To think you need to go hungry on a diet?

[username30473]

I didn't want to use the word diet it was just for the title. The last couple of years my diet has been appalling to say the least. I have always been a size 10 but now a size 12 touching 14. From the way I have eaten I actually think I could be a lot larger.
Anyway I am now trying to change my diet back to what it used to be and lose weight.

I actually started on Boxing Day so I am a week in and I am hungry all the time. I am not massively restricting myself either. Yesterday I have had yogurt/fruit for breakfast, beans and scrambled eggs on toast for lunch, fruit for afternoon snack and steak and chips for dinner with a couple of Jaffa cakes for dessert. I just think I am so use to eating so much now I just have to get use to be hungry until my body gets use to less food again.

Do others find this to be the case?

Take part in veganuary. There is lots of help and support when you sign up and you won't go hungry!

[quote Maskedsingerispants]@Mirimu Can you give an example of daily diet please or more info about it?
Also, by no oils do you mean no olive oil?[/quote]
I responded but first time posting on mums net so may have responded incorrectly sorry. Reply is somewhere!

There are a couple of things at play here, and one of them is that most people have stretched their stomachs out. The human stomach evolved for a "grazing" type eating habit. Small amounts, several times a day. Your unstretched stomach is about the size of the space between your two hands held together, slightly cupped. That's a TINY amount of food. As I said, with our modern eating patterns, we have streatched them out, and those of us who tend to overeat REALLY have stretched them out! The good news is, when you begin to restrict your intake, or to go to more, much smaller meals, your stomach will rebound to a great extent.

The second thing is that most of us no longer recognize the difference between "not hungry" and "full." One reason for this is that it takes a full 20 minutes for the "enough" signal to reach the brain. That means that if we eat quickly, we are overfilled before our brains know that we have had enough. Slow down your eating, and you will feel fuller on less food.

@Gwenhwyfar
Joystir59
I also echo what others have said about carbs- I've naturally found that I really don't want them when I'm slim, I want protein and vitamin rich food, I am lucky in that I genuinely love fruit and veg and make sure I have lots of them in the house.

But fruit and veg are carbs aren't they?
By carbs I mean processed carbs such as bread rice pasta.
I don't eat potatoes much either.
Apples and oranges are naturally sweet low calorie treats and I don't limit how much fruit I munch apart from bananas which are more substantial. I also munch on carrots as a snack. A handful (like five or six) nuts are a snack. A teaspoon of olive oil on a salad.

[quote SilverHairedCat]@EightWheelGirl I don't know buy it. We don't have trough a packet of biscuits after dinner because we're hungry, we do it because we fancy it. Not eating them wouldnt leave us with hunger pangs.

I'm very overweight, but even I can tell the difference between hunger pangs and wanting to eat unnecessarily. I fail, however, because I have no willpower.

I'm back on Slimming World (I know MN hates it, but I don't eat the yoghurts, try to cheat on portions by eating entire 5kg bags of potatoes made into chips etc) and with three decent meals a day, I can honestly say that I NEVER feel hungry. Never.

Proper portions, lots of veg, lots of lean protein, plenty of fruit, lots of water and so on - it is a fact that these things fill you up.[/quote]
I think we're talking about two different things. IME it's possible to adapt to a new lower intake and not feel hungry as your maintenance calories start to decrease. At this point eating lots of protein and veg etc can leave you pretty full.

However, if somebody is used to eating twice the calories they need, they'll usually struggle to just stop and eat healthily without a period where they feel hungry most of the time.

I started seeing a nutritionist in October, after gaining 30kg in 3 years. I've lost 13 so far, it's basically come down to portion size and eating lots of steamed veg with my meal instead of chips/rice/pasta.

I'm rarely hungry and sometimes only eat 1/2 meals a day with no snacks.

I do drink 2/3 litres of water a day and if I am getting hungry I will have a tea with half a sugar which keeps me going till my next meal.

Nothing is off the table, but all in moderation, so one or two chocolates from the tin rather than two handfuls like I used to.

To me the important difference is between the really nasty sugar crash hunger after having bran flakes for breakfast and normal mealtime hunger. It’s possible to cut out the former but not the latter.

@QueBarbaridad

To me the important difference is between the really nasty sugar crash hunger after having bran flakes for breakfast and normal mealtime hunger. It’s possible to cut out the former but not the latter.

Indeed. The carb crash can be avoided but not hunger full stop.

