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EventsLose weight by eating only when hungry
in Weight loss This fourth piece of advice is one of the most controversial – and most important – things to keep in mind.
Eat Only When Hungry
Reduce unnecessary snacking
On a low-carb diet you should aim to eat when hungry, until you are satisfied… but just as important if you want to become lean: Don’t eat if you’re not hungry. Needless snacking will stall your weight loss.
This can be a problem on LCHF too. Some things you eat unnecessarily just because they’re tasty and easily available. Here are three common traps to watch out for on LCHF:
- Dairy products such as cream and cheeses. – They work well in cooking as they satisfy. The problem is if you’re munching a lot of cheese in front of the TV in the evening… without being hungry. Be careful with that. Or lots of cream with dessert, when you’re actually already full and just keep eating because it tastes good. Or another common culprit: loads of cream in the coffee, many times per day.
- Nuts. It’s very easy to eat until the nuts are gone, regardless of how full you are. A tip: According to science, salted nuts are harder to stop eating than unsalted nuts. Salted nuts tempt you to more overeating. Good to know. Another tip: Avoid bringing the entire bag to the couch, preferably choose a small bowl instead. I at least often eat all the nuts in front of me, whether I’m hungry or not.
- LCHF baking. Even if you’re only using almond flour and sweeteners snacking on baked goods and cookies usually provides extra eating when you’re not hungry… and yes, this will slow down weight loss.
Feel free to skip meals
Do you have to eat breakfast? No, of course not. Don’t eat if you’re not hungry. And this goes for any meal.
On a strict LCHF diet the hunger and urge to eat tends to decrease a lot, especially if you have excess weight to lose. Your body may be happily burning your fat stores, reducing the need to eat.
If this happens, be happy! Don’t fight it by eating food you don’t want. Instead wait for the hunger to return before you eat again. This will save you both time and money, while speeding up your weight loss.
Some people fear that they will lose control if they don’t eat every three hours, thus making them eat thousands of calories and blowing their diets completely. So they snack obsessively all the time.
This obsessive snacking may be necessary to control hunger cravings on a diet high in sugar and processed carbs, but it’s usually completely unnecessary on an LCHF diet. Hunger will only return slowly and you’ll have plenty of time to prepare food or grab a snack.
Summary
To lose weight quickly and sustainably: Eat when you’re hungry – but only when you’re hungry. Forget the clock and listen to your body instead.
More
All 16 tips on the page How to Lose Weight.
is one of the most important ideas in my opinion because it describes the basis of the "calories are useless" - way of thinking in LCHF. They are useless because ONLY your BODY knows the perfect number, no way it's you, so why should YOU even consider them?
Definitely not everybody will gain weight if you overshoot, but... if you've got more than enough energy inside of your stomach... why should your body eat from your reserves?
If you have less hunger, then congrats! Means your body snacks from the hips. ;)
Its a calorie reduction of 400 Kcal a day!
Keep up that good work.. dont interfere whit a wining concept!
There are two major ways to lose weight, surgery or calorie reduction.. which do you prefer?
It means that your body burn 400 extra calories a day.. whitout hunger and cravings.. becuse you treat your body right!
There can be some extra stress in transitation stage.. but that is like starting exercise.. in the beging its mostly stress!
Its affect mostly ones mind.. and then all efforts and thought comes to be about calories, weight and about food!
Whit LCHF and eating when hungry you listen to your body and its signaling about calories!
We all have an buildt in calorie counter.. one have to learn to listen to that!
But it only works if you eat what it is made to react on.
But let us be frank.. we are social creaturs.. and eat togheter.. then one adjust portion size for those planned meals.
Its a good compromise!
Intermittent fasting actually increases the metabolic rate, whereas caloric restriction decreases it over time. The critical concept is that hormones function properly in pulses. So better to have episodes of full calories followed by episodes of sharply reduced calories, than to try for modestly reduced calories for prolonged periods.
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/caloric-reduction-vs-fasting-p...
None of this calls into question the advice to not eat if not hungry.
