How do you handle the hunger when cutting calories?

[Anonymous]

I know "how" to eat for satiety. Fiber, protein, healthy fat, hydration, low carb, low sugar. But I'm trying to stick to 1450 calories (per MFP) and it's hard. Really hard. I'm just hungry a lot. If I eat a meal that just stops my hunger, but doesn't get me "full" (I'm not talking thanksgiving full, much less than that) then I'm thinking about food constantly till the next time I can eat.

How do you handle the hunger while dieting?

[Anonymous]

Drink lots of water and even coffee (black) to feel fuller. Also, the act of going to the water cooler or out for a coffee is strangely gratifying instead of sitting and being distracted by my hunger.

[Anonymous]

Stop dieting. Learn to eat in a way that is sustainable for you. Read up on "intuitive eating," "eating competence," and "permission."

Restricting your diet so much that you're obsessing about food is like going in search of something to have a grudge about. Is that how you want to spend your time?

[Anonymous]

I try to distract myself with other things between meals. If I can't do that, I make myself a cup of tea. Mostly, I just suck it up and don't eat between meals.

It's awful and I hate it. My MFP limit is 1500.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop dieting. Learn to eat in a way that is sustainable for you. Read up on "intuitive eating," "eating competence," and "permission."

Restricting your diet so much that you're obsessing about food is like going in search of something to have a grudge about. Is that how you want to spend your time?

Op here. I've tried IE, I've read all the books. I don't want to obsess, but when I eat intuitively I gain weight. I know how to cook healthy foods, I love healthy foods, I just have a huge appetite and I want my body to get used to less calories. If I work out I'll add calories into my day, so the 1450 is net. Trust me, I would love for it to be intuitive for me, it's just not.

[Anonymous]

Op again... Can't stand black coffee, but I just made myself a big mug of tea! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

What has helped me (beyond lots of veggies, which are filling, yet low calorie):

water. Lots of water. You might actually want to reduce or eliminate caffeine.

Morning and afternoon snacks. Plan these into your day. Make sure each snack has some fiber and protein. Veggie with either peanut butter or hummus is a good one. Almonds, if you can limit yourself to the right portion.

Take a hard look at the carbs you are eating, their glycemic index, and how your body reacts to them. Even whole grain carbs make me hungrier.

Your diet might be too low in fat to be satisfying, too.

Brush your teeth after every meal and snack. The hassle of that will help deter you from additional snacking.

[Anonymous]

Iced coffee and I snack on strawberries and bananas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Op here. I've tried IE, I've read all the books. I don't want to obsess, but when I eat intuitively I gain weight. I know how to cook healthy foods, I love healthy foods, I just have a huge appetite and I want my body to get used to less calories. If I work out I'll add calories into my day, so the 1450 is net. Trust me, I would love for it to be intuitive for me, it's just not.

If you're fighting with your body about how much food it can have, you're going to obsess. But you'll be thin, so maybe buy a bunch of mirrors and enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Op here. I've tried IE, I've read all the books. I don't want to obsess, but when I eat intuitively I gain weight. I know how to cook healthy foods, I love healthy foods, I just have a huge appetite and I want my body to get used to less calories. If I work out I'll add calories into my day, so the 1450 is net. Trust me, I would love for it to be intuitive for me, it's just not.

If you're fighting with your body about how much food it can have, you're going to obsess. But you'll be thin, so maybe buy a bunch of mirrors and enjoy.

Hi, you don't know me. I'm 163 lbs, 5'4 inches. I exercise and carry my weight well, so I don't look like I weigh that much, but I do, and I'm not looking to be thin, I'm looking to be at a healthy weight for my self and feel good in a bathing suit. I don't drink soda and rarely drink alcohol. I cook and eat very healthy, we eat out at restaurants maybe once a month, I don't do Starbucks. I've tried a LOT of things over the years and I've come to the conclusion that right now, for me, the best thing to do is to count my calories. 1450-1500 calories (net--so I eat a little more when I exercise) is not starving myself, I am not doing anything unhealthy to get to where I will feel a little better about my body. I think it's great that you can eat intuitively and maintain your ideal weight, but I tried and I can't. So if you read my subject line, I'm asking if you have any suggestions to help with the hunger feeling when one is cutting down their calories. Do you have any ideas besides telling me that I'm doing it wrong?

[Anonymous]

I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. Slices of bell pepper and apple slices are my go-to snacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Op here. I've tried IE, I've read all the books. I don't want to obsess, but when I eat intuitively I gain weight. I know how to cook healthy foods, I love healthy foods, I just have a huge appetite and I want my body to get used to less calories. If I work out I'll add calories into my day, so the 1450 is net. Trust me, I would love for it to be intuitive for me, it's just not.

If you're fighting with your body about how much food it can have, you're going to obsess. But you'll be thin, so maybe buy a bunch of mirrors and enjoy.

