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?

If you add more fat isn’t that more calories!?
I can eat a steak trimmed or not trimmed and the difference is huge

@readytosell yeh, I think we're sold this notion that if we didn't overeat we'd all be so lean, but in a world where food is available and it has to be a conscious choice to fast, then eating when we want to (when we're hungry!) is going to lead to a lot of us looking like we're carrying ten extra pounds. I'm being kind to myself because right now, I'm carrying 15 extra pounds. I've successfully lost weight many times before and always preferred how I looked.

Right, it's my day off and I'm going to the shops to buy courgettes and eggs and leeks and butter. Going to try and do a low carb can't face keto diet.

I kept my carbs under 20 grams per day when I lost a lot of weight but I'm hoping that low carb will help me lose a few pounds.
I start today.

I was very hungry for years and still felt like that on 1400 calories - ALWAYS hungry

This was 100-200 more calories than I burnt off so I put on 5-6 stone over 20 years

I literally couldn't eat any less (again, I was fucking starving all the time!) - I tried EVERYTHING- low carb/exercise of every type/intermittent fasting

Nothing worked so I had surgery to remove 80% of my stomach last year

Now eat 1000 calories a day and I'm NEVER hungry

I could not have coped going into old age starving and 5 stone overweight

@Excelthetube

If you add more fat isn’t that more calories!? I can eat a steak trimmed or not trimmed and the difference is huge

Fat is satiating, so you don't need to eat it large amounts to feel full. I eat three fairly small but high fat meals per day, and rarely need to snack or eat between meals. Admittedly, I don't calorie count, so couldn't tell you how many I eat per day.

Plus, our bodies burn the easiest form of energy first, which is carbs. Reduce the carbs, and it gets to work on burning the fat instead.

I am hungry right now. So far today, have eaten a bowl of oatmeal ( sugar free, no honey), 2 boiled eggs and some avocado and tomatoes for lunch, and some pistachios as an afternoon snack. Still hungry.

Honestly I would follow the example of the poster who says she doesn't care about her BMI any more-its not vanity- but I have diabetes in the family and was pre-diabetic a couple of years ago, so I have to keep an eye on that.

Wow, good for you! Was it hard to get agreement to that operation. I know 5 stone is not no big deal but i thought surgery was only done for much more overweight people.

One thing that works for me psychologically is to diet only every second day.

I know there'll be the usual chorus of people saying ''it's not a diet'' but when I want to eat MORE yes it is a diet.

So if I restrict to 1,000 only every second day, I will still lose weight and it's kind of bearable. It's a really slow process though.

I need to get back on board with my own advice though.

We all know what works for US but it's doing it. Would love to be going to the shops now to get a baguette, mayonnaise and a roast chicken in a bag but............ off I go to buy courgettes and leeks.

I do a 36 hour fast once a week and that works for me. It surprises me still, because I'm naturally greedy, but find this easier than any other method; and I've tried a lot over the years!
Everyone's different - you just have to work out what suits you.
Natural hunger comes in waves and only lasts a few minutes. Just keep busy/drink water and ride the storm...

@MareofBeasttown yeh I'm hungry right now too.
Going to have some cheese before I go to the supermarket.........

@Excelthetube

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

Ha ha ha. Whatever

i think if you are hungry that soon after eating, which I also often am, would you be better to graze on smaller amounts of food more often rather than have proper meals.

@LaurieFairyCake

I was very hungry for years and still felt like that on 1400 calories - ALWAYS hungry

This was 100-200 more calories than I burnt off so I put on 5-6 stone over 20 years

I literally couldn't eat any less (again, I was fucking starving all the time!) - I tried EVERYTHING- low carb/exercise of every type/intermittent fasting

Nothing worked so I had surgery to remove 80% of my stomach last year

Now eat 1000 calories a day and I'm NEVER hungry

I could not have coped going into old age starving and 5 stone overweight

Amazing. If only it was free for anyone on the nhs. I assume you went private?

Maybe just not eating breakfast will help overall. Just got to get through til lunch.

For me it's not eating when you "want" to, because you want to eat for many other reasons than hunger

I eat when I need to eat, which can be 3 times a day or 1 times a day depending on what I'm doing. This requires some mental conditioning

Yes OP, I paid for it as it was during Covid and the pathway was 2 plus years wait on NHS.

I was starting to get very unwell being overweight with arthritis etc - I would literally have to eat 1000 calories a day or less to lose weight

Even now though I'm eating between 800-1000 every day my weight loss has slowed to one pound a month

I could not have coped with only eating that for the rest of my life - it was too hard being hungry all the time

If you are feeling hungry then you are either dehydrated or not eating enough. Protein is good but the body needs carbs and fibre too!

As an adult you should be aiming for at least 30g fibre per day.
Protein and carb intake will depend on your TDEE.

