Hunger is a good thing!

cp005e · April 2008

I want to post a little of what I have learned and observed about my own metabolism and weight loss over the past few months, in the hopes that it might help some people:

When I was gaining weight, it was for the two obvious reasons - I was eating too much, and not exercising. But the thing is, I wasn't usually eating out of HUNGER. I was eating out of boredom, frustration, feeling "down", fatigue, a desire to be social - rarely out of true hunger. A lot of days I'd skip breakfast, have a couple cups of coffee, forget about lunch until 2pm, and then later eat a couple candy bars and down a couple diet sodas in the afternoon to get me through the day. What a mess!

So, when I started using this site, I wasn't hungry. Once I got over the sugar cravings (dropping the diet soda helped a lot), I had no problem eating less than 1200 calories a day. I started forcing myself to have breakfast, though, because I knew it was good for me and my metabolism. After a month or so, I started getting hungry in the mornings - my body expected breakfast! I took this as a good sign. If I was hungry, it meant that my body had merrily assumed that I was going to eat when I got up, and therefore had kept burning calories overnight. Cool!

I started exercising more. I lost weight. Then I got stuck at a plateau for about 3 weeks after having lost 15 pounds. But I kept at it. Before, I had never been eating my exercise calories. I read some of the posts on here and started eating a little more - an extra 200 calories or so, some (but not all) of my exercise calories. And finally, I started losing again. I've been consistently losing 1-2 pounds a week for the past 2.5 months since then.

The big surprise? I'm getting hungrier. I've lost almost 30 pounds so far, and the truth is - it is getting harder not to go over my calorie limit. I'm exercising more now because I want to make sure that I can eat at least 1400 calories - otherwise, it just doesn't feel like enough. I went on a two week vacation recently. I didn't track my calories while I was on vacation, but was pretty active and ate healthfully (but I could tell it was a little more than I had been eating at home). The result? I still managed lose a couple of pounds while I was gone.

Here's the breakdown of what my experience has taught me: IF YOU'RE NOT HUNGRY, YOUR METABOLISM IS PROBABLY OUT OF WHACK. Now that I am exercising regularly, and not eating junk food, I think that my body is operating much more effectively, and that I am healthier. Now, I'm not a doctor, and I'm sure that there are lots of things that can affect appetite other than metabolism. But in my case, I have no doubts - bad eating and no exercise had driven my metabolism into the gutter, and my appetite with it. But over the past 5 months, with healthier habits, I think my metabolism has revived. Even though it was easier not to eat at the beginning, I'm happy to have my appetite back - because now I feel like I'm eating for a purpose. I'm giving my body the fuel it needs.

So, a big THANK YOU to Mike for creating MFP, and to ALL OF YOU for being so helpful and supportive on the forums. I've lost nearly 30 pounds so far, and I feel like I am well on my way (with another 30-40 to go). And to those of you who are just starting, or having doubts - I can tell you that THIS WORKS!

Sorry this ended up being such a long post. I hope that some of you find my story helpful. Cheers!

- Chris :flowerforyou:

cp005e · April 2008

I want to post a little of what I have learned and observed about my own metabolism and weight loss over the past few months, in the hopes that it might help some people:

When I was gaining weight, it was for the two obvious reasons - I was eating too much, and not exercising. But the thing is, I wasn't usually eating out of HUNGER. I was eating out of boredom, frustration, feeling "down", fatigue, a desire to be social - rarely out of true hunger. A lot of days I'd skip breakfast, have a couple cups of coffee, forget about lunch until 2pm, and then later eat a couple candy bars and down a couple diet sodas in the afternoon to get me through the day. What a mess!

So, when I started using this site, I wasn't hungry. Once I got over the sugar cravings (dropping the diet soda helped a lot), I had no problem eating less than 1200 calories a day. I started forcing myself to have breakfast, though, because I knew it was good for me and my metabolism. After a month or so, I started getting hungry in the mornings - my body expected breakfast! I took this as a good sign. If I was hungry, it meant that my body had merrily assumed that I was going to eat when I got up, and therefore had kept burning calories overnight. Cool!

