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Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? Are the extra years (you might not get anyway due to illness or accident) on average worth it to y

Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? Are the extra years (you might not get anyway due to illness or accident) on average worth it to you the individual?

jupiter90000 10y ago
Maybe... I personally doubt I'll be savoring the sweet 70+ years of age period if I make it there.. but who knows I guess. I'd rather enjoy my life and not worry so much about "one day I'll be glad I deprived myself of so much." There is a balance as others have said too though.
xapata 10y ago
> worth living being hungry all the time Some people eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, by choice. Anyone like that would say that hunger is well worth a longer life.
- btilly 10y ago
  No. Eating the same thing every day says that you do not value putting out energy for variety of taste. It says nothing about your willingness to accept persistent discomfort.
  - xapata 10y ago
    I think there's a strong correlation, judging from the folks I know. Personally, I like variety, but I'm trying to change.
  - gpawl 10y ago
    "persistent discomfort" is not necessary. I know people who swim in open water; it seems too cold for me, but they are not in persistent discomfort. I know people who drink coffee, it's too bitter for me, but they are not in "ersistent discomfort. Pain is the body's way to signal illness or injury, when the pain is signalling inaccurate, the brain can learn to not feel the pain.
    - btilly 10y ago
      From experience, I know that these things are not comparable. Swimming in open water is fine after a few minutes of adjustment. I have learned not just to drink coffee, but to prefer it without sweetener. But I spent over a year at perhaps a 10-15% reduction in calories. Persistent discomfort never went away for me. I was only able to maintain the diet by my constant awareness of concrete and measurable progress towards a specific weight loss goal. I believe that I have more willpower than most, and diets are probably easier for me than most. Yet I doubt that I could live the rest of my life on a calorie restricted diet for the sake of living a bit longer.
      - xapata 10y ago
        I find the opposite. When I experience hunger, if I wait for an hour or two I forget that I'm hungry. Just today I was working and skipped breakfast. Around lunch I thought I should get up, but I kept working. I forgot to eat until I had to stop for a meeting at 4:30pm. Suddenly I remembered my hunger and grabbed a banana. I still struggle with overeating when I'm hungry and there's food in front of me.
- rubber_duck 10y ago
  I eat the same every day - but I still wouldn't do long term calorie restriction - I enjoy being physically strong quite a bit more than potential years in my 80s
rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
While hunger pangs may be unpleasant from time to time, I personally have found myself to be at my happiest and most at peace with life when I am consistently losing weight. I have also cut alcohol consumption completely out of my life, unless I am celebrating something. This makes me far, far less likely to not care about my weight and my health, and I have no feelings of regret when I am hungry. But pleasure is easy and ice cream tastes good. Balance is everything.
- idiot_stick 10y ago
  >But pleasure is easy and ice cream tastes good. Balance is everything. That's why calorie restriction is a thing of beauty; eat what you want within the bounds of a caloric limit. Personally, I eat very light all week (sub 1500 calories), then splurge on the weekend.
  - rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
    That's kind of what I did when I was 18. I'd eat a handful of dry cereal, run 5 miles, go to school, then walk uphill for 45 minutes to my job as a produce clerk lifting boxes and stuff, then skip dinner. On the weekends I would eat like a pig and play Oblivion all day. Still, I lost 50 pounds in 2 months. I do not recommend this. My lung popped (but it healed itself) and some of my hair fell out (it grew back) from the loss in protein intake. Like I said before, balance is everything. Still, I do agree it makes sense to be light on the weekdays and splurge on the weekends. After all, there's only so much food you can stuff down your gullet in a span of a couple of days without making yourself sick, regardless of your caloric intake from the previous week.
    - idiot_stick 10y ago
      >Still, I do agree it makes sense to be light on the weekdays and splurge on the weekends. Right. I make no claims about my method being "good". But I work long days, and commute. So I usually don't each during the weekday, then come home and have a great meal. Then TV and bed. I'm sure any benefits come from fewer calories eaten in aggregate.
ultimoo 10y ago
