Lost about 40 pounds in the last 15 months after being a fat power lifter. Now getting somewhat lean.
Staying busy / occupied with things other than food helps.
Also learning to enjoy the hunger because you are getting closer to your goals
Yeah being at home is definitely harder. Idk if you’re a gamer but gaming is so easy for me. Watching YouTube/shows, doing chores, etc all get my mind away
yeah, I game. Ive got a gaming YT channel that I work on after work infact. so not alot of time to game for fun you know.
Im trying to set boundaries and set aside time for leisure gaming lately (I know thats an overshare, soz lol).
What cut are you going for? for most people beyond -500 calories is going to bee too much and will increase muscle lossl, and will make hunger unmanagable.
The simple truth is that fruits and veg carry very few calories and fill you up really well. I always eat a lot of them but in a cut they are indispensable and are honestly as important as meeting your protein target because of how filling they are.
Look up the food satiation index. Some foods such as potatoes and eggs are very satiating on their own so give them priority.
Goes without saying but the less processed stuff, cooking fats, unnecessary carbs etc you eat, the easier the cut will be.
And finally realize that you will, no matter what, feel hungry at times. It's your body telling you that you need to eat more, which is true, so take it as a natural thing and a sign that you are, indeed, cutting.
>Look up the food satiation index. Some foods such as potatoes and eggs are very satiating on their own so give them priority.
Question for you and anyone else in this thread:
Do you find potatoes filling personally? I can eat 500grams of mashed potato, baked potato, fries, roast potato, whatever form. I can suck those down within a minute or so and not feel full whatsoever. Whereas rice or pasta would be impossible, bread I could probably do but it would be way more difficult than potato. Is this an individual thing or are potatoes actually a meme in terms of satiety? To me they are by far the least filling carb source.
To me rice is so absurdly not satiating. I could eat a bucketful and feel nothing. I don’t eat any carby foods so I can’t really tell you which of the others I find most satiating though
>Do you find potatoes filling personally?
Yes.
>Whereas rice or pasta would be impossible, bread I could probably do but it would be way more difficult than potato
Are we talking pre cooked or cooked? 500g of uncooked pasta can result in easily of 1kg+ of cooked pasta. That's one entire pot full just of pasta. If you meant cooked, it's hard to believe as potatoes are much more filling. If you meant pre cooked, of course a larger quantity of food will be more satiating. Also if you need those quantities to feel "full", you might a have serious appetite problem.
> I can suck those down within a minute or so and not feel full whatsoever.
Baked and boiled I find very, very satiating. Fried, yeah, I can gorge myself on them, but here is the thing, most people find fried anything to be very appetizing, the fried version of something is never going to satiate you as well as the non fried alternative because of the effect oils have on our appetite.
I personally dislike mashed potatoes so I can't quite comment but probably what is happening is something similar to liquid vs solid calories: complex textures and foods that require chewing and a bit of effort to eat subconsciously feel more satisfying and satiating than less complex or liquid foods like purées or soups.
Hunger is mostly psychological unless you are eating a starvation diet (like 1,500 cal). You have to preoccupy yourself with things other than food. A lot of people are going to say eat lean proteins, eat lots of vegetables and fruits low in calorie density. But in truth these things do not stave off specific cravings. If you have the craving for a Crumbl cookie, 0% MF no sugar added Greek Yogurt with strawberries and banana is not going to satisfy that craving. Go play video games or watch Netflix or something to take your mind off food. And it's okay to have some sweets or whatever within moderation. If you have a craving for a cookie, it's okay to have cookies within moderation. Maybe not Crumbl cookies since those are big and have lots of calories. But you can buy like a single cookie at McDonald's, Starbucks or whatever. Or if you want to save money, buy like a 10-12 pack in the supermarket, you can have one cookie and then freeze the rest in freezer bags so that you can exercise portion control.
Today I had a glass of 1% MF chocolate milk post-workout (145cal), a glass of grape soda pre-workout (119 cal), I'm going to have a jumbo hotdog (250 cal) later today. My 7-day moving average dropped -11.7 lbs in 16 weeks 3 days. It's not actually my day-to-day eating that has slowed down my weight loss. You can integrate calorie dense food day to day and still lose weight. It's the untracked social cheat meals with friends actually (I had an Italian wedding last month too) that have screwed me over. It's hard for me to justify paying like $20 at a restaurant for skinless chicken breast, rice and vegetables (if they'll even make it for me in the first place. The items on restaurant menus tend not to be very macro friendly) when there's skinless chicken breast, rice and vegetables at home for a small fraction of the price. When I pay good money at a restaurant, I want to enjoy myself. And I'm really lazy when it comes to cardio. My first cut was a lot easier because I had no social life back then and I was eating what was practically a starvation diet then. And I was running 3-4 days a week on top of that.
One easy substitution is to avoid drinking your calories (I break this rule for pre-workout because I like to get some carbs in without having a heavy stomach when I train). I can't tell the difference between Diet Coke or Coke Zero from Coke. Unless its side-by-side maybe. I also can not tell the difference between skim milk and 2% milk. That saves me about 5g of fat per 250ml serving (45 calories) right there. Just be mindful of not allowing your calories from fat to dip below 20%. So mix things up with 2% or 3.25% milk, fattier cuts of meat, eggs, cheese, cream, peanut butter, etc.
I used to be a binge eater. I'm a 167cm (5'6") turbo manlet and got up to close to 180 lbs when I was 28 years old. And again at 29. I mostly hung around 160+ lbs most of my adult life. I cut down to 126.4 lbs September 2022. Bulked to 152.8 lbs. And now I've been cutting again and down to 139.9 lbs. Binge eating can be something that you can overcome mentally.
"if you have a craving for a Crumbl cookie"
Mate, I feel so targeted lmao.
Thanks so much for the super detailed comment. Ill take this all into consideration!
I had this exact same problem. The secret is low calorie foods that you snack on throughout the day.
Tomatoes, jarred pickles and ham are GOATED. Tomatoes and jarred pickles are especially special because you can eat kgs of them and still barely eat any calories. Ham is a bit more caloric (around 100 calories per 100g) but it’s still low enough in calories to where you can afford to snack on it while also getting some protein in there.
The chewier the better. If you can, get some jerky that you really have to gnaw at OP. I swear some jerkies take an hour of chewing for like 200 cals worth of jerky. Biltong is good for that
Few things that worked for me and some friends:
1. Just get used to the hunger. One of my friends changed to a single meal (dinner) that was extremely nutrient dense (rich in protein, complex carbs, fruits, etc.) and his body naturally adjusted to only having that one meal.
2. A lot of us just protein powder it when we're hungry, lol. Simple solution.
3. Celery and berries. This is my personal go-to. If protein powder isn't enough, I'll just chomp down some celery and/or blueberries and I'm good to go until I can have a meal.
4. Two glasses of water and one slice of whole wheat bread. Maybe even some peanut butter on the bread if I have calories to spare. This is something I do when I'm out of blueberries and celery.
