Hunger - how do you cope?

[Jacklinger]

I'm totally baffled that you don't understand the concept of emotional eating and flat out refuse to accept that it exists. It seems like you want to hear a particular answer and have closed off your mind to anything else.

I really don't have anything else to say except good luck to you with your weight loss journey. You'll need it.

I understand it but I don't believe I've ever experienced it. I don't want to eat just because I'm sad or happy or apoplectic. I want to eat because I'm starving.

If you suffer from emotional eating, that doesn't mean everyone does. What should I tell the doctor? "Doc I'm starving you gotta give me prozac!"

(BTW I've been on prozac before, didn't do anything I could notice)

 

[Jacklinger]

Science beats TLC channel.

I never said vinegar increases metabolism. Where did you get that? I said it seems to act as an appetite suppressant. I may take half a teaspoon if I'm feeling extremely hungry and know a binge might be coming. It seems to work but god is it nasty. I don't know why it works, it just does. But it doesn't shut off my hunger completely and I don't want to take a lot of it.

 

[KaraCooks]

I understand it but I don't believe I've ever experienced it. I don't want to eat just because I'm sad or happy or apoplectic. I want to eat because I'm starving.

If you suffer from emotional eating, that doesn't mean everyone does. What should I tell the doctor? "Doc I'm starving you gotta give me prozac!"

(BTW I've been on prozac before, didn't do anything I could notice)

You seem to be a person of extremes who refuses to acknowledge a middle ground. There's either starving or not. There's apoplectic or calm. There's prozac or nothing. There's black or white.

Have you ever kept a food log?
Have you ever actually eaten a healthy balanced diet for a period of time - say 6 weeks? (And not healthy in terms of a bag of carrots until you puke or tofu soup, but a diet like the one I outlined.)
Have you ever taken the time to write down how you feel when you binge? (BTW, a binge is RARELY ever hunger based - binges are emotional. Otherwise, you're just eating to assuage hunger. Binges, are by definition, mindless, driven eating - not based on hunger.)

I believe, based on everything you've said that what you feel is emotion/mentally driven. You've so convinced yourself that what you feel is hunger, that your body is reacting appropriately. You've said yourself that you know your stomach is full - that it feels full. And yet you still feel gnawing pain. That's your brain driving your body - not the other way around.

It is well documented that your mind can convince your body to display symptoms. That's what hypochondria is. Heck, there are women who want so badly to be pregnant or who *believe* so strongly that they are pregnant that they display all the symptoms, including a distended abdomen, lack of periods, and lactation. But they're not pregnant either. The mind is extremely powerful ... and it can control your body in ways that we still don't entirely understand.

Until you accept that, I suspect you will always be "hungry" and you will always suffer.

 

[Jacklinger]

You seem to be a person of extremes who refuses to acknowledge a middle ground. There's either starving or not. There's apoplectic or calm. There's prozac or nothing. There's black or white.

Have you ever kept a food log?
Have you ever actually eaten a healthy balanced diet for a period of time - say 6 weeks? (And not healthy in terms of a bag of carrots until you puke or tofu soup, but a diet like the one I outlined.)
Have you ever taken the time to write down how you feel when you binge? (BTW, a binge is RARELY ever hunger based - binges are emotional. Otherwise, you're just eating to assuage hunger. Binges, are by definition, mindless, driven eating - not based on hunger.)

I believe, based on everything you've said that what you feel is emotion/mentally driven. You've so convinced yourself that what you feel is hunger, that your body is reacting appropriately. You've said yourself that you know your stomach is full - that it feels full. And yet you still feel gnawing pain. That's your brain driving your body - not the other way around.

Until you accept that, I suspect you will always be "hungry" and you will always suffer.

Yes I did the healthy diet. It was my very first attempt at weight loss back as a teenager. I was a vegetarian except for low fat cheese and skim milk. And you know what? Lost a ton of weight. Lost about 80 pounds. Then something strange happened. Without changing my diet, I gained it all back. My appetite got way out of hand and I was consuming massive amounts of food. Whatever changes the diet affected to make me lose weight in the first place, got undone as my body adjusted itself to the diet and I began overeating again. I kept a food log also and detailed every calorie.

