The title says it all. What do you do when you’ve hit your calorie limit for the day but still feel hungry?
To be completely honest, I take hot tea with no additions (sleepy time, peppermint) and/or go to bed “hungry”. I rarely, if ever, eat until I’m full, therefore I’ve learnt to control my appetite.
If my willpower fails, I will consume high-calorie fruit—grapes, dried mango, figs—and shift the calories on my calorie tracker to the next day, when I believe I can better manage calories while being in deficit.
To be honest, I prefer to sleep whenever possible. I do eat in the middle of the day, however. I recognise that today wasn’t a calorie deficit day, which is fine. I do not punish myself for being hungry. I had to toe the line for a while due to an eating disorder, though.
This usually happens just before bedtime. If my stomach isn’t grumbling, I’ll try to ignore it till it passes. If my stomach is growling, I can’t sleep without a snack. I’ll grab some pickles, apple, pretzels, or something little and crunchy. And if I go over my calories, so be it.
I eat when I’m hungry. I make sure it’s nutrient dense and accept that I’m going over my calorie limit. It will even out.
The first time around, it took me several weeks to get rid of the false hunger signals my body sent since I was gluttonous. To avoid that, I’d increase my fibre and protein intake the following day. The realisation that what I referred to as hunger was not actually hunger was a wake-up call.
I drink water. Green tea. Eat a pickle. Brush your teeth and see whether your brain goes to sleep.
If I’m still hungry after I’ve reached my calorie limit, I turn to low-calorie options like water, herbal tea, or crunchy vegetables like cucumber. Going for a walk or doing something I enjoy can help take my mind off things. What do you typically do?
Simply eat more. It is about developing long-term habits and maintaining a healthy relationship with food.
It’s normal to feel hungry on occasion. If you want to lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit, and it is entirely normal and acceptable to feel hungry.
I generally prepare a cup of miso soup. It’s just 30 calories and eliminates any leftover hunger.
Julie cooked the cabbage detox soup, which I make. Delicious, satisfying, and extremely low in calories.
It really depends on my aims. For example, tomorrow, I won’t care how hungry I am; I’ll only consume the calories I’ve allocated for myself. But on days like today, I’m more relaxed and could eat more if I wanted to. But by eating more, I can know how many calories I’ll need to cut in the future to offset the weight gain. I’ve seen that ignoring can be simpler and healthier at times.
Take a drink and chew some gum. But if I’m really hungry, I just eat something low in calories, and it’s okay to go over the “limit” every now and again; just keep eating wisely tomorrow.
It’s not the same as drinking a bottle of vodka after being sober for 8 months. It’s not a major concern as long as your weight is generally directed downwards.