To think that to stay in the healthy weight range I'm going to be hungry 70% of the time for the rest of my life.

[AliceAbsolum]

I've tried eating when I feel hungry, I put on about half a stone a month. Bmi is about 22.

I eat a balanced, protein rich diet based on lean fish, loads of veg, etc. But about an hour after eating each meal I'm generally hungry. Don't drink alcohol, try to avoid processed foods. Don't feel overly stressed, don't smoke etc etc.
Drives me mad.
I run 5 miles most days just to be able to eat an extra 400kcal!
Urgh.
Anyone else?

Running makes me feel starving. So I only do it once or twice a week. Maybe swap some runs for weights sessions?

Yup. I have found I need to live strictly on 1200 calories to stay a healthy weight. I’m starving but if I eat when hungry I just get fat.

Discovered the other day that in the olden days, women generally died shortly after menopause so I figured once we hit 40 plus we are destined to ‘not work’ properly

I've tried that the last month and I can see the muscle go on, but it makes me more hungry.

Just feels never ending.

@OlympicProcrastinator

Yup. I have found I need to live strictly on 1200 calories to stay a healthy weight. I’m starving but if I eat when hungry I just get fat.

Discovered the other day that in the olden days, women generally died shortly after menopause so I figured once we hit 40 plus we are destined to ‘not work’ properly

Oh brilliant! 😱😁

are you really hungry or thirsty?
it's normal to feel hungry an hour or so before mealtimes.

Add more fat to your meals, and reduce the carbs.

What do you consider a healthy weight ?, are you actually doing too much exercise.

If you’re not drinking then 1500 calories gives you a decent amount of food!

@MegBusset

Running makes me feel starving. So I only do it once or twice a week. Maybe swap some runs for weights sessions?

I find the same with running. Obviously if doing it for fitness/enjoyment then it's worth it, if purposefully running in order to eat more calories seems counterproductive.

Have you tried intermittent fasting OP? I used to emotional eat and also always feel hungry, even to the point of light-headedness so genuinely hungry. I dismissed it as I thought no way will I be able to do that, but it's changed my life to be honest. I just eat within an 8 hour window- mainly quantity dense and calorie light meals for dinner such as stir fry, I do eat some carbs but usually just a portion a day. Sounds restrictive but I'm so used to it now it doesn't take much planning etc and I've found meals I really enjoy- I do calorie count as if out and about or whatever I don't want to be too limited (coffee and cake with friends is something I enjoy so didn't want to completely cut out foods).

Bmi is 22 so I reckon that is healthy.

Maybe I'm just not very tolerant of the hunger.

The running will be making you hungry.

I'm a dog walker and on my days off I'm nowhere near as starving as I am on my working days.

I find eating slowly helps - it was on an episode of one of those Channel 4 diet shows - if you eat too quickly then your stomach doesn't have the chance to process feeling full.

I did fast last Easter - skipped breakfast and lunch 4 days a week and it was actually quite a relief. Could just accept it and get on with my day.

@Heliachi

My dad was always slim and once I mentioned it; he shrugged and said "you have to get used to being a little bit hungry most of the time."

I think we fear hunger pangs when we should be welcoming them for our health's sake.

Very good point. Hunger feels quite intense for me, like my old lizard brain says "sort this out human or you shalt perish" But my frontal cortex knows it's a lie

Lift weights! Weight lifting burns so many calories but doesn't make you too hungry. And it tones muscle and increases bone density so you can be heavy but look slim.

I don't think you should spend your life hungry. I'd honestly rather be a few pounds over BMI healthy weight than that. I'm guessing you are not right at the top of your BMI though, but that half starving yourself keeps you at the lower end of it. Is this right?

I think we have to decide what matters most to us in life by menopause. Is being a bit chubby (not overweight but top end BMI or 2-3lbs over it) but having a lovely life of good food and wine and lots of celebration with friends and family gathered around the table central to your happiness? Or is it more important to look and feel chic and get lots of admiration and compliments for how good you look and how you've kept your figure? One of the two lifestyles will bring you more pleasure than the other. Go with the one that does. no right or wrong in it.

