I'm really feeling hungry today, so I was wondering what others do when they're trying to avoid eating? For example, you've gotten all your calories for the day, but you're still ravenous. What are your go-to methods for putting your mind on something else besides food? What helps you say to hunger?

Yay, my first thread, and it worked! I thought it didn't for a minute.

One thing I like to do that others have mentioned is to have tea. I just made myself a nice cuppa organic green tea, put some stevia in it, put it in a fav cup, and, voila! mind off food.

Well, if you're truly "ravenous", I'd first say just eat! Make it something healthy like raw veggies if you want, but don't torture yourself just because you've hit some calorie limit. Thsts counterproductive in the long run, both physically and mentally! (:

But, when Im just feeling snack-y and know I'm not hungry, I like going out for a walk (and leaving my wallet at home!). Somehow after several minutes walking I usually feel better and decide I don't want to eat after all. Having a drink of water or tea or whatever is good too. Thirst can be mistaken as hunger sometimes, anyway!

I love the walk (as opposed to "wok," lol) idea, Mottainai! I did just go visit a few neighbors, and it was totally refreshing!

I've never seen them until we moved to Japan, but there are some really good zero-calorie jello type desserts here too. I like to have them when I want something sweet for dessert but am not craving anything specific. But you could always do the sugar-free jello too. I think they're like 40 calories for a whole box, if I recall? That's nothing! If you're still worried though just exercise for like 5 or 10 extra minutes and call it even, lol.

When I'm really hungry, I eat. Don't ignore your body. Have a snack.

Work. Work out. Cook. Shop. Clean the house. Drink tea or coffee. Sleep.

If you can fit any more into a day, then please let me know how.

But if you are really hungry you may need to tweak your diet. Adding more protein worked for me.

I eat all the time, like every hour or two hours. If I am hungry, I eat. I only eat when I am hungry, and stop when I am not. I don't find other activities to keep busy.

That said, the kind of food you eat is important. You can eat a donut or muffin for 200-600 calories and still be hungry. Try eating 600 calories worth of apples or carrots- you can't. If I am hungry, I eat fruit, vegetables, (low carb so no potatoes or corn etc), lean protein in the form on whey protein powder, Quest bars, or chicken once in a while. If it's a "I must have junk," kind of craving, I will eat something healthy and see if I still want whatever it is. I have dark chocolate that's really good (endangered species) and has 28 calories a square.

If I really have garbage, like yesterday my husband and I shared ice cream and had a very small piece of carrot cake, I'll eat the junk food in small quantities. But, I keep my calories 500 below what I burn. So yesterday, I ran 4 miles, did 5.25 total, and ate 1500 total.

I also don't eat three organized meals. I eat all day. I don't sit down for "dinner." I eat 100-200 calories at a time like eight times a day.

Hey, you could always try it. Don't get hungry. Keep in mind- only drink water and not soda or juice or sugar based drinks, no bread, no pasta, unsweetened almond milk, 80 cal Greek yogurt, nuts as a source of fat (instead of oil or butter).

This is how I do it. I also know the calorie count and nutritional value of almost anything and avoid eating out when I can. If I have to eat out, it's grilled chicken and plain vegetables.

Thanks for "weighing in"! I agree that that is sometimes just the ticket.

Thanks, Ian! Those are great suggestions. Protein is really a key component, and not everyone realizes how important it is. And some would certainly be surprised at how low-calorie it can be, e. g., chicken and fish!

So many excellent ideas, Jen. And I do follow a lot of them: avoiding pasta, soda, high-glycemic starches, etc.

It's just that, when you're eating the medically recommended number of calories you need to lose weight, sometimes - unless you can do what you're doing, which is eating a lot of small meals - you're going to be hungry. That's why so many don't have a lot of succes with diets. They give up when they reach a certain hunger point.

But dealing with hunger has allowed me to lose almost 30 pounds in the last couple of years. Slow, yes, but I haven't really gained any back except temporarily during the holidays. I'm delighted with this success!

I wish I could do that "many small meals" approach. But I like the satisfaction of feeling full, so I bunch my daily calories together. And this results in some serious hunger a few times a day. But I have to make a choice: Am I going to deal with the hunger, or gain back the weight?

In the past, the answer was "gain back the weight." But I feel like the smoker who has come to the end of the road with cigarettes, the alcoholic who has had his last drink, the...well, you get the picture. I have found a formula that works and is healthy. And I SO appreciate you all helping me to get through it!

It's not at all easy, but it's completely worth it. I've never had this kind of consistent weight loss. And I don't know that I could have done it before this time in my life. I thank God for the wherewithal, because seeing the numbers go down - even though it's just half a pound a week - is kind of thrilling. :

When I want to eat I try to focus on something else! I start to wash up, clean, read...in other words do anything to forget about food!! ths is the only thing that helps! oh and eat an apple too

I see what you are saying. If I could weigh less but was always hungry, I would choose to weigh more. There is a quality of life aspect, but I'm talking about being 105 vs 120 so this might not apply to people who think 120 is okay. I like being close to 100 lbs, but I'm not going to be hungry to get there.

If hunger works for you, go for it. As long as you can function and aren't getting sick.

I keep drinking water...and cooking. Today i'm sick so I'm not doing much of anything.

I took up cross stitch as a way to watch TV for a few hours without feeling like an unproductive sloth. But it turned out it's also really good at distracting me from evening snacking.