I have read so many posts with people describing how they are not hungry on this diet. Well, what's wrong with me???? I am hungry! I know how to tell the difference between head hunger and real hunger, so I don't think it's just my head talking to me.

Usually hunger hits me around 10:30 in the morning and I just think there is no way I will make it to lunch without auto-digesting my stomach!!!!! Sometimes I have a cup of coffee with a spoonful of vanilla drink powder to tide me over til lunch. Is this cheating? Am I hurting my ability to lose? I just know if I can make it otherwise!

Is there anyone else besides me who is still feeling the hunger? If you did and now you don't, how did you move past this?

I am on plan, except for the extra fifth of a packet in my coffee.

What does your typical day look like for food/packets?

I find that when I am really hungry I will eat some cooked up egg whites because they are all protein. I also chew the dentyne fire gum and drink a TON of water!!

I have days when I am truly starving and I also eat a couple egg whites (I always have hard boiled eggs in the fridge just in case) that and some extra water almost always does the trick.

I have to agree with you. I am always hungry, I too can tell the difference between head and belly hunger, True sometimes I am bored. I drink between 66 and 126 oz of water, eating op all of the time. (I did have a slip up) But I am hungry. I have been saying this all along.... this is not easy. Mental is 50% of it. And I keep wondering when I am going to get the extra energy. NEVER happened.
Maybe I am just angry because WI's are slow, and I am tired of this diet. Sticking with it for another 2 weeks and then may switch over to WW only because my BRAIN needs variety!

I always have at least 3 ounces of my daily protein with my lunch, and after lunch, my restricted bar. At that point I am finally satiated but not until then.

You and I are the same height. I find that I usually lose weight slower than taller people. The last time I did WW (it was always my "go to" diet) with their newest version, I lost 4 lbs. in 6 weeks. I lost more than that my first week on IP. WW will allow you to have carbs. I worry that you will gain rather than continue losing.

I'm sure some of it is due to a persons individual body, but my hunger truly hits me late afternoon at my 4pm snack of rhubarb & raspberry jelly. I am still hungry after - BUT, that's when I take my son to the park, and after our playtime and 2-2.5mi roundtrip walk I am no longer hungry and hold off until dinner...which ALWAYS fills me up for the rest of the night.

I do tend to bulk up my breakfasts, either a RTD smoothie with a lot of spinach & ice or crispy cereal pancakes with 2 egg whites. I 'split' my lunch into having IP soup and veggies and an hour later my big green salad w/EVOO+vineger. That breakfast bulk and lunch split helps head off the early day hungers.

I do drink water constantly, a Brita pitcher at work and an extra 12 cups of homemade seltzer at home (addicted to bubbles).

Also curious as to what your typical day looks like. I'm no expert by far...talk to Wuv...but I just know what 'works for me'.

I feel the same. I found that when I did go off plan, a planned cheat for 1 day. I had MUCH more energy... then when I got back in Ketosis it just dropped again. Waiting impatiently to get the last pounds off so I can be done! I do find that I'm hungry most the time but trying to switch things up this week. I'm only eating every 4-5 hours instead of 2-3 and replacing dinner protein with packets, just for this week. Who knows, maybe it will increase my weight loss. But I completely agree with you about being done with the diet. The stress of coming up with money and having low weigh-ins doesnt help. Like you, I'm sticking with it though for a few more weeks at least.

I'm always hungry too, and started a thread about it several weeks ago. The best advice I got was about the egg whites. I didn't know we could have them. That also may have been where I learned that cucumbers are limitless. They are good to snack on. My job does not allow for snacking like that, but if you can do it, give it a try. I have my snack (an EAS shake) in the morning between breakfast and lunch rather than in the evening. That helps me.

I havent been hungry. I "see stuff and think .. ooh I want something .. thats when I go to the Egg Whites or H20, or I take a walk. Its mostly mental (for me). Green Tea helps alot too. It really is a mental exercise for me.

mind over matter

If you're really hungry (not thirsty or mouth-hungry), and you're in ketosis, I think you're not eating enough. This can also slow down your weight loss because your body slows down your metabolism. Before you throw in the towel, add another packet per day, or a protein snack like eggs or meat mid-morning.

I was having the same issue mid-afternoon. My solution was to add a mid-afternoon protein drink (I use the gelatin-based drinks from ProtiThin). They're around 70 calories with 15g of protein and 3 carbs. It took the edge off of afternoon hunger and losses have been fine.

How long have you been on plan for? The first time around, I found that i had to force myself to eat after the 3rd-4th month. So it really did take a while. Before that time i was hungry ALL THE TIME, but it just kind of goes away out of nowhere.

This time around (my second time on P1), the hunger went away after about a month. But right now it's on a day to day basis. Some days I have to force myself to eat, some days I'm starving. I found that in my first 4 months of maintenance I was never hungry, but once i started eating sugars over the holidays my hunger and over-eating habits came back full force and I gained 15 lbs from late November to Feb. I restarted P1 to lose that weigh, but more so to get back to not being hungry. it's a process.

Thanks, everyone, for chiming in. It is so helpful to read others' experience, even when it differs from my own.

I have been doing IP for a little over a month now. I'm down 24 pounds. Yay!!!! I have not cheated on the program at all after the third day. (I didn't understand about ketosis or anything. Once I learned about that, I've never looked back.) So, maybe I just need to give it some time before I lose that ravenous attack in mid morning. I'm going to try some of the pudding/spinach shakes and see if the extra veggies in the morning leave me more satiated. But otherwise, here is a typical day for me:

8:00 coffee mixed with a tablespoon of rtd vanilla or chocolate; wildberry yogurt

12:00 salad, roasted veggies, blueberry-cran granita or a bar

5:30 salad, veggies, protein

9:00 chocolate drink with decaf coffee

gallons of water all day long. I also have another hungry spell about 4:00.

One other factor that may be entering into this is that I nurse my toddler once a day, before bedtime. I really didn't think it was that much of a pull on my body any more, but I guess it could be.

I'd like to get that last drink done sooner in the day, but I like to relax with it after I get all the kids to bed. 9 it is! If anyone wants to come over and help throw the kids in bed...you'd be most welcome!!!

I would definitely consider eating at least 3 ounces of your protein with your lunch. You're a busy mama and need it earlier in the day for sure; I would probably throw in a hardboiled egg midmorning as well, especially considering you're still nursing (even if its only in the evening).