Is hunger just a part of remaining thin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

Its this in combination with:
1) Snacking just because or because of boredom - middle aged people referring to snacking as if this is kindergarten
2) A complete unwillingness to plan meals, particularly if that means being "hungry" for more than 10 minutes

Of course, we will hear 1) and 2) are excusable because people are busy and stressed. Except that 90% of US office jobs are complete BS. And, most of the time the stress is self imposed by selection of lifestyle elements - usually in the form of painting themselves into a corner.

So the result is something like "Is hunger just a part of remaining thin?" or "It's the US food system to blame and not any of my own choices"

Just because a job is bullshit doesn’t mean it’s not stressful and doesn’t dominate most of your waking hours.

That's user error. Treat it for what it is and your compensation won't change. Or it will change linearly with your effort if you are highly compensated anyways. In my case, my compensation in my huge law firm went down when I stopped letting it run my life. I don't even get my time in according to the policy and my bills never go out on time. Who cares. My partners are all fat and will probably die at 65 right after they retire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

Its this in combination with:
1) Snacking just because or because of boredom - middle aged people referring to snacking as if this is kindergarten
2) A complete unwillingness to plan meals, particularly if that means being "hungry" for more than 10 minutes

Of course, we will hear 1) and 2) are excusable because people are busy and stressed. Except that 90% of US office jobs are complete BS. And, most of the time the stress is self imposed by selection of lifestyle elements - usually in the form of painting themselves into a corner.

So the result is something like "Is hunger just a part of remaining thin?" or "It's the US food system to blame and not any of my own choices"

Just because a job is bullshit doesn’t mean it’s not stressful and doesn’t dominate most of your waking hours.

That's user error. Treat it for what it is and your compensation won't change. Or it will change linearly with your effort if you are highly compensated anyways. In my case, my compensation in my huge law firm went down when I stopped letting it run my life. I don't even get my time in according to the policy and my bills never go out on time. Who cares. My partners are all fat and will probably die at 65 right after they retire.

Haha hahahahaha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

+1. I am thin but don't diet or calorie restrict. But I'm hungry every day. Not all day but several times a day. I eat foods I enjoy and that sate my hunger but I don't eat them continuously to avoid hunger.

Right now I'm hungry. I'm about to eat breakfast but I'm probably going to intentionally eat something that doesn't totally fill me up because I want to work out this morning and don't want to be stuffed. I will my eat a really filling meal until dinner (bread and pasta with meat sauce) so I'll probably be a little hungry all day. Even when I eat dinner I won't have a huge serving because the food is so inherently filling so a small bowl of pasta and a slice of bread with butter will be plenty. I'll wake up hungry again tomorrow.

I don't think any of this is disordered. It's just life. I don't want to be stuffed. Food is fuel to get me through the day and I like it to taste good and be enjoyable. But I rarely feel completely full because I don't really like that feeling and don't really see the point. I'll eat again in a few hours. It's NBD.

[Anonymous]

So many dodo bird replies in this thread. It’s not just “in your head” or “how you feel”, it’s also your pancreas and all the organs in your body. Some people suffer from hypoglycemia and others from hyperglycemia. Some people have problems with ghrelin and leptin. No two bodies function alike. It’s not in your head, and yes its hormones muscle mass and a host of other things.

And no, you should not be chronically tired from hunger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

+1. I am thin but don't diet or calorie restrict. But I'm hungry every day. Not all day but several times a day. I eat foods I enjoy and that sate my hunger but I don't eat them continuously to avoid hunger.

Right now I'm hungry. I'm about to eat breakfast but I'm probably going to intentionally eat something that doesn't totally fill me up because I want to work out this morning and don't want to be stuffed. I will my eat a really filling meal until dinner (bread and pasta with meat sauce) so I'll probably be a little hungry all day. Even when I eat dinner I won't have a huge serving because the food is so inherently filling so a small bowl of pasta and a slice of bread with butter will be plenty. I'll wake up hungry again tomorrow.

