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?

Yep 100%. I've gained loads of weight over the years and I think it's got to the point that I was eating so much that I was never really hungry. I've now been trying to change how I eat as of the last week of the year and find that I'm hungry a hour or two before my next meal😂 I kind of think that's how it's supposed to be because you shouldn't constantly be stuffing your face.

Oh well what can we do. I guess it's needed to start eating less and lose weight! Good luck

I don’t think you have to go hungry on a diet, you can fill up on heathy, bulky stuff.
That said, I do feel really hungry on the first few days of a healthy eating regime following a period of eating with abandon (aka the past two weeks!). I’m dropping the cheese and wine from tomorrow, so am preparing for it now. It doesn’t take long to adjust though.

How much water are you drinking?

Yes if I indulge over Christmas I get used to eating too much.

I am hungry as I retrain my body to have normal portions. After a while its just normal though I expect to be hungry before a meal - that's normal.

How many times did I write normal

If I spend a lot of time hungry, I end up obssessing about my food, and make myself miserable, and the sugar cravings kick in. The restrictive diet then becomes unsustainable.

If I try to focus on getting the right stuff into my diet, it's less restrictive, I'm fuller, happier, and it's sustainable. So I try to make sure I have plenty of vegetables, enough fibre, healthier fats, enough protein, and enough water. By the time I've covered that, I'm not really interested in the unhealthy stuff, I'm too full!

I also find that what I have for breakfast makes a huge difference for my hunger levels that day. I need to get a decent amount of fibre and fat in first thing, and very little sugar. For instance, today I had smoothie with a sprinkle of granola on top. Half an avocado, loads of spinach, full fat yoghurt, splash of milk, and a scoop of protein powder (maple syrup flavour). It's about 25% of my calorie intake for the day. But then I wasn't hungry for about 4 and half hours, then I had some soup.

You don't need to go hungry, but you do need to learn to distinguish between genuine hunger and the desire to eat. Stomach hunger and mouth hunger, if you like.

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 think you do need to be hungry to lose weight. To avoid unnecessary hunger I would cut out refined carbohydrates.
Snacking on fruit just isn’t worth it. It’s not filling.

I’ve never been hungry on a successful diet, if you choose the right things. It’s actually amazing how much you can actually eat.

Try low carb e.g. Atkins/South Beach or the Mediterranean 'diet' - you won't feel hungry on these.

Oh except for perhaps the first day or two as your stomach adjusts, but I think that’s more psychological though.

Definitely not. I have only ever been successful when low carbing and really only eating nutrient-rich carbs such as green veg made me completely lose my hunger. I still ate chocolate every day due to the antioxidants in proper dark chocolate.

i lost 2 stone calorie counting in about 3 months - on 1200 a day ...ended up doing loads of swapsies and getting rid of empty calories so I could have more grub. Eg could roast veg and spuds in 2 teaspoons of oil instead of just pouring over. Meringue nest with frozen fruit and natural yoghurt rather than one choccy hob nob for the same calories .

Garlic and onion are now "fried" in small amount of water instead of oil. I was never hungry and my diet improved tremendously with better choices.

You shouldn’t need to go hungry and chances are you’re not hungry - you’ve told yourself you’re going on a diet and all of a sudden your body is panicking trying to eat as much as it can.

I remember a thread where a lady went on a strict diet and was meant to be starting it the next day.
She updated it the next morning to say she had eaten an egg tart from the bakery for breakfast 😂 she was amazing and it was one of my favourite threads ever. But it just shows the more you restrict yourself the less likely you are to succeed.

It’s taken me a long time to realise that me barely eating all day, loosing my hair, feeling ill and feeling faint has never worked as it leads to binge eating.

You are better off keeping track of your calories and if you want a treat of course have it but have a lighter meal to stay in your calorie range.

Also don’t have lots of calories in one go - when we eat, anything that is not needed goes into storage, so the more calories you eat in one go the more goes into storage. And so bingeing is the worst thing you can do but when you’re hungry your brain takes over and literally goes into survival mode and you try and eat as many calories as possible.

I do think there is lots of satisfaction of eating when you’re hungry so I try not to snack and really look forward to my meals instead.

Oh except for perhaps the first day or two as your stomach adjusts, but I think that’s more psychological though.

Especially after Christmas when you’re used to eating a lot more too.

Definitely agree with those saying reduce carb intake.

Carbs added to most meals are almost a complete waste of time in that if you ate the same meal without the carbs, you'd be no more hungry a few hours later than with the carbs, so the carb calories are a waste.

Scrambled eggs on toast? Why not lose the toast and have some spinach (dead easy using frozen) and maybe a bit of cheese?

Calories about the same but you'll definitely be less hungry 3 hours later, despite feeling to not have eaten as much.

The only thing that I was ever able to stick to was the 5:2 diet and I was hungry on the 2 fast days but not on the other 5 so it was bearable and sustainable. It resets your appetite too so you can differentiate between proper hunger and just wanting food out of habit or greed. I may give it a try again in spring (can't face any diet at this time of year).

Top tip I use, to stop eating in the evenings go to bed early before you get too hungry to sleep, you'll quickly get used to not eating in the evening

@username30473 there is a whole weight loss section on mumsnet

@EewDavid I just plan the snacks in advance, so I’m making the decision when full not hungry.
Last night I had a bowl in the bedroom with 3 dates, 2 satsumas and a granola bar for breastfeeding snacks. Only ate the dates and 1 satsuma but it stopped me roaming the house for 3am Nutella sandwiches like a portly ghost.

've been trying to "diet" since Boxing Day.

I'm struggling because I can't seem to tolerate hunger. I have definitely eaten less and eaten better food over the last week, but I haven't lost any weight.

I did one day with just dinner but it was a sofa day so burnt no calories.

I have four stone to lose so I have to learn to tolerate hunger but
I don't know how. I drink a lot of water already.

I use an app called “LoseIt!” And it leaves me in control of what I eat and when. I have found that snacking is my biggest downfall, and this allows me to work my snacks into my planning. During the workweek, I eat smaller amounts and a protein drink at work. A banana at 10:30 ish, skyr around 12, and so on. I “programmed” into LoseIt! The higher allowance on the weekend, just in case. I am hungry before I eat, but not starving in between. And it works for me. When a few pounds come back, I jump right back into the routine and it allows me to stay within my range. The biggest advantage for me is that I can plan my day while I’m having morning tea, and once I’ve entered in my plans for the day, I stick with it better. And, it “talks” to my Fitbit, so I can earn extra in my allowance. Whichever plan works for you, in a new year, I wish you the best of luck.

I am slim. Wish I was slimmer but nonetheless to maintain this weight and enjoy sweet treats/alcohol etc, absolutely I spend a reasonable amount of the week hungry. Very happy to do so to preserve this weight.

@Notbeforemycoffeeplease

Blossomtoes, OP is being candid and asking for help. It’s pretty clear from her post that she’s struggled with healthy eating and is trying to change. No need for the sarcastic ‘call that a diet?’ remark, with added italics just to really drive your point home.

I agree with this. It was a snarky and unnecessary remark. The OP isn’t going for perfect nutrition, she’s made some changes which are positive for her. Losing all forms of food that you enjoy just makes an eating plan hard to stick to and unsustainable.

I echo the comments about 16:8. If you’re someone who struggles to stick to something it really helps because even if you’re hungry in the fast periods, you know you have some freedom to eat fairly normally coming up later in the day.

Yes, for the first few days definitely. But you need to cut the sweet treats, they are what's making you hungry.