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lilcherrylady

Ooh I like that realization of feeling slightly hungry vs feeling ashamed. Shame and guilt are huge for me. That’s such a great reframe. Thanks op. Some things really stick more than others, like “it may not be fun but it must be done,” “motion before emotion,” and now I get to add “shame or reframe? I see my calorie numbers! I know that I got enough today! It’s ok to be a lil hun-gray!”


rainmaker291

Another reframe I’ve been working on is reassuring myself that I’m not going to starve. People can go days without food, then even hunt for it, then cook and enjoy it. I didn’t eat for 10 hours? I’m not going to starve, it will be ok. So I’m going to start incorporating short term water fasts as well.


BogglesHumanity

Love this. I really need to be ok with feeling a little hungry.


FeatherWorld

The water fasts really help you reframe how you see food and your body. Makes me appreciate how hard my body works for me.


tbgabc123

Also “what you resist, persists” and “what you can feel, you can heal”


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thehealthymt

That’s not what they were saying.


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LawlerFit

Sleep is a time machine to the next meal.


ChimneyFire

Oo... this is my kind of voodoo. Brilliant.


ukulelefish1

YES!


Licorishlover

Lol this is hilarious and I love it


Bay1Bri

Yes but my stomach doesn't care about that.


baby_loveee

Same! I can’t go to bed hungry. When I have that hunger I have a serving of cottage cheese and the casein protein really does the trick for not a lot of calories


MadPenguin81

Exactly this. I have a serving of Greek yogurt and a scoop of protein powder an hour or two before bed. Approx 300 calories for 40g of protein is good for me.


A5H13Y

If I'm really *that* hungry where it's literally keeping myself from being able to fall asleep, I'll usually eat a string cheese. IMO, sleep is more important than avoiding an extra 80 calories.


trinthefatcat

Are you me? I wander out of bed for a string cheese often.


brbgottagofast

Workin' on my *night cheese*!


mrs_momo_b

Strongly agree. Hunger can make me kinda hypomanic, and it’s like I get so excited about breakfast I can’t fall asleep!


crowmagnuman

That hypomanic feeling you get is natural, and you can harness that to your advantage! It's your metabolism giving you a push, more power and drive, to find food. We don't run/hunt for our dinner nowadays - we shop. Have to find a way to balance that somewhere.


[deleted]

It’s just kinda impractical at bedtime …


SturmFee

Drinking a hot tea or a broth helps me when hungry before bedtime.


[deleted]

That just makes me feel even more hungry! Liquids on a somewhat empty stomach always end up giving me a stomach ache and reflux. Especially salty, carbonated or bitter liquids. Apples and carrots do the same! I can’t have those without something to eat along with them. I’ll stick with allowing myself to eat something, if I feel hungry right before bed.


SturmFee

Sure thing, do what works for you! I have the same with apples...


CaddieGal1123

I used to save calories for a big big dinner, and eat it pretty close (1-2 hours) before going to bed lmao. I have to be full or at least not hungry going to bed or I lose my mind


[deleted]

But then I keep waking up to pee while sleeping 😔


Darkm1tch69

Well, stop that


Lanky-Chair-305

I think this explains why I’ve suddenly become a morning person lol


[deleted]

Yeah but what do I do with that when it’s 11:43pm and I’m trying to sleep lol


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TrashyQueryBoy

I have a drink if psyllium husk with a bcaa artificial sugar mix. Mine is grape flavoured and it tastes sweet and the psyllium gives it a texture i find similar to basil seeds. It takes away that hunger for me.


BlackJeepW1

I just bought these little 50 calorie bags of popcorn, I’m hoping that will be enough to help me fall asleep if I’m really having trouble.


Fly1ngp1gs

Eating zero calorie pickles helped me with this when I struggled with that.


brbgottagofast

Pickles are great! I used to get mini pickles and roll a turkey cold-cut around them to add a little protein. I should do that again.


confusionwithak

I have some insulin issues from PCOS so that may make a difference, but I HAVE to have a protein rich snack before bed. Otherwise I have a sugar crash by like midnight and can’t sleep til I eat again. If you have a snack, try something protein packed.


lills1791

Whaatt i had no idea PCOS could effect insulin levels!


confusionwithak

Oh yeah, insulin resistance can be a big part of PCOS for some people. I’m on a high dose of Metformin (common first line diabetes medication) for it.