I don't think any of this is disordered. It's just life. I don't want to be stuffed. Food is fuel to get me through the day and I like it to taste good and be enjoyable. But I rarely feel completely full because I don't really like that feeling and don't really see the point. I'll eat again in a few hours. It's NBD.

Are you saying that you get hungry during meal times like a normal human being?

I don't think that's what OP is talking about. I think OP wants to know if thin people are constantly hungry.

As someone who is a size 0 and has visible abs, the answer is no, I am not hungry all day. I do get hungry and when that happens, I either eat something or drink a hot beverage or both. I find that the best way to maintain my physique is to NOT SNACK and only eat MEALS. If you're hungry, it's time for a lunch or dinner that satisfies you taste wise and stomach wise - not that 300 calorie snack that leaves you hungry for more.

[Anonymous]

I think this is such a fascinating conversation, and I don’t know why it isn’t talked about more. I think I created a similar thread on here a year ago, actually.

People seem to experience hunger differently. And like a PP pointed out, many Americans have been conditioned to fear and avoid any sensation of hunger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

+1. I am thin but don't diet or calorie restrict. But I'm hungry every day. Not all day but several times a day. I eat foods I enjoy and that sate my hunger but I don't eat them continuously to avoid hunger.

Right now I'm hungry. I'm about to eat breakfast but I'm probably going to intentionally eat something that doesn't totally fill me up because I want to work out this morning and don't want to be stuffed. I will my eat a really filling meal until dinner (bread and pasta with meat sauce) so I'll probably be a little hungry all day. Even when I eat dinner I won't have a huge serving because the food is so inherently filling so a small bowl of pasta and a slice of bread with butter will be plenty. I'll wake up hungry again tomorrow.

I don't think any of this is disordered. It's just life. I don't want to be stuffed. Food is fuel to get me through the day and I like it to taste good and be enjoyable. But I rarely feel completely full because I don't really like that feeling and don't really see the point. I'll eat again in a few hours. It's NBD.

Are you saying that you get hungry during meal times like a normal human being?

I don't think that's what OP is talking about. I think OP wants to know if thin people are constantly hungry.

As someone who is a size 0 and has visible abs, the answer is no, I am not hungry all day. I do get hungry and when that happens, I either eat something or drink a hot beverage or both. I find that the best way to maintain my physique is to NOT SNACK and only eat MEALS. If you're hungry, it's time for a lunch or dinner that satisfies you taste wise and stomach wise - not that 300 calorie snack that leaves you hungry for more.

Yeah, but you oversimplify it. What is hunger “at meal times”? If I’m hungry starting at 10 am but don’t eat until noon, is that ok? See, it’s not easy. I’m literally always hungry. Even if I ate 600 calories an hour ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

+1. I am thin but don't diet or calorie restrict. But I'm hungry every day. Not all day but several times a day. I eat foods I enjoy and that sate my hunger but I don't eat them continuously to avoid hunger.

Right now I'm hungry. I'm about to eat breakfast but I'm probably going to intentionally eat something that doesn't totally fill me up because I want to work out this morning and don't want to be stuffed. I will my eat a really filling meal until dinner (bread and pasta with meat sauce) so I'll probably be a little hungry all day. Even when I eat dinner I won't have a huge serving because the food is so inherently filling so a small bowl of pasta and a slice of bread with butter will be plenty. I'll wake up hungry again tomorrow.

I don't think any of this is disordered. It's just life. I don't want to be stuffed. Food is fuel to get me through the day and I like it to taste good and be enjoyable. But I rarely feel completely full because I don't really like that feeling and don't really see the point. I'll eat again in a few hours. It's NBD.

Are you saying that you get hungry during meal times like a normal human being?

I don't think that's what OP is talking about. I think OP wants to know if thin people are constantly hungry.

As someone who is a size 0 and has visible abs, the answer is no, I am not hungry all day. I do get hungry and when that happens, I either eat something or drink a hot beverage or both. I find that the best way to maintain my physique is to NOT SNACK and only eat MEALS. If you're hungry, it's time for a lunch or dinner that satisfies you taste wise and stomach wise - not that 300 calorie snack that leaves you hungry for more.