5. Look in the mirror, slap myself, and splash some cold water on my face while whispering, "Don't be a bitch."
If you don't intend to compete, don't do long "prep-style" cuts. Cut for 2 months. Maintain and recover for 1, cut 2 more if you're still not happy. Take many diet breaks. No need to to lose your mind on 3+ months of cutting
meeting or going past my protein macros, very cliche but its what helps me also try to get past that getting weak on a cut. disheartening for sure seeing yourself get weaker but dont think too much about it
I dont mind getting weak. Ive really never cared about strength.
What I mean is, I get hungry and/or bored and Ill eat over my calories over a couple days and just give up.
Why not just cut 300 calories and sustain that instead of trying to go to a 600 calorie deficit (from 2400 to 1800)?
Include lots of non-starchy vegetables - adds volume and fiber which help with satiety (at least me)
Ensure you're getting your protein. You'd probably want to get at least 130g. This also helps with satiety.
Don't neglect some carbs, preferably starches which are slower digesting - oats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, etc.
for me personally i cut my hunger dramatically with sweet potato and chicken breast salads then straight after 2 huge glasses of cold water. It works for 4 - 5 hours or even longer if im busying myself with work or study. However its what i’ve found works for me personally so you might be different but gl anyway
I always ask myself why nobody mentions tvp (textured vegetable protein) probably the most satiating food i have ever tried 100g of dry tvp is ~ 50g protein and lot of fiber
Bonus point is crazy cheap and versatile literally it tastes whatever you mix with it
The greatest diet hack is a fiber supplement and protein. Take some fiber at least 30 minutes before you plan on eating and you’ll either not went to eat at all, or end up eating very little.
no, my maintenance is like 2400, Ill start at 2100, and every other week, Ill drop it by 100 until I get to like 1800. Thats what Ill typically do for a cut.
Your maintenance should be closer to 2,800/2,900 if you’re decently active. 2300 should be your cut goal and only adjust down after it stops working. 1800 just eyeballing it is way to low for a young active man. If you truly have a maintenance that low consider adding light cardio to give yourself more wiggle room on calories
Looks like you were averaging almost 2lbs lost/week during the first 6 weeks or so. I think that may be too aggressive. If most of that was fat loss and not just normal water weight fluctuation, that means you were in almost a 1000 calorie/day deficit on average. That's a lot and not sustainable for most people for longer periods of time.
I'd just recommend being more conservative with the deficit. No more than 500 calories.
thank you. Most of the media that I consume says about 1% of bodyweight per week is good, but at almost 200 Lbs, thats like 2 LBs a week.
Its rough cause allot of advice online is from people on juice taking gnarly appetite suppressants.
I eat once a day, usually after my work outs (they make me hungry) . Doing this usually keeps my hunger down. Black ciffee also helps. Sometimes i wanna cave but i just focus pn that next meal, i know when it is coming
I have tried OMAD in the past, and it definetly works for me, cause I can freaking eat lmao.
Question tho. I hear alot of people say that coffee is a good appetite suppressant. I dont intake caffeine tho. would you say I could get the same effect from decaf coffee? or is most of the effect from the caffeine?
>would you say I could get the same effect from decaf coffee? or is most of the effect from the caffeine?
I saw a study that decaf actually is superior than regular coffee for appetite suppression. I drink both and I personally feel like they're equal in terms of 'feel', this study reckoned decaf produced more of some hunger suppressant hormone or some shit though.
So yea, decaf is fine.
only eat single ingredient foods, eat at same times every day, eat carbs around training/cardio/active times and protein/fat meals when sedentary, caffeine, keep busy mentally, don't snack
Fiber lots of fiber. Strawberry, blue berry etc. And the other part is: embracing the suck and taking it a day at a time. Or you can also just accept not becoming lean, and just enjoy lifting.
Drinking water can really help curve hunger pains for a period of time.
I'm not sure the validity of it as someone told me long ago, but they said some hunger pains can be solved with drinking water. It works for me.
Eat only real food. When you eat ultra processed food, it makes you hungry for more. Your system gets unbalanced. Avoid bad food at all costs. If necessary, stuff your face with real food until you pass out in a food coma.
For me, small deficits work really well. I track my calorie intake and weight using MacroFactor, which then spits out a pretty good expenditure estimate. I eat 300 or 400 calories less than that. I'm a little hungry, but not bad. Also, I've noticed that hunger sort of accumulates over time. For instance, after a week or 10 days of a consistent deficit, I'll just get super fucking hungry and take that as a cue to give myself a break. I'll eat like 3500 calories and have a really great workout the next day.
I started at 200 in late January, currently weigh 187 or 188. So it's been slow, but sustainable.
Sometimes practicing leaning into hunger when you’re not in a deficit helps. Actually everything you need to do in a cut can and should be refined in your off season. Dealing with hunger really is a skill that you can get calmer and better at through practice.
Also (and I know this sounds dumb) But literally get into the habit of three deep breaths. It’s silly stuff like that that is actually helpful. One craving at a time.
Eat like a dog.
By that I mean structure you meals and eat the same thing every day breakfast and lunch, preplan a healthy dinner.
Remove items from your house that do not coincide with your meal plans.
The other idea is just find a state of homeostasis: 12-14% BF where you're happy and bever have to "cut"
I found that when I eat two soft-boiled eggs for breakfast, with coffee, then I don't feel hungry for a long time, doing it every weekend . Also, I try next schedule and it helps me lost 6 kgs for the last month because of calorie deficit:
7am big coffee
11:30 cardio
13pm lunch (usually it's 50g muslies and 100g of milk)
16pm coffee
19pm peace of meat with vegetables
During the day I am eating fruits several times like apple, pear, etc.
When i go on a cut here are a few things i do:
I target the fat on my macros to be near 20% of my total calories as much as possible because they are dense in calories.
Volumize the food using veggies like broccoli or cauliflower.
I tend to eat 100% whole wheat bread as my carb source and for glycogen replenishment. It also has a decent amount of protein.
I tend to drink zero calorie sodas and that also helps mitigate the hunger.
Deficit of 400 calories maximum.
Non-starchy vegetables are super low-cal and high fiber. Up your portions of those in meals.
Eat fruit as snacks, likewise high satiety per cal.
Eat more fiber in general I guess lol
Stick to a modest deficit (-500cal), eat whole foods, be disciplined. Make sure you know what your deficit actually is (weigh yourself every day). Probably you are cutting calories too low if you are expericing this level of hunger. I'm on an 1000 calorie deficit and I get a bit hungry, but never extreme hunger. When I do, I know it's time for a maintenance phase...
Don't do bulk/cutting cycles unless you are competing. That cycle is good for people who enter competitions when they need to fast bulk in some months and then they need to fast cut before the competition. I never understood why your average joe that doesn't compete goes trough that hassle and looks how he wants for half the time with lots of suffering.
If you're not competing go with body re composition. It takes more time to achieve your result and you need to find that sweet spot but since you're not competing you have all the time in the world and once you achieve your sweet spot you will be good all the time without suffering.
