Let yourself be hungry?

[Twirlywooooo]

Do you eat when you’re hungry or do you often let yourself go hungry?
I’ve been from a size 8-14/16.
When I was size 8, I basically ate one small meal a day and worked out, a horrible existence, I was always hungry.
When I was size 10/12 I ate healthily and worked out a few times per week. At size 14/16 I didn’t pig out but also was never ‘Hungry’ and didn’t work out.
I’ve accepted even though I eat a very healthy diet, I’ll never be the size I want unless I work out and restrict my meals slightly.
I feel happy being renamed and eating what I like, but don’t feel happy with the way I look,
Do you always have to be slightly hungry and/or work out in other to be slim?

*Relaxed not renamed 🤷🏻‍♀️

Since cutting sugar and most carbs, and eating a lot more fat an protein, I’m finding im literally never hungry. I think when I fill up on sugar or white carbs especially I end up much hungrier.

Having said that I don’t actually think being hungry is such an issue. Eg if I was hungry at 5 I wouldn’t eat something if I knew I was eating my tea at 7, I think when I gained weight I was actually afraid of being hungry and would eat something ‘in case I get hungry later’.

I don't eat until midday each day when I'll have rice and tuna or some vegetarian meat sub with celery and tomatoes. I try and eat loads of celery and tomatoes for bulk.

I'll then have a snack at 14:30 - something with lots of protein, I normally choose a Quorn sausage roll.

Then I'll not eat until 19:30, I'll probably start feeling slightly hungry around 17:00 but will be properly hungry at dinner time. For dinner I have lots of vegetables for bulk, and some type of protein and a glass of water.

I think, on the whole, people are scared of feeling hungry, but it's no bad thing. It's natural to be hungry before meals. It's not natural to avoid hunger all day, and graze all day etc.

I'm not scared of being hungry but I am slightly scared of the headaches and nausea that go with it. Sadly, the more carbs I eat, the more that happens. Protein and veg probably is the way forward much as I would like to make a whole loaf of bread into toast and just work my way through that.

I think there is no harm waiting to be slightly hungry before eating meals. If you stick to three good meals a day and limit snacks, then you should be feeling a little hungry before lunch and dinner.

Be mindful of portion sizes when eating meals and have an awareness of the nutritional content of food, If you must snack, chose healthy options and ditch the sugary treats and crisps and cut back on bread and you should drop weight.

Learn to recognise the difference between being hungry and wanting to eat out of habit, out of boredom or because you know there’s something nice in the cupboard.

I think it's normal to feel hungry... If its 4pm and dinner is 6pm I would just accept I'm hungry and wait for dinner.

Its not bad or unhealthy to be hungry sometimes.
I fast 16 or 18 hours a day so I'm hungry sometimes, I find I make healthier choices after a fast, I feel like it gives my body a chance to know what it needs.
Its not healthy to be eating all day or to eat until stuffed.

Sounds like you could do with eating more protein and fewer carbs.

You don't have to "go hungry", you just have to eat the right balance. Also, carbs make you hungry, in my experience.

Depends on your definition of hungry. Some people equate a bit of normal hunger between meals as total starvation. Realistically if I was hungry but it was almost 12 and lunch was at 1 I would just wait.
It isn’t starving yourself or depriving yourself but we don’t need to eat the first second the thought comes into our head.

I'm often hungry. If I ate when I was hungry I'd be obese. Just accept it really. Annoying tho

I can't bear feeling hungry. I get really light headed and dizzy. So I eat quite a few times a day. Breakfast 7am lunch 12pm small meal at 3:30/4 and then dinner 5ish. Basically I eat on a toddlers timetable. I am fairly sporty so despite eating quite a lot and often I'm a normal healthy weight.

I’m in bed and hungry now but I’m pissed off with DH and do not wish to see his face so he’s saved me a few hundred calories tonight

Tbh I’m not often hungry. I’ve lost a fair bit of weight using MFP so I choose my food wisely. When I did eat what I felt like (and had a belly like Buddha!) I could eat and eat high calorie simple carbs and, despite my tummy ache, couldn’t fill my self. There was always room to stuff a wagon wheel in

I don’t work out (health issues) and am not hungry but, thanks to changing what I eat and logging everything on MFP, I am happily a size 10. I just wish MFP had been around longer so I could have been this size years ago.

I think it’s knowing the difference between real hunger and sugar crash/thirst/boredom. I’m finding it tough at the moment as we’re home a lot so boredom = hunger. I have to think about when I last ate and when the next meal is to decide wether it’s true hunger. I have always been 8-10 but put on at least half a stone during lockdown.

I’m hungry when meal time arrives. I exercise a lot, but that’s because I really enjoy it. I’ve got a good appetite so I don’t eat small meals or I’d be miserable. To stop me putting on weight, I measure my carbs and eat more veg. That works for me.

I only eat lunch and dinner and if I’m hungry in between times then tough luck, I’ll have a cup of tea. That probably sounds crazy to a lot of people but I like to keep myself at a size 6/8 and that’s how I do it. I work out every evening for an hour. I did run in the mornings and then I could eat more but it’s too icy at the moment. No one can eat whatever they like, not exercise and expect to magically be the size they want to be. It sounds like what you did when you were a 10/12 is perfect for you, a nice balance.

Depends. I get dizzy if I am really hungry and then i can't wait for food so I need to make sure I have decent meal beforehand.

I can't stomach savoury first thing in the morning, I gag and get sick. So mornings are a slice of toast and jam and then 2 hours later a yoghurt and fruit. But after that it is savoury and protein unless I give in an snack on chocolate.

You need to find a balance for you and still enjoy eating.

I just eat at meal times. I never get very hungry though

If I want to not be fat then I have to go hungry. I've never been able to comfortably be a healthy weight

I think we are all different.

I eat when I'm hungry but for me that might mean once a day/maybe twice. But there is no such thing as a meal plan "for everyone". I HATE breakfast and will never eat it.

And I love eating when I am super hungry - it's the best!

I try to wait until I'm hungry but I do go running each morning so I make sure I eat a good breakfast a couple of hours before to fuel me otherwise I struggle. I'm guilty of eating stuff because I want to rather than because I need to most evenings though.

I don't really see the point of eating when I'm not hungry. I'm always hungry before a meal, so I guess I am hungry every day. I don't see it as a problem, I think it is a normal healthy feeling and a trigger to have some food. The concept of never feeling hungry is alien to me - like never feeling like you need to wee !

I eat twice a day, lunch and dinner. Rarely eat any snacks. I eat about 12.30 at lunch, start getting pangs of hunger at 11ish. Eat dinner at 7.30, start getting peckish about 30 mins before. I register a twinge of hunger and ignore it, knowing I will soon eat. Sometimes it is dehydration that is the issue, so I drink water. The only time I really feel hungry is if I eat breakfast (rare, usually on holiday). Eating breakfast makes me absolutely ravenous, sets me off munching all day.

I'm a uk 10, the biggest size I've been is a uk 12.
I'm a veggie, have been since a teen (mostly - the biggest I've been as an adult is when I ate meat for a while).
I cut back on carbs and sugar and shrink portion sizes (same amount of protein, lot less carbs) if I feel like I'm putting on weight.
If I really want to slim down I will just vegetables for dinner and lean high protein/ low carb foods (like eggs, avocado, nuts).
If I feel hungry I eat something small. I don't work out but do get out everyday, sometimes do yoga.

My mum is naturally slim and also type 1 diabetic, brought us up eating balanced healthy meals and very little sugar - to have stable blood sugars/no crashes.

If you’re always hungry it’s your blood sugars.

You need less starchy carbs and sugar, more fat and protein.