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?

I wasn't tolerant (at all) of hunger either. I have to concentrate a lot of work, looking at a screen with a lot of detail so when the 'hunger headaches' set in I struggled.

I really thought intermittent fasting wasn't for me because of this, but I downloaded this app and it's really helped. Inititally I downloaded it to keep track of my 16hr fasts because I work variable shifts and sleep at different times, but it has this really cool feature where it tells your 'where' your body is in the fast and what it's doing and why you're feeling how you do, plus how long until the next phase.

It's called Fasting App - Fasting tracker and intermittent fast by Leap Fitness.

Amazingly, I don't feel hungry at all, and when I do eat I can eat what I like without the old familiar guilt of 'oh this has too many carbs/too much cheese' or whatever.

As someone who tried to eat healthily but also felt the need to stay one step ahead of hunger at all times, it's genuinely changed my life.

@TheWholeJingbang

Genuinely I had no idea I was supposed to keep myself hungry

Is this why I’m 4 stone overweight?

4 stone over here, too. Can’t believe I’ve let myself get this way but apart from a couple of pounds off I don’t seem to get anywhere.

@Whiskyinajar I don't think this is true, you can feel hungry because you overeat. If you respond immediately to hunger pangs your body is responding by making you feel more hungry next time. The more you, the heavier you become and the more you feel hungry.

I am a fitness instructor & teach lots of classes per week (15 - 20), plus I run a lot (waves to the fellow ‘win local races’ posters on here 🤣) In lockdown I obviously couldn’t work much other than lead a few virtual classes from my sitting room - I put on loads of weight really quickly. It was MISERABLE that in order to maintain a BMI of 21 & feel slim & fit I have to do literally hours of exercise a week. I eat really well, never overeat & don’t drink.
I basically had to starve myself until I went back to work more. I’m almost 50 - don’t know what age you are OP but I hear everything you’re saying.
However like someone said unthread, you have to decide what’s worth it for you. I hated being fat so much I’d rather be hungry.

@PegasusReturns

It's a very modern concept to eat at regular intervals

I find if I haven’t eaten I lack concentration, get irritable, can be prone to headaches and light headedness. None of which are conducive to my ability to perform or general feelings of wellness.

So I’ll take my new fangled modern day at of eating at regular intervals thanks!

I think you are taking this to an extreme.

I meant in evolutionary terms. Now, most people eat every 4-5 hours. And snack in between.

But sometimes they are not actually hungry.
That's the point!

It's a habit our bodies get into.

I get your idea of low blood sugar and feeling unwell. That's fine- so do I.

But equally, people on this thread are going on about the need to feel full all the time.

I can only speak for me, which is that I start feeling hungryish an hour after eating. If I gave in to that and ate all day I'd be huge.

@Sparklfairy

I wasn't tolerant (at all) of hunger either. I have to concentrate a lot of work, looking at a screen with a lot of detail so when the 'hunger headaches' set in I struggled.

I really thought intermittent fasting wasn't for me because of this, but I downloaded this app and it's really helped. Inititally I downloaded it to keep track of my 16hr fasts because I work variable shifts and sleep at different times, but it has this really cool feature where it tells your 'where' your body is in the fast and what it's doing and why you're feeling how you do, plus how long until the next phase.

It's called Fasting App - Fasting tracker and intermittent fast by Leap Fitness.

Amazingly, I don't feel hungry at all, and when I do eat I can eat what I like without the old familiar guilt of 'oh this has too many carbs/too much cheese' or whatever.

As someone who tried to eat healthily but also felt the need to stay one step ahead of hunger at all times, it's genuinely changed my life.

Interesting. Just downloaded it.

@JinglingHellsBells

I don’t think people are talking about the need to feel full. They’re talking about always feeling hungry.

On a continuum, hungry and full are to my mind significantly far apart. Hunger brings to mind feelings of discomfort and a need to eat rather than not feeling full which for most should be a common state of affairs.

I think this might have something to do with fat adaptation. If you MAF (maximum aerobic function) train at a speed where your body can utilise fat store for energy and becomes efficient at it you won't feel more hungry. I think what might be happening is that your body is too reliant on glycogen stores and when they are used up this is triggering a hunger response instead of switching over to burning fat. You will probably have to slow your speed down a touch to optimise fat burning.

Other than that saturated fat is extremely satiating, so a coffee with cream in at the end of a meal, for example, is very filling.

Oh and incidentally building up slow twitch muscles can improve insulin sensitivity. Slow twitch muscles are fuelled by burning fat through aerobic respiration. Fast twitch muscles are fuelled by glucose through anaerobic respiration. Sprinters tend to have more developed fast twitch muscles, marathon runners more developed slow twitch muscles.