What is the consequence of the food we eat insulin, glucose, ketone, hunger weight? When these are considered the answer of eat whole foods seems to be the answer.
For the many who are carbohydrate intolerant
Or insulin resistance
Following the works of Dr's Richard K Bernstein and Jason Fung seems to be a great start.
I've found that if I eat a little IMMEDIATELY when I get up, I can do all right for the rest of the day. But skipping breakfast because I'm not hungry is a disaster for me.
It is provided by A very disgruntled Vegan, who has the desire to tell the world how stupid all the doctors and people are who promote or go on LCHF, in all honesty I have yet to meet a happy Vegan who keeps his/her way of life to themselves instead of acting like a bible basher and shoving their beliefs in our face, I have also come across a few 70's sheep who still think low fat high carb is the way, my roommate yelled at me and came close to having a stroke by being so worked up at what I was eating the other day, and told me to stop this craziness as he was concerned i was going to kill myself, in his words he said that he has been properly educated since he was a teenager (Mid 1970's) that fat will kill you and cause heart attacks and to remember the more calories in the more you have to exorcize calories out, he even went on to say that fat free is a way better lifestyle but it takes willpower to keep on it, and I should stop this craziness and do that instead, ( he has had 2 major heart attacks 3 stents put in and has had a stroke but still believes his way of eating is healthy!)I have only been ridiculed like this before and that was when I was a smoker, people look at me like I'm nuts and need therapy when I tell them I eat LCHF. anyway I could go on forever
but I have one question to ask, I have bought as recommended full fat yogurt, but I noticed the carb count is very high 20 gr per 3/4 cup, so do i make this my only carb for the day? I really need help on this.
cheers Lee
The carb grams seem high (10% Greek Yoghurt is about 3.5g per 100 for example). Be careful to not buy crap with ADDED sugar. Always choose the natural ones. The more natural, the better.
But yes, you shouldn't overshoot the 20g to much while in the losing-phase for maximum effects (but anyway: some will lose weight even at 50g or even a bit higher, you have to experiment a bit what fits the best for YOU).
Negotiating the irrational behaviour of others is one of the greater challenges of lchf. I never had any problem whatsoever from my perspective: it is fitting in well with other people's habits and prejudices that is a challenge.
By the way, only buy plain, full-fat yoghurt. Flavoured yoghurt always increases the sugar content significantly. Sometimes the number of grams of carbs shown on the label of plain yoghurt is the number of grams of carbs in the milk before fermentation, so the actual number in the yoghurt is less. I favour sheep's milk yoghurt from local artisans. Sheep's milk has more fat, generally around 6.5%.
You are correct to think that you should be losing more than 10 pounds in 3 months on lchf. I noticed that you mentioned that you were performing 3 45 minute high intensity workouts each week. In my experience with patients high intensity workouts combined with a reduced calorie lchf diet does not lead to efficient fat loss. You are not eating in a manner to fuel high intensity performance . The human body can burn fat efficiently 1-2 pounds per week or it can perform and adapt to high intensity workout and the myriad benefits they contain but not both at the same time. So choose your primary goal, if it's fat loss than do lower intensity workouts-yoga, Pilates, weight training are all good choices , if the primary goal is fitness than consume more calories within your lchf diet. Once you have lost your excess fat than ramp up both calories and exercise intensity . Hope this helps
It could be a problem, dont go under that for long times!
I often go with coffee in the AM with a spoon of butter and then don't get hungry until late afternoon. More often it is not hunger but a kind of woozy feeling. Something akin to low blood sugar. I may have by breakfast at that time, 2 eggs and a bit of cheese, and I am good until 9 PM. If I eat again, is that to close to bedtime? This is the meal that I eat most of my meat. So why the jump in colestrol?
Make sure you have nutrient dense food with enough variety for when you are hungry. You won't need the fat, but will need the protein, vitamins, and minerals. Sometimes you aren't truly hungry but may get a craving, usually because you are missing something and will eat too much if you don't have the right foods.