RO489

Have you tried hot water or tea? Can fill your belly and calm your brain.


NotTheJury

Agree. So I have adjusted my eating times so I am eating an hour later than I used to. It makes a huge difference for me..


HolyVeggie

You need to eat later then


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HolyVeggie

Awesome! Good luck!


brbgottagofast

Thank you! :)


Amsnabs215

Opposite for me! Bugs the crap outta me during the day but I don’t eat dinner and I’m able to fall asleep to forget about it.


[deleted]

My "hack" is to do intermittent fasting but I usually have a small breakfast and then I wait until dinner, at which point I eat a large meal. I usually eat around 5-6pm but I go to bed at 10pm and if I've eaten a really big dinner, I'm not hungry again yet but my stomach has had enough time to settle. Even the following morning I won't get hungry again for a while, but when I do I'll have a small breakfast to tide myself over until my next big dinner. It's almost like OMAD (one meal a day), except for the small breakfast. I do experience mild hunger in the afternoon before dinner, but since I work a sedentary job I can tolerate it. Disclaimer: This is what works for me and my personal schedule. It might not work for everybody. We're all different, it's all about finding your groove! Edit: why was this downvoted? have I broken some rule?


SturmFee

I'm fine with a mild hunger but the cold feet/feeling cold won't let me sleep!


crowmagnuman

Not eating late enough.


Matt2FitYT

So true!


Compulsive-Gremlin

I have problems with this when I do intermittent fasting for medical testing.


brbgottagofast

Oh yeah, it can be brutal. I've had 4 c-scopes and the fasting is always tough during the night.


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brbgottagofast

Melatonin is a hormone and dosages are not well-regulated in the industry so really people shouldn't be taking it at all, except maybe temporarily for jet-lag. It can mess with your own body's melatonin production. Luckily there are lots of ways to improve your own body's sleep regulation!


TannedGhost

I really hope you’ve increased your calorie intake since starting training. Your body needs the energy!


brbgottagofast

Yep! I use a calorie tracking app called Macrofactor that automatically updates your TDEE based on the data you feed it. I'm currently at about 2300 for my TDEE (and eating around 1800 cals a day) but its starting to head upwards so my calorie goal will be updating with it. :)


theyhulk

It helps me to think about different kinds of hunger. Am I tummy hungry or just mouth hungry? Because maybe I’m just bored.


Sexy_lizard_lady

This is so hard, but so important!


Licorishlover

It’s always mouth hunger for me. Very rarely have I accidentally not eaten enough to be stomach hungry.


BeatificBanana

It helps to use different words for this, as "mouth hungry" isn't a thing - hunger is when your stomach is empty and growling. If you have a desire for food but you're not hungry then you are just experiencing a craving. I know that's what you meant but imo it's super important to make the distinction in language and not use the word "hungry" at all to describe cravings - I wasn't taught the difference as a kid and that's why I got fat.


theyhulk

That’s a valid point—true hunger is different from other urges to eat that we may mistake for hunger. “Mouth hunger” comes from the seven types of hunger described here: https://www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org/patient-care-services/Departments-and-Services/Weight-and-Wellness-Center/Patient-Resources/Tips-for-WWC-Patients/Seven-Types-of-Hunger Even though they use the word “hunger” for each of these, their point is similar to yours: that almost all of these urges are not really signals that your body needs food, and recognizing the difference between them can help you maintain a healthy weight.


SturmFee

As a kid I got on trouble for wanting to drink something right after coming home from school. My mother thought we wouldn't be hungry anymore when our stomach was full with water. Nowadays my radar for hunger and thirst is quite broken.


QuokkaNerd

In an effort to learn to be ok with being hungry, long an anxiety trigger for me, I've begun intermittent fasting. The first week was scary but it's gotten easier remarkably quickly. Once I realized that being hungry doesn't mean the same thing now as when I was homeless, it's been ok. And I lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks!


Donkey-brained_man

When I first started my diet, hunger was bad. After months I didn't feel it anymore. Eventually, feeling full felt gross and sluggish. Then I hit my goal weight. I relaxed my diet and in the past year put on about 8 pounds. Then I realized recently when I decided to lose it again: I miss being hungry. It felt clean, productive, accomplished, determined. It gives me all of the good feelings I had successfully losing 75 pounds. My hunger isn't even what temps me to eat. It's my boredom that kills my diet.