My second weight loss attempt was to work out 5 hours a day. I lost a ton of weight doing that too and got in tremendous shape. But slowly the weight started to come back because my appetite increased to match and then overtake the calories I was burning every day. At one point I was eating 8k per day or things like rice, grilled chicken, and stir fry. Finally I injured myself and couldn't work out for a month or so but my appetite didn't adjust back down so I gained all of my weight back almost instantly.

The third attempt was the Atkins diet. Eat all you want as long as it's meat. And once again, I lost 120 pounds. But something was happening to make me so sick of meat that I could barely stand to eat 200 calories a day of it and my craving for carbs combined with weakness from undereating finally broke me. I went on one big long binge that lasted 2 or 3 months and gained it all back.

I gave up after that, but then I became diabetic and the doc said I had to lose weight or get gastric bypass or die. So here I am, once again, and I just want to know why I'm always hungry. I'm just going to feel like I'm starving for the rest of my life and no one can tell me why I feel that way. I seriously doubt that some kind of emotional epiphany is going to make me not feel hungry. Although I have gotten so depressed over being sick sometimes that it made my stomach ache and took away my hunger briefly, but it always comes back. But anyone can lose their appetite over anxiety. I don't want to make myself anxious on purpose just to kill hunger.

 

[KaraCooks]

Yes I did the healthy diet. It was my very first attempt at weight loss back as a teenager. I was a vegetarian except for low fat cheese and skim milk.

*sigh* Whatever. You are still ... and I'm beginning to think intentionally ... not comprehending.

I'm just going to feel like I'm starving for the rest of my life and no one can tell me why I feel that way.

We've all tried, but you absolutely flat out refuse to even explore the idea that we *might* know what we're talking about.

I seriously doubt that some kind of emotional epiphany is going to make me not feel hungry.

*eyeroll*

Ok. Whatever.

Have a nice life. I'm done here. I don't need the headache from beating my head against this wall over and over and over again.

 

[Kayshiz]

Yes I did the healthy diet. It was my very first attempt at weight loss back as a teenager.

And how old are you now? Do you just not believe in healthy dieting now because it didn't work as a kid?

I was a vegetarian except for low fat cheese and skim milk.

That sentence makes no sense sir.

Lost about 80 pounds. Then something strange happened. Without changing my diet, I gained it all back.

Really? Nothing?

I kept a food log also and detailed every calorie.

Did you detail how you felt before and after you ate?

The third attempt was the Atkins diet. Eat all you want as long as it's meat.

That's not Atkins.

my craving for carbs combined with weakness from undereating finally broke me. I went on one big long binge that lasted 2 or 3 months and gained it all back.

Are you not afraid that will happen this time since you are eating so low?

I'm just going to feel like I'm starving for the rest of my life and no one can tell me why I feel that way.

Your doctor can.

I seriously doubt that some kind of emotional epiphany is going to make me not feel hungry.

Maybe it is a medical problem that FEELS like hunger pains to you but is something entirely different, and you could never no, because your not a doctor nor do you have a shrink ray and one of those cool little cars from Body Wars.
Maybe it is very easily cured and you need to put some effort into working with a professional to solve your problem.
Maybe this is what Doctors go to school for.
Maybe.

 

[ChefChiTown]

So here I am, once again, and I just want to know why I'm always hungry. I'm just going to feel like I'm starving for the rest of my life and no one can tell me why I feel that way.

It's called self-control and I suggest you get some of it.

Dude, eeeeeverybody gets hungry. You want to know WHY you're always hungry? Because you think about it too much. I'm hungry right now, but not hungry enough to go eat something. I just ate dinner a few hours ago and I know that the hunger I'm feeling right now is probably just out of habit (because I'm a night owl). But, I'm not freaking out and going "OH MY GOD, why am I hungry?!?!?! RAAAAAWWWWR!!!" It just seems that you are doing that though, as if you're obsessing over it, almost like you want to be hungry.

I don't get it.