Yeah, but you oversimplify it. What is hunger “at meal times”? If I’m hungry starting at 10 am but don’t eat until noon, is that ok? See, it’s not easy. I’m literally always hungry. Even if I ate 600 calories an hour ago.

Does 10 am and noon mean the same to you? If you're hungry at 10 am, then eat breakfast. If you ate breakfast at 9 am, have a cup of tea. If tea doesn't work, eat again. If you start telling yourself you can't have food, that's how you create a scarcity mindset, and then you crave everything at all times.

If you ate 600 calories for breakfast at 9 am, and you're hungry at 10 am, you probably didn't eat the right foods. Eat a mix of protein, carbs, fats, and natural fiber (from fruit, veggies, not fiber added to bread/cereal). I.e., chicken sausage, egg, tomatoes/fruit, and some oatmeal.

If you worked out intensely, showered and then ate 600 calories of healthy food at 9 am, but was still hungry either directly or soon afterwards, then you didn't eat enough. After exercise, you have a lot more hunger because your body is prepped to take in nutrients to build muscle and heal itself from the stress of exercise. In this situation, you need to keep eating until you're satisfied (this means full for me), and have a lighter dinner or something, or you will be hungry from 9 am to bedtime.

You have to have a diet that's not going to give you the scarcity mindset. A prior PP wrote about how she'll let herself have the cake tomorrow if she still craves it, and that's a really good way to do it. My personal version is, "I sort of want it now but I don't super crave it. Once I super crave it, I'll get it." Telling yourself that you can never have cake again is going to make you binge on cake.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but you oversimplify it. What is hunger “at meal times”? If I’m hungry starting at 10 am but don’t eat until noon, is that ok? See, it’s not easy. I’m literally always hungry. Even if I ate 600 calories an hour ago.

This is how I am too - it usually takes 2 hours for my stomach to start loudly rumbling no matter what I eat. I just accept that I have the appetite of a teen boy as a middle aged woman. I've always been like this.

So I eat quite a bit (never skip a meal, definitely need snacks), stay active, and maintain a healthy weight of 120 which is probably fat to the thin people. It's not worth it for me to try to be underweight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone who's easily thin truly like food?

Yes I am naturally thin and love food.

I don't know why but I have always been naturally good at portion control. I didn't learn it from my parents-- my mom struggles with overeating and binging, my dad has a huge appetite though like me is naturally thin.

But from a young age I found i could easily moderate how much I ate. Including when eating "unhealthy" foods. And it's unconscious and context dependent. I generally feel full after two pieces of pizza. When I was training for a marathon i wanted 3-4 and had it. As I've gotten older I think my body just needs fewer calories to function and sometimes I only feel like one piece.

I never feel like I'm denying myself. I eat until food and I don't restrict the foods I eat. I do try to listen to my body and I will get cravings for vegetables or meat and then eat them. I also noticed cravings for sugar and I satisfy them, though I'm as likely to do this with a bowl of berries as a piece of cake-- they both taste good to me.

I don't know why this comes easy to me. Maybe being naturally thin kept me from dieting or developing disordered eating when I was young, and thus I never disrupted my body's signals that tell me what to eat and how much. I know for my mom that's been hard. So maybe seeing how she's struggled with food subconsciously made me avoid certain dieting behavior? I do think always being pretty active and walking to school and work helps my body stay in equilibrium. When I am more sedentary I do notice I have more food cravings amd a tendency to eat kind of mindlessly (snacking in potato chips while I work instead of getting up and eating yogurt and granola and then returning to work). But I dislike being very sedentary anyway so this never lasts long.

I truly don't know why my body works this way and others don't. I wish I did as I have seen howy mom has struggled as how it impacts both her physical and mental health. But yes you can be naturally thin and love food. I think it's more about portions and balance-- eating only what your body needs and loving really healthy food as much as I love fatty and sugary foods (though I do also love those).