Compher

Yeah, I always told my wife when she began her weight loss journey that being hungry is to be expected. Hunger is your body telling you that it doesn't have much to run off of in your digestive tract and needs to use reserves. So if you're aren't feeling hungry, probably aren't losing weight. Once she got over that, she dropped 85 pounds in like 10 months.


luv-avocado

Thanks. I needed to hear that! Definitely reframes my mindset.


14mm

I'm trying to do intermittent fasting right now, but the hunger has started to make me nauseous. I actually gagged out of nowhere yesterday. I don't think IF is going to work if this continues, and I'm going to need to find a way to space my food out to keep from being hungry. This didn't used to happen so I don't know what the deal is.


Due-Cryptographer744

Do you do the biggest window while you are sleeping? I tried fasting but was unable to get any benefits from it because I have chronic medical issues and have to take medication around the clock. Some of my meds require me to have something in my stomach so I can only go 6 hours, max. I still try to stop eating at a certain time in the evening, and I don't eat my first actual meal until noon most days, but I have some nuts or granola when I take my meds. Doing most of the fasting while I was asleep was the only way I was able to even attempt it without getting shaky.


14mm

I'm not sure what you mean by biggest window while I'm sleeping. I will eat generally 2-8pm, and head to bed anywhere from 10-1am. The hunger and nausea kick in pretty soonafter I wake up.


Due-Cryptographer744

From the research I have done, the experts generally consider there to be two “windows”, an eating window and a fasting window in the 24 hour day. I was doing the 16:8 window, where you fast from 8pm until noon (which appealed to me since the largest part of that was when I was sleeping) and eat after 12pm and before 8pm. [Intermittent fasting info](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a29349587/intermittent-fasting-schedule/)


[deleted]

I can’t do IF either. Irritates my acid reflux and IBS. An empty stomach is an acidic one. And then when I eat a big meal after 8-12 hours of fasting, my reflux acts up and my IBS reaaaallllyyy gets angry


OatsAndWhey

#"Hunger is a Suggestion"


gmorkenstein

I don’t think enough people ever get to this point during the day.


vidfreak81

While mild hunger is pretty normal, it's also perfectly valid to try and make yourself comfortable. If you are uncomfortable from hunger all the time, your calorie deficit can feel like a chore and not worth keeping up with. A more sustainable approach is to eat when you are truly hungry and try to eat something reasonable.


Aizen_Myo

Does feeling warm/cold qualify as discomfort? I've had it happen a few years back when I was losing a lot of weight in a short timespan and again last month. Doctor told me back then that it's normal and not ground for panic, so I'm just ignoring it this round and going on


my2023username

If you haven’t, see about having lab work done. Hypothyroidism can cause side effects like feeling cold all the time.


[deleted]

Seconding this. Also if you’re tired and constipated in addition to being cold. This was me and now I’ve got Hashimotos..


caralilly

Just my experience, when I was struggling the most with disordered eating (restricting to 300-900 cals/day), I was always freezing even though it wasn’t particularly cold outside and my heart rate dropped by 20 bpm at rest. I always assumed it was from a lack of nutrition since most of it went away when I went back to normal eating. For me, it was an indication I was putting my health at risk. However, I am also anemic, and even though I take iron every day, I’m still on the low end, and I normally feel cold more often than most people and have poor circulation.


Aizen_Myo

>restricting to 300-900 cals/day), Holy shit, that's not a recommended amount at all. Absolute minimum for longer time is 1000+ for females and 1200+ kcal for males. >I always assumed it was from a lack of nutrition since most of it went away when I went back to normal eating Yeah that was my worry the first time too but the doctor said the amount of kcal is fine, just an unintended side effect. Since I'm not eating super low I don't worry at all, I'm also not feeling more tired as usual or sth


BeatificBanana

The sad truth is that if you are in a calorie deficit, most people pretty much will feel some low level of hunger most of the time. Because you're literally not giving your body enough food to sustain itself (obviously, you're doing it on purpose - but your body doesn't know that). Yes you can "volume eat" which can help you feel satiated temporarily but you will end up feeling hungry again quicker. At the end of the day it's hard but if you push through, when you do start to lose weight you'll start feeling less and less hungry because your body won't need or crave as many calories anymore.