If your 'normal' daily intake is 4000 cals then I think you're going to be hungry on 1200 no matter the ratio of protein, lean veg, etc.

Give the low carbohydrate diet a try. Basically, cut out all sugar, and restrict your carb intake to 20g a day. This will also get rid of your hunger pangs, as you won't have insulin spikes due to eating sugar. You just have to get used to a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet. And take plenty of exercise every day.

@ceepeeree

You have a lot of carbs in your diet. You might feel more full if you increase the ratio of fat and protein and drop the refined carbs especially- they really don't keep you full.

Not only that, but carbs raise your insulin levels, but then they drop causing you to crave more sugar.

@WishIwasElsa

Why in earth does toast have to go?

Bread is high in starchy carbohydrates. Really you need to cut out bread & potatoes completely.

All the protein in the world won’t replace grazing on crisps and biscuits all day

What does this mean, @Scottishnewbie2022?

If you eat your daily calorie requirement in protein (not suggesting anybody should, but for the sake of the argument) then you would neither need nor want the crisps and biscuits.

Can you explain what you meant?

Really you need to cut out bread & potatoes completely

No, you really don't. Getting the cravings for these things (carbs/sugars) under control is the way forward, but cutting them out altogether isn't the only way, and it's probably the hardest. You could cut them out for a few days, then reintroduce. Your cravings will be altered in that short time. You could fast 24 hours once every few weeks. You could fast daily (16/8) or weekly (5:2 or 5:1)

All of these methods will help your body to understand what fat is for (energy when there's no food), and to access it when it needs to.

Cutting stuff out completely is unnecessary, difficult, and ultimately, unsustainable for most people.

I'd probs struggle to get enough potassium without potatoes. Last statistic I read was something like only 3% of the population get the RDA of potassium. Or maybe it was 5%.

@EightWheelGirl

www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-loaded-with-potassium#How-to-Peel-Potatoes

There's plenty of ways.

@TheFoundation

Really you need to cut out bread & potatoes completely

No, you really don't. Getting the cravings for these things (carbs/sugars) under control is the way forward, but cutting them out altogether isn't the only way, and it's probably the hardest. You could cut them out for a few days, then reintroduce. Your cravings will be altered in that short time. You could fast 24 hours once every few weeks. You could fast daily (16/8) or weekly (5:2 or 5:1)

All of these methods will help your body to understand what fat is for (energy when there's no food), and to access it when it needs to.

Cutting stuff out completely is unnecessary, difficult, and ultimately, unsustainable for most people.

Each person needs to find their own way forward, as no two people are the same. For me, Dr Atkins is my messiah, and I have followed his diet several times, and it had worked for me every time. The ketogenic diet is science-based, and it works- not only to help you lose weight, but to gain energy, & help you to think more clearly. I suggest you read his book "Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution" and see what you think after reading it. It's also important to take daily exercise.

There are lots of things you can eat which have a negative calorie impact. Make a soup with carrot, celery, swede and stock cubes. Make a salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, beetroot, pickled onions. You get your vegetables intake in and fill a space at the times when you feel hungry. You need to move more, keep busy by walking, cleaning etc. All the movement burns calories. Good luck

@EewDavid

BendingSpoons

Yes it will take your body a while to adjust. I used to snack lots in the evening. I now mostly don't eat from 6.30pm until breakfast and don't really notice it

Any tips for nighttime hunger? Last night I had dinner at 8 and couldn’t get to sleep (terrible insomnia normal for me) but by 2 am I was flipping starving and I then couldn’t sleep because I was hungry. I had a big glass of water but it didn’t help for long.

I allow myself a Muller light yoghurt right before bed. It helps. Also Oxo made into a drink is satisfying as it's salty ( too salty, for long term good blood pressure, I guess, but one thing at a time). The Covent garden Soup Company, Tomato and Basil is v satisfying if you don't make your own. I eat loads of tomatoes ( again , each mouthful with a little hill of salt on it( NOT recommended...but satisfying)

I also eat a lot of gherkins, pickled beetroot ( your wee might go pink!) And cornichons. I also drink the vinegar it comes in. Some might think gross, but it almost completely takes away hunger pangs.

@Tzimi

Give the low carbohydrate diet a try. Basically, cut out all sugar, and restrict your carb intake to 20g a day. This will also get rid of your hunger pangs, as you won't have insulin spikes due to eating sugar. You just have to get used to a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet. And take plenty of exercise every day.

20g is V low! I've tried it, if you follow it to the book, it's v hard to sustain, I've found. For 20g, you have to measure each gram in each food, it's surprising how it notches up.