Some food is more filling per calorie than others. Try eating more of those foods.

From memory, eggs, muesli and many soups are good examples.

Also lift weights to build muscle - a couple of dumbbells and you can follow some YouTube workouts at home.

Have you tried working out your BMR? If you’re on the short side it’s going to be lower; & as you get older it gets lower.

It’s important to make sure that you’re drinking enough - water, to be clear… - & not mixing up your hungry & thirsty signals. If you can split your meals down into [up to] 6 smaller ones rather than the 3 usual ones that might help, too: just doing a bit of experimenting to find what works best. Ensuring you’re getting all the vitamins & minerals you need is obviously important health-wise full stop, but it also stops your body from yelling at your brain to Eat More Thing-Rich-In-Whatever.

It is really REALLY important you get enough fat. Assuming you like having a working brain, I mean. I can’t remember how much is right for a normal diet, sorry (& don’t dare try to look it up, MN is eating posts if I look away for a moment) - I’ve some medical issues that mess with what I can eat so have very tailored advice from dietitians.

How long have you been going with this & do you know how much your calorie intake has moved around by? If it’s a big drop you might just be needing some time to adjust.

Yanbu.
Its shit.
I also find the only way to not be fat is to actually be hungry most of the time. I don't think we're alone in this either, I think it's true of a lot (most?) people. I think this simple fact explains the country's weight problems more than anything else. We are biologically driven to eat more than we need.

Cardio makes you hungry. That’s why I don’t do it. I do tabata (short intervals) and lift weights.

I think we are naturally meant to be in a state of feeling slightly hungry most of the time. like animals I guess who always have the drive to keep trying to hunt and find our next meal. we are just spoilt and used to have so much food now always available. it does take some getting used to so that it's not at the forefront of your mind all day though.

Are you eating protein at every meal? I find protein really helps me stay full longer.

I don't calorie count but I do slimming world. Basically low fat, lots of veg and fruit, lots of protein, complex carbs.

My BMI is 21, I run 2/3 times a week, more for mental health tbh.

I wouldn't say I'm always hungry. I'm often hungry for meals, but not more than an hour before them I would say. If I'm really hungry I have some fruit to keep me going. I also drink loads of water.

I'd give it a try op. I find I need some carbs to fill me up, so I have potatoes, rice, pasta etc with my evening meal. I have small amount of oats for breakfast. If I have stir fry with no noodles, I feel hungry again quite quickly.

Maybe try adding some wholegrain carbs to your evening meals, few spuds, brown rice, wholemeal pasta?

Unfortunately I have found the same op. I have to stick to no more than 1200 calories a day. I exercise every day (run x4, yoga every day, spin x2 and strength training x3), so I’m not inactive. I do think your body adjusts to the exercise though, so I don’t eat back any calories. I am going through the dreaded menopause so that’s probably a factor. It’s very annoying it takes this much effort to stay a healthy weight.

When you say you put on half a stone a month if you eat more - how long have you tested that for?

As in, did you do it one month, put half a stone on, panic and revert? Because you may not have continued ploughing on weight, you might have reached a plateau and stopped after the initial gain.

I find I have several stages where my weight plateaus - I might have a gain or loss of up to 10lbs in a month but then if I carry on eating the same, my weight just maintains, I'll have a much slower gain or loss in month 2 then no change.

It might be that you need to get your BMI closer to 25 and maintain there?

This is my life, hungry most of the time in order to maintain my weight.
I now skip breakfast on workdays and try to not eat until lunch. Lunch is usually peanut butter on a piece of wholemeal toast and I carry around an apple or banana for when I am really starving.
I have to be quite disciplined to maintain 9.6 stone, for me if I start putting on weight it goes straight to my stomach area.

Look at low carb high fat way of eating. You needn't feel hungry to keep a healthy weight! Reduce your intake of carbs and up the protein and healthy fats.