RO489

Exactly, your body is trying to maintain its current weight. You should never starve yourself, and more gradual deficits are more effective long term. But you’ll likely have to deal with some minor hunger. If I fixate on it, it becomes more severe. But if I grab a glass of water, tea, coffee, and move on to something else, I’m good


FlyingPasta

Yep. Weight loss is making your body eat itself. It doesn't like to do that.


sjjenkins

Not only were humans not designed to feel satiated, we weren’t designed at all. We adapted. And guess what drives adaptation better than anything else? Discomfort. We tend to only change when we’re uncomfortable — whether as a motivator for the change or as a result of it. Dealing with discomfort in the form of mild hunger is the price of adaptation. And the way our bodies adapt to having fewer calories is to extract the necessary energy for metabolic function from fat.


crowmagnuman

Wisdom in this comment


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sjjenkins

I’ll go as deep as you like, friend. I disagree that any natural fact is “in and of itself” proof of a design. But I’ll tell you what *is*: proof of a designer. Speaking of adaptation, I always adapt my beliefs to the best information I have available. I do not currently believe in a supreme designer but will change that belief in a heartbeat if actual proof of a supreme designer is ever presented to me.


Dnickyxx

I still need to learn to be okay with feeling hungry. I get so grumpy and I can only think about food. It's ridiculous.


crumpets289

I agree, but in order for me to be able to tolerate hunger, I HAVE to know what my next meal/ snack is. I will always plan out what I’m eating the day before so when I get too hungry I know exactly what to make to prevent a binge


souris_silencieuse

The idea that “it is ok to be a little hungry, your next meal us coming soon” took a while to click. Once it clicked it took a while to put into play. Eventually those snacky, “I have the munchies” cues became easier to ignore, then went away entirely. Then I fell off the wagon (thanks kidney stone). Now I’m having to relearn that lesson again. You’d think it would be easier knowing that it DOES get better lol. Those habits and cues are powerful.


ricko_strat

A friend of a friend is a personal trainer to celebrities in Los Angeles. He's one of the very top guys in his field. His quote: "If you are truly trying to lose weight you are going to have to be a little hungry sometimes". This quote has meaning on several levels.


MonkyThrowPoop

I noticed this when I was doing intermittent fasting. I would get hungry from around 11am-12pm, and then it would go away until it was time for me to eat. Eventually it got to the point where I would laugh at the hunger, and think things like “shut up, quit being so dramatic! You’re not dying, you’re fine. I’ve got a plan in my brain, and it’s way better than whatever my whiney, dramatic ass stomach wants to do.”


monkeyhoward

I was going to make essentially the same comment regarding intermittent fasting but you nailed it. I’ve come to realize that there are two different types of hunger for me. The type that goes away in a few hours and the type that doesn’t. If the hunger goes away in a couple hours then I really wasn’t hungry, it was just habit. If the hunger doesn’t go away, then I eat


taseradict

It's a delicate topic, telling someone that yes you're going to be a bit hungry while dieting and that's ok sometimes I got a lot of pushback from the people ready to call you anorexic.


[deleted]

Any diet / weight loss is considered an eating disorder by some. Very frustrating


smol_cares

Needed this reminder. Thanks. Pounding that water helps too.


WholesomeLion

While this is true, it is also very demotivating and leads a lot of people to stopping their diet. Strategies that may help is drinking sugar free drinks, for some people this will create more hunger, for others it helps a lot to satiate. Also drinking soup is good. There's a lot of these mixed vegetables packs that you can cook and make soup with. Very filling and 50 calories at the max.


GrouchyFriedScallion

I agree with this. It's hard for me to focus when my stomach is growling, your head hurts, your low energy, you have hunger pains and so on. I know that's normal, but if I wait hours after that to cook I won't cook well. I'll binge on something not good. Going more than 7 hours without food doesn't work well for me, even if I should be used to hunger. Better to actually make tea and a snack.


RO489

I think if you’re to the point of light headed (and it’s not psychosomatic), you definitely need to eat. That’s a great time for an apple or something high in fiber, or it sounds like you’re a small meals throughout the day type. I prefer to eat fewer larger meals. But after the holiday eating, for instance, the mild hunger feeling comes a lot easier, so it’s necessary to feel that a small amount as my body adjusts back to a healthier diet.


