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If you’re not hungry a fair amount of the time, you’re probably not in a calorie deficit.
I would dispute this. It’s fairly easy to be in a calorie deficit and not feel hungry - you just have to eat the right foods. Eating foods with a low calorie density will help you to feel full without eating a ton of calories.
for example (and not something I would recommend doing irl) eating half a kilo of carrots would only be 200ish calories, but you wouldn’t feel hungry again for a long time.
If you focus on cutting out calorie dense foods (nuts, for instance: very nutritious but bullshit if you want to lose weight) then you can help yourself feel less hungry and dieting seems a lot less like a chore / feels more sustainable.
Eejit-
Hunger isn’t just about how full your stomach and intestines are, but also your blood sugar levels, and various hormone levels.
Some foods and types (typically higher fat) have higher satiety levels.
Some diets work better (low sugar, or complex carbs) because it doesn’t spike blood glucose as quickly and doesn’t surge insulin levels, which can trigger the desire to eat food/sugar.
I’d agree with you that eating lots of nuts on a calorie restricted diet is challenging, partly as it is so difficult to portion control. Not everyone is as nutritionally strict as a pre comp bodybuilder eating 8.5 unsalted almonds per serving.
Eating 500g of celery a day might bulk up your meals for no added calories, but I doubt that it would stop you from feeling just as hungry as if you didn’t eat it.
On the whole, people will get hungry and have huge cravings when on a diet.
If there was a diet where people didn’t feel hungry, then the weight loss industry would practically disappear.I’m just saying to expect to be hungry, and plan for it. Otherwise someone will put a couple of packets of chocolate bourbons out at work and you’ll go through the entire plate, then feel terrible afterwards.
Acliff
Are you sure you weren’t just thirsty?
I’ve never woken up in the night because I’m hungry.
Woken up in the morning famished though.
I’d say one of the big challenges in the first week or two of being on a restricted calorie diet is recognising, and managing hunger.
You are in a calorie deficit. If you’re not hungry a fair amount of the time, you’re probably not in a calorie deficit.
I’d suggest for a lot of people to fast/starve for a full 24-48 hours and see what that feels like. You’ll be hungry and very grumpy, but you’re not going to die of hunger. You’re not going to suddenly atrophy all your muscles, or die of exhaustion. You’ll know what real hunger feels like, compared to the ‘I’m peckish for a snack’ feeling though.
If you always get a snack when you’re hungry, that’s a habit that’s likely to derail your progress.
Control what you can, if you must snack, make it something planned and specific (pre cut carrot sticks, an apple) rather than whatever can be raided from your fridge. You’re unlikely to be that bothered with updating MyFitnessPal at 3am while holding a magnum.