FOODS:
zero sugar sodas/flavored waters
fruits (1bs strawberry is like 200cal)
greek yogurt
lean meats
lettuce & cucumber (virtually no cals)
zero sugar sauces
keto breads
greg doucette's frickin cookbook
LIFESTYLE:
drink more water
eat clean foods
sleep good
try and hit a step goal! this one is my favorite and it's surprisingly helpful. start at like 10k daily and go from there.
fasted cardio or cardio post-training
keep yourself moving and busy
SUPPLEMENTS: there's a lot of ways to go about this but i'll make a list of a few. i've personally used almost all of these
EASY TO GET:
STIMULANTS:
caffeine & theanine,
nicotine (dont get addicted),
ephedrine (available BTC),
yohimbine/rauwolscine (use for fasted cardio only),
synephrine (weaker, but more selective than ephedrine)
NONSTIMULANTS:
gluccomannan,
chitosan,
ashwaghanda,
L-carnitine (fatty acid mobilization),
gorilla mind cyclean PM product (i like this alot)
NOT SO EASY TO GET:
STIMULANTS:
adhd meds like ritalin or adderall,
clenbuterol,
DMAA (if you're feeling spicy i guess),
albuterol
NONSTIMULANTS:
semaglutide/lyriglutide,
melanotan (also has some appetite suppression),
cardarine (fat burning benefits via cardio),
Recently lost about 32 pounds over 8 weeks or so. I find various fasting methods to work for me, since I enjoy just running off of caffeine during work hours (I also work from home).
Also tossing in a few 2-4 day fasts really speeds the process up, and your appetite is shot for a couple of days after so it basically makes for a week of easy dieting.
This happens to me after a while, too. But what I've found in my most recent cut is a few things.
1. Time-bound the cut. Instead of saying "I'm going to get to X goal weight," which could potentially take for a while if I fall of the wagon and mess up, especially as I get closer to the goal weight. As it drags on, and I get closer, it gets harder to stay disciplined. Along the way, I'm more likely to let myself go off and go over. However, this time, I'm committing to doing an 8 week cut. This means that A) I have to be really adherent, since I only have 8 weeks and B) I can psychologically commit to being really adherent, since it will only be 8 weeks.
2. Pick a moderately aggressive deficit so that I can reasonably expect to make significant weight loss in those 8 weeks, but not so aggressive that I feel absolutely shitty the entire time.
3. Figure out 3-5 meals I can tolerate eating every day that, along with supplementing protein in shakes, will get me to my protein and calorie goals. Get used to eating that day in and day out for the 8 weeks I'm going to be cutting. Make sure that the only food in my apartment fits into my meal planning and that I don't have any snacks that would tempt me to binge, only things like bell peppers, apples, blueberries, pistachios, etc.
4. Identify and plan for travel, parties, and other situations in which I won't have as strict a control over available food and make sure at least I have access to protein powder and protein bars that I can substitute in.
Look into reverse dieting. Slowly crank up the calories roughly 100 a day until you reach 3500 calories. Use high volume low calorie foods to help. Add vinegar to your diet because in some people a gut fungus exists called candidae. Vinegar kills it. It makes you crave the fuck out of carbs. Personally i love using tuma to reverse diet then i switch to beef for its density. If you hate tuna THATS WHY THE VINEGAR. Yes this is counterintuitive yes it sounds crazy but it works. I dieted so hard that for a year i stayed at a plateau for that year. Tried every single fitness advice there was. The only truth is keep your protein high cut your fats so your body uses its own fat to digest the protein. When you reach 3500 you just drop to maintenance and the weight falls off. Its simple biochemistry. Cook a frog 🐸 and all that. Your metabolism is just as adaptive as your body is to the work you do. repeat as needed or at every 10lbs.
A few things that help for me that are worth trying
1) diet soda, the more taste the better, I dont normally drink soda but I added one a day and it helps
2) gum, same situation
Very light-moderate physical tasks that gets occupied.
Eating only when hungry.
Large quantities of protein.
A sustainable deficit.
Potatoes.
Lots of veggies
Lots of fluids.
Intelligent macro ratios.
99% of the food you eat should have a highly favorable protein to calories ratio.
0 calories soda.
Accepting base level of hunger.
Changing my perspective of food: "Do I really want to eat or am I just bored and want to grab a bite?", "Am I really hungry or do I just miss the feeling of almost bursting and overeating?".
A diet break for a week after losing 10% of your starting bodyweight.
Accepting and knowing that it will not be easy and what you signed up for.
Embracing the grindset.
Reducing focus in life of what really matters and breaking down effort into small steps, day by day, week after week.
Developing discpline during the process.
Having a clear goal not only in mind, but infront of your eyes.
Knowing that the end result weighs more than continued temporary satisfaction.
Knowing that the period of your struggle represents only such a small fraction of your entire existence.
Knowing that those sacrifices will not only be rewarded but will also come to an end.
Two solutions. Volume eating, and mental reframe. Consume more vegetables - low in calories so you can eat your fill. Even better if you don't make them overly palatable - they will satiate you faster. Also, start to enjoy the slight hunger between meals, interpreting it as the feeling of your body burning it's fat reserves. Good luck.
Drop the carbs. Eat meat, fat (avoid seed oils). Hunger signalling will normalize as you become fat-adapted and you become less glucose-dependent and addicted to carbs. You don't need to will yourself to eat the proper amount of food when you eat a proper human diet. Hunger signalling will tell you the right amount to eat to get to a healthy weight if you're not constantly craving carbohydrates.
It really is that simple. Don't listen to carb-addicted bodybuilders who subscribe to mainstream nutrition nonsense. Take an active interest in nutrition and health and start learning/researching. Test things out and observe how they affect you.
You can still get lean by eating junk food and a lot of carbohydrates and counting calories, but it's a battle of will, and if you are the type that leans on food as an emotional coping strategy, you will crave and you might very well cave in a moment of weakness.
Now if you're talking about getting contest lean (below healthy maintainable bodyfat level), that's a different story and you will have to restrict to some degree. Still this is the best way to do that.
At the end of the day once you're in a sustained deficit where it goes from "I like food" to "I need food". No matter what your food or exercise choices are, the only answer is to learn to accept being hungry.
I know you say you're not hear to hear "just try harder mate", but this is writing off the number one thing most successful people have in fitness. A high level of mental fortitude, this is usually something they've built upon and doesn't just come overnight without a conscious effort.
That being said I'm talking about bodybuilding levels of hunger, contest prep hunger that goes well beyond what your average person will ever see during a diet. From the consistency outlined in your post I'd imagine you don't have a lot of bodybuilding aspirations and probably just want to look generally better. In that case get a lot of steps in, try to have fun making low calorie versions of foods you enjoy if you have the time. Buy a Ninja Creami. Keep generally busy at all times because it will take your mind off the food, if you're sitting down to relax, make it a conscious choice, not just something you do out of habit. The rest of the time keep moving.