Good point. I wonder how effective it would be to drop calorie intake past the age of say 60 years. That way one gets to enjoy a regular calorie intake for most of their life and then sacrifice it in favor of longevity. Hopefully more research on this topic surfaces in the coming years!
- idiot_stick 10y ago
  >I wonder how effective it would be to drop calorie intake past the age of say 60 years This space is crippled with pseudo-science, but I think the idea is that there could be irrecoverable damage done by that time, and that your old self simply won't heal as well. But I'll bet starting at 60 beats never starting.
flippyhead 10y ago
I don't think of it this way. Instead consider that the modern abundance of every type of food is very different from the environment in which our bodies evolved. Our natural/hard-wired cravings are actually harmful in the modern environment. It's less about being hungry and more about being satisfied with considerably less. Anecdotally I can tell you I absolutely feel better when I eat less than when I eat to satisfy whatever craving I might have.
- GrinningFool 10y ago
  In addition you can - to an extent - eat to satisfy the craving in that you have the food you want. Just ... less.
idiot_stick 10y ago
>Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? For most people hunger is a mind set, and eating is a habit.
- taeric 10y ago
  This just an assertion, or do you have backing data? I'm genuinely curious, as eating is hella fun for me, typically.
  - idiot_stick 10y ago
    >This just an assertion, or do you have backing data? What sort of data? That we (in the West at least) eat far too much? That you won't starve if you skip eating for a day? I also enjoy eating. What I meant was, people, generally, aren't eating because their body requires nourishment, but rather because it's meal time.
    - taeric 10y ago
      Hmmm.. I think I was misreading what you were asserting. I was taking it to meant it is a purely learned behavior. While I can see how it has heavily learned aspects, I'm curious if it is solely a learned thing. More, I'm curious how successful people can change their learned behavior.
  - gukov 10y ago
    Carbs that are quickly digested set you up for a roller coaster of blood sugars. It's the sudden crash of the blood sugar that makes your body tell you that you better grab something sugary again for another dopamine fix. Our bodies are much better at detecting fluctuations compared to absolutes.
  - SketchySeaBeast 10y ago
    http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/10/21/if-i-dont-remember-eating-it-i/ http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/10/21/if-i-dont-re... Amnesiacs who ate a big lunch could eat another large lunch after they forgot the first one. Not perfect, but it helps indicate a leaning towards hunger, satiety, and the mind.
KVFinn 10y ago
>Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? A lot of people that do it say they don't really have a problem. They eat a large volume of food with a high nutrient-calorie ratio. Or some people only eat within certain time ranges which they say makes it easy to lower calories without getting extra hungry. Also people they say they feel physically and mentally great when they eat a super healthy and calorie restricted so a little hunger is a mild tradeoff.
KaiserPro 10y ago
Short answer: no. Long answer: no, because: For $reasons I accidentally ended up on a calorie controlled diet, something around 1600-1800 a day. This persisted for too long. Basically I felt like I was on the edge of a cold all the time. Anything activity like cycling was utterly draining. The world was very dull and grey indeed. Now, I suspect that what they are talking about here is diet and calorie control (I wasn't eating rice). I doubt it was as extreme as what 1800 kcals a day is for a 6ft3 male. Now, there were other factors that may or may not have contributed to the feeling of utter "urgh" however, I don't see how its fun to like on a calorie controlled diet, unless you grew up with it.
- gukov 10y ago
  Despite what everybody says, all calories are not equal. Were you eating fast carbs like bread?
- bitL 10y ago
  If you could, move to a sunny state, it's easier to be on such a diet and full of energy if you are in warmer climate. Once during winter I did keto, daily cold shower, daily HIIT, 3-4x strength training/week and then I lost all energy and got sick for a month. I did the same in summer and it was all great.
  - dokument 10y ago
    Did you take into account your extra energy requirements in the winter? Your body has to keep you warm and this uses energy. It would be interesting to have an app or wearable that could help you keep up with intake based off of your environment (e.g. yesterday you walked n+10 miles and it was cold, you should eat more today than normal).
    - bitL 10y ago
      No, I didn't at that time. An app like one you mention would have to observe you first and see which foods give you what amount of energy, as your body is cherry-picking compatible food to some extent and burning rate is highly individual, probably even depending on your gut bacteria and how they pre-process your food. What works for one person won't for another :(
