Dealing with Hunger

[EquinoxHorizon]

I got my Fitbit a little over a month ago and have been using it to track exercise and log food with the aim of shedding 12 pounds of pandemic weight, the Covid 12, if you will. 

I'm on the Kinda Hard plan, having lost six pounds in the past five weeks. I'm happy with the progress. This week though, my hunger has kicked in bigtime. I can't stick to the plan. I'm eating 400-500 more calories per day than previous weeks. I feel like maybe my body has figured out that I'm trying to lose weight and is hewing back to its weight set-point. My activity level is pretty much the same, a mix of running and bike rides. 

Curious if anyone else has faced the same and how you dealt with it. It's only noon right now and I'm already 500 over my calorie allotment. 

[Odyssey13]

Hi @EquinoxHorizon  it isn't always easy to lose weight. You staying busy, too and not just being active? Busy as in cleaning the house, washing the car, organizing your books - anything to take your mind off of food. I know if I'm just sitting and not doing something to keep my mind active, I can mindlessly eat. Think about what you're doing and see if staying busy might not help when that hunger hits.

[EquinoxHorizon]

Good point. I'll see if I can come up with some home projects that need doing...

[jkjacks]

Can you fill us in on what your calorie goal is and what your actual calorie in has been for the past 14 days?  More than likely, those figures are a bit off so you aren't at as big a deficit as you think you are.  Some of the others posts explains how your calorie in figures can be 20-50% lower than they should be.  What I recommend for the hunger issue, is to hit it like interval training.  You reduce calories for 5 weeks straight and the hunger will just build and build and build.  Instead, trick your body by reducing your calorie input for 4-6 days straight and then do a full calorie day with good nutritious foods.  Everyone is different and some work better doing 5 off and 2 on, or 3 weeks off and 1 week on etc.  I personally try to cut calories for 2 weeks then have a heavy week then cut for 2 weeks then a heavy week.  This makes me feel like i am not cutting anything because my body is just figuring out what I am doing to it when that week starts and I feel like crap worse than normal.  As i eat more (still under output), my body thinks its done with the deficit stuff.  Starts all over again the next week.

[EquinoxHorizon]

@jkjacks I like that two weeks on, one week off approach. This week may be my one week off. I'm not running much of a calorie deficit this week but I'm still under output for the week due to a big training day on Tuesday. I suppose if I stay under output I won't regain anything. The only downside is that I won't lose weight as fast, but if I can avoid the hunger, I can live with it. And as you point out, it doesn't give your body time to figure out what's up. Yeah, I'm definitely going to try this.

[Heybales]

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@EquinoxHorizon wrote:

I got my Fitbit a little over a month ago and have been using it to track exercise and log food with the aim of shedding 12 pounds of pandemic weight, the Covid 12, if you will. 

I'm on the Kinda Hard plan, having lost six pounds in the past five weeks. I'm happy with the progress. This week though, my hunger has kicked in bigtime. I can't stick to the plan. I'm eating 400-500 more calories per day than previous weeks. I feel like maybe my body has figured out that I'm trying to lose weight and is hewing back to its weight set-point. My activity level is pretty much the same, a mix of running and bike rides. 

Curious if anyone else has faced the same and how you dealt with it. It's only noon right now and I'm already 500 over my calorie allotment. 

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Only 12 lbs to lose?

250 cal deficit would be reasonable for the average body - unless you've been tested and measured to know you won't react negatively to a bigger deficit - I'd suggest hunger is related to body not happy at all with eating too much less. Be very concerned when that goes away - because that means the body is adapting best it can to stop the foolishness by lowering calorie burn on other things - that will make this whole thing harder.

Since 250 deficit requires accurate food logging, and exercise burn - that idea of alternate week diet is very good and studies have shown it works well.

Could take a 500 cal deficit then, but with hormones reseting every other week - not so bad at all.

1 lb a week, or 1/2 lb weekly on average - much more reasonable - save that muscle mass.

But get off that hard plan, too much. You didn't gain it fast - don't attempt to lose it fast.