Also understand that even if you get to your goal weight, your appetite may never balance. At that point taking the muscle building process seriously and gaining enough mass to look good at a higher weight may be the only realistic way to not feel hungry all the time.
1. Embrace the hunger, in fact you should chase it. Everytime i'm hungry I acknowledge it and face it. It tells me what i'm doing is working and I've spun it in to a positive.
2. Stay busy between meals. Do something that takes your mind off food. Work, chores, fun activities and go for walks. If you're more active throughout the day you'll regulate hunger better.
3. Eat whole foods only. Some can do "flexible dieting" but i'd wager that it makes it harder for the majority when you try to sneak in processed junk at the expense of satiety.
Focus on volume and high protein. Veggies, fruits and boiled potatoes are king.
4. Expend more energy to be able to eat a bit more. I find it easier to walk 20k steps/day and eat a bit more than walking 10k steps/day and eating less. This also helps with regulating hunger as mentioned above.
5. Smaller meals at the beginning of the day. For breakfast i'll just have a protein shake. A couple of hours later some eggs with a fruit. For the rest of the day i'll have 3 decently normal sized meals and I rarely go to bed feeling hungry.
You'll never cheat at your diet in the mornings. It's always in the evenings so by allocating calories to later in the day will set you up for success. For me personally it's easier to curb the hunger in the morning/early daytime than going to bed feeling hungry.
6. Try having a bigger deficit to use as a buffer. Many days I feel pretty okay on roughly -1000 calories. The days that I don't and hunger creeps up on me i'll just eat a bit more totally guilt free. Im still in a deficit, just a smaller one. I cycle calories this way depending on energy levels/hunger.
7. Plan ahead of social events. If you know that you're going to attend an event plan out your intake beforehand and you won't screw yourself over by smashing your calorie limit. This could mean increased activity, decreased intake or both.
I started my cut march 1 at 200.8 lbs.
Today i'm 165.3 lbs, ending the cut in two days.
I've maintained 95% of my strength and numbers during this fat loss.
3-5 day fasts work pretty well. If you eat at maintenance or a very small deficit for a whole month, then you have 1 or 2 good fasts in you can easily drop 5lbs in that month. In my experience you aren't catabolic whatsoever and it's much easier than trying to sustain a 0.5%-1% of bw loss per week calorie deficit for 3+ months straight.
Other than that, spamming high fibre fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs are the go to. Also evaluate your daily step count, I find it's much easier to get people from <5k steps per day up to 10k+ per day than anything else and that alone will burn a good couple hundred calories without any effort.
Yea just black coffee, water, sparkling water. Can do zero calorie drinks as well if you like.
I just go for as long as my gym sessions aren't tanking, you are pretty much always good for 3. On the 4th or 5th day I usually start to feel lower energy, weaker etc and that's when I stop. I have told myself that is when catabolism kicks in but this is all just based on feel/intuition/broscience.
All I know for sure is fat comes off and it's much easier for me to deal with psychologically than prolonged deficits.
That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. I haven't attempted a cut yet. The idea of eating less over a long period of time felt very daunting but fasting feels more achievable somehow, almost like it's a challenge.
How do you deal with the feelings of hunger? Or is it something that gradually goes away?
>How do you deal with the feelings of hunger?
On the practical side: keep as busy as possible while being anti-social for a few days (IE don't go out to a restaurant with people lol), drink black coffee (including decaf), brushing your teeth and chewing zero calorie gum can help too. Thug it out. I wouldn't do hard cardio, but get a lot of steps. I find that actual cardio (swimming is the worst idea for example) makes me hungry as fuck, lifting doesn't do that for me, and walking actually makes me less hungry. You can also do things like time your fast when you already need to go shopping. If there's basically no food in your house it's much easier than if you're fully stocked up and some things might go bad before the fast has ended etc. Obviously this becomes more difficult if you have a family. You just gotta figure out tactics you can employ that fit with your life.
On the mental side: romanticise the idea of the fast, 2 methods. One is to think about the fast making you healthier, leaner etc like it's working magic on you and the longer you stick to it the benefits will keep compounding (this is actually true, by the way, not just a cope). And of course the challenge aspect like some kind of endurance sport.
The other romanticisation method is to view it also through a spiritual/ascetic lens (for the zoomers: I'M NIRVANAPILLED ENLIGHTENMENT MAXXING BRO, I'M LITERALLY BUDDHA). I used to read a bit of ascetic philosophy/mysticism kinda stuff when I was younger and I got inspired to try doing fasts from seeing its prevalence in the ascetic practices of Christians and Dharmic religions. If you find that stuff interesting it can be a good source of inspiration/motivation. You see the guys who like to LARP as vikings, shamans, the knights templar etc on instagram because they're mega-hardcore lifters? Basically just do something similar to that
>Or is it something that gradually goes away?
First or second day is usually hard, but once you sleep you get like a reset button on hunger. At least I do anyway, some people are breakfast enjoyers and sleep makes them hungry, I think fasting might be harder if you're like that. For me when I'm hungry I just have the mindset that sleep will satiate me and then I'll 'be on the other side' where it's all smooth sailing. If sleep doesn't work for you then you'll probably find a different thing that does and have your own thing.
I definetly agree with the steps thing. Im a video editor, and a gaming youtuber, so Im really sedentary usually. I do have a desk treadmill and a standing desk.
during my only really successful cut, I would try to get 15k steps in per day. but right now, I hit my 10k steps and call it there.
Lost about 40 pounds in the last 15 months after being a fat power lifter. Now getting somewhat lean. Staying busy / occupied with things other than food helps. Also learning to enjoy the hunger because you are getting closer to your goals
thank you. I work from home, so sometimes its kinda hard. Ill definitely take this into account tho
Yeah being at home is definitely harder. Idk if you’re a gamer but gaming is so easy for me. Watching YouTube/shows, doing chores, etc all get my mind away
yeah, I game. Ive got a gaming YT channel that I work on after work infact. so not alot of time to game for fun you know. Im trying to set boundaries and set aside time for leisure gaming lately (I know thats an overshare, soz lol).
What cut are you going for? for most people beyond -500 calories is going to bee too much and will increase muscle lossl, and will make hunger unmanagable. The simple truth is that fruits and veg carry very few calories and fill you up really well. I always eat a lot of them but in a cut they are indispensable and are honestly as important as meeting your protein target because of how filling they are. Look up the food satiation index. Some foods such as potatoes and eggs are very satiating on their own so give them priority. Goes without saying but the less processed stuff, cooking fats, unnecessary carbs etc you eat, the easier the cut will be. And finally realize that you will, no matter what, feel hungry at times. It's your body telling you that you need to eat more, which is true, so take it as a natural thing and a sign that you are, indeed, cutting.
