[Palestrina]

I've been thinking that being hungry is a part of life and it's just going to have to be something I accept. I think it's the only way to lose weight. I've been using all the tricks to stave off hunger (a few almonds, a banana, fruit, veggies + hummus, a bit of cheese, etc) and I have to be honest..... I'm still hungry. All the things that skinny people say keep you fuller longer works only for them, not for me!!

So here's my question. For those that suffered through hunger, did it get any better? Did your stomach get used to eating less food? Did it "shrink?"

Another aspect of hunger is the emotional hunger. It is hard to distinguish between physical hunger for some of us who have COD. I once had a therapist say that I have to "face the hunger" and examine what emotions accompany it. Needless to say I ran from that therapist because I had zero intention of facing hunger.

Hunger is my biggest obstacle. I exercise, I care about my health, but I cannot for one moment cope with hunger. Anybody out there living with hunger and coping with it?

[shishkeberry]

I don't have any advice, but this is something that I'm working on, too. Hunger is something that is absolutely intolerable to me. I'm feeling it right now and I SHOULD go make some breakfast, but my fiance bought a shoo fly pie last night and it's sitting on the counter starting at me. I know if I go out there for a healthy breakfast I'll just pick at that pie, so hunger it is. Blah.

[Dedicated2012]

The first few days of calorie counting I was hungry...but then I made sure that was eating high fiber/high protein/low sugar and carb foods...drink water constantly....I found that on the days I ate healthier and kept drinking water..those are the days that I have substantially less "hunger". I think as you transition into healthy foods your system gets used to it and starts to crave less and less sugar and processed foods (In my opinion).

[SerenityDiva]

My stomach did get used to less food, but the key for me was making sure I ATE at pretty regular intervals (meaning every 3-5 hours) and had something with a protein in it. Now I really CAN'T overeat because I start to feel really icky. I also have to decide sometimes if it is HEAD hungry (due to boredom, emotional eating, or because someone else is eating in front of me) versus TRUE hunger. True hunger for me is REALLY intolerable and usually is because I choose not to eat correctly or on time, but the other I can usually do another activity for 5-20 minutes and I forget so I know it's head hunger. Hope that helps.

[geoblewis]

I've learned to not be afraid of being hungry. Took a long time, attacking it from a lot of different directions. And then finally accepting that when the tum-tum is empty, I'm going to feel hungry and it's a signal that I get to eat!

Stomachs don't "shrink". They are stretchy little bags that expand with volume of food. They will snap back into shape when there's nothing in there. Your stomach is about the size of your fist at that stage. It's not empty, however. There are stomach juices, enzymes and acid, that are waiting to work on your next meal. If we overeat consistently, our bodies produce a level of those stomach juices that anticipates a big meal. Frequency of eating as well as volume affects the body's decision, based on how we've been eating. When we start eating less, or eat less often, our body adjusts, but it takes time. So cutting back on food will feel uncomfortable at first but the digestive system adjusts over time. It takes a few weeks.

For me, I've noticed that the longer I ate really healthy (lots of fresh vegetables with every meal, balanced with protein and healthy fats, and no processed foods), the longer it took to get hungry again. I think that's because I was getting the nutrients I really needed and my body wasn't looking to scrounge for added micronutrients. It seems to not work so well when I'm not eating the veggies and I'm just taking vitamins. I think the veggies' nutrients are used more than the vitamins.

Lingering hunger doesn't seem to be as affected by volume as it is by getting all the nutrients I need. I can eat big quantities of food (I'm a big woman and have always been able to keep up with the big boys when it comes to eating). I just had 3 oz. of ground beef, a russet potato, half an onion and two eggs, cooked in a couple Tbs. of butter, and a cup of coffee with a Tbs of heavy cream for brunch. 720 calories! (YUM!) I took my time to eat it and I feel physically full. I like how it feels. I feel full enough so that I don't want any of the cinnamon rolls my son just baked for his mid-morning snack. But I know than in a couple hours, I'm going to start feeling noshy again (because carbs were kinda high for me at brunch, 29 gm) and those cinnamon rolls had better be placed in the witness protection program. It's because I didn't eat any greens for dinner last night or with brunch this morning.

For me, I've noticed that most of my intense hunger is from 3 to 9 p.m. and that I'm not really that hungry first thing in the morning. If I don't actually start the day with breakfast, I won't get hungry until about 11. And I'm okay with a good salad and a piece of chicken or can of tuna and a hard-cooked egg, which will hold me till about 4 or 5. I like a big, rich dinner, but I won't do a big meal more than once a week. I usually keep dinner simple, grilled meat and a few servings of vegetables. One of those veggies is always a big plate of greens, like kale, chard, spinach or dandelions. I might have a big potato (white or sweet), but usually only once or twice a week. I don't skimp on fats, but I always choose olive oil, coconut oil, avocado. The last thing I eat every night is a handful of raw almonds, and I do eat raw nuts and seed throughout the day. Not giant handfuls, a pinch here and there.

I know that's not how everyone likes to eat. And frankly, it gets tiresome to me too. But if I eat like that 80% of the time, I can manage hunger, my blood sugar (I'm type 2 diabetic and PCOS) and lose weight slowly.

I have to be careful with my splurges, and I keep them to just one or two days a week if I feel like I need them to prevent boredom. One cocktail a week, usually just a gin and soda (and I like those). An occasional snack of dark chocolate and raw coconut flakes once or twice a week. If I splurge on calories, it's a bigger piece of steak once a week, or butter with a baked potato. If I go off this plan, I will gain weight pretty quickly and it'll take some time to take it off again. (I HATE PCOS!!!) (AND MENOPAUSE!!!)