 

[heatherisadork]

Your body AND mind need to change. Your body sounds like its had a lot of yo-yo dieting going on, and its out of whack.
Start drinking lots of water. I mean LOTS. Drink enough water a day so that your pee is clear most of the time.. I would cut out soda, this include diet. Sugars just make you feel hungry.
Next, eat LOTS of small meals a day if hunger is making getting through the day that much harder. This also goes hand in hand with your calorie limit. 500-1500 calories a day is not enough for your body. I don't care what your doctor says. Your body is VERY confused right now. 500 calories a day will put your body into starvation mode by the way, which can lead to binges. How do I know this? Back in the day I decided I was going to starve myself. Lost 30 pounds in 2 months and then lost control, started eating everything in sight for about 3 months. I gained 40 pounds back even after I started to eat the right amount of food to maintain.

Don't even consider gastric bypass surgery. In your case that would be stupid since you claim that no matter what, you are hungry, even when you can feel your stomach being full. If it truly is physical hunger, then you need to learn how to deal with it emotionally. You need to learn how to live with it. Many people out there live in severe pain on a daily basis, yet they can learn how to block it out.

You have to stop cutting your calories to an extreme. You have to give things time. You can't go from eating 4-5k calories a day down to 500 calories a day and expect to not feel hungry. The same applies to cutting down to even 2000 a day. You wouldn't bench press 20 pounds for a few months and then just increase your weight to 300 pounds one day. Your body wouldn't have the strength.

Everything takes time and adjustment. That could be years. You are so physically and emotionally used to eating 5k calories a day, its going to take time. Don't go on a diet. Change your eating habits for life, follow the same plan for the rest of your life. You can't give up just because you feel hungry. EVERYONE on this forum that has lost weight has experienced being very hungry. And EVERYONE has struggled with it. Go read through some of the diaries, there will be entries where people yell at themselves for giving in. A lot of this has to do with will power and you need to realize this. If you don't eat enough and learn how to live with this problem you will never keep the weight off by the way. Seeing a therapist or nutritionist could help as they could teach you coping methods.


Get tested for gastrointestinal diseases such as celiacs if you think there is an underlining condition to blame. Celiacs aren't just underweight, its been discovered that many are overweight, because their body thinks its starving and they have an appetite that can never be satisfied.

 

[Jacklinger]

And how old are you now? Do you just not believe in healthy dieting now because it didn't work as a kid?

34. Yes.

That sentence makes no sense sir.

What about it makes no sense? I was a vegetarian, except I let myself have low fat cheese and skim milk. I didn't eat meat and ate mostly vegetables and whole grains.

Really? Nothing?

Nothing what? That's not a response. That's a non-sequitur.

Did you detail how you felt before and after you ate?

No because I didn't realize it would make such a huge difference on some weight-loss forum 10 years later. Silly me.

That's not Atkins.

Ok, then call it the "I thought it was Atkins" diet. I followed the diet's rules and only ate from the list which was meat and occasionally cheese. Maybe Dr. Atkins invented a different version of the diet where you live. He was a creative man.

Are you not afraid that will happen this time since you are eating so low?

Yes I'm afraid it will happen again. But if it does, it will be the last time, because I probably won't live through it. And then it will just be done and finished.

Your doctor can.

No he can't. I asked him. I already stated this but I think you forgot. His response was to recommend gastric bypass.

Maybe it is a medical problem that FEELS like hunger pains to you but is something entirely different, and you could never no, because your not a doctor nor do you have a shrink ray and one of those cool little cars from Body Wars.
Maybe it is very easily cured and you need to put some effort into working with a professional to solve your problem.
Maybe this is what Doctors go to school for.
Maybe.

Maybe I've done that already. I didn't step into the diet dome yesterday. I've been doing this for over 15 years. At the end of it all. I'm just plain hungry. That's it. It's probably a hormonal problem caused by an imbalance of Leptin and/or Ghrelin but modern medicine doesn't know much about how those hormones work to control appetite yet.

why are you so afraid of just saying "I don't know why you're hungry"? You seem to be such an expert when my doctor and past doctors were stumped. I didn't ask for a cure, I asked for advice from anyone else that might be trying to deal with constant hunger.

 

[Jacklinger]

It's called self-control and I suggest you get some of it.