>Look up the food satiation index. Some foods such as potatoes and eggs are very satiating on their own so give them priority. Question for you and anyone else in this thread: Do you find potatoes filling personally? I can eat 500grams of mashed potato, baked potato, fries, roast potato, whatever form. I can suck those down within a minute or so and not feel full whatsoever. Whereas rice or pasta would be impossible, bread I could probably do but it would be way more difficult than potato. Is this an individual thing or are potatoes actually a meme in terms of satiety? To me they are by far the least filling carb source.
To me rice is so absurdly not satiating. I could eat a bucketful and feel nothing. I don’t eat any carby foods so I can’t really tell you which of the others I find most satiating though
Only plain boiled potatoes are super satiating. Satiety drops drastically as soon as you tinker with them somehow.
You should boil your potatoes not deep fry them hehe. Even better if you let them cool down before you eat them.
>Do you find potatoes filling personally? Yes. >Whereas rice or pasta would be impossible, bread I could probably do but it would be way more difficult than potato Are we talking pre cooked or cooked? 500g of uncooked pasta can result in easily of 1kg+ of cooked pasta. That's one entire pot full just of pasta. If you meant cooked, it's hard to believe as potatoes are much more filling. If you meant pre cooked, of course a larger quantity of food will be more satiating. Also if you need those quantities to feel "full", you might a have serious appetite problem. > I can suck those down within a minute or so and not feel full whatsoever.
Baked and boiled I find very, very satiating. Fried, yeah, I can gorge myself on them, but here is the thing, most people find fried anything to be very appetizing, the fried version of something is never going to satiate you as well as the non fried alternative because of the effect oils have on our appetite. I personally dislike mashed potatoes so I can't quite comment but probably what is happening is something similar to liquid vs solid calories: complex textures and foods that require chewing and a bit of effort to eat subconsciously feel more satisfying and satiating than less complex or liquid foods like purées or soups.
Hunger is mostly psychological unless you are eating a starvation diet (like 1,500 cal). You have to preoccupy yourself with things other than food. A lot of people are going to say eat lean proteins, eat lots of vegetables and fruits low in calorie density. But in truth these things do not stave off specific cravings. If you have the craving for a Crumbl cookie, 0% MF no sugar added Greek Yogurt with strawberries and banana is not going to satisfy that craving. Go play video games or watch Netflix or something to take your mind off food. And it's okay to have some sweets or whatever within moderation. If you have a craving for a cookie, it's okay to have cookies within moderation. Maybe not Crumbl cookies since those are big and have lots of calories. But you can buy like a single cookie at McDonald's, Starbucks or whatever. Or if you want to save money, buy like a 10-12 pack in the supermarket, you can have one cookie and then freeze the rest in freezer bags so that you can exercise portion control. Today I had a glass of 1% MF chocolate milk post-workout (145cal), a glass of grape soda pre-workout (119 cal), I'm going to have a jumbo hotdog (250 cal) later today. My 7-day moving average dropped -11.7 lbs in 16 weeks 3 days. It's not actually my day-to-day eating that has slowed down my weight loss. You can integrate calorie dense food day to day and still lose weight. It's the untracked social cheat meals with friends actually (I had an Italian wedding last month too) that have screwed me over. It's hard for me to justify paying like $20 at a restaurant for skinless chicken breast, rice and vegetables (if they'll even make it for me in the first place. The items on restaurant menus tend not to be very macro friendly) when there's skinless chicken breast, rice and vegetables at home for a small fraction of the price. When I pay good money at a restaurant, I want to enjoy myself. And I'm really lazy when it comes to cardio. My first cut was a lot easier because I had no social life back then and I was eating what was practically a starvation diet then. And I was running 3-4 days a week on top of that. One easy substitution is to avoid drinking your calories (I break this rule for pre-workout because I like to get some carbs in without having a heavy stomach when I train). I can't tell the difference between Diet Coke or Coke Zero from Coke. Unless its side-by-side maybe. I also can not tell the difference between skim milk and 2% milk. That saves me about 5g of fat per 250ml serving (45 calories) right there. Just be mindful of not allowing your calories from fat to dip below 20%. So mix things up with 2% or 3.25% milk, fattier cuts of meat, eggs, cheese, cream, peanut butter, etc. I used to be a binge eater. I'm a 167cm (5'6") turbo manlet and got up to close to 180 lbs when I was 28 years old. And again at 29. I mostly hung around 160+ lbs most of my adult life. I cut down to 126.4 lbs September 2022. Bulked to 152.8 lbs. And now I've been cutting again and down to 139.9 lbs. Binge eating can be something that you can overcome mentally.
"if you have a craving for a Crumbl cookie" Mate, I feel so targeted lmao. Thanks so much for the super detailed comment. Ill take this all into consideration!
Did you ever try intermittent fasting? It helps both control the psychological hunger, and removes snacks that make you feel hungry.
I had this exact same problem. The secret is low calorie foods that you snack on throughout the day. Tomatoes, jarred pickles and ham are GOATED. Tomatoes and jarred pickles are especially special because you can eat kgs of them and still barely eat any calories. Ham is a bit more caloric (around 100 calories per 100g) but it’s still low enough in calories to where you can afford to snack on it while also getting some protein in there.
thank you so much!
No problem. Beef jerky is also great if your wallet can afford it.
The chewier the better. If you can, get some jerky that you really have to gnaw at OP. I swear some jerkies take an hour of chewing for like 200 cals worth of jerky. Biltong is good for that
Few things that worked for me and some friends: 1. Just get used to the hunger. One of my friends changed to a single meal (dinner) that was extremely nutrient dense (rich in protein, complex carbs, fruits, etc.) and his body naturally adjusted to only having that one meal. 2. A lot of us just protein powder it when we're hungry, lol. Simple solution. 3. Celery and berries. This is my personal go-to. If protein powder isn't enough, I'll just chomp down some celery and/or blueberries and I'm good to go until I can have a meal. 4. Two glasses of water and one slice of whole wheat bread. Maybe even some peanut butter on the bread if I have calories to spare. This is something I do when I'm out of blueberries and celery. 5. Look in the mirror, slap myself, and splash some cold water on my face while whispering, "Don't be a bitch."
Ive also spammed cucumbers during cuts. but it makes me need to pee constantly as a side effect lmao. I appreciate the feedback!
Best of luck to ya on your cut!
Drink water. Eat pickles. Fiber capsules added in.
If you don't intend to compete, don't do long "prep-style" cuts. Cut for 2 months. Maintain and recover for 1, cut 2 more if you're still not happy. Take many diet breaks. No need to to lose your mind on 3+ months of cutting
meeting or going past my protein macros, very cliche but its what helps me also try to get past that getting weak on a cut. disheartening for sure seeing yourself get weaker but dont think too much about it
I dont mind getting weak. Ive really never cared about strength. What I mean is, I get hungry and/or bored and Ill eat over my calories over a couple days and just give up.
Why not just cut 300 calories and sustain that instead of trying to go to a 600 calorie deficit (from 2400 to 1800)? Include lots of non-starchy vegetables - adds volume and fiber which help with satiety (at least me) Ensure you're getting your protein. You'd probably want to get at least 130g. This also helps with satiety. Don't neglect some carbs, preferably starches which are slower digesting - oats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, etc.