That's probably the main reason for the hunger.

[emili]

For me hunger is sometimes boredom, but more often than not, it is lack of liquid. I am not hungry, I am thirsty. Instead of going for food, go for liquid. Usually a big glass of water does it for me, but on the days it doesn't, I will do tea. You can add a little flavor to it to make it more lux and it will satisfy your cravings. I don't mean a tiny classy cup of tea of 6 ounces, I am talking a big mug of tea that will take minutes and minutes to get through. If you don't like tea, you can do a glass of unsweetened vanilla almond milk with a little unsweetened cocoa- warm it up just a little to make if feel like hot cocoa. Healthy and satisfying. If all else fails, make a pitcher of infused water and sip all day. My current fave is adding a tsp of vanilla to a full pitcher of water. Supreming  an orange and letting it sit for a few minutes before enjoying. 

[EquinoxHorizon]

12 pounds to get down to pre-pandemic weight. Altogether, yeah, I'd love to lose 25 but I'm trying to set realistic goals. If I can get down 12 and not pop up again, I'd be happy. 

I'm easing off on the calorie deficits and occasionally logging a day when I only break even. Now aiming for an average weekly deficit of about 3000. Hunger seems to be more under control now. I'm still going down on weight. My initial plan may have been too ambitious, as you noted. 

[EquinoxHorizon]

Good suggestions. I guzzle endless cans of seltzer. Maybe it's time to get more creative with some low-cal drinks. 

[jkjacks]

I prefer water 90% of the time.  Calories from drinks are different from calories in food as they are super fast to digest and spike your blood sugar.  I prefer my calories in food where i can eat them and be sated for a couple of hours instead 😄

[SunsetRunner]

I agree, @jkjacks - Water is my drink of choice (after 2 morning cups of coffee!). And I’ve learned to drink 8 oz of water at the start of each meal. This helps keep my hunger under control. And it’s very good for my kidneys! 

[DavideFitbit]

Welcome to the Community forums, @EquinoxHorizon! 

I've found that I usually get hungry when I'm bored or anxious, so I try to stay fairly busy around the house and I drink a lot of water throughout the day. This is what has helped me lose weight and not feel hungry all the time, but if I feel it's too much I also have some healthy snacks ready, like carrots sticks or yogurt. 

[healthy2022]

Yes yes! It was a struggle for me (especially when we had a strict stay-at-home order) but those definitely helped me cope up.

[DavideFitbit]

Yes, @healthy2022, it's crazy to think that not so long ago we were under strict lock down, but we all learned it's important have something to distract ourselves. 😁

[SprinkleDonut]

To easily cut a few hundred calories in a day you could make swaps like greek yogurt instead of mayo in your recipes, use stevia, and less oil without compromising flavor. There are also filling foods like greens, lentils/beans, and the ever-vilified potato (carb heavy but nutrient dense and one of the most satiating foods out there besides pure proteins) to add to your diet if you aren't already eating them.

I would also really suggest if that doesn't satiate you to take into account what you've burned because numbers considered you may still be in a deficit for that day. As well, if you are also exercising you'll find that you're able to consume more calories by nature of muscle burning more or from pure cardio. The only other tip I could offer as you near the finish line is to become a drink aficionado. Infused water, sparkling water, and especially caffeinated tea/coffee has a noticeable affect on reducing your appetite!

My goal is the opposite of yours but if you're curious about what's worked for me after successfully gaining 15 lbs: 1. I avoid drinking liquids before or with my meal (fills your stomach) 2. I eat faster to consume more without noticing 3. NO COFFEE until I finish breakfast (I wake up hungry but if I have a cup of coffee I won't eat until lunch time). I think these little steps will really help. Just try the inverse.

Let me know if any of these tips helped 🙂 best of luck!

[MichaelD1963]

Same here. When I was ready to lose that nagging extra 20, I cut out all soft drinks and stayed just on water. I've knocked down 14 of the 20 and expect the final six to be gone by early December. Water has been a HUGE help and I don't miss the other drinks.