Dude, eeeeeverybody gets hungry. You want to know WHY you're always hungry? Because you think about it too much. I'm hungry right now, but not hungry enough to go eat something. I just ate dinner a few hours ago and I know that the hunger I'm feeling right now is probably just out of habit (because I'm a night owl). But, I'm not freaking out and going "OH MY GOD, why am I hungry?!?!?! RAAAAAWWWWR!!!" It just seems that you are doing that though, as if you're obsessing over it, almost like you want to be hungry.

I don't get it.

So you're saying - just use willpower. Ok thanks. Good advice.

 

[Jacklinger]

*sigh* Whatever. You are still ... and I'm beginning to think intentionally ... not comprehending.

We've all tried, but you absolutely flat out refuse to even explore the idea that we *might* know what we're talking about.

*eyeroll*

Ok. Whatever.

Have a nice life. I'm done here. I don't need the headache from beating my head against this wall over and over and over again.

Thanks for coming. It was nice to meet you.

 

[TheW8LossMaster]

Haha geez guys. Losing Weight is HARD to do. You have to fight years of built up positive feedback loops telling you to binge. Give Jack a break. I think we all now how frustrating that feeling can be.

A lot of what has been said is good advice though. If you want to avoid hunger you should definitely toss the light carbs. ESPECIALLY for breakfast. Unfortunately almost everyone has a carb heavy breakfast, and its a bad idea. You get hungry again by mid-morning! No wonder youre eating all your calories before 3pm. Instead have some fruit and some eggs are always good. Proteins are the dieters best friend. They stave off hunger for much longer and your metabolism is highest when you digest protein.

Also if you sit in your house all day with nothing to do, youre shooting yourself in the foot. Take a walk, go somewhere, read at the library, ride a bike, go to the movies (NO POPCORN OR HOT DOGS!), go volunteer at a charity, hell i dont know. But do something positive that you can get energized to do instead of having constant negative hungry thoughts bored at home.

 

[TheW8LossMaster]

Losing weigh is like any other kind of self improvement. Dont change on focusing your behavior, focus on changing your minset.

Look at your current weight as a product of your lifestyle. Your diet is only a small part of that equation. If you want to be thin, think like a thin person! Be positive, and when those hungry feelings come to you, dont let them get you down, just find something to you enjoy doing thats not in your house.

Its hard to just not think about your hunger like everyone is saying. Thats fighting hunger on its own turf. You'll lose every time! Instead distract yourself from hunger. If you were playing racquetball, you wouldnt think about hunger. But sitting on the couch is just gonna bring those potato chips to the front of your mind. Ha or goldfish in my case...

 

[Jacklinger]

All good points W8LossMster. Something you mentioned really interests me though. You said "think like a thin person." I'm actually trying that right now, which is why I asked "how do you cope with hunger?" in the first place. I eat the amount of food a thin person eats, but then I get hungry, and the thin person doesn't, or they don't get hungry enough to notice anyway.

So what's it like inside their heads?

 

[Kayshiz]

All thin people are lying.

They eat 800 calories a day just like you and they are hungry all the time.

They just don't notice they are hungry because they spend so much time walking around in Speedos and mini skirts and just looking so all together fabulous that food never crosses their minds.

The trick to ignoring hunger is to grow your hair into an exaggerated blonde "rockin'" hair style and every time you think about a burger or some ice cream just flip your glorious man quiff and the hunger just floats out your head...

 

[ChefChiTown]

So you're saying - just use willpower. Ok thanks. Good advice.

Yeah, you should just continue being a cry-baby whiner of a 34 year old and keep on moaning about how you don't understand how to battle hunger. That seems to be working really well for you :rolls eyes:

I mean, if 5 year olds can do it, so can you. Quit crying and man up. "Waaaah, I'm hungry. Help me, I'm hungwy evwybawdy, waaaah!!!"...that's you. Grow up and get over it. Everybody on the face of the earth gets hungry, yet, you're the only one I've ever heard cry about it.

But, just to humor you, I'll answer your question...