I may only eat one small meal per day, but that is with eggs, meat, and lots of different vegetables, often cooking with real grass-fed butter (orange from the fat-soluble Vitamin A). I drink some beverages with vitamins as well, and coffee with real cream (not even half-and-half), but only when I'm thirsty for it. I've also taken supplements before (e.g. Vitamin D in winter when I'm getting no sun) but try to avoid them in favor of eating right.
Too many nuts
Too much cheese
These are all things Richard K Bernstein and others have noted can and do subvert patients diets.
On the other hand periodic fasting and control of protein and carbohydrate consumption along with the use of traditional fats while avoiding modern highly processed seed oils like corn, canola, cotton seed, etcetera support diets and health.
Eric
I had been eating lots of cheese (mostly mozzarella string cheese - not the imitation kind), which I had to stop doing because it was causing constipation issues even when I took regular probiotics. I thought that was causing my "hunger confusion" as well, but apparently not as the problem's continuing.
Could it be artificial sweeteners? I use artificially sweetened drink mixes to help me drink enough water (I try for 3 to 5 quarts per day; if I drop below 2 or 3 it causes various problems, and without flavoring I have trouble even drinking one). I use one flavoring packet per quart instead of two, but that might still add up.
Still, closing in on ten weeks of LCHF, I'm down 22.7 pounds and have lost 3-1/2 inches off my belly, so I'm certainly not killing my progress, maybe just slowing it a bit.
Here's a trick I learnt from my wife: When you are ready to start binging, say to yourself; "Yes! Now I'm going to eat whatever I want! I'm totally hungry! First, I'm going to eat loads of high fat low-carb foods. Then I'm going to eat whatever else I want!".
This tricks your brain. Once you've eaten, maybe even binged, on the healthy food, you will feel a lot less hungry and your desire for unhealthy binging goes way down/disappears.
This has worked for my wife and many people I know and I highly recommend it. :)
That's just one example. The problem with eating when you're hungry is that often our lives DO follow a schedule. And we're not always in charge of that schedule.
I am in myseventies and have been on lchf for five weeks and have lost five kilos. My problem is that I am now experiencing debilitating nausea, fatigue and dizziness. I am finding it very difficult to eat anything, particularly fat. I have increased my salt intake aiming for five grams per day, and have today had yoghurt and blueberries for breakfast. I was previously fasting from 7pm to lunch at12midday.
I'm hoping to face a small ceaser salad for lunch . I certainly am not experiencing any energy increase.... quite the opposite in fact. I would welcome advice if anyone has had a similar experience.
I don't deny my body treats, I just keep the amount low, eventually it gets used to smaller portions and is happy with it.
No alcohol. At least in my case, I had to completely sober up to do what I had to do. Alcohol makes you eat carbs, makes you tired, depressed and generally makes you wanna just lie down and relax.
Never Eat Anything When You Are Actually Hungry!: http://crb-tech-reviews.blogspot.in/2016/08/Never-Eat-Anything-when-y...
When you eat too much before bed, your body is much more likely to store those calorie consumption as fat," says dietician Brother Villacorta, R.D., a representative for the United states Dietetic Organization.
8 Bed Time Food to Lose Weight: http://crb-tech-reviews.blogspot.in/2016/09/8-bed-time-food-to-lose-w...
I am severely obese, was 280lbs just a month ago, and while relatively healthy considering all things, I was starting to get sick more often now. I decided after a surgery in December that enough was enough, and decided to start doing the ketogenic lifestyle. Thankfully I have an obsessive personality--because of my ADHD I would assume, or maybe its just me--so when I put my mind to something I go into it full force. I don't like to do things uninformed or half-assed. So I started an LCHF diet the first week of January 2017, the biggest reasons behind my choice, besides obesity, was depression, anxiety, ADHD, and hypoglycemia. First week was hell, felt sick all the time, and kind of got more depressed, but at about the middle of the second week, I found I was suddenly really happy, if not happy, content. I wanted to leave my house earlier in the day, I actually completed errands I've been putting off, or forgetting about for weeks. Besides not being "hungry" all the time, I also didn't crave, or woefully think about, the snacks at Starbucks, or all the candy at the checkout line. My skin also has cleared out, which for someone who has suffered from acne their whole lives, its a God send. Not to mention I am now able to go to bed at a reasonable time (11-12am) and wake up at reasonable time (7-9am). So who could ask for more.