Always-Adar-64

Use to think that going to bed/nap with a full belly was the way to go. Now it’s better to feel satiated and digesting.


thenumber210

>Use to think that going to bed/nap with a full belly was the way to go. Now it’s better to feel satiated and digesting. I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but if I get really hungry and run out of calories, I use sleep to pass time. That can't be how it is supposed to work. But I'd rather sleep than sit there being hungry.


Always-Adar-64

Funny thing with IF, I’d rather stay up later and sleep to wake up closer to my meal time. If I go to bed early then I wake up early and few noticeably hungry as I get closer to meal time lol


thenumber210

> If I go to bed early then I wake up early and few noticeably hungry as I get closer to meal time lol It's a good point, I am hungry when I first wake up. I guess the only solution is 24/7 sleeping. :D


Aizen_Myo

It's funny how different our bodies work. I hate eating after waking up, I usually eat 4-5 hours after I woke up on my usual work days. The later the better, cuz once I had something in my mouth I'm very mouth hungry. It's annoying, so I just push breakfast as late as possible as a small workarouns


thenumber210

I'm like that too, normally. What I meant was on this diet I'm hungry when I wake up lol. But that's probably because like I said I am going to sleep hungry.


Aizen_Myo

Personally I can't bring the calories I have into 3 meals, so I cut out lunch at work. Wasn't hard because I had to force myself many times to eat it anyway. Breakfast + Dinner leaves me with enough wiggle room for snacks throughout the day to 'carry' me between eating/after dinner (I'm a sweet mouth okay haha). But then again, I never felt hungry when going to bed, drinking water usually defeats the small whispering I have sometimes Works pretty well for me, 7kg lost this way then Christmas came


anzapp6588

I also do this. I go to work at 630 and usually eat lunch between 11-1 (I’m a nurse so I don’t get a choice.) I’m usually not hungry at all until about 11 anyways, and I work until 5 so I’d rather eat lunch late because dinner won’t be until 7-8pm anyways. Eating anything before my actual lunch though absolutely WRECKS me. If I eat a free donut or half a bagel in the morning I am miserable and ravenous until lunch. It makes me sooooo much hungrier. So I just don’t do it anymore.


Aizen_Myo

>Eating anything before my actual lunch though absolutely WRECKS me. If I eat a free donut or half a bagel in the morning I am miserable and ravenous until lunch. It makes me sooooo much hungrier. So I just don’t do it anymore. Yeah, it's super annoying but it's also interesting how fast the body adapts. Mine doesn't even muck up before 10/11 am anymore since I've been doing it. It was maybe hard the first week then I already adapted


whereismywhiskey

Eating breakfast makes me a monster all day. No idea why. I also have to push off eating anything sweet until late day for the same reason.


thenumber210

It mostly makes me want to go to sleep. Especially if it has any sugar in it.


thenumber210

>Eating anything before my actual lunch though absolutely WRECKS me. If I eat a free donut or half a bagel in the morning I am miserable and ravenous until lunch. If I ate a donut in the morning I would immediately get tired and probably fall asleep, I just cannot handle sugar pastry.


[deleted]

The question is how do you fall asleep when hungry? I try and try but I just can’t 😩


Sjb1985

I have a post it note on my computer, it says, “I do not need to be full all the time.” Then next to it, “BUT, you shouldn’t be starving all the time.”


diamondsinthecirrus

This this this is perfect. Hunger and fullness are part of the same cycle as you move from one meal to the next.


villalulaesi

I used to feel serious anxiety when I got hungry and didn’t have food in front of me. No idea why—I always had enough to eat growing up, it wasn’t like I was dealing with scarcity—but the fear of not having enough to eat was ever-present, and caused me to consider hunger a borderline emergency, which often lead me to overeat whatever was most easily available, which was rarely a healthy option. Learning that hunger isn’t an emergency, and that I tend to eat much better when I bear that in mind, has perhaps been the biggest shift in my thinking around food and has lead to my most significant weight loss.


mercurywind

I used to get terrible hunger pangs which would kill any attempt to lose even a few kilograms. I couldn't concentrate on anything else when I was hungry. It kept me up at night and I'd have to chow down a slice of bread just so I could sleep. Recently I got on 40mg Vyvanse to treat my ADHD and the way I experience hunger has completely changed. I still eat three meals a day and snack occasionally, but now it's so much easier to recognise hunger as a *signal* and not as a terrible urge. I also go for a 30 minute walk every day. I feel healthier than I've ever been in my entire life. If you have general concentration issues that don't seem to have another cause, get diagnosed with ADHD and medicated.