bitL 10y ago
You are likely to get used to it. Try to get up to 3-day fasting on electrolyte water only, one day more at a time. Usually the first day is the worst, then you can fast and even do intense sport normally for a few days (this should also kick start your immunity if you weren't too weak already). Or try to take a restricted ketonic diet for 2-3 months, with one day per week permitting eating whatever you like - you can drop 20-40lbs of fat easily, reducing the amount of "garbage" your body stores in the belly fat (which is created by your body when it can't get rid of some dangerous metabolic products immediately).
- hughes 10y ago
  Also, talk to your doctor before going 3 days without food.
  - mirsadm 10y ago
    Why? What is a doctor going to tell you? 3 days without food is not dangerous.
    - mywittyname 10y ago
      Dehydration is a concern for people who go prolonged periods without eating as food is a large source of the body's water.
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throwanem 10y ago
I've run a couple of uncontrolled n=1 trials on myself with calorie restriction in the past three or so years, and have found that I quickly (ca. 2 weeks) habituate to a lower caloric intake and don't experience hunger pangs unless I forget to eat altogether. Indeed, my current problem is eating enough - I had to consume an additional 900 calories past full yesterday, just in order to meet my 1k/day restriction goal. (Which it is important not to undershoot, as I discovered when I ran -2k for two days running and fell asleep leaning against a train station lamppost on my commute home the second day.)
- semi-extrinsic 10y ago
  Take it from someone who had to consume as many calories as possible for medical reasons [1]: nothing beats custard for boosting your daily calorie intake. A single glass is almost 1000 calories, and you can learn to chug it pretty easily. [1] I have a chronic autoimmune digestive disease, at one point I couldn't eat enough to keep from dropping weight, was in hospital with intravenous nutrition etc.; I'm pretty much OK now after surgery and new kick-ass meds.
  - throwanem 10y ago
    That's good to know! I used pizza, but custard would be more convenient and perhaps less filling as well. Thanks!
40acres 10y ago
I've found that after a while you can train your body to be more resistant to hunger pangs, if you feel a bit of a pang, get some tea or water. Now obviously if you're really hungry feel free to eat a meal, but I've noticed that my stomach growling doesn't necessarily mean I'm ready for a full meal. Also, I've found that eating food high in fat keeps me satiated. I have an avocado w/ coffee for breakfast (~5:45 AM) and that lasts me until ~1pm.
- GrinningFool 10y ago
  Hungry is a signal, but it doesn't require action. Or rather, when it is strong enough that it does require action you can tell the difference. Unfortunately, we (US) teach people that it does require action - through advertising, through school nutrition teachings and implementations (meal + 2 snacks in a 7 hour school day, at least for young kids).
alistairSH 10y ago
Do Okinawans live hungry? Or, do they just eat foods that have lower caloric value for a given volume, along with a culture of not over-eating?
- semi-extrinsic 10y ago
  I also think there's lots of confounding variables at play here. TFA says their diet differs from the mainland in several important ways: more vegetables and fish, less white rice and meat, and lower average calorie intake. Both of the first factors are extremely well-documented and uncontroversial dietary improvements, basically in the recommendations of every public health organisation in existence. We also know that being overweight is bad for your health, so as you say, if they're just less overweight than average, nothing much to see there.
melling 10y ago
Only you can answer that for yourself. What value is there in running into the weeds debating it? People would rather start "bike shedding" rather than try gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
joe_the_user 10y ago
I remember an article about a fellow who was doing caloric restriction in Portland, OR. He was described as going from entirely average build to at the edge of under weight. I personally maintain a weight at the edge of under weight generally consuming a high level of calories (and this is in my 50s). I doubt I could survive calorie restriction. Anyway, maybe it's sour grape but I suspect the whole calorie restriction thing is boondoggle based on ignoring the variety of factors influencing calorie consumption and longevity outside very controlled circumstances. If normal lab mice (or monkeys or some humans) are fat and inactive, calorie restriction might be good for them while it might be very bad for active animals.
flyinghamster 10y ago
