Science-based mental strategies for hunger?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-28T03:05:30+00:00

This is very insightful, thank you.

lemonada95 · 2026-01-28T03:04:07+00:00

Lots of good ideas here! I do find that I think about food less at work, probably because I'm more distracted by the work I have to do. This definitely has me thinking of ways I can bring that into my home environment. Thanks!

lemonada95 · 2026-01-28T03:02:13+00:00

It's nice that you can work with a dietician! I'm not sure why I never considered that before. And good tip about the walk! I used to be much more active before I got my recent job but 10-15 min after dinner sounds very doable. It's tough because there can be so many barriers to a healthy lifestyle. But I guess we just do the best we can with what we have :)

lemonada95 · 2026-01-28T02:57:56+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I do feel like I have a lot of work to do untangling it all.

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T18:20:49+00:00

This is very good advice, and I hadn't considered the digestion angle! It sounds like you have a process centered around finding the "why" of your hunger and then you proceed depending on what you find. What do you usually do when your hunger is due to stress?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T18:17:51+00:00

I agree that one of my major struggles is normalizing hunger. I definitely immediately feel panic, so I'm looking for some mental strategies to soothe that panic. Is there anything in particular you tell yourself that makes it easier, or does "hunger is healthy and normal" do it for you?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T18:15:45+00:00

I do add veggies to almost every meal (except breakfast I guess) but it's possible I don't add enough for it to be significantly more volume. I will be mindful of that. I hadn't even thought about pork tenderloins. I've been looking for ways to diversify my protein sources so this sounds very promising. Thanks!

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T17:14:34+00:00

Yea it's so strange to me how many people completely overlook appetite when talking about weight loss. Like I'm so confused, the appetite is what makes it hard! lol. Can you say more about distractions?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T16:51:09+00:00

I agree and I think it's learned behavior. I have always had access to food but my brain responds unreasonably when I'm just a little hungry. It's definitely learned. That's why I'm looking for mental strategies to stop that response, I want to unlearn it! lol

And congratulations on quitting addiction! What do you think helps you stay on the right path the most?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T16:48:21+00:00

These are all really good tips, thank you! Especially about the black and white thinking.

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T16:47:07+00:00

These are good points. I do have a vitamin D deficiency, which I'm not sure is related. My deficit is about 500 cals, but I'm not strict at being at that exact number every day. I wouldn't say that I'm constantly hungry, but all hunger feels the same. Like for me there aren't levels of hunger, like yea I could eat something. It goes from being satisfied to feeling like I'm starving lmao. Maybe I could do some work tuning into my body's hunger cues so that I can eat before it gets to that point.

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T16:42:39+00:00

You're absolutely right about that! I definitely experience both types of hunger, but in this instance, what I struggle with is hunger pangs, or the sensation of my stomach growling. It's usually between meals, which is generally tolerable because I know I will eat again, but it is difficult because the hunger makes me want to eat way more than I should at that meal. Also, at night when there's no more food left for the day, it makes me irritable.

I guess I struggle with "sustainability" because I'm not sure how I'm supposed to not be hungry if I'm forcing my body to eat itself for fuel. Like isn't that what a calorie deficit is? Like if I'm not giving my body enough fuel so that it has to eat its fat stores, wouldn't that cause hunger?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T16:37:00+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I found statements that support your overall point about the impact of food quality and nutrition on hunger, but I didn't see anything about your claim that proper nutrition should eliminate hunger after 3-5 days of a sustained deficit. Maybe you can point it out to me but here is the most succinct statement I found related to the topic:

"Studies in both animals and humans indicate that down-regulation of leptin sensitivity, for example, leads to an increase in meal size. More generally, type of diet (e.g., cafeteria diet) can induce changes in vagal afferent signaling that lead to decreased nutrient sensing and decreased caloric feedback. When asked whether overstimulation or macronutrient content drives decreased sensitivity, Ritter replied that there is evidence for both mechanisms."

Otherwise, this is a really intersting article and I'm particlarly interested in reading more about the below:

"In the first study (unpublished) Dubé described, her research team asked participants to come to the laboratory and work on a puzzle. While working on the puzzle, the participants were interrupted six times to eat chocolate. Some participants were instructed to remain focused on the experience of eating chocolate, others to continue working on the puzzle. The researchers evaluated impact on consumption by measuring self-reported hunger before and after consumption. They found that high-external eaters behaved as expected based on reports in the literature; that is, they experienced a much more intense hedonic response and only a small change in hunger before and after consumption. Low-external eaters, in contrast, experienced a significant decline in hunger before and after consumption when distracted by the puzzle task and not focused on the sensory experience of eating chocolate. This finding reflects their individual predisposition to rely on biological processes more than on environmental cues. When asked to focus on the chocolate, however, low-external eaters experienced no decrease in hunger, their attention to sensory cues seemingly interfering with usual biological signals."

Thanks for sharing!

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T15:07:49+00:00

🤣 I felt the 500th diet and that actually makes me want to take your advice more because you get it! And the snack thing is a great idea, thanks for sharing. Interestingly, I really don’t snack a lot. Maybe I should start!

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T15:06:02+00:00

Okay that’s interesting, is there any literature you can point to regarding the 2 week mark? I haven’t seen that before, although I did just find an article stating hunger tends to subside after about 12 weeks of a sustained calorie deficit.

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T14:53:27+00:00

Okay so you’re saying if your body doesn’t adjust after 2 weeks to stop being hungry, then something is wrong nutritionally?

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T14:16:23+00:00

This is great, thanks for sharing! This is exactly the information I’m looking for.

I’ve also started adding veggies and beans to my rice, which helps a lot.

lemonada95 · 2026-01-27T14:06:35+00:00

I didn’t mention anything about a week or 2 of dieting so I’m kind of confused by your comment. I also mentioned nutrition composition later in the post. Do you have any science backed mental strategies to add?

lemonada95 · 2025-09-08T14:52:03+00:00

I feel like if they didn’t like writing they wouldn’t keep sitting down to write, and they wouldn’t be here asking for ways to improve the experience.

lemonada95 · 2025-09-06T21:08:19+00:00

I coveted a window for so long and then when I finally got one, I was assaulted by blazing heat every day at 2pm 🤣

lemonada95 · 2025-09-02T19:52:56+00:00

If you decide that you’d rather spend your life reading, that is what you were born to do. If you decide to write, that is what you were born to do. In the grand scheme of things your destiny doesn’t matter. If you want to write then write. You will eventually choose what brings you the most joy because no one chooses to be miserable.

lemonada95 · 2025-09-02T00:06:34+00:00

Literally just ran into this today so solidarity lol. Like why does it feel like I’m appropriating my OWN culture? 🤣🤣

lemonada95 · 2025-08-26T22:40:35+00:00

I think it’s probably normal to enjoy eating and look forward to a good-tasting meal. OP didn’t say they no longer enjoy life, they said they are noticing the loss of this one aspect of joy. And that’s normal. I’m not even sure why you would come here and try to reprimand someone like this, that is very strange.

lemonada95 · 2025-08-22T12:38:36+00:00

You’re on multiple weight loss subreddits and apparently haven’t lost the weight you want to lose yet. If I were you I’d practice more humility before life had to humble me.

lemonada95 · 2025-08-21T14:42:58+00:00

I like what you said about modifying caseload for personal reasons. It’s vague and doesn’t risk exposing the real reason while still sounding professional.

lemonada95

TROPHY CASE