OK to go hungry?

[laohaire]

Assuming I eat a well-balanced diet (which I'm not actually certain of, but let's assume for the sake of this question) - and I'm trying to lose weight, is it acceptable for me to go hungry?

For example, let's say my problem is portion control. I assume I would be hungry for a while as I got used to smaller portions.

Or is that wrong, and if I eat properly I should not be hungry (except, obviously, before meals ).

If it makes a difference, I'm nursing a 3 year old.

I want to lose weight and just not sure how to go about it, and not sure if being hungry is just part of getting used to eating less or if it's just not ok.

[fek&fuzz]

I think your body will take time to figure out when it is "really hungry". When I first started changing how I eat, I remember thinking "I'm not going to starve to death in this 15 minutes that I wait to see if I'm really hungry." Then I'd have water or tea, or fruit and check-in with my body again later.

There are definitely times that I'm really hungry, and can feel my blood sugar dropping, like right now, and then I act on it right away. But most of the time (especially if I've just eaten) I'll wait and see.

Also, I used sparkpeople for a while to get a feel for how many calories i was taking in and to make sure I was getting enough. Then if I was still hungry I'd reassure myself that I'd eaten enough, and that if I was really hungry in a while I could eat again.

[CathToria]

I won't eat if hungry at night, after dinner. During the day, I do try to eat something when I am hungry.

[vegmom]

It is possible to lose weight without feeling hungry. A lot of fitness professionals say to keep your metabolism up you need to eat 5 small meals a day. I hardly ever do that. I eat 3 larger meals. I don't want to eat when I am full.

There are foods you can eat to control hunger. Fiber and Fats. I eat fats at every meal. Fats digest slower, keeping you full. Sunflower seeds are high in fiber and control my hunger very well.

Sugar (even fruit sugar) and refined carbs will increase hunger because they raise your insulin levels. Potatoes are bad for this as well.

[texmati]

yes... I think it's normal to feel hungry... Also, I belive that your tummy will adjust to having less and less food. (IME, not scientific fact).

[spughy]

I don't think there's anything wrong with feeling hungry now and then, provided it doesn't prompt you to eat crap. ITA with vegmom about the fat and fibre keeping you full. As an example, last night I ate a small chicken leg (skin on of course!) and a pile of stir-fried veggies (about 3 cups raw, 2 cups cooked) and I wasn't even hungry this morning. I have carb issues, but a happy side-effect of NOT eating them is that I eat more fibrous veggies and feel fuller for much longer.