I want to beat these hunger pangs!!!

[MissKerry]

Only 3 days into a healthy living plan and I can't seem to beat the hunger pangs between Breakfast, lunch and Dinner. I'm eating fruit but doesn't seem to satisfy!

Should this subside as the days/weeks go on? As my stomach starts to shrink?

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi MissKerry,

I think it would subside perhaps over time, as the stomach is bound to shrink a bit as you get used to eating less, but I find that having a 'healthy snack' between lunch and evening meal helps me to cope - for example today I've had a small amount of yoghurt mixed with 2 teaspoons of oats, and 3 walnuts and 6 almonds and half a pear. I find that I don't need a mid-morning snack as I eat porridge first thing and that 'fills me up' till lunch.

Hope you have a good week.

Lowcal

[pinkymoo]

Try drinking water as well as that will fill you up. Also, like lowcal suggests, choose foods that are slow burning and fill you up between meals.

keep busy too. Don't dwell on thinking about the food.

[Penel]

Make sure you have gone over to the high fibre and low/no sugar options of any ready made food, if you can. Avoid low fat because it will probably be full of sugar, and it will leave you feeling hungry, the full fat yoghurts will fill you up better than low fat. Try to keep some real fat like butter or olive oil in your diet, it is better for your health than the stuff in tubs.

Good luck with the diet.

[Windswept1]

You will want to eat less as you get used to it but howmany calories are you on and were you eating a lot more before? A couple of suggestions - if you were on a lot more before reduce a bit slower to the recommended 1400. Also perhaps factor in some different snacks into your calorie count. Fruit doesn't stop my hunger pangs or anything else sweet but there are some savoury things on this link as well. nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight/... good luck

[gingernut49]

I find if I don't eat breakfast I'm far less hungry during the day. Those hunger pangs should be welcomed as they're your body munching on your fat! I watched a brilliant Horizon programme, "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" vimeo.com/54089463 in August 2012 and, as it was before the excellent 5:2 Diet book by Kate Harrison came out, I took from it to eat from small plates and not to snack between meals or after my evening meal. Once I'd read her book and knew how to do it properly I then started just eating 500 calories on two non-consecutive days a week. It's far more doable than you think it's going to be and I lost three stone in six months up until April last year. I've maintained my weight loss since then by just fasting one day a week. It is not a fad diet and it really works, especially at retraining your appetite.

[Hidden]

Hi MissKerry,

Snack.

Try not to go for more than about 4 hours with nothing to eat at all. It might just be a couple of low calorie biscuits, or an apple, or a tomato or something. A small low calorie snack to "skate the hunger off of you" until your next meal.

That said, setting yourself up into a helpful eating regime - that suits your lifesytle - will help you get yourself into better eating habits. Personally, I used a meal-snack-meal-snack-meal-snack approach.

Oh and protein rich foods will generally help to counter the hormones that tell your body your hungry. So perhaps try a protein based snack of some sort.

Good luck with your weight loss efforts.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

An alternative view would be the 5.2 approach and getting used to fasting sometimes as that has known health benefits as well as training the body and mind to be used to waiting for food.

[Fatboyslim99]

One tip I use is to brush my teeth this sounds silly but take takes your mind off the hunger pangs try it plus your have lovely clean teeth also go for a walk take your mind off it don't just sit there and watch tv so bad for you.. Hope this helps.

[behappynow]

Hi...been on healthy eating plan since end oct...and I got to the same level...feeling hunger for snacks in between...now into end jan...I found that eating bigger breakfast, bigger lunch and smaller dinner..is helping me...I dont seem to feel so hungry for snacks...

[Hidden]

In theory stomachs don't shrink, they expand when we eat too much. Over time you learn to balance your hunger pangs by getting the right food balance. At times i still feel hungry at night, but sometimes welcome it (if not too urgent) as I know my body is working at losing the excess. A high protein diet can also help to curb hunger pangs . All the best with your weight loss.

[janey_lou]

I tried adding a little bit of protein to my fruit made the snack more satisfying. Like small bit of cheese with your apple and grapes or ham with your melon...I'm finding drinking loads of water during the day makes me less likely to snack too. Good luck

[Hidden]

Hi, You might try the 5.2 diet as I found doing the fasting a few times made me realise that hunger pangs don't harm me and gradually I learned to ignore them. I think getting used to not snacking is really difficult . You say you are snacking on fruit, but by doing that you are giving yourself sugar, albeit in a natural form within the fruit. Why not snack instead on a boiled egg and small piece of brad and butter, or a couple of slices of ham or even better a handful of prawns and some nuts? Their satisfaction will last for longer and not result in the reaction that follows having sugar which is a brief satisfaction followed by a drop in glucose levels and further hunger. I'm trying that and finding it helps. Suexx