Learning to live with feeling hungry

So, I've been working out and eating right, and it seems that I've hit a plateau because the weight isn't coming off. I was reading an article by Oprah's fitness guy, who made an interesting point. He said that if you're exercising a lot and reducing your calories, you're going to be hungry and get late night cravings, and it's a feeling you should learn to live with. Well, he said it a bit differently, but you get the point. He referred to the feeling as your body "eating the fat." Even when I'm being good with exercise and diet, I still run to the cabinet every time my stomach starts growling. I'm beginning to think that I'm just going to have to live with being a little hungry. Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not talking about starving myself. I'm eating frequent small meals consisting of lean proteins, easily digestable carbs, and fresh fruits/veggies. I drink lots of water and eat foods rich in fiber to make me feel fuller. Anyway, I just wanted to know what you guys think about it. Does a serious commitment to losing weight mean dealing with a little bit of being hungry, and what methods do you have of dealing with it?
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I basically have mental strategies to deal with it. Like, I'll tell myself that I've eaten plenty of calories that day, and I'm not REALLY hungry, it's just my body thinking it is because I used to eat at this time. Or I'll tell myself that being a little hungry is a good thing, because it means I'm losing weight.
I think it is something we just have to deal with, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm probably always going to be jealous of the naturally thin people who DON'T go hungry, and just eat, without thinking, but look great. :evil:
And I too keep "acceptable" snacks on hand. Edamame is really good for that, as is some fruit and cottage cheese.
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What does help:
(1) Planning meals and snacks appropriately. Much like WM, if I eat mostly fruits, veggies, lean protein and whole grains, then I am less hungry. However, I also have to build in some fun but less good-for-you foods. Otherwise, I wind up craving my favorite evil foods all the time. So I have to strike a balance.
(2) Eat lots of smaller meals and snacks. I eat 6 times a day. I think it helps with hunger from a physical standpoint and also a psychological standpoint. During my waking hours, I never go more than 3-4 hours without eating. It's much easier to think, OK--in 3 hours I can have my snack, instead of, Oh crap--6 more hours 'til the next meal.
(3) Sort of related to (1) and (2), you have to balance out your calories throughout the day. I think a lot of people scrimp early in the day, because dinner's naturally our biggest meal anyway, and who doesn't want to snack while watching Grey's Anatomy? In my experience, that doesn't work. Think of hunger like a rushing river, and food like the dam that keeps it at bay. If you wake up hungry, but eat a smallish breakfast and maybe skip a morning snack to "save" calories, the already leaky dam continues to develop cracks. By the time you get to your big meals of the day--lunch and dinner, etc.-- the dam is pretty much broken, and stacking up more logs doesn't do anything to stop the water.
Eat a good breakfast and a morning snack. Get ahead of the game. Once you're already super-hungry, it takes a giant buffet to stop that feeling. But if you never get super-hungry to begin with, then you can stay not-hungry with less.
(4) Exercise. I'm a big believer in the "exercise suppresses appetite" theory. But at the same time, you can eat more.
(5) Sheer willpower. For all the words I spend on the others, this is my biggest one. I made a deal with myself that I'm going to get healthy, and that's it. I don't get unto bargaining with myself--Oh, I'm so hungry and just one cookie won't hurt. I'm just not going to overeat, and that's it. Not even going there. Not even considering it.
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This is where I fall down. Last night was pizza night at home. I intended to have 2 pieces. I had 4. I have gained back 2 of the 3 pounds I lost while sick this week. Wearing clothes I actually look slim, but I am getting so flabby around the middle, YUCK.
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When I eat a good breakfast, 2 scrambled eggs,a few slices of turkey bacon, a slice of whole meal bread, a tomato...I feel fuller for the rest of the day.
Breakfast is actually one of the meals where I try to spend most of my daily calories.
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great post meegs!
please recycle, it matters...
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i'm more relaxed being natural
Personally, I think it's perfectly fine to make room in your daily calorie allotment for a healthy snack in the evening. My favorite snack is a handful of almonds that I lightly toast in the microwave for a minute or so. Plain nonfat yogurt with a little honey mixed in can also be a good late-night snack.
Law Student at Wayne State University, Class of 2010
please recycle, it matters...
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So, if you are hungry ... eat. But eat a very small snack and make sure it is something that contains both protein and carbs ... the protein will help to cushion the "insulin effect" of the carbs. My typical bedtime snack is 1/4 cup of unsweetened pineapple and 2 oz. of lean chicken ... or a small smoothie made with berries, ice, Splenda and a small dollop of pasteurized egg whites. I've lost 63 lbs., and eating sensibly every time I'm hungry hasn't hurt my weight loss a bit.
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I also don't believe that should limit yourself to things that are only "good for you". Everything you eat should be in moderation. A 4oz portion of mac n cheese is really all that you should eat.
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The reason you're hungry is because your insulin is always up. It's always up because you're eating a lot of carbs. This "fiber" fills you up is bogus. It's fat that fills you up and keeps you full in between meals, which is a good thing. When your insulin is up, it's telling your body to store fat unless you have nothing but fat running through your system.
Your body will burn carbs first before fat, so it's important to limit your carbs to veggies and low glycemic fruit....no grains! Although if you want faster weightloss lose the fruit until you're maintaining. Eventually if you do this, your body will start burning fat...your fat plus the fat you eat. The weight will fly off, and you won't be hungry as long as you eat fat with your protein/veggies. Butter....coconut oil....olive oil....bacon grease....all unrefined of course are great fats, and you should cook with them daily.
This was yesterdays food for me:
Chicken sausage and eggs, pan seared catfish and veggies in butter, ribeye steak with bacon and butter garlic mushrooms, chocolate peanut butter coconut bark (Artisana coconut butter melted with dark choc. cocoa powder and peanut butter mixed in and frozen). So as you can see I eat well! I also avoid dairy due to some IBS issues I've always had, but it's also good for more rapid weightloss tho not as necessary until you get close to goal.
For reference, I used to weigh 160lbs, and I'm 5'3. I now weight 120lbs and still losing because my bodyfat percentage is still higher than I would like. But now it's a breeze.
Some good reading material if you want to know more:
marksdailyapple.com
robbwolf.com
The Primal Blueprint (book and cookbook! Great food!)
Movie: Fathead (was available on hulu.com for free...explains everything in about 1.5hrs in case you're not a reader)
Good luck, and I hope you never accept hunger again!