My own anecdata: Late in 2014, as I turned 50, I stepped on the scale and saw 295 pounds. I knew I had long been overindulging, but I freaked and decided to do something about it. As it was, it was starting to hurt when I walked. First thing to go: snacks. I made a simple rule: don't keep snacks handy. It's way too easy for me to graze. The other thing I did was to greatly reduce my portion sizes. I found a couple of things: first, that if I still felt hungry after finishing a meal, I didn't feel that way a few minutes later. I also noticed that I didn't feel nearly as hungry in general as I thought I would. Keep in mind that restaurant portions often are big enough for two, sometimes three people. If I take half home, there's tomorrow's lunch or dinner. Win-win. Occasional treats are not a bad thing, but I won't let myself fall into the trap of "oh, just one more bag of chips won't do any harm (lather, rinse, repeat)." The first summer, I broke out my long-dormant recumbent trike, fixed the broken spokes, and got it back out for long rides, and I also rode a lot last summer as well. During this time, I found that I needed to eat more to support the rides, but I didn't gain weight, and my rides got faster through the season - very noticeably so last summer. Once it got too cold to ride, I had to readjust my eating habits again, but it still wasn't too difficult. After 28 months of this, I'm down to 195. I'd like to get down to 170, but I'm not going to go nuts trying to hit the target. As it is, my knees and feet are very thankful, and I feel a whole lot better.
- GrinningFool 10y ago
  I've dropped ~50 lbs in two years nearly the same way, or at least the same net effect: a rather large breakfast every day, no lunch, and medium sized dinner. No snacks during the day, though I often grab something later in the eve. The gap might qualify as intermittent fasting, but I do drink coffee with a fair amount of whole milk & sugar through the mid afternoon. I am not eating any healthier, just less food. For exercise, I started walking my dogs 4-5 nights a week in the evenings for a few miles (think closer to speed walking than regular).[0] I stopped losing weight when I stopped walking so often - the cold is getting to me this year, will resume in the spring. I'm seeing no weight gain though, because I haven't increased the amount of food I'm putting in. Couple of things to add to your observations: I've found that with time, a sensation of 'hungry' is just another sensation that my body reports - it's not an imperative to eat. And as I've adapted to reduced calories, this has largely faded. For the periodic conference or social gathering, I'll and enjoy the excessive amounts of food. For longer events this might cause an uptick of a few pounds, but it settles back to the prior level within a week or two. ---- [0] I know - in the US I should put the period inside of the paren (or quote). But that's illogical. I refuse.
abandonliberty 10y ago
Yes, restricting a standard western diet to 25% is can be awful when you're addicted to easy digested and processed foods. Our homeostasis mechanisms did not evolve with those. Your assumption that you will be "hungry all the time" is incorrect. It's quite easy to run a 25% deficit in keto. So easy that difficulty maintaining body weight is a big reason people stop.
refurb 10y ago
This is just an anecdote, but as others have mentioned, you kind of get used to being hungry most of the time. A few years back I was getting a ton of exercise and was trying to cut weight. I was burning close to 3000 calories per day and eating around 2000 calories. My observations: (1) you start to pay less attention to the hunger signals over time, (2) food, even bland food, starts to taste really good, (3) this could just be a placebo effect, but I would get really cold when hungry and then feel really warm after I ate, not sure if that was my metabolism increasing after a meal and (4) if I cheated, I could put 3-4 pounds on in a day which I assumed was mostly water and muscle glycogen stores, not fat.
- ZeroFries 10y ago
  3) might be explained by the bodies conversion of T4 to T3 (active thyroid), which requires glucose.
- cesnja 10y ago
  I get those cold and warm cycles all the time. It's probably because our bodies are very efficient.
bcheung 10y ago
Most people who adopt a ketogenic diet that is lower calorie do not report hunger. In fact, many report less hunger despite consuming significantly less calories. The reason being is that the body becomes more efficient at burning fat so there is always enough energy. That is in contrast to a non-ketogenic diet that has highs and lows of energy corresponding to eating.
mtw 10y ago
An alternative that works equally well is intermittent fasting. Every 3 months, you fast for 5 days. Make sure to drink plenty. If you can't fast for 3 days straight, you can also do a 2-days fast every month. See summary of studies: http://outcomereference.com/causes/115-Fasting http://outcomereference.com/causes/115-Fasting

Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? Are the extra years (you might not get anyway due to illness or accident) on average worth it to you the individual?

jupiter90000 10y ago

Maybe... I personally doubt I'll be savoring the sweet 70+ years of age period if I make it there.. but who knows I guess. I'd rather enjoy my life and not worry so much about "one day I'll be glad I deprived myself of so much." There is a balance as others have said too though.

xapata 10y ago

> worth living being hungry all the time Some people eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day, by choice. Anyone like that would say that hunger is well worth a longer life.

btilly 10y ago
No. Eating the same thing every day says that you do not value putting out energy for variety of taste. It says nothing about your willingness to accept persistent discomfort.
- xapata 10y ago
  I think there's a strong correlation, judging from the folks I know. Personally, I like variety, but I'm trying to change.
- gpawl 10y ago
  "persistent discomfort" is not necessary. I know people who swim in open water; it seems too cold for me, but they are not in persistent discomfort. I know people who drink coffee, it's too bitter for me, but they are not in "ersistent discomfort. Pain is the body's way to signal illness or injury, when the pain is signalling inaccurate, the brain can learn to not feel the pain.
  - btilly 10y ago
    From experience, I know that these things are not comparable. Swimming in open water is fine after a few minutes of adjustment. I have learned not just to drink coffee, but to prefer it without sweetener. But I spent over a year at perhaps a 10-15% reduction in calories. Persistent discomfort never went away for me. I was only able to maintain the diet by my constant awareness of concrete and measurable progress towards a specific weight loss goal. I believe that I have more willpower than most, and diets are probably easier for me than most. Yet I doubt that I could live the rest of my life on a calorie restricted diet for the sake of living a bit longer.
    - xapata 10y ago
      I find the opposite. When I experience hunger, if I wait for an hour or two I forget that I'm hungry. Just today I was working and skipped breakfast. Around lunch I thought I should get up, but I kept working. I forgot to eat until I had to stop for a meeting at 4:30pm. Suddenly I remembered my hunger and grabbed a banana. I still struggle with overeating when I'm hungry and there's food in front of me.
rubber_duck 10y ago
I eat the same every day - but I still wouldn't do long term calorie restriction - I enjoy being physically strong quite a bit more than potential years in my 80s

rm_-rf_slash 10y ago

While hunger pangs may be unpleasant from time to time, I personally have found myself to be at my happiest and most at peace with life when I am consistently losing weight. I have also cut alcohol consumption completely out of my life, unless I am celebrating something. This makes me far, far less likely to not care about my weight and my health, and I have no feelings of regret when I am hungry. But pleasure is easy and ice cream tastes good. Balance is everything.

idiot_stick 10y ago
>But pleasure is easy and ice cream tastes good. Balance is everything. That's why calorie restriction is a thing of beauty; eat what you want within the bounds of a caloric limit. Personally, I eat very light all week (sub 1500 calories), then splurge on the weekend.
- rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
  That's kind of what I did when I was 18. I'd eat a handful of dry cereal, run 5 miles, go to school, then walk uphill for 45 minutes to my job as a produce clerk lifting boxes and stuff, then skip dinner. On the weekends I would eat like a pig and play Oblivion all day. Still, I lost 50 pounds in 2 months. I do not recommend this. My lung popped (but it healed itself) and some of my hair fell out (it grew back) from the loss in protein intake. Like I said before, balance is everything. Still, I do agree it makes sense to be light on the weekdays and splurge on the weekends. After all, there's only so much food you can stuff down your gullet in a span of a couple of days without making yourself sick, regardless of your caloric intake from the previous week.
  - idiot_stick 10y ago
    >Still, I do agree it makes sense to be light on the weekdays and splurge on the weekends. Right. I make no claims about my method being "good". But I work long days, and commute. So I usually don't each during the weekday, then come home and have a great meal. Then TV and bed. I'm sure any benefits come from fewer calories eaten in aggregate.

ultimoo 10y ago

Good point. I wonder how effective it would be to drop calorie intake past the age of say 60 years. That way one gets to enjoy a regular calorie intake for most of their life and then sacrifice it in favor of longevity. Hopefully more research on this topic surfaces in the coming years!