@PegasusReturns

It's a very modern concept to eat at regular intervals

I find if I haven’t eaten I lack concentration, get irritable, can be prone to headaches and light headedness. None of which are conducive to my ability to perform or general feelings of wellness.

So I’ll take my new fangled modern day at of eating at regular intervals thanks!

Sounds like you are describing out of control blood sugars - none of those things should be happening just because you are hungry, that's not a natural or healthy state of being.

I lost weight a couple of years ago and yes I was hungry but you get used to it. My PT says when exercising you have to love the burn. And I told myself I had to get used to/love the hunger. Obviously not taking it to extreme... But just accepting its OK. I'm currently waiting to meet a late dd for lunch. I'm hungry and have been since 11am... But I'm no more hungry than I was nearly 3 hours ago.

Re. fasting: Yes, I did this for several month and lost quite a lot of weight, but I also suspect it nearly pushed me into (slightly) early menopause due to the missed periods etc so had to stop.

The ability to tolerate hunger is surely part of the puzzle of weight maintenance. If you haven't read about some of the hormones that drive hunger and satiety, Giles Yeo and one of the Van Tulleken brothers are very good on it.

Like most things, how well your hunger/satiety triggers operate is a mix of genetics and environment. On the environment side, it's possible that over the last 60+ we've lost the habit of being hungry. My impression is that pre 1960s, people didn't eat frequently outside meal-times so they must have been hungry, at least to some extent, between them and perhaps just used to and relatively unbothered by the sensation.

I'm 57 and have had a BMI of 21 since my early '20s. Am I always hungry? No. Am I frequently hungry, I guess so, although it's more 'definitely not full' rather than 'painfully hungry'.

Re. fasting: Yes, I did this for several month and lost quite a lot of weight, but I also suspect it nearly pushed me into (slightly) early menopause due to the missed periods etc so had to stop.

Fasting shouldn’t be making you miss periods..

@grasstreeleaf

Oh and incidentally building up slow twitch muscles can improve insulin sensitivity. Slow twitch muscles are fuelled by burning fat through aerobic respiration. Fast twitch muscles are fuelled by glucose through anaerobic respiration. Sprinters tend to have more developed fast twitch muscles, marathon runners more developed slow twitch muscles.

Honestly training for my first marathon 4 years ago, I put on half a stone that I've never managed to lose. Eating the day after an 18 mile long run is like throwing a giant curry down a corridor - doesn't even touch the sides.

It’s interesting. Becuase I actually am very overweight but I don’t eat much, and I get full very quickly. But then I drink a lot and I also eat even if I feel full.
So if I could get rid of my eat when full/booze. Then I think I would find it fine to not eat as much.

If I diet and give up carbs and booze then I am even less hungry! I just can’t stick to it.

Why I eat when I am hungry is a mystery to me

Sorry why I eat when I am NOT hungry

@phoenixrosehere

Re. fasting: Yes, I did this for several month and lost quite a lot of weight, but I also suspect it nearly pushed me into (slightly) early menopause due to the missed periods etc so had to stop.

Fasting shouldn’t be making you miss periods..

I believe this is not uncommon in women and one reason why some people think that prolonged fasting is not appropriate in women who would probably achieve adequate results with just a 12-hour fasting window.

I was doing 16:8 fasting (apparently more suited to men and I would have been better off doing 12:12?). I am not an expert, just relaying my experience and what I have been told by someone who has more expertise than me, in case it helps anyone else...

Gosh nice to find a tribe I can join! I lost a lot of weight about 5 years ago and took up exercise (running, weights, yoga).

I've put a little bit back on but yeah the constant hunger thing is real and such a pain. I thought it was just me being a greedy guts but it's so common when I talked with my fellow diet buddies - male and female, older and younger.

I've tried all the eating more protein, drinking more water, giving up alcohol, but none of those have worked to the extent of a noticeable change. I'm happy to be a little bit heavier but less hungry than I was when I hit a target weight that was clearly too low for me.

@Excelthetube

Sorry why I eat when I am NOT hungry

Bored? Lonely? Tired?

@Whiskyinajar

Quite frankly this is why I have stopped bothering about my weight.

I exercise, I eat when I am hungry.

I gained a stone and its stayed.

I've accepted thar this is the weight my body wants to be.

I've dumped all interest in BMI and weighing scales. The only thing I weigh now is ingredients when cooking specific meals.

Can't do with being hungry. If you are hungry then your body is telling you to eat. If you ignore that then you are potentially starving your body of nutrients it needs.

This is the perfect response

@AliceAbsolum
All of the above probably! I also obviously have deeper issues. I’m going to start the fast 800 tomorrow

Only because I have a bbq today! I am not procrastinating I promise!

@EatYourVegetables

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

This worked for me, I lost three stone two years ago and have kept it off - and I'm don't hungry, aside from a normal hunger for my meals.

I'm 43, size 10, with a BMI of 21.