I started exercising more. I lost weight. Then I got stuck at a plateau for about 3 weeks after having lost 15 pounds. But I kept at it. Before, I had never been eating my exercise calories. I read some of the posts on here and started eating a little more - an extra 200 calories or so, some (but not all) of my exercise calories. And finally, I started losing again. I've been consistently losing 1-2 pounds a week for the past 2.5 months since then.

The big surprise? I'm getting hungrier. I've lost almost 30 pounds so far, and the truth is - it is getting harder not to go over my calorie limit. I'm exercising more now because I want to make sure that I can eat at least 1400 calories - otherwise, it just doesn't feel like enough. I went on a two week vacation recently. I didn't track my calories while I was on vacation, but was pretty active and ate healthfully (but I could tell it was a little more than I had been eating at home). The result? I still managed lose a couple of pounds while I was gone.

Here's the breakdown of what my experience has taught me: IF YOU'RE NOT HUNGRY, YOUR METABOLISM IS PROBABLY OUT OF WHACK. Now that I am exercising regularly, and not eating junk food, I think that my body is operating much more effectively, and that I am healthier. Now, I'm not a doctor, and I'm sure that there are lots of things that can affect appetite other than metabolism. But in my case, I have no doubts - bad eating and no exercise had driven my metabolism into the gutter, and my appetite with it. But over the past 5 months, with healthier habits, I think my metabolism has revived. Even though it was easier not to eat at the beginning, I'm happy to have my appetite back - because now I feel like I'm eating for a purpose. I'm giving my body the fuel it needs.

So, a big THANK YOU to Mike for creating MFP, and to ALL OF YOU for being so helpful and supportive on the forums. I've lost nearly 30 pounds so far, and I feel like I am well on my way (with another 30-40 to go). And to those of you who are just starting, or having doubts - I can tell you that THIS WORKS!

Sorry this ended up being such a long post. I hope that some of you find my story helpful. Cheers!

- Chris :flowerforyou:

cinandchris · April 2008

I love your story. Thank you for sharing :flowerforyou:

banks1850 · April 2008

great work cp! Good post.

FYI as you trim down, you need to close the deficit gap because muscle is much more dependant on food to work properly. It WILL work for you if you feed it. See, fat is a self contained thing, it doesn't need any fuel (this is an over simplification, but it works for this purpose), muscle on the other hand, requires energy and oxygen to perform at peak levels, so the closer you are to your ideal weight, the LESS your calorie deficit should be. Will weight loss slow down? Probably. But there is no magic way to lose weight faster. To do it right and be healthy you need to feed your body! There is no second guessing this! It's just the straight facts.

auntkaren · April 2008

Thanks for sharing Chris:flowerforyou: I am going through a tough time right now of being fatigued and not exercising like I was. I have been eating most of my 1220 calories but worry because I'm not exercising. Being tired like I am I really don't have the appetite so it's a battle of should I eat less or not. Just will be glad when I get my strength back and back to at least walking again.

Shannon023 · April 2008

Thanks for sharing Chris:flowerforyou: I am going through a tough time right now of being fatigued and not exercising like I was. I have been eating most of my 1220 calories but worry because I'm not exercising. Being tired like I am I really don't have the appetite so it's a battle of should I eat less or not. Just will be glad when I get my strength back and back to at least walking again.

Aunt Karen,

Are you getting enough potassium?? I take 1/4 tsp of Morton's Light Salt & do a shot of that a day to keep my potassium up. I notice I get run down easier if I don't.

Plus, it entertains my daughter to watch me make faces when I do it. :bigsmile:

Mary24 · April 2008

Love your story:flowerforyou:

persian_dancer · April 2008

:happy: Thank you SOOOO much for posting. I am recently starting again on this after being away from it for a couple of months. My life was just so hectic and all over the place that I felt lost and confused about what I was eating and so I hate out of emotion. I am trying very hard not to do that anymore and even the second day that my mindset is changing and I know I don't NEED food when I'm not hungry, but I always want it! anyway, your post gave me the extra boost I know I'll need in the morning to do my exercise routine. (my back has been hurting a lot and so doing my routine hurts a bunch in the mornings) THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting!