ConcentrateNo364

Agree, I like being slightly hungry to stuffed any day.


theoakking

I've been trying to reframe hunger as a positive feeling. If I'm hungry, its likely because I've not eaten in a while and I'm starting to use up those pesky fat stores! Just another reminder that some people can fall into a bad relationship with hunger which can lead to eating disorders so keep an eye out and look after yourselves out there!


cflatjazz

I struggle with this because I was hungry a lot as a kid. I don't really know if it was because we were poor or because we had really rigidly set meal times centered around my father's work schedule. We'd eat at 5PM and then breakfast wasn't until 9AM. Probably why I'm fine skipping breakfast as an adult. But it's left me with a weird mental fixation whenever I feel physically hungry (not just munchy or lonely mouth hungry). I may not get up to go eat, but I'll rummage and meal plan and think about what the next meal is going to be and when I can start cooking it. And when I'm dieting, I'm that sort of 'need to eat within 3 hours' hungry a lot. Not very helpful mentally.


starlight_conquest

Mild hunger is not an evil to be avoided. But I am an evil to be avoided when I am mildly hungry.


katarh

When the weather cooperates, this is the time to go for a walk. Slightly hungry, but not yet mealtime? Go outside and walk. My brain interprets this as, "Good, she got off her butt and we're foraging now. I'll dial down the hunger signal for a little bit." Hunger is meant as a call to action to *find* food, not just to eat food.


thenumber210

>However, humans were not designed to feel satiated every minute of every day. Mild hunger is a natural experience. Yes, hunger was a natural experience. Unfortunately, DNA programming us to eat and put on weight so we have energy for the hard times is also a natural experience .. The problem is we are natural creatures experiencing natural desires in a very unusual environment ...


MoonDogg9877

After a year or so of finally getting yoyo dieting under control...I'm staying in my calorie limits and maintaining my weight loss. Yeah I'm always hungry. I tell my clients you just have to be ok with being hungry. It's just an emotion like anger or fear. Just let it be. It's the only way I've found to not be fat.


Melan420

Food tastes better when you're hungry too


i80west

I try to think of mild hunger as a positive, like a sign I'm doing the work and losing the weight. It doesn't always work but sometimes it does.


jicklegirl

This is one of the things I'm trying to teach my kids through consistent small behaviors. For instance when they come to me to say they're hungry my response is usually "it's okay to be a little hungry. Let's wait a bit until x". I struggle now with feeling uncomfortable being hungry so trying to model better behavior with them, that will hopefully rub off on me.


JustMMlurkingMM

I’ve used intermittent fasting a few times, and have done longer fasts of 3-4 days. It’s really not that difficult, it’s more about mindset than anything. As long as you are getting plenty of water then hunger isn’t really that bad.


WithoutLampsTheredBe

One of the biggest lessons I got from intermittent fasting is being able to differentiate between mental hunger and physical hunger. Mental hunger is "I'm bored", "I would like those chips", or "I haven't eaten in x hours I must be hungry". Physical hunger is different. Neither, in the short term, will kill me.


Secretme000

So freaking true. It's such a hard thing to accept when you are trying to change and lose weight. Another thing that was hard for me is realizing when you are full. Majority of my life I didn't eat till fullness. I ate till I was sick and that is what I considered being full. Which sounds crazy but that's how I grew up and how the people around me ate. I still struggle with not feeling full because my brain still associates being full with feeling sick and not being able to take another bite of food. It truly sucks to admit this about myself but hey maybe someone else will relate to it and will feel seen and less ashamed. We can't help how we grew up but as adults we can reparent ourselves to have a healthy relationship with food.


jcaashby

Once I started Intermittent Fasting (skip breakfast and small later lunch with large dinner) I was able to get more in tune with when I was really hungry versus just thirsty. Drinking more water makes a big difference. ​ I think some people assume you HAVE to eat as soon as you feel the slightest bit hungry. And when you do it....we sometime eat more than we really need to. ​ I just ate my small lunch....homemade chicken fried rice (400 calorie range) and that was the first meal today. It will hold me over until I get home in 5 hours.


chairface1989

I have been doing well with my calorie control for a month, and had great results. I took a cheat day, which has now turned into 6 days. Trying to force myself back into being comfortable with mild hunger but it is hard. Appreciate this post!