How do you cope with hunger? Eat. /THREAD

 

[Jacklinger]

Yeah, you should just continue being a cry-baby whiner of a 34 year old and keep on moaning about how you don't understand how to battle hunger. That seems to be working really well for you :rolls eyes:

I mean, if 5 year olds can do it, so can you. Quit crying and man up. "Waaaah, I'm hungry. Help me, I'm hungwy evwybawdy, waaaah!!!"...that's you. Grow up and get over it. Everybody on the face of the earth gets hungry, yet, you're the only one I've ever heard cry about it.

But, just to humor you, I'll answer your question...

How do you cope with hunger? Eat. /THREAD

I wasn't being sarcastic. Just using willpower is good advice and it's what I've been doing so far. That's how I know it's good advice. No need for insults, sir. But I was hoping for something I had not considered, hence why I was asking in the first place.

 

[Jacklinger]

Your body AND mind need to change. Your body sounds like its had a lot of yo-yo dieting going on, and its out of whack.
Start drinking lots of water. I mean LOTS. Drink enough water a day so that your pee is clear most of the time.. I would cut out soda, this include diet. Sugars just make you feel hungry.
Next, eat LOTS of small meals a day if hunger is making getting through the day that much harder. This also goes hand in hand with your calorie limit. 500-1500 calories a day is not enough for your body. I don't care what your doctor says. Your body is VERY confused right now. 500 calories a day will put your body into starvation mode by the way, which can lead to binges. How do I know this? Back in the day I decided I was going to starve myself. Lost 30 pounds in 2 months and then lost control, started eating everything in sight for about 3 months. I gained 40 pounds back even after I started to eat the right amount of food to maintain.

Don't even consider gastric bypass surgery. In your case that would be stupid since you claim that no matter what, you are hungry, even when you can feel your stomach being full. If it truly is physical hunger, then you need to learn how to deal with it emotionally. You need to learn how to live with it. Many people out there live in severe pain on a daily basis, yet they can learn how to block it out.

You have to stop cutting your calories to an extreme. You have to give things time. You can't go from eating 4-5k calories a day down to 500 calories a day and expect to not feel hungry. The same applies to cutting down to even 2000 a day. You wouldn't bench press 20 pounds for a few months and then just increase your weight to 300 pounds one day. Your body wouldn't have the strength.

Everything takes time and adjustment. That could be years. You are so physically and emotionally used to eating 5k calories a day, its going to take time. Don't go on a diet. Change your eating habits for life, follow the same plan for the rest of your life. You can't give up just because you feel hungry. EVERYONE on this forum that has lost weight has experienced being very hungry. And EVERYONE has struggled with it. Go read through some of the diaries, there will be entries where people yell at themselves for giving in. A lot of this has to do with will power and you need to realize this. If you don't eat enough and learn how to live with this problem you will never keep the weight off by the way. Seeing a therapist or nutritionist could help as they could teach you coping methods.


Get tested for gastrointestinal diseases such as celiacs if you think there is an underlining condition to blame. Celiacs aren't just underweight, its been discovered that many are overweight, because their body thinks its starving and they have an appetite that can never be satisfied.

Don't worry I don't drink soda or any other liquid with calories, except for coffee when I put a bit of cream in it. My doc really wanted me to get gastric bypass but I just don't want to because I think I would still feel hungry even if my stomach was removed, not just stapled, and I would still want to overeat.

I'm pretty sure I don't have celiacs but my aunt does have Chron's disease and I'm at risk for getting it myself. But Chron's usually discourages eating, and doesn't produce unusual appetite.

And I usually don't succeed staying under 500 cal every day, I end up eating about 1200 but at least it's low enough to keep losing weight.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Jacklinger]

All thin people are lying.

They eat 800 calories a day just like you and they are hungry all the time.

They just don't notice they are hungry because they spend so much time walking around in Speedos and mini skirts and just looking so all together fabulous that food never crosses their minds.

The trick to ignoring hunger is to grow your hair into an exaggerated blonde "rockin'" hair style and every time you think about a burger or some ice cream just flip your glorious man quiff and the hunger just floats out your head...

Really? Is that how you do it? I haven't tried that yet.

 

[Jacklinger]

BTW lost another pound since the start of this thread. Maybe arguing is the best thing for weight loss.