Jessamyn

cp005e · April 2008

:happy: :happy: :happy: Thanks, everyone, for the comments! I'm glad it was helpful. :flowerforyou:

Banks - That makes sense. I didn't use to eat any exercise calories, then I started eating some, but these days I am closer to eating all of them. But I am also able to work out harder now than I used to, and I think I recover faster. So I will remember that and expect to lose slower once I get a little closer to my goal.

Jessamyn - I'm so glad this helped you!

I have struggled with knee problems myself, so I know what you mean about exercising. Don't overdo it, though - if you have an injury you need to let it heal. There were a couple weeks when I couldn't do much more than walk and some strength training.

AuntKaren - I hope you feel better soon! I agree that even just walking is a good start. Hang in there! :flowerforyou:

sitarami · April 2008

thank you for sharing. i've learned much from you.

scostello24 · April 2008

Awesome story and congrats on your weight lost so far. Great motivation for me!!!

5KNohno · April 2008

I never thought I'd say it, but Hunger is an amazing feeling! A month ago I was just like that - could go all day long without eating and then when I did eat it was because I was emotionally hungry, not physically hungry. When you are dieting and not losing the temptation is to automatically assume you need to cut out more calories. Did that for years - low, low daily caloric intakes with binges once or twice a week. Since joining MFP I am consistently eating more than I have eaten in years and I've lost 9 pounds in three weeks! Now when I wake up in the morning I am SO HUNGRY and its great. I fix my Thomas light whole grain English muffin with one egg fried in a non stick pan and 1 slice of reduced fat cheese and then I'M FULL. A couple of hours later, I'M HUNGRY so I eat a piece of fruit and then I'M FULL, a couple of hours later, I'M HUNGRY and then I eat....etc.
I think my metabolism is finally on its way to recovery.
THANKS EVERYBODY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT!

cp005e · April 2008

Now when I wake up in the morning I am SO HUNGRY and its great. I fix my Thomas light whole grain English muffin with one egg fried in a non stick pan and 1 slice of reduced fat cheese and then I'M FULL. A couple of hours later, I'M HUNGRY so I eat a piece of fruit and then I'M FULL, a couple of hours later, I'M HUNGRY and then I eat....etc.

I agree - that is awesome! It's great to feel like you're actually eating in tune with your body and not against it. Congratulations on your progress!! :happy:

grinningkat · May 2008

I can attest, she's doing great. Jess and I hang out periodically and we've become weight loss buddies. It helps to have someone there to work out with and encourage you.

ratzlofft · May 2008

Great stuff. I am at 17 of about 35 pounds. I have been kick starting most of my days with a 200 cal slimfast. I have found that i don't have the energy needed if i start with out something. Great statment that if your not hungry your system is out of whack. I totally agree!

Keep it up we're doing great!!!

T

cp005e · May 2008

(bumping my own post so I can find it easier in "My Topics" :embarassed: )

banks1850 · May 2008

This IS a great post, I think I'll put it in the archives so it is forever preserved in the annuls of MFP history!

yellow_pepper · May 2008

Here comes a big "but" ...

Your stomach is a creature of habit. And if it's used to getting a mid-morning snack, it will groan for one, no matter how much you had for breakfast. I am much LESS hungry in the morning (and all day)now that I have stopped eating between breakfast and lunch. And my mind is much more focused on the work I need to do, rather than on the food I'd like to eat.

My father was always very much against snacking, and I didn't believe him for a long time. But after reading up on changes in American eating habits over 40 years, I have come to agree with him. The average number of calories consumed during meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) has actually fallen over the last 40 years. However, the average number of calories consumed as snacks has increased by more than 300 per day. (That translates into weighing 30 extra pounds.) As far as nationwide eating habits are consumed, snacking is a greater contributor to the "obesity epidemic" than meal sizes.

Not faulting anyone, just sharing some thoughts for consideration ...

banks1850 · May 2008

Here comes a big "but" ...