Hi, you don't know me. I'm 163 lbs, 5'4 inches. I exercise and carry my weight well, so I don't look like I weigh that much, but I do, and I'm not looking to be thin, I'm looking to be at a healthy weight for my self and feel good in a bathing suit. I don't drink soda and rarely drink alcohol. I cook and eat very healthy, we eat out at restaurants maybe once a month, I don't do Starbucks. I've tried a LOT of things over the years and I've come to the conclusion that right now, for me, the best thing to do is to count my calories. 1450-1500 calories (net--so I eat a little more when I exercise) is not starving myself, I am not doing anything unhealthy to get to where I will feel a little better about my body. I think it's great that you can eat intuitively and maintain your ideal weight, but I tried and I can't. So if you read my subject line, I'm asking if you have any suggestions to help with the hunger feeling when one is cutting down their calories. Do you have any ideas besides telling me that I'm doing it wrong?

HAHAHA, best response ever! Way to keep it classy.

When I do MPF, I too get hungry!!! I work in an office and try to load my calories into dinner and then go to bed as early as possible because I'm hungry.

I go back to MFP when my weight creeps up to 7lls over my "low" I find the manageable. Hormones play a HUGE role. Sometimes when I'm at my low I can go a few weeks eating like a glutton, but then sometimes my body is so sensitive. My metabolism most definitely has a big range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Op here. I've tried IE, I've read all the books. I don't want to obsess, but when I eat intuitively I gain weight. I know how to cook healthy foods, I love healthy foods, I just have a huge appetite and I want my body to get used to less calories. If I work out I'll add calories into my day, so the 1450 is net. Trust me, I would love for it to be intuitive for me, it's just not.

If you're fighting with your body about how much food it can have, you're going to obsess. But you'll be thin, so maybe buy a bunch of mirrors and enjoy.

Hi, you don't know me. I'm 163 lbs, 5'4 inches. I exercise and carry my weight well, so I don't look like I weigh that much, but I do, and I'm not looking to be thin, I'm looking to be at a healthy weight for my self and feel good in a bathing suit. I don't drink soda and rarely drink alcohol. I cook and eat very healthy, we eat out at restaurants maybe once a month, I don't do Starbucks. I've tried a LOT of things over the years and I've come to the conclusion that right now, for me, the best thing to do is to count my calories. 1450-1500 calories (net--so I eat a little more when I exercise) is not starving myself, I am not doing anything unhealthy to get to where I will feel a little better about my body. I think it's great that you can eat intuitively and maintain your ideal weight, but I tried and I can't. So if you read my subject line, I'm asking if you have any suggestions to help with the hunger feeling when one is cutting down their calories. Do you have any ideas besides telling me that I'm doing it wrong?

HAHAHA, best response ever! Way to keep it classy.

When I do MPF, I too get hungry!!! I work in an office and try to load my calories into dinner and then go to bed as early as possible because I'm hungry.

I go back to MFP when my weight creeps up to 7lls over my "low" I find the manageable. Hormones play a HUGE role. Sometimes when I'm at my low I can go a few weeks eating like a glutton, but then sometimes my body is so sensitive. My metabolism most definitely has a big range.

Thanks . Hormones do take a huge role! I am also hypothyroid, which I neglected to mention because I feel like it's well-controlled and isn't contributing to my difficulty to lose weight as much as my ability to eat huge portions ( which I don't, though I certainly would like to )

[Anonymous]

Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean you were doing it wrong. I just meant that it is often not reasonable to expect to pick two goals and achieve both, depending on what those two are. "Lose weight" and "not be hungry" or "not think about food even though I am hungry" may well be doomed. Or not. But while some people can like their weight with minimal effort, other people can't be a particular weight without turning it into a second job.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/opinion/sunday/always-hungry-heres-why.html?hp&rref=opinion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean you were doing it wrong. I just meant that it is often not reasonable to expect to pick two goals and achieve both, depending on what those two are. "Lose weight" and "not be hungry" or "not think about food even though I am hungry" may well be doomed. Or not. But while some people can like their weight with minimal effort, other people can't be a particular weight without turning it into a second job.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/opinion/sunday/always-hungry-heres-why.html?hp&rref=opinion

Ah thank you for the apology. The mirror comment was the one that got to me--but thankfully the opinions of faceless message boarders don't hurt me too much.

Thanks for the article! That was helpful. Especially the fever comparison. I know that I can't lose weight without being hungry, that's why I was asking for help on how to "handle" the hunger--tricks to help me get through this part of the weight loss stage until my appetite hopefully goes down. I read about the intermittent fasting and doing 500 calories 2 days a week or what-not and I know I couldn't do it, because 500 calories would leave me a raging crazy person and that wouldn't be fair to my family. I really am trying to do this sensibly, so MFP it is for now.

(as I sip my sparkling water with lemon)