I'm a bit slow (and stubborn) so it took me five years to figure all this out. But I'm succeeding, down nearly 70 lbs. It might take me another five years to lose the rest, but that's better than not losing it at all. Hunger will always be there. It's natural for humans.

[Prim2012]

I can't stick to any eating plan where I'm hungry. Making sure each meal has some protein and fat has been the key to staving off my hunger. Examples: large omelet with mushrooms and spinach cooked with olive oil or large chicken caesar salad (I use a homemade caesar dressing with EVOO and no croutons). Nuts, kale chips, apples, greek yogurt for snacks. My dinners almost always include a good serving of protein and veggies and rarely anything else. I also drink lots of water, some caffeine, and sip on hot peppermint or green tea throughout the day. The liquids help me feel full as well.

[kaplods]

For over 30 years, I battled hunger, assuming that I had to be hungry in order to lose weight. And for 30 years I lost more battles than I won.

I had to learn to choose my battles, depending on the "type" of hunger.

Even as a child I knew I had different types of hunger. Some types were easy to fight. The eating nothing was an easy hunger. I could go three, four, even five days without eating anything and be perfectly content. Then there was the hunger so intense that I could think of nothing but food 24/7. The kind of hunger that mde me feel like I was starving to death, even when my stomach was full to the point of pain, and I'd feel not just driven to eat, but compelled to (as if something terrible would happen if I didn't keep eating).

There was a lap-band commercial a few years ago in which a woman talks about her pre-and post- surgery hunger. A lion wanders around her house with a sign around it's neck labeled "hunger" and the hunger lion is eventually transformed into a lap cat. That was my experience, only my hunger lion wasn't a nice, calm zoo lion as pictured in the commercial, my hunger lion was a rabid and very, very angry.

My "rabid hunger," defied all logic, and made me feel like I was a captive of my own body, as I shoveled food into my mouth, desperate to stop it, but having no clue as to how to do it. I felt as if I was almost posessed by a demon I couldn't control.

Eventually, I learned that rabid hunger occurred in two situations.

1. PMS/TOM - the solution was birth control (which I avoided most of my life because of the weight gain I was told was almost inevitable. I only resorted to bc when my PMDD and cramping was so bad that I was desperate enough to risk the weight gain). BC actually helped me stop gaining.

2. Carbs - The more carbs I eat, the hungrier I get (often even if the carbs are "healthy carbs"). I'm hungrier on 3000 calories of high carb than on 1000 calories of very low-carb. I don't do well on very low-carb for several reasons, but I can reduce the hunger to a level I can fight successfully.


Some hunger I can fight, and some hunger is better to prevent than to fight. Regular hunger I can deal with, but the rabid hunger is easier to prevent than to fight.

My hunger prevention strategies are simple enough

1. birth control (I wish my insurance covered my old bc, because it worked better than the ones my insurance covers, but it's better than nothing).

2. carb-restriction. Very low-carb gets rid of all hunger, but has side effects I can't accept, so I reduce carbs to the point that it prevents rabid hunger and minimizes hunger to a manageable level.

3. Paleo eating and an exchange plan (along with the carb restriction it helps keep the hunger at manageable levels).

4. Volumetrics principles (eating low-calorie, high volume foods - foods high in water and fiber).

I never have to be hungry if I use these strategies. Strategies 1-3 fight the rabid hunger, and strategy 4 fights the run-of-the-mill hunger. Even though run-of-the-mill hunger is easy enough to endure, there's no reason to endure it if the low-cal, high nutrient foods are available.


I think for most people enduring hunger isn't necessary to lose weight, nor is it sufficient (you can be intensely hungry and still fail to lose weight). I've endured more hunger in the 33 years before I started succeeding at weight loss than I have in the last eight years of success. I'm far less hungry now than I've ever been in my life - because I've found ways to manage and circumvent the hunger.

Before I discovered the hunger-circumventing strategies, I could lose weight only by enduring hunger so intense that it consumed my life. I could only lose weight by making it not only the top priority in my life, but practically the only priority. I had to give up almost everything else of any value in my life. I could have a life or I could manage my weight. Even my work performance would suffer.

I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found a way to banish rabid hunger.

[Palestrina]

Wow it's so interesting to read about everyone's perception and handling of hunger!

[anibaby]

I find the best way to get rid of hunger is to get out a glass, fill it with water, and drink it all down. If, in a half hour, you feel hungry again, do the same again. It helps you resist snacking until your next meal (which should be at regular intervals!)

[mcoleman14]

I deal with hunger by starting off my day with a meal replacement shake and then having a piece of fruit a couple hours later for a snack. It's honestly worked for me and even after I reach my goal weight I will continue to do it!

[Palestrina]

Originally Posted by mcoleman14

I deal with hunger by starting off my day with a meal replacement shake and then having a piece of fruit a couple hours later for a snack. It's honestly worked for me and even after I reach my goal weight I will continue to do it!

I wish fruit would help, it does not. Fruit makes me more hungry, it actually makes my stomach churn!

[Munchy]

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny

I wish fruit would help, it does not. Fruit makes me more hungry, it actually makes my stomach churn!

Me too. One of the only things that really fills me up is soup. I like pureed soups, and they can be super low calorie, like this 65 calorie cream of zucchini soup or this 49 calorie creamy mushroom soup, or this 85 calorie creamy cauliflower soup.

My personal favorite is this 76 calorie chili. Two cups of that on a starving day and I just had 150 calorie dinner! Cheese or sour cream can even make it more rich and you can still stay in a low calorie range.