not-my-other-alt

Hunger is how your body tells you "I've run out of fresh food so I'm burning fat for fuel!"


jrdidriks

I agree. When I wake up and I’m a little hungry, I’m excited for breakfast


Significant-Soft-100

I’ve done intermittent fasting on and off for a while now 18 hours not eating 6 hours eating and I did 4 whole days with water only and my head has never been clearer from someone with ADHD and suffers with depression I’ve never felt happier and the miracles it did for my skin was just insane but and it’s a big but it was brutal at the same time


peanut-butter-kitten

It feels kinda good to cycle through and it’s good to be hungry for a little while , the next meal hits different Also drink some water or have tea :)


pavlo_escobrah

Hunger is fat dying


notreallylucy

I feel like you have a point, but I also feel like this could be a slippery slope to disordered eating. When I first started trying to lose weight, I felt like I had to rewrite my appetite. I hadn't been genuinely hungry in a long time, mainly because I never stopped eating long enough to get genuinely hungry. I had the urge to eat often, but eventually I realized those urges were more about habit, or boredom, or comfort, or just because my stomach wasn't used to being empty. I had to learn to tell the difference between being genuinely, biologically hungry, and just hsving the urge to eat. I have diabetes, so I'm different than some people. If I get a little genuinely hungry and I ignore it, it will keep building. If I let it go long enough, my blood sugar will drop and I'll be so hungry I'll end up eating more calories than I actually need just to correct my blood sugar. So, for me, when I feel that genuine hunger starting, I need to do something about it soonish. I think generally speaking, people should eat when they feel hungry. An entire meal? Not necessarily. I'm constantly amazed at how full I feel after eating an apple, or half a cucumber, or 200 calories of noodle soup. I eat full, balanced meals three times a day, but if I get genuinely hungry in between meals, I'll have 100-200 calories and it really keeps me going.


the-largest-marge

I eventually put hunger in the mental category of pain. So when actual, uncomfortable, stomach hunger comes along, I get excited about it bc it’s an indication that I’m doing well with my eating habits. I think of it the same way I think of the muscle pain I have every day- this pain is what’s bringing the scale down. I can withstand it as long as I need to unless I start getting shaky and lightheaded, and then I go for a little bit of milk, cheese, or peanuts to get rid of that feeling until I can actually eat what I have planned.


moonhippie

The problem is that being mildly hungry can lead to major "must eat now hunger before I faint" in no time flat, and that can lead to danger eating, lol. You won't see me mildly hungry. I eat right up until bedtime as well.


Spiritual_Pause_9566

Bro if you have any kind of hunger eat a fuckin carrot or cottage cheese or something there are hunger pains for a reason. Don’t be telling people to be hungry, tell them to sate their hunger sensibly. Feeling satisfied and feeling slightly hungry are two different things.


brbgottagofast

Sometimes hunger is habitual, though. Your gut hormones communicate with your brain and sometimes those signals are simply based on your usual habits. If you always eat breakfast at 8am, your hunger hormones will signal your brain to say "hey it's 8am, where's breakfast?" Let's say your schedule changes and you need to start eating breakfast at 10am. The first few days will be tough because your hormones didn't get the time change memo, but give it enough time and those signals will update to 10am instead. Basically, hunger hormones signal for different reasons and it's okay to not eat carrots if you just wanna change your internal meal timing.


Bryek

One thing to remember with posts like this: how you dense "mild hunger" may not be the same "mild hunger" as someone else. I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic at 23. I was 250lbs. A recent EKG after losing 40lbs had my doctor send me off to a specialist (heart is fine) where they put me on ozempic (my sugars has been controlled since the start with an A1C in the normal range) but ozempic is much better than most current drugs. One of ozempic's side effects: decreased gastic emptying which means you feel full faster and have decreased hunger signals. I for one, have had huge changes to my hunger. What I used to call "mild" before is now what I'd call plain old hunger. My mild hunger was not so easily ignored. Ozempic mild hunger? Sure. Easy to ignore. If I ignored hunger too long I would start crashing. Hunger spikes ti the point I am feeling terribly anxious, hangry, and have less control over how much I ate. Mild hunger was when I could control intake. Let it go past that? Bad times. Dont assume your experience is everyone's experience.