idiot_stick 10y ago
>I wonder how effective it would be to drop calorie intake past the age of say 60 years This space is crippled with pseudo-science, but I think the idea is that there could be irrecoverable damage done by that time, and that your old self simply won't heal as well. But I'll bet starting at 60 beats never starting.

flippyhead 10y ago

I don't think of it this way. Instead consider that the modern abundance of every type of food is very different from the environment in which our bodies evolved. Our natural/hard-wired cravings are actually harmful in the modern environment. It's less about being hungry and more about being satisfied with considerably less. Anecdotally I can tell you I absolutely feel better when I eat less than when I eat to satisfy whatever craving I might have.

GrinningFool 10y ago
In addition you can - to an extent - eat to satisfy the craving in that you have the food you want. Just ... less.

idiot_stick 10y ago

>Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? For most people hunger is a mind set, and eating is a habit.

taeric 10y ago
This just an assertion, or do you have backing data? I'm genuinely curious, as eating is hella fun for me, typically.
- idiot_stick 10y ago
  >This just an assertion, or do you have backing data? What sort of data? That we (in the West at least) eat far too much? That you won't starve if you skip eating for a day? I also enjoy eating. What I meant was, people, generally, aren't eating because their body requires nourishment, but rather because it's meal time.
  - taeric 10y ago
    Hmmm.. I think I was misreading what you were asserting. I was taking it to meant it is a purely learned behavior. While I can see how it has heavily learned aspects, I'm curious if it is solely a learned thing. More, I'm curious how successful people can change their learned behavior.
- gukov 10y ago
  Carbs that are quickly digested set you up for a roller coaster of blood sugars. It's the sudden crash of the blood sugar that makes your body tell you that you better grab something sugary again for another dopamine fix. Our bodies are much better at detecting fluctuations compared to absolutes.
- SketchySeaBeast 10y ago
  http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/10/21/if-i-dont-remember-eating-it-i/ http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/2006/10/21/if-i-dont-re... Amnesiacs who ate a big lunch could eat another large lunch after they forgot the first one. Not perfect, but it helps indicate a leaning towards hunger, satiety, and the mind.

KVFinn 10y ago

>Interesting but is it worth living being hungry all the time? A lot of people that do it say they don't really have a problem. They eat a large volume of food with a high nutrient-calorie ratio. Or some people only eat within certain time ranges which they say makes it easy to lower calories without getting extra hungry. Also people they say they feel physically and mentally great when they eat a super healthy and calorie restricted so a little hunger is a mild tradeoff.

KaiserPro 10y ago

Short answer: no. Long answer: no, because: For $reasons I accidentally ended up on a calorie controlled diet, something around 1600-1800 a day. This persisted for too long. Basically I felt like I was on the edge of a cold all the time. Anything activity like cycling was utterly draining. The world was very dull and grey indeed. Now, I suspect that what they are talking about here is diet and calorie control (I wasn't eating rice). I doubt it was as extreme as what 1800 kcals a day is for a 6ft3 male. Now, there were other factors that may or may not have contributed to the feeling of utter "urgh" however, I don't see how its fun to like on a calorie controlled diet, unless you grew up with it.

gukov 10y ago
Despite what everybody says, all calories are not equal. Were you eating fast carbs like bread?
bitL 10y ago
If you could, move to a sunny state, it's easier to be on such a diet and full of energy if you are in warmer climate. Once during winter I did keto, daily cold shower, daily HIIT, 3-4x strength training/week and then I lost all energy and got sick for a month. I did the same in summer and it was all great.
- dokument 10y ago
  Did you take into account your extra energy requirements in the winter? Your body has to keep you warm and this uses energy. It would be interesting to have an app or wearable that could help you keep up with intake based off of your environment (e.g. yesterday you walked n+10 miles and it was cold, you should eat more today than normal).
  - bitL 10y ago
    No, I didn't at that time. An app like one you mention would have to observe you first and see which foods give you what amount of energy, as your body is cherry-picking compatible food to some extent and burning rate is highly individual, probably even depending on your gut bacteria and how they pre-process your food. What works for one person won't for another :(

bitL 10y ago

You are likely to get used to it. Try to get up to 3-day fasting on electrolyte water only, one day more at a time. Usually the first day is the worst, then you can fast and even do intense sport normally for a few days (this should also kick start your immunity if you weren't too weak already). Or try to take a restricted ketonic diet for 2-3 months, with one day per week permitting eating whatever you like - you can drop 20-40lbs of fat easily, reducing the amount of "garbage" your body stores in the belly fat (which is created by your body when it can't get rid of some dangerous metabolic products immediately).