Your stomach is a creature of habit. And if it's used to getting a mid-morning snack, it will groan for one, no matter how much you had for breakfast. I am much LESS hungry in the morning (and all day)now that I have stopped eating between breakfast and lunch. And my mind is much more focused on the work I need to do, rather than on the food I'd like to eat.

My father was always very much against snacking, and I didn't believe him for a long time. But after reading up on changes in American eating habits over 40 years, I have come to agree with him. The average number of calories consumed during meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) has actually fallen over the last 40 years. However, the average number of calories consumed as snacks has increased by more than 300 per day. (That translates into weighing 30 extra pounds.) As far as nationwide eating habits are consumed, snacking is a greater contributor to the "obesity epidemic" than meal sizes.

Not faulting anyone, just sharing some thoughts for consideration ...

I guess that all depends on what you consider snacks. For instance, I call a snack, 1 (and 1 is much smaller then you would think) serving of cabot farms 50% reduced fat cheddar cheese and 1 medium sized apple. Now if you're calling a snack a bag of doritos (about 450 calories by the way!) then I can see snacking being an issue. The other factor is that the number is an incomplete statment not based on the whole set of factors, by that I mean that the american workforce has drastically shifted over the last 40 years from a blue collar to a white collar workforce, which means less manual labor and trade jobs, which means less exercise at work, which also means more hours at the job and more job related stress (all contributing factors to body fat).

While I do agree that americans were healthier in the past, I believe it was as much because food was considered a necessary expense prior to the 80's rather than a luxury item to 95% of america. There were no fast food joints, or KFC's back then, food at a restaurant was relatively expensive for a family and made with more natural ingredients so you ate out less, and when you did, it was better for you.

shorerider · May 2008

I guess that all depends on what you consider snacks. For instance, I call a snack, 1 (and 1 is much smaller then you would think) serving of cabot farms 50% reduced fat cheddar cheese and 1 medium sized apple. Now if you're calling a snack a bag of doritos (about 450 calories by the way!) then I can see snacking being an issue. The other factor is that the number is an incomplete statment not based on the whole set of factors, by that I mean that the american workforce has drastically shifted over the last 40 years from a blue collar to a white collar workforce, which means less manual labor and trade jobs, which means less exercise at work, which also means more hours at the job and more job related stress (all contributing factors to body fat).

While I do agree that americans were healthier in the past, I believe it was as much because food was considered a necessary expense prior to the 80's rather than a luxury item to 95% of america. There were no fast food joints, or KFC's back then, food at a restaurant was relatively expensive for a family and made with more natural ingredients so you ate out less, and when you did, it was better for you.

I have to snack between meals due to diabetes--blood sugar problems if I don't---but I do limit it to apples now and some milk. I used to use that as an excuse to pop some cookies or one of Banks' bags of Doritos! Not any more!

I'm not "that old" but I agree with you, too, Banks about the eating out--we did that twice when I was growing up--TWICE! I remember them both very distinctly. One was a sit-down seafood place and one was KFC. When mom brought home KFC, we went wild! We thought we were eating like the rich kids :happy: We simply couldn't afford it, so she always cooked.

I realize now part of why I got so overweight was my husband and I ate out all the time, like 4-5 times a week! Don't do that anymore either.

yellow_pepper · May 2008

Right ... as you said, we burn fewer calories than previous generations did as well. But that just makes it worse that we're consuming the same number of calories in meals and adding snacks to boot!

It's just funny to me that 40 years ago, people who were more likely to be working with their bodies all day did not feel the need to "fuel up" every 2 hours the way we think we should.

The timing of meals (and snacks, which can be thought of as additional meals), is very important for exercise! But unless you're going to burn that snack through rigorous activity in the next two hours, it's not really necessary (if you do not have health problems). And it WILL get you into the habit of wanting food at that same time every day.

That's all I was trying to say.

One other interesting thing about snacks. After bariatric (stomach-stapling) surgery, one kind of eater is most likely to regain all of the weight, or never lose it in the first place. And that's people who eat a large number of very small meals. You can shrink your stomach to the size of a plum, but if you give it a little food every time it has room for food, you won't lose any weight. ("You" being rhetorical "you.")

Hunger is a good thing!

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