for a big gurl to be asking), but way under calories should you still eat anyway? I've been loading up on high fiber items, being a water nazi and eating all these small meals and the strangest phenomenon is happening: I'm just NOT THAT HUNGRY. I'm coming off of a lifestyle where I would starve myself and let myself get so hungry to the point where I was beyond reason and would nom on any old thing- including a budding fast food addiction. So now I'm eating clean and I'm hardly ever ACTUALLY hungry. But I'm not making my calories on most days. Is this a problem? Like is my body gonna get shocked and try to hold on to the fat? It feels relatively easy to do right now and I feel amazing so I feel like I must be doing something wrong! The last thing I want is for this all to backfire in some way and cause me to gain weight or stay the same. It will be so disheartening.

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  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    If it's a day or two, not a big deal. But if you constantly undereat then it will be a problem. If you aren't hungry, then eat more calorie dense foods.
  • christenwypy
    christenwypy Posts: 335 Member
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    I think it balances out. Some days I am not hungry and I am way under my goal but other days I am hungry all day long. It is such a struggle for some of us to get our appetites and cravings under control. I think when we are not hungry it's a good thing. I am still not 100% sold on the starvation mode thing people say if you undereat. I never saw a fat starving person.
  • eodvarka
    eodvarka Posts: 30
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    YOU know what your body needs. If you're full, don't overeat. If you're hungry, eat. It's quite simple, though many of us just don't know how to listen to our bodies properly. Seems like you know what you need and that should be enough. If you're worried about the calories, try consuming healthy foods that are higher in calories, such as peanut butter or nut butters in general (in moderation, though)!
    :)
  • isazzzz
    isazzzz Posts: 95
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    I totally understand what you're going through! I've only been NETTING like 650 calories or so because I burn off about 400-500 cals through exercise. I've been trying to increase my caloric intake by taking in more 'good' calories though. I have this nagging feeling that my metabolism is screwed but I feel amazing and NOT hungry/starving at all! I've lost inches and weight...
  • LizKurz
    LizKurz Posts: 340 Member
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    If you're worried about it, you could always add in 100-200 a week till you hit your goal. Like eat the whole egg, not just the whites, put full fat dressing on your salad. Make one of those glasses of water a glass of milk. Sprinkle some sunflower seeds or almonds on your salad, eat PB with your apple, the possibilities are endless.
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
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    It's mental. You don't become fat by being "not hungry".

    Eat until you meet your calorie quota. If you find you can't eat anymore, see above.
  • sugarandspice27
    sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
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    This is just something I didn't imagine would be happening. This is my first official week of my new lifestyle and I thought it would be misery and it's just been pretty much a breeze (knock on wood!). I had one day this week, on my 4th day where I started feeling deprived and I let myself eat more that day. I went about 85 calories over, but since every other day I've had a deficit I figure this is ok. I guess time will tell if the scale and inches reflect. I've also incorporated exercise into my routine. I got in at least some activity 5 times this week and haven't been able to eat back the calories. But I've got a real problem with FORCING myself to eat. I used to be very unmindful about what I was eating before, zero thought to portion and content: now I'm making a real effort to listen to my body and make better choices. I like the idea of more calorie dense healthy foods. I do have almonds as a snack, I could increase the amount of them.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Here is how you defeat the issue.

    Step 1 grab spoon and peanut butter jar
    Step 2 insert spoon in jar
    Step 3 insert spoon in mouth

    Or

    Step 1 grab jar of peanuts
    Step 2 put nuts in hand
    Step 3 eat nuts.


    If you continuosly under eat you will cause your body to take the amino acids from your muscle for energy which will decrease your lean muscle mass and cause your metabolism to slow down. This can lead to a plateau and make weight loss slower.
  • sugarandspice27
    sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
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    To respond to Tourney: I didn't say I got fat by NOT being hungry. I was in fact hungry all the time before. I ate for comfort and when I did eat it was anything I wanted with no thought to nutrition. Now that I've been dealing with my issues surrounding emotional eating and also making astronomically wiser choices I'm not finding I'm hungry 24/7 like I was before. I wasn't actually "hungry" in the physical sense; I had a large appetite which is psychological and not physiological. Eating was a habit rather than a necessity.
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
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    I wasn't actually "hungry" in the physical sense; I had a large appetite which is psychological and not physiological.

    Or in other words, it's mental.

    Eat until you meet your caloric goals. If you find you can't, see above.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    I actually asked my trainer this recently and she said not to eat if you're not hungry. You train your brain to eat in this backward manner and then you might find yourself making poor choices when you're picking your snacks.

    She also suggested that when you do snack during the day, pick something a little more heavier on the calories that is still good for you, like nuts.

    Like you, I struggled with emotional eating (and eating when I was bored) but I also can't fill my daily calories most days as I'm just not hungry enough! I've been seeing weight come off on a weekly basis and as long as I'm not shaking (I found this the other day after a 2 hour workout after I didn't have enough to eat that afternoon) and as long as I'm not too tired, I don't think I'm going to up my calories until I stop seeing changes on my scale/feel hungry enough to do so.

    Good luck!
  • littlesis412
    littlesis412 Posts: 314 Member
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    How far under are you going? You want to stay under to a point. You aren't expected to eat EXACTLY your set calories. But I'm sure you already know that. If you're staying over 1200 you shouldn't have to worry too much. But anything under and you may want to try more calorie dense foods to raise it. Someone made some good suggestions above. If working out is making you be under, try a protein shake afterward. IT'll also help your muscles recover. It's still pretty early though. So, give it some time and see how things go. And welcome to MFP :)
  • sugarandspice27
    sugarandspice27 Posts: 521 Member
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    Thank you! No I'm not going under 1200. I think I've solved the issue: I put on the Food Network and that stimulated my appetite in no time! lol I guess time will tell. In any event I do feel awesome this week and that counts for A LOT. I hope to build on it and keep going. :)

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