For example when I was in a calorie deficit I aimed to consume around 1400-1500 cals per day, I split this 30g fibre, 85-90g protein, 200g carbs. When I moved to maintenance I was up to around 1800-2000 cals a day, increased carbs to 240-260g carbs.

The above won’t suit all this was tailored to me based on my activity level.

Can’t say I ever felt hungry.

@MareofBeasttown I would be starving too if I’d only eaten what you have by 3 pm. Your lunch didn’t contain any carbohydrates so you are bound to be hungry- a couple of slices of whole meal toast would be needed to make that a filling lunch for most people.

It always amazes me how little people eat on MN, everyone I know eats more than 1500 calories a day without being overweight.

@freekstar2 I am peri-menopausal, so I really need to cut down the calories.. A few years ago, I could eat anything I wanted. Sigh. I am also carrying all my extra weight around my tummy ( people stand up in the Tube for me!) Still trying to figure out how to eat for menopause.

@thenightsky

If I go over about 1,200 calories a day for more than 2 or 3 days in a row, I put weight on. If I eat breakfast, I put weight on. So, I chose to eat one meal a day, plus a smaller snack sized meal. If I eat a normal sized lunch, I just have a bowl of yoghurt and some fruit for dinner and visa-versa. If the hunger pangs get too bad, I have a cup of tea.

I once fell for that old thing of 'throw away the scales'. I went up 2 dress sizes in a two months!

You do not put weight on, the scales go up because you eat more. Most of this is water retention. If you were to weigh yourself every single day the scale will be up and down daily according to your food/water intake.

Am I always hungry? No. Am I frequently hungry, I guess so, although it's more 'definitely not full' rather than 'painfully hungry'.

This.

I think (and I’m guilty of it) it’s very easy to confuse “not feeling full” with feeling “hungry”. I did this for years…..and still slip into thjs way of feeling/thinking at times. Slightest little sensation in my stomach and my brain is telling me I need to eat. When actually I probably don’t.

BMI 22 in my 20s literally meant that I was starving most of the time. People would comment on my bird like appetite. My waist was 25 inches. Looked fabulous but what a price to pay! Second time I got to BMI 22 I was 34 and also starving due to an ongoing health issue. No alcohol and no sugar. My BMI is now 27 in my early 40s. I still watch what I eat because if I dont I also gain half a stone in a month. I only lose if I starve myself. By that I mean a poached egg on one slice of toast for lunch, no breakfast obviously and a quorn stirfry in a desert bowl for dinner
No alcohol obviously. It's a miserable existence but so is being obese.
My mother in law is tiny and eats nothing. She feels being thin is more important than not being hungry.

Yup for me since having DD2 I have to chose between fat and full or slim(ish) and starving. Any more than 1200 calories and I gain weight. I handle this by intermittent fasting so I'm only "starving" in the morning (and late at night sometimes) and can have more decent sized meals. I'm short so even a half stone weight gain looks significant in my frame. Very annoying and nothing can be done about it sadly.

I was always a steady weight til I had my son at 42.. I’m now a BMI of 30 with two stone I need to lose. I’m 57 now. There are so many mixed messages re weight loss -= so many diets - I maintain my weight - I weigh the same as I did in 2013 - it just won’t go down.

Yes this is me. I can eat about 1500 calories a day and that is also low carb. If I followed nhs dietary guidance I would be overweight. It’s pretty dismal to be honest

@AliceAbsolum

I'm 36. 5'11 so pretty tall. My BMR is 1400. 1400 to lie down for 24 hours. Seems a lot but then I'll have a dollop of mayo with dinner and that's 100kcal!

Interesting about genetic testing, maybe that's worth doing.

I'm not sure a few less or more carbs would make a lot of difference in the grand scheme. But I'll try more wholemeal options.

If you don’t mind me asking how much do you weigh? If that’s your BMR then I’m Guessing you weigh around 64kg?

Assuming you are active (hit more than 10k steps a day) then your TDEE is around 2130. In which case you are massively under eating and bloody wonder you are hungry! Assuming you are trying to maintain your weight you should be consuming around 2000-2200 cals a day! This should be energy and nutrient density foods - see what I wrote about fibre, protein and carbs earlier. I’d be aiming for around 85-110g of Protein per day. If you wanted to lose weight then you drop to a calorie deficit and aim for 1400-1700 cals a day.

If you don’t already track use something like my fitness pal and track for a week, I bet you aren’t eating enough.

@Sparklfairy, could you link to the app please, I just can't find it. Many thanks.

@redtulip12

I stopped cardio other than my daily dog walk and started lifting weights. I can now eat so much food it's ridiculous. I eat more than my dh and don't put on weight. I do drink alcohol but cut out all biscuits/cake etc.

What does lifting weights mean?

What do you actually do?