As for snacks, I got small baggies and separated the nuts into about half an ounce snack portions. I find this satisfying, since I can finish the bag, but its a small bag. As for cheese, I buy cheese sticks, but only really eat one a day. I find that I now only have maybe 2 snacks a day, and since I pre-make the snack portions to be adequate, I don't over eat during those 2 snacks. So far, this has worked for me. This and daily exercise, in the morning and in the afternoon, which I know is not for everyone, but because of my ADHD, is necessarily to keep me focus, and bring down all my anxious energy to a manageable level. For the average person I would guess every other day would do on the exercise front.
Anyhow, so far all of this has worked for me. I'm about 20 days into my new LCHF lifestyle and I feel like a million bucks, and have lost 11lbs.
Anyhow, good article.
Lost two stone in 14 weeks only eating when I'm hungry , difficult at first during the first couple of weeks but got easier as time progresses . I'm actually eating quite a lot less than I was prior to my lifestyle change but getting more enjoyment from the food when I do eat
Why not use our circadian rhythm?
Eat once per day?
Eat sleep move with our circadian rhythm
Eric
Salk institute
Satchin Pandas lab
You should update this thread with some additional information so people don't just wanderlessly "eat only when hungry" and end up eating 1000 calories below their caloric maintenance goal.
It's unhealthy to eat beyond a 500 caloric deficit. If you call yourself a Doctor, you should be ashamed of yourself for not letting people know that.
Sure, "eating only when hungry" may be easier than tracking calories/macronutrients. But what the hell is the point is you're robbing your body of proper nutrition? You hurt yourself in the long wrong. Please be more informative on such an impactful subject. Otherwise, you could really lead people down an unhealthy road.
When I was a child, we had egg & chips every evening, cooked In lard & occasionally with beans, this is the 70's. Watch films from the 70's, not many over weight people about. Fast food, lazy people & supermarkets are to blame as well as yourself for encouraging them, life's fast lane is not to be confused with an excuse to eat unhealthy. Your choice, no gyms about in the 70's, why ? People were not over weight, you are encouraging over priced exercise, its all about money. Stop the gym, walk to work and cook a healthy meal (Lol, egg and chips every day done me no harm), cheaper and more beneficial in losing weight.
Eat only when you're hungry ! Top advice.
Food is fuel, your body will tell you when it needs fuel, not the smell of the burger or urge to eat just because someone said its lunchtime.
In reality we can talk about cars, when your car needs fuel you put some in, if your car is full, would you continue to put fuel in ? Didn't think so. So why do it to your body ?
So here we are, 2019, my biggest observation is that women in general are getting huge, men always used to be bigger, not in 2019. Women would normally be able to wear dresses and heals, not 2019, they wear trousers, talk about gender bender, they do not look sexy any more, what has gone wrong ? Food, technology and god damn laziness. And before someone comments, I'm not a chauvinistic pig.
Women should look like women, not lumberjacks or bricklayers, no wonder there are so many gay men.
Over-weight = You're eating too much V's the calories your burning.
Feel the need to go to the gym, sorry it is too late, damage is already done, food wins.
of nuts . Maybe a low cal fruit drink but mainly water . I also blend mountains of veg into a cup a soup for quick meal and eat canned tuna / lean chicken . Track on MyFitnessPal. Works for me . I am 59 and weigh 62kg .
If you're questioning your hunger, you're not hungry.
FYI. I have lost 20 lbs in 7 weeks.
I'm 52 years old and I got to almost 600lbs to my highest, I cut down to 350lbs for like 5years and I couldn't do any better going back and forth from 350 to 365 until now. Finally I'm under 330 and looking forward to break the 300lb mark.