hughes 10y ago
Also, talk to your doctor before going 3 days without food.
- mirsadm 10y ago
  Why? What is a doctor going to tell you? 3 days without food is not dangerous.
  - mywittyname 10y ago
    Dehydration is a concern for people who go prolonged periods without eating as food is a large source of the body's water.
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throwanem 10y ago

I've run a couple of uncontrolled n=1 trials on myself with calorie restriction in the past three or so years, and have found that I quickly (ca. 2 weeks) habituate to a lower caloric intake and don't experience hunger pangs unless I forget to eat altogether. Indeed, my current problem is eating enough - I had to consume an additional 900 calories past full yesterday, just in order to meet my 1k/day restriction goal. (Which it is important not to undershoot, as I discovered when I ran -2k for two days running and fell asleep leaning against a train station lamppost on my commute home the second day.)

semi-extrinsic 10y ago
Take it from someone who had to consume as many calories as possible for medical reasons [1]: nothing beats custard for boosting your daily calorie intake. A single glass is almost 1000 calories, and you can learn to chug it pretty easily. [1] I have a chronic autoimmune digestive disease, at one point I couldn't eat enough to keep from dropping weight, was in hospital with intravenous nutrition etc.; I'm pretty much OK now after surgery and new kick-ass meds.
- throwanem 10y ago
  That's good to know! I used pizza, but custard would be more convenient and perhaps less filling as well. Thanks!

40acres 10y ago

I've found that after a while you can train your body to be more resistant to hunger pangs, if you feel a bit of a pang, get some tea or water. Now obviously if you're really hungry feel free to eat a meal, but I've noticed that my stomach growling doesn't necessarily mean I'm ready for a full meal. Also, I've found that eating food high in fat keeps me satiated. I have an avocado w/ coffee for breakfast (~5:45 AM) and that lasts me until ~1pm.

GrinningFool 10y ago
Hungry is a signal, but it doesn't require action. Or rather, when it is strong enough that it does require action you can tell the difference. Unfortunately, we (US) teach people that it does require action - through advertising, through school nutrition teachings and implementations (meal + 2 snacks in a 7 hour school day, at least for young kids).

alistairSH 10y ago

Do Okinawans live hungry? Or, do they just eat foods that have lower caloric value for a given volume, along with a culture of not over-eating?

semi-extrinsic 10y ago
I also think there's lots of confounding variables at play here. TFA says their diet differs from the mainland in several important ways: more vegetables and fish, less white rice and meat, and lower average calorie intake. Both of the first factors are extremely well-documented and uncontroversial dietary improvements, basically in the recommendations of every public health organisation in existence. We also know that being overweight is bad for your health, so as you say, if they're just less overweight than average, nothing much to see there.

melling 10y ago

Only you can answer that for yourself. What value is there in running into the weeds debating it? People would rather start "bike shedding" rather than try gain a deeper understanding of the topic.

joe_the_user 10y ago

I remember an article about a fellow who was doing caloric restriction in Portland, OR. He was described as going from entirely average build to at the edge of under weight. I personally maintain a weight at the edge of under weight generally consuming a high level of calories (and this is in my 50s). I doubt I could survive calorie restriction. Anyway, maybe it's sour grape but I suspect the whole calorie restriction thing is boondoggle based on ignoring the variety of factors influencing calorie consumption and longevity outside very controlled circumstances. If normal lab mice (or monkeys or some humans) are fat and inactive, calorie restriction might be good for them while it might be very bad for active animals.