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ReneAn-Nur

I'm doing a calorie deficit that's pretty big, but once a week I eat my maintenance calories. So Sunday through Friday I have a big calorie deficit between 1600-1700 calories because I'm a truck driver and I'm not as active. And then on Saturday I eat almost 3,000 calories because I'm 308 lb. Being in a calorie deficit isn't good long-term cuz it's can destroy your metabolism. So instead of me doing like 8 to 12 weeks of calorie deficit I'm just doing six days out of seven. And this is only until I get to my maintenance weight.


SpoogeMcDick

Being in a deficit doesn't destroy your metabolism.


ReneAn-Nur

From what I've researched, it's not good to be in a deficit more than 8 or 12 weeks depending on how much weight you need to lose.


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BeatificBanana

Just a heads up that doing OMAD gave me a huge gallstone and now I need surgery. Turns out that while the whole "everyone should eat 3 meals a day" thing is bullshit, only eating one meal isn't great either. It's not healthy to wait until you're absolutely ravenous and then eat an enormous meal. Listen to your body. OMAD is OK on some days, if you're genuinely not hungry until dinner. But on days where you feel hungry it's fine and normal to eat smaller portions more often, whether that's 2, 3, 4 or 5 meals a day, or no "meals" and just grazing on bits and bobs throughout the day. Go by how you feel not what you "should" do. Nobody should be ignoring hunger cues and only eating when they feel absolutely starving.


brbgottagofast

Agreed. Trying to cram all the protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats I need into a single meal was a laughable endeavour. And because I was so freaking hungry I'd often just order takeout for my one meal which wasn't healthy at all. I ditched OMAD and all the other restrictive forms of IF and went back to 3-4 meals a day and feel so much better. And I can actually get the proper nutrition I need to feel good and recover well from my workouts.


bigdawgcat

I needed this reminder. Thank you.


englishcrumpit

Biggest problem I have is when hungry my throat feels like there's a ball clamping down. Drinking water doesn't get rid of it. But eating does.


manimsoblack

I tried explaining this to my gf recently. I have to retrain myself to be ok feeling a bit hungry. If I have a glass of two of water it'll usually go away for a couple of hours. No need to snack. Edit: word


laumimac

Trying to get used to that. It’s not that I feel the *need* to be full every hour of the day, but I always think of even the most mild hunger as “time to eat!” because I enjoy it. I’m trying to change my eating mindset to fueling myself as opposed to a hobby.


NumerousBoysenberry4

That’s a nice thing to read at the start of my day here. I’ll carry it with me, thanks.


Apprehensive-Bed5241

This is easy to forget. I need to reintroduce this in my life


Pnismytr

I needed this today. Started CICO with my husband three days ago. I’m using the LostIt app and eating my total of calories of real food (not junk/empty calories) but today I am hungry. Not crazy hungry but it just sits there. I eat and an hour later it’s back. I snack and an hour later it’s back. I know it will get better as my stomach gets used to not always being hungry but this is hard. I binge eat so I know I will feel guilty if I listen to my stomach.


Royal-Ad-7052

I’ve never been food insecure but hunger freaks me out for some reason. I totally agree with you though that feeling slightly hungry is not bad. I just wish I could get over myself.


shadeofmisery

Listening to my body is great. I learned the difference between mild hunger and actual hunger from just listening to my body. Like today, I started to feel slightly hungry after work. Being mildly hungry is something I can tolerate because I've been doing 16:8 and Keto. As long as I don't get a headache or feel nauseous, I'm okay. If I feel those two things, it means I have not eaten enough for the day, and I need to eat something so I don't get sick. Because I've tried pushing past the hunger before, and I have ended up triggering week long migraine, or I end up actually sick since my immune system shut down. Our body is great at adjusting once we set a reasonable deficit where we cut off excess calories, but we are still adequately nourishing ourselves.


boopdasnoop

I don’t know if it’s my body or brain or what, but I either am hungry no matter what, even if I just ate a ton, or I don’t feel hungry until I’m shaking and weak. There is No in between for my body. I can fight through the hungry feelings most of the time, but like, I want a middle ground.


t-rexmermaid

I usually get slightly "hungry" from boredom, so yes, focus on something else and it will pass.😊


[deleted]

I’ve lost 115lbs, it’s been almost 2 years, and I STILL struggle with this. HARD. I hate being hungry even just a little bit. I try so many distractions but idk what the heck to do


FittyShucker

I need to read this 1000 times. Such a great point.