I'm not naturally thin but I have also developed this habit/eating routine. I also get full after 2 pizza slices, whereas before I was a binge eater. I just started letting go of telling myself I couldn't have XYZ food anymore, and it made the scarcity mindset go away. Turns out, your body naturally knows what to do if you're a healthy person. I have a bigger appetite and eat more when I exercise more. I eat less and have a smaller appetite when I don't exercise. There might be a delay of 3 to 4 days to see the effect (i.e., on day 4 of not exercising, my appetite goes down), but my body will regulate.

The only thing that I've noticed is that, if I don't eat a vegetable or fruit with a meal (i.e. a meatball sub), I might feel hungry without eating a lot more. But if I pair it with an apple or some roasted veggies, I'm full. So I think that the modern diet, which lacks veggies and fruits, is not good for actual fullness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yeah, but you oversimplify it. What is hunger “at meal times”? If I’m hungry starting at 10 am but don’t eat until noon, is that ok? See, it’s not easy. I’m literally always hungry. Even if I ate 600 calories an hour ago.

This is how I am too - it usually takes 2 hours for my stomach to start loudly rumbling no matter what I eat. I just accept that I have the appetite of a teen boy as a middle aged woman. I've always been like this.

So I eat quite a bit (never skip a meal, definitely need snacks), stay active, and maintain a healthy weight of 120 which is probably fat to the thin people. It's not worth it for me to try to be underweight.

Unless you're four feet tall, this is a healthy weight. There's a reason why the BMI scale says 18.5 to 25 is healthy, because we're all different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone who's easily thin truly like food?

Yep. I love food. I have coffee for breakfast most days, but enjoy filling and satisfying lunches and dinners, full of animal products, veggies, and a smaller amount of carbs/starches. Occasionally I’ll enjoy something like ramen for lunch, but I’ll make sure to eat it with substantial foods like eggs and pork belly, and balance it with a good dinner full of meats/seafoods and veggies. If I have a sandwich, I make sure it’s got a good amount of meat vs the bread. If I eat pizza, I take my time to enjoy a few pieces. Occasional fast food is also enjoyed, but not the super-sized meals of my youth. I’m happy with small fries and a cheeseburger. I feel like I’m enjoying the foods so many others are too scared to eat, so it doesn’t feel restrictive at all. I don’t snack and I’m not hungry between meals.

-42 years old-5’4”, 118 lbs.

You actually don’t sound like you love food.

I’m talking steak with twice baked potatoes.
Barata and bread
Muscles and cream sauce with crusty bed and homemade Caesar salad with a mound of Parmesan cheese.
Lobster ravioli with tomato cream sauce.
BulGogi tacos with yum yum sauce

All of these foods sound kind of gross to me. I'm not a cream sauce person. I had a friend who was obese and she made butter wrapped in bacon and I didn't understand why she wanted to eat that so badly. I have a theory that overweight people enjoy more fatty foods than thin people.

Don't get me wrong, people who cook without oil make the most disgusting food. But when someone douses something in olive oil, it turns me off as well.

[Anonymous]

You get used to the hunger. It takes 6 weeks to develop a new habit. PMS, for me, is when I tend to overeat, so I still have to be careful then. But the rest of the time, I don't mind feeling slightly hungry. It doesn't bother me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone who's easily thin truly like food?

Yep. I love food. I have coffee for breakfast most days, but enjoy filling and satisfying lunches and dinners, full of animal products, veggies, and a smaller amount of carbs/starches. Occasionally I’ll enjoy something like ramen for lunch, but I’ll make sure to eat it with substantial foods like eggs and pork belly, and balance it with a good dinner full of meats/seafoods and veggies. If I have a sandwich, I make sure it’s got a good amount of meat vs the bread. If I eat pizza, I take my time to enjoy a few pieces. Occasional fast food is also enjoyed, but not the super-sized meals of my youth. I’m happy with small fries and a cheeseburger. I feel like I’m enjoying the foods so many others are too scared to eat, so it doesn’t feel restrictive at all. I don’t snack and I’m not hungry between meals.

-42 years old-5’4”, 118 lbs.

You actually don’t sound like you love food.