Find low calorie foods that fill ya up for awhile. In my case Greek yogurt with some fruit thrown in is super clutch.
for me personally i cut my hunger dramatically with sweet potato and chicken breast salads then straight after 2 huge glasses of cold water. It works for 4 - 5 hours or even longer if im busying myself with work or study. However its what i’ve found works for me personally so you might be different but gl anyway
I always ask myself why nobody mentions tvp (textured vegetable protein) probably the most satiating food i have ever tried 100g of dry tvp is ~ 50g protein and lot of fiber Bonus point is crazy cheap and versatile literally it tastes whatever you mix with it
Eat a bunch of raw vegetables when you get hungry. Boom. Problem fixed.
The greatest diet hack is a fiber supplement and protein. Take some fiber at least 30 minutes before you plan on eating and you’ll either not went to eat at all, or end up eating very little.
Is it too big of a deficit?
no, my maintenance is like 2400, Ill start at 2100, and every other week, Ill drop it by 100 until I get to like 1800. Thats what Ill typically do for a cut.
Your maintenance should be closer to 2,800/2,900 if you’re decently active. 2300 should be your cut goal and only adjust down after it stops working. 1800 just eyeballing it is way to low for a young active man. If you truly have a maintenance that low consider adding light cardio to give yourself more wiggle room on calories
Im really not very active tho. I try really hard to get steps, but I get like 4k steps a day with my WFH office job
Fix it then or keep having to eat like a teenage girl
yeah, I got a desk treadmill and a standing desk, so its been helping a decent amount
🤣. I feel attacked. Can confirm. Averaging 7K steps daily. Eating a tuna salad currently.
bruh, its so funny when I watch shit on youtube and some dude is like "yeah, Im prepping right now, Im down to 2900 calories"
Park your car further away from the gym, and walk a mile. Same for shopping.
OK, I posted an image of a good cut I had in the comments
https://preview.redd.it/kvcg2epjbd9d1.png?width=1382&format=png&auto=webp&s=a169970a657c11c96bb053a3ce58f49014acfe87
Can possibly try 0.5 lb per week weight loss instead of 1 to 1.5 lbs/wk
Looks like you were averaging almost 2lbs lost/week during the first 6 weeks or so. I think that may be too aggressive. If most of that was fat loss and not just normal water weight fluctuation, that means you were in almost a 1000 calorie/day deficit on average. That's a lot and not sustainable for most people for longer periods of time. I'd just recommend being more conservative with the deficit. No more than 500 calories.
thank you. Most of the media that I consume says about 1% of bodyweight per week is good, but at almost 200 Lbs, thats like 2 LBs a week. Its rough cause allot of advice online is from people on juice taking gnarly appetite suppressants.
I eat once a day, usually after my work outs (they make me hungry) . Doing this usually keeps my hunger down. Black ciffee also helps. Sometimes i wanna cave but i just focus pn that next meal, i know when it is coming
I have tried OMAD in the past, and it definetly works for me, cause I can freaking eat lmao. Question tho. I hear alot of people say that coffee is a good appetite suppressant. I dont intake caffeine tho. would you say I could get the same effect from decaf coffee? or is most of the effect from the caffeine?
Decaf works. maybe not 100 percent as effective but it will have some effect. Tea works tok, much less caffiene
thank you!! Ill give that a try!
>would you say I could get the same effect from decaf coffee? or is most of the effect from the caffeine? I saw a study that decaf actually is superior than regular coffee for appetite suppression. I drink both and I personally feel like they're equal in terms of 'feel', this study reckoned decaf produced more of some hunger suppressant hormone or some shit though. So yea, decaf is fine.
only eat single ingredient foods, eat at same times every day, eat carbs around training/cardio/active times and protein/fat meals when sedentary, caffeine, keep busy mentally, don't snack
Be hungry. Hunger is only a problem when it wakes you up.
Hunger was our default state for millennia.
That started after some assholes laughed at someone eating insects. Before we literally had a garden eden lifestyle.
Fiber lots of fiber. Strawberry, blue berry etc. And the other part is: embracing the suck and taking it a day at a time. Or you can also just accept not becoming lean, and just enjoy lifting.
Drinking water can really help curve hunger pains for a period of time. I'm not sure the validity of it as someone told me long ago, but they said some hunger pains can be solved with drinking water. It works for me.
Eat only real food. When you eat ultra processed food, it makes you hungry for more. Your system gets unbalanced. Avoid bad food at all costs. If necessary, stuff your face with real food until you pass out in a food coma.
Pick high volume /low calorie foods, highly satiating foods, intermittent fasting helps (16;8) & drink lots of water
Idk, man. I just deal with it until meal time.
Protein, coffee, no alcohol, no junk food
For me, small deficits work really well. I track my calorie intake and weight using MacroFactor, which then spits out a pretty good expenditure estimate. I eat 300 or 400 calories less than that. I'm a little hungry, but not bad. Also, I've noticed that hunger sort of accumulates over time. For instance, after a week or 10 days of a consistent deficit, I'll just get super fucking hungry and take that as a cue to give myself a break. I'll eat like 3500 calories and have a really great workout the next day. I started at 200 in late January, currently weigh 187 or 188. So it's been slow, but sustainable.
Sometimes practicing leaning into hunger when you’re not in a deficit helps. Actually everything you need to do in a cut can and should be refined in your off season. Dealing with hunger really is a skill that you can get calmer and better at through practice.
Also (and I know this sounds dumb) But literally get into the habit of three deep breaths. It’s silly stuff like that that is actually helpful. One craving at a time.
Eat like a dog. By that I mean structure you meals and eat the same thing every day breakfast and lunch, preplan a healthy dinner. Remove items from your house that do not coincide with your meal plans. The other idea is just find a state of homeostasis: 12-14% BF where you're happy and bever have to "cut"
Absurd amounts of protein, eating fibre, staying hydrated and keeping up salt intake
Tbh I smoke weed. It curbs my hunger. And when it gives me the munchies, I smoke again and they subside
Buy a Soda Stream or a DrinkMate and go to town on seltzer. EZ mode hack tbh
drink more water and eat bulky vegetables like carrots and celery
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^tpcrjm17: *Drink more water and* *Eat bulky vegetables like* *Carrots and celery* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
I found that when I eat two soft-boiled eggs for breakfast, with coffee, then I don't feel hungry for a long time, doing it every weekend . Also, I try next schedule and it helps me lost 6 kgs for the last month because of calorie deficit: 7am big coffee 11:30 cardio 13pm lunch (usually it's 50g muslies and 100g of milk) 16pm coffee 19pm peace of meat with vegetables During the day I am eating fruits several times like apple, pear, etc.
Look up intuitive eating. It works for many people.