I am hungry all the time. I am not massively restricting myself either. Yesterday I have had yogurt/fruit for breakfast, beans and scrambled eggs on toast for lunch, fruit for afternoon snack and steak and chips for dinner with a couple of Jaffa cakes for dessert.

You need a better breakfast for a start.

You are not supposed to be hungry. Please eat.

I used to think diets were a kind of cult. In many ways I still do but a year or two of SW did teach me that I didn’t have to go hungry to lose weight.

I cut my morning toast in half (1 slice not 2) and add a heap of eggs/mushrooms or sliced banana on a little peanut butter. I sometimes have porridge with fruit but not often. I love morning toast.

For other meals it’s large portions of healthy options eg 5% mince bolognese (homemade so no added sugar) with a tiny bit of Parmesan. Or a a really well cooked jacket potato with loads of chilli (no butter on the jacket, lots of veg in the chilli). Or a big steak cooked in garlic with half a plate of green veggies.

Basically make sure you eat until you’re really full on tasty healthy stuff with 50% of each meal being veg. If you need a snack, have a low fat yoghurt (toffee or passion fruit are my favourite as they have a richer taste). Or have a punnet of strawberries or grapes. Eat the lot. You will still lose weight and their natural sugariness helps battle cake cravings!

The key is to cut out the processed crap - crisps, biscuits, take aways. You didn’t see obese people so much in the 60s and 70s because we cooked from scratch more and our food was mostly meat and two veg - there were lots of carrots, broccoli and cabbage on plates.

My caveat is to have a monthly or weekly treat night so you don’t feel deprived. Psychologically it’s important to know you can eat anything you want. Pick one thing you really want that month and have it. It might be a Chinese or a big cream cake on pay day. It won’t hurt as it’s a small proportion of your overall diet. And if you go out for someone’s birthday or something, enjoy the meal. It’s one meal. It won’t matter in the long run.

I completely find this, and I have experience having successfully lost 3.5 stone in my twenties and managed to keep it off ever since. Bulged a bit after my two pregnancies but also got back to similar weight as pre-pregnancy.

Your body gets used to what you regularly eat so when you cut back a bit you do feel it. Once you get into a habit of healthier eating/ less calories, you get used to that and it’s easier to maintain.

It is also a simple case of calories in/calories out. You need to create a deficit of about 500 a day to achieve a 1 lb a week weight loss. You can do this by exercising more or eating less calories, but eating less is much easier than the amount of exercise you need to do. It takes a 2.5 walk or run for me to burn off a Mars bar - easier not to eat the Mars bar! Crass example, but you get my point.

You can always out-eat the amount of exercise you do which is why I always try to combine the two, and try to watch what I eat even at my optimum weight. The minute I think I can eat a bit more because I did a long run that day is when I start to put weight back on.

You can eat more, but obviously needs to be the lower calorie stuff, but you also need stuff that nourishes and sustains you. Sugar is addictive and I think this is why it is so hard to change habits. Good luck!

(I’ve about half a stone to lose right now and need to get back to better habits!)

@elelel

I am hungry all the time. I am not massively restricting myself either. Yesterday I have had yogurt/fruit for breakfast, beans and scrambled eggs on toast for lunch, fruit for afternoon snack and steak and chips for dinner with a couple of Jaffa cakes for dessert.

You need a better breakfast for a start.

You are not supposed to be hungry. Please eat.

I was hungry all the time as well until I cut carbs. Turns out I was insulin resistant and my blood glucose was rising and falling too quickly causing hunger. Before I went low carb I would have eaten breakfast, lunch, dinner and had snacks at 9 am, 11 am and 3 pm. Now I follow a low carb way of eating I just eat a big lunch and dinner and usually nothing else in a day. Sometimes I might have breakfast or a snack but most days I eat twice instead of six times.

@Oneearringlost No-one is suggesting that you weigh each item of food so that you end up with 20g or less of carbohydrate! I personally adopt a more empirical approach, so I completely cut out all bread, pasta, potatoes & other foods which contain sugar or starch, whilst eating more meat, eggs, & other food high in protein & fat. Also, you need some green non-starchy vegetables (such as avocados, cauliflower, courgettes, broccoli) to provide adequate fibre & vitamins. I've also increased the amount of exercise I do every day. This works for me, and I'm losing just over a kilo a week. And I no longer crave sweet foods. So, take it or leave it, really! It works for me, is all I can say.