I’m talking steak with twice baked potatoes.
Barata and bread
Muscles and cream sauce with crusty bed and homemade Caesar salad with a mound of Parmesan cheese.
Lobster ravioli with tomato cream sauce.
BulGogi tacos with yum yum sauce

All of these foods sound kind of gross to me. I'm not a cream sauce person. I had a friend who was obese and she made butter wrapped in bacon and I didn't understand why she wanted to eat that so badly. I have a theory that overweight people enjoy more fatty foods than thin people.

Don't get me wrong, people who cook without oil make the most disgusting food. But when someone douses something in olive oil, it turns me off as well.

Different individuals need different diets, actually. You really need to listen to your body for this. I'm part of a family with autoimmune diseases and various intestinal symptoms. Some of my relatives could benefit from a FODMAP-eliminating diet. We've figured out on our own what foods make us feel better. I can't eat beans, or too much fiber in general. I can't eat too many onions or peppers or garlic.

Despite being thin, hardly eating any animal fat and not having a sweet tooth, I seem to have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and diabetes, because I've always had cholesterol in the higher range of normal all my life, even as a child, and my A1c is slightly elevated. I eat lean protein and hate sweet desserts!

It's really important to know how your own body works, instead of decreeing that one diet will work for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to be hungry all the time to be thin. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has never had a weight problem.

This is wrong. Humans are not meant to be full all the time. If you’ve been conditioned to eat til you are full and believe that any sensation less than complete fullness is equivalent to Being Hungry All The Time - that is simply part of your conditioning. It’s a lot of the reason that most overweight people remain overweight, or lose the weight and gain it all back through yo yo dieting. Once you change your mindset everything is possible.

+1. I am thin but don't diet or calorie restrict. But I'm hungry every day. Not all day but several times a day. I eat foods I enjoy and that sate my hunger but I don't eat them continuously to avoid hunger.

Right now I'm hungry. I'm about to eat breakfast but I'm probably going to intentionally eat something that doesn't totally fill me up because I want to work out this morning and don't want to be stuffed. I will my eat a really filling meal until dinner (bread and pasta with meat sauce) so I'll probably be a little hungry all day. Even when I eat dinner I won't have a huge serving because the food is so inherently filling so a small bowl of pasta and a slice of bread with butter will be plenty. I'll wake up hungry again tomorrow.

I don't think any of this is disordered. It's just life. I don't want to be stuffed. Food is fuel to get me through the day and I like it to taste good and be enjoyable. But I rarely feel completely full because I don't really like that feeling and don't really see the point. I'll eat again in a few hours. It's NBD.

Are you saying that you get hungry during meal times like a normal human being?

I don't think that's what OP is talking about. I think OP wants to know if thin people are constantly hungry.

As someone who is a size 0 and has visible abs, the answer is no, I am not hungry all day. I do get hungry and when that happens, I either eat something or drink a hot beverage or both. I find that the best way to maintain my physique is to NOT SNACK and only eat MEALS. If you're hungry, it's time for a lunch or dinner that satisfies you taste wise and stomach wise - not that 300 calorie snack that leaves you hungry for more.

PP here and I both get hungry during meal times and also sometimes feel hungry for longer portions of the day. But I never feel hungry literally all day. So like the cliche of the dieter who is hungry but forces herself to just eat a small and unsatisfying meal and is still hungry when it's over but it's about "discipline" -- I don't relate to that. And that's what I take OP to mean when she asks if hunger is part of staying thin -- that thin people are in a state of self-denial all the time.

But what this thread has touched on that I think is interesting is how different people experience hunger and respond to it. And I do think I might have a higher tolerance for the feeling of hunger because it's just not uncommon for me to go most of the day feeling low level hunger (but then fully sate it at dinner with something kind of rich) or to intentionally choose to eat a meal that doesn't fully satisfy my hunger because I don't like feeling super full when I exercise or when I need to focus at work (it will just put me to sleep). And I wonder if the fact that hunger doesn't bother me that much unless it's extremely intense makes it easier for me to do things like portion control or eating healthier foods because it doesn't feel like some sacrifice.