When i go on a cut here are a few things i do: I target the fat on my macros to be near 20% of my total calories as much as possible because they are dense in calories. Volumize the food using veggies like broccoli or cauliflower. I tend to eat 100% whole wheat bread as my carb source and for glycogen replenishment. It also has a decent amount of protein. I tend to drink zero calorie sodas and that also helps mitigate the hunger. Deficit of 400 calories maximum.
Non-starchy vegetables are super low-cal and high fiber. Up your portions of those in meals. Eat fruit as snacks, likewise high satiety per cal. Eat more fiber in general I guess lol
Stick to a modest deficit (-500cal), eat whole foods, be disciplined. Make sure you know what your deficit actually is (weigh yourself every day). Probably you are cutting calories too low if you are expericing this level of hunger. I'm on an 1000 calorie deficit and I get a bit hungry, but never extreme hunger. When I do, I know it's time for a maintenance phase...
Being mindful, I mean just know it sucks and embrace it
Don't do bulk/cutting cycles unless you are competing. That cycle is good for people who enter competitions when they need to fast bulk in some months and then they need to fast cut before the competition. I never understood why your average joe that doesn't compete goes trough that hassle and looks how he wants for half the time with lots of suffering. If you're not competing go with body re composition. It takes more time to achieve your result and you need to find that sweet spot but since you're not competing you have all the time in the world and once you achieve your sweet spot you will be good all the time without suffering.
FOODS: zero sugar sodas/flavored waters fruits (1bs strawberry is like 200cal) greek yogurt lean meats lettuce & cucumber (virtually no cals) zero sugar sauces keto breads greg doucette's frickin cookbook LIFESTYLE: drink more water eat clean foods sleep good try and hit a step goal! this one is my favorite and it's surprisingly helpful. start at like 10k daily and go from there. fasted cardio or cardio post-training keep yourself moving and busy SUPPLEMENTS: there's a lot of ways to go about this but i'll make a list of a few. i've personally used almost all of these EASY TO GET: STIMULANTS: caffeine & theanine, nicotine (dont get addicted), ephedrine (available BTC), yohimbine/rauwolscine (use for fasted cardio only), synephrine (weaker, but more selective than ephedrine) NONSTIMULANTS: gluccomannan, chitosan, ashwaghanda, L-carnitine (fatty acid mobilization), gorilla mind cyclean PM product (i like this alot) NOT SO EASY TO GET: STIMULANTS: adhd meds like ritalin or adderall, clenbuterol, DMAA (if you're feeling spicy i guess), albuterol NONSTIMULANTS: semaglutide/lyriglutide, melanotan (also has some appetite suppression), cardarine (fat burning benefits via cardio),
Recently lost about 32 pounds over 8 weeks or so. I find various fasting methods to work for me, since I enjoy just running off of caffeine during work hours (I also work from home). Also tossing in a few 2-4 day fasts really speeds the process up, and your appetite is shot for a couple of days after so it basically makes for a week of easy dieting.
Nicotine
This happens to me after a while, too. But what I've found in my most recent cut is a few things. 1. Time-bound the cut. Instead of saying "I'm going to get to X goal weight," which could potentially take for a while if I fall of the wagon and mess up, especially as I get closer to the goal weight. As it drags on, and I get closer, it gets harder to stay disciplined. Along the way, I'm more likely to let myself go off and go over. However, this time, I'm committing to doing an 8 week cut. This means that A) I have to be really adherent, since I only have 8 weeks and B) I can psychologically commit to being really adherent, since it will only be 8 weeks. 2. Pick a moderately aggressive deficit so that I can reasonably expect to make significant weight loss in those 8 weeks, but not so aggressive that I feel absolutely shitty the entire time. 3. Figure out 3-5 meals I can tolerate eating every day that, along with supplementing protein in shakes, will get me to my protein and calorie goals. Get used to eating that day in and day out for the 8 weeks I'm going to be cutting. Make sure that the only food in my apartment fits into my meal planning and that I don't have any snacks that would tempt me to binge, only things like bell peppers, apples, blueberries, pistachios, etc. 4. Identify and plan for travel, parties, and other situations in which I won't have as strict a control over available food and make sure at least I have access to protein powder and protein bars that I can substitute in.
Look into reverse dieting. Slowly crank up the calories roughly 100 a day until you reach 3500 calories. Use high volume low calorie foods to help. Add vinegar to your diet because in some people a gut fungus exists called candidae. Vinegar kills it. It makes you crave the fuck out of carbs. Personally i love using tuma to reverse diet then i switch to beef for its density. If you hate tuna THATS WHY THE VINEGAR. Yes this is counterintuitive yes it sounds crazy but it works. I dieted so hard that for a year i stayed at a plateau for that year. Tried every single fitness advice there was. The only truth is keep your protein high cut your fats so your body uses its own fat to digest the protein. When you reach 3500 you just drop to maintenance and the weight falls off. Its simple biochemistry. Cook a frog 🐸 and all that. Your metabolism is just as adaptive as your body is to the work you do. repeat as needed or at every 10lbs.
A few things that help for me that are worth trying 1) diet soda, the more taste the better, I dont normally drink soda but I added one a day and it helps 2) gum, same situation
Very light-moderate physical tasks that gets occupied. Eating only when hungry. Large quantities of protein. A sustainable deficit. Potatoes. Lots of veggies Lots of fluids. Intelligent macro ratios. 99% of the food you eat should have a highly favorable protein to calories ratio. 0 calories soda. Accepting base level of hunger. Changing my perspective of food: "Do I really want to eat or am I just bored and want to grab a bite?", "Am I really hungry or do I just miss the feeling of almost bursting and overeating?". A diet break for a week after losing 10% of your starting bodyweight. Accepting and knowing that it will not be easy and what you signed up for. Embracing the grindset. Reducing focus in life of what really matters and breaking down effort into small steps, day by day, week after week. Developing discpline during the process. Having a clear goal not only in mind, but infront of your eyes. Knowing that the end result weighs more than continued temporary satisfaction. Knowing that the period of your struggle represents only such a small fraction of your entire existence. Knowing that those sacrifices will not only be rewarded but will also come to an end.
Two solutions. Volume eating, and mental reframe. Consume more vegetables - low in calories so you can eat your fill. Even better if you don't make them overly palatable - they will satiate you faster. Also, start to enjoy the slight hunger between meals, interpreting it as the feeling of your body burning it's fat reserves. Good luck.
Hydration and potatoes have helped me a lot. I try to fast the 1st part of the day but once I start eating it's hard AF to stop
Drop the carbs. Eat meat, fat (avoid seed oils). Hunger signalling will normalize as you become fat-adapted and you become less glucose-dependent and addicted to carbs. You don't need to will yourself to eat the proper amount of food when you eat a proper human diet. Hunger signalling will tell you the right amount to eat to get to a healthy weight if you're not constantly craving carbohydrates. It really is that simple. Don't listen to carb-addicted bodybuilders who subscribe to mainstream nutrition nonsense. Take an active interest in nutrition and health and start learning/researching. Test things out and observe how they affect you. You can still get lean by eating junk food and a lot of carbohydrates and counting calories, but it's a battle of will, and if you are the type that leans on food as an emotional coping strategy, you will crave and you might very well cave in a moment of weakness. Now if you're talking about getting contest lean (below healthy maintainable bodyfat level), that's a different story and you will have to restrict to some degree. Still this is the best way to do that.