flyinghamster 10y ago

My own anecdata: Late in 2014, as I turned 50, I stepped on the scale and saw 295 pounds. I knew I had long been overindulging, but I freaked and decided to do something about it. As it was, it was starting to hurt when I walked. First thing to go: snacks. I made a simple rule: don't keep snacks handy. It's way too easy for me to graze. The other thing I did was to greatly reduce my portion sizes. I found a couple of things: first, that if I still felt hungry after finishing a meal, I didn't feel that way a few minutes later. I also noticed that I didn't feel nearly as hungry in general as I thought I would. Keep in mind that restaurant portions often are big enough for two, sometimes three people. If I take half home, there's tomorrow's lunch or dinner. Win-win. Occasional treats are not a bad thing, but I won't let myself fall into the trap of "oh, just one more bag of chips won't do any harm (lather, rinse, repeat)." The first summer, I broke out my long-dormant recumbent trike, fixed the broken spokes, and got it back out for long rides, and I also rode a lot last summer as well. During this time, I found that I needed to eat more to support the rides, but I didn't gain weight, and my rides got faster through the season - very noticeably so last summer. Once it got too cold to ride, I had to readjust my eating habits again, but it still wasn't too difficult. After 28 months of this, I'm down to 195. I'd like to get down to 170, but I'm not going to go nuts trying to hit the target. As it is, my knees and feet are very thankful, and I feel a whole lot better.

GrinningFool 10y ago
I've dropped ~50 lbs in two years nearly the same way, or at least the same net effect: a rather large breakfast every day, no lunch, and medium sized dinner. No snacks during the day, though I often grab something later in the eve. The gap might qualify as intermittent fasting, but I do drink coffee with a fair amount of whole milk & sugar through the mid afternoon. I am not eating any healthier, just less food. For exercise, I started walking my dogs 4-5 nights a week in the evenings for a few miles (think closer to speed walking than regular).[0] I stopped losing weight when I stopped walking so often - the cold is getting to me this year, will resume in the spring. I'm seeing no weight gain though, because I haven't increased the amount of food I'm putting in. Couple of things to add to your observations: I've found that with time, a sensation of 'hungry' is just another sensation that my body reports - it's not an imperative to eat. And as I've adapted to reduced calories, this has largely faded. For the periodic conference or social gathering, I'll and enjoy the excessive amounts of food. For longer events this might cause an uptick of a few pounds, but it settles back to the prior level within a week or two. ---- [0] I know - in the US I should put the period inside of the paren (or quote). But that's illogical. I refuse.

abandonliberty 10y ago

Yes, restricting a standard western diet to 25% is can be awful when you're addicted to easy digested and processed foods. Our homeostasis mechanisms did not evolve with those. Your assumption that you will be "hungry all the time" is incorrect. It's quite easy to run a 25% deficit in keto. So easy that difficulty maintaining body weight is a big reason people stop.

refurb 10y ago

This is just an anecdote, but as others have mentioned, you kind of get used to being hungry most of the time. A few years back I was getting a ton of exercise and was trying to cut weight. I was burning close to 3000 calories per day and eating around 2000 calories. My observations: (1) you start to pay less attention to the hunger signals over time, (2) food, even bland food, starts to taste really good, (3) this could just be a placebo effect, but I would get really cold when hungry and then feel really warm after I ate, not sure if that was my metabolism increasing after a meal and (4) if I cheated, I could put 3-4 pounds on in a day which I assumed was mostly water and muscle glycogen stores, not fat.

ZeroFries 10y ago
3) might be explained by the bodies conversion of T4 to T3 (active thyroid), which requires glucose.
cesnja 10y ago
I get those cold and warm cycles all the time. It's probably because our bodies are very efficient.

bcheung 10y ago

Most people who adopt a ketogenic diet that is lower calorie do not report hunger. In fact, many report less hunger despite consuming significantly less calories. The reason being is that the body becomes more efficient at burning fat so there is always enough energy. That is in contrast to a non-ketogenic diet that has highs and lows of energy corresponding to eating.

mtw 10y ago

An alternative that works equally well is intermittent fasting. Every 3 months, you fast for 5 days. Make sure to drink plenty. If you can't fast for 3 days straight, you can also do a 2-days fast every month. See summary of studies: http://outcomereference.com/causes/115-Fasting http://outcomereference.com/causes/115-Fasting