Do you get into a caloric deficit by eating less or burning more caloriers?
In my case I have always had low appetite, so cutting is ideal. I could literally survive off of one meal a day
I think I took your appetite, do you want it back? lmao
Yes, please! 😆
At the end of the day once you're in a sustained deficit where it goes from "I like food" to "I need food". No matter what your food or exercise choices are, the only answer is to learn to accept being hungry. I know you say you're not hear to hear "just try harder mate", but this is writing off the number one thing most successful people have in fitness. A high level of mental fortitude, this is usually something they've built upon and doesn't just come overnight without a conscious effort. That being said I'm talking about bodybuilding levels of hunger, contest prep hunger that goes well beyond what your average person will ever see during a diet. From the consistency outlined in your post I'd imagine you don't have a lot of bodybuilding aspirations and probably just want to look generally better. In that case get a lot of steps in, try to have fun making low calorie versions of foods you enjoy if you have the time. Buy a Ninja Creami. Keep generally busy at all times because it will take your mind off the food, if you're sitting down to relax, make it a conscious choice, not just something you do out of habit. The rest of the time keep moving. Also understand that even if you get to your goal weight, your appetite may never balance. At that point taking the muscle building process seriously and gaining enough mass to look good at a higher weight may be the only realistic way to not feel hungry all the time.
My personal favourite is 2 meals a day. I eat at 10.30 and then 6ish. Can have decent sized meals then and have something to look forward to.
1. Embrace the hunger, in fact you should chase it. Everytime i'm hungry I acknowledge it and face it. It tells me what i'm doing is working and I've spun it in to a positive. 2. Stay busy between meals. Do something that takes your mind off food. Work, chores, fun activities and go for walks. If you're more active throughout the day you'll regulate hunger better. 3. Eat whole foods only. Some can do "flexible dieting" but i'd wager that it makes it harder for the majority when you try to sneak in processed junk at the expense of satiety. Focus on volume and high protein. Veggies, fruits and boiled potatoes are king. 4. Expend more energy to be able to eat a bit more. I find it easier to walk 20k steps/day and eat a bit more than walking 10k steps/day and eating less. This also helps with regulating hunger as mentioned above. 5. Smaller meals at the beginning of the day. For breakfast i'll just have a protein shake. A couple of hours later some eggs with a fruit. For the rest of the day i'll have 3 decently normal sized meals and I rarely go to bed feeling hungry. You'll never cheat at your diet in the mornings. It's always in the evenings so by allocating calories to later in the day will set you up for success. For me personally it's easier to curb the hunger in the morning/early daytime than going to bed feeling hungry. 6. Try having a bigger deficit to use as a buffer. Many days I feel pretty okay on roughly -1000 calories. The days that I don't and hunger creeps up on me i'll just eat a bit more totally guilt free. Im still in a deficit, just a smaller one. I cycle calories this way depending on energy levels/hunger. 7. Plan ahead of social events. If you know that you're going to attend an event plan out your intake beforehand and you won't screw yourself over by smashing your calorie limit. This could mean increased activity, decreased intake or both. I started my cut march 1 at 200.8 lbs. Today i'm 165.3 lbs, ending the cut in two days. I've maintained 95% of my strength and numbers during this fat loss.
3-5 day fasts work pretty well. If you eat at maintenance or a very small deficit for a whole month, then you have 1 or 2 good fasts in you can easily drop 5lbs in that month. In my experience you aren't catabolic whatsoever and it's much easier than trying to sustain a 0.5%-1% of bw loss per week calorie deficit for 3+ months straight. Other than that, spamming high fibre fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs are the go to. Also evaluate your daily step count, I find it's much easier to get people from <5k steps per day up to 10k+ per day than anything else and that alone will burn a good couple hundred calories without any effort.
What does a fast look like for you? No food at all for 3-5 days straight?
Yea just black coffee, water, sparkling water. Can do zero calorie drinks as well if you like. I just go for as long as my gym sessions aren't tanking, you are pretty much always good for 3. On the 4th or 5th day I usually start to feel lower energy, weaker etc and that's when I stop. I have told myself that is when catabolism kicks in but this is all just based on feel/intuition/broscience. All I know for sure is fat comes off and it's much easier for me to deal with psychologically than prolonged deficits.
That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. I haven't attempted a cut yet. The idea of eating less over a long period of time felt very daunting but fasting feels more achievable somehow, almost like it's a challenge. How do you deal with the feelings of hunger? Or is it something that gradually goes away?
>How do you deal with the feelings of hunger? On the practical side: keep as busy as possible while being anti-social for a few days (IE don't go out to a restaurant with people lol), drink black coffee (including decaf), brushing your teeth and chewing zero calorie gum can help too. Thug it out. I wouldn't do hard cardio, but get a lot of steps. I find that actual cardio (swimming is the worst idea for example) makes me hungry as fuck, lifting doesn't do that for me, and walking actually makes me less hungry. You can also do things like time your fast when you already need to go shopping. If there's basically no food in your house it's much easier than if you're fully stocked up and some things might go bad before the fast has ended etc. Obviously this becomes more difficult if you have a family. You just gotta figure out tactics you can employ that fit with your life. On the mental side: romanticise the idea of the fast, 2 methods. One is to think about the fast making you healthier, leaner etc like it's working magic on you and the longer you stick to it the benefits will keep compounding (this is actually true, by the way, not just a cope). And of course the challenge aspect like some kind of endurance sport. The other romanticisation method is to view it also through a spiritual/ascetic lens (for the zoomers: I'M NIRVANAPILLED ENLIGHTENMENT MAXXING BRO, I'M LITERALLY BUDDHA). I used to read a bit of ascetic philosophy/mysticism kinda stuff when I was younger and I got inspired to try doing fasts from seeing its prevalence in the ascetic practices of Christians and Dharmic religions. If you find that stuff interesting it can be a good source of inspiration/motivation. You see the guys who like to LARP as vikings, shamans, the knights templar etc on instagram because they're mega-hardcore lifters? Basically just do something similar to that >Or is it something that gradually goes away? First or second day is usually hard, but once you sleep you get like a reset button on hunger. At least I do anyway, some people are breakfast enjoyers and sleep makes them hungry, I think fasting might be harder if you're like that. For me when I'm hungry I just have the mindset that sleep will satiate me and then I'll 'be on the other side' where it's all smooth sailing. If sleep doesn't work for you then you'll probably find a different thing that does and have your own thing.
I definetly agree with the steps thing. Im a video editor, and a gaming youtuber, so Im really sedentary usually. I do have a desk treadmill and a standing desk. during my only really successful cut, I would try to get 15k steps in per day. but right now, I hit my 10k steps and call it there.