Thread: What does your hunger feel like?

Just interested....I know we can feel hunger in loads of different ways, and was wondering how it feels to different people while we are juddding.

My last dd was really different, which was what got me wondering. I usually feel quite empty first thing in the morning. Then I may feel a bit light-headed and spaced out. Sometimes I feel lacking in energy and tired. Usually on dd I eat at lunchtime, feel ok for a bit, then all of the above signs come back towards the middle of the afternoon, I ignore them till tea time, eat again, then ignore them till bed! I don't really feel a rumbly tummy at all. Oddly, I do notice that I grind my teeth when I'm hungry! What has amazed me is that I've had no big blood sugar lows hat have triggered migraines....if you had told me a couple of months ago that I could do this and feel well I would not have believed it.

yesterdays dd was weird...and better! Started off the same as usual, but mid-morning when I had a small snack and a ginger tea, all sensation of hunger just went away and really didn't come back. I did eat a bit later in the day, but felt like I didn't have too...not like me on dd at all! Do other people find that some dds are like this? Or maybe the more you do, they get like this. Or perhaps it was the ginger tea.i might buy some more today!

Sorry this has turned into an essay....really interested in other people's experiences of dd hunger patterns.

Think this is a very good question as my hunger has really changed too on dd . When I first started each dd felt like I was constantly hungry a bit spacy and a constant headache . Now I wake up thinking I really could eat something empty is a good word for it. But then usually put it off and goes away , these days I always think I will wait until I get really hungry before eating and always have plenty if soup/ yog / fruit ready . But some days (especially on split fast days ... Fasting 5 one day to 5 the next ) I can manage all day just with drinks .

It will be interesting to see how today goes as I switch back to alternate days . My plan is to measure out 200 ml skimmed milk for lots of drinks then soup when I need it . A large prawn stir fry for dinner and a light hot choc 405 calories but will only have what I need dependent on hunger .

An interesting question, I had to think about it because yes how I 'feel' hungry has changed quite a bit..or at least my perception of 'hungry' has changed. Like both of you at first i used to get lightheaded, feelings of emptiness and a real 'desire' to eat! Now as yesterday it didn't feel any different to an UD if i'm honest I had the 'mental' urge or craving to eat but I was not 'actually' hungry. i do divide my cals into 3 meals to suit my work, so I have a small portion of porridge am, then soup/bouillon twice plus lots off decaff-coffee black & white throughout the day. i do get a rumbling growling tummy sometimes but I now recognise this is not 'hunger' as such. The strange thing is today an UD I had a really good bowl of porridge plus prunes & I've had two coffees with milk and I'm feeling 'hungry'..and the rumbling in my stomach is deafening...but I will just ignore it until dinnertime..and I won't snack before or binge then because I'm used to the feeling. Also on a DD I can now work, exercise as normal & even go Food Shopping & it no longer bothers me! I've come a long way in 3 months!

I find my tummy sometimes feels empty in the morning/early afternoon of most DD's. Maybe I'm eating too much junk with no nutritional value on my ups. I have noticed I do not have this sensation on my UD's, even if I do not eat anything until late afternoon, and it frustrates me so sometimes I wonder if it's all in the back of my mind... like I know on a DD I am limited to very little food so I then 'feel hungrier' because of that.

So even though my tummy feels empty and sometimes will rumble (the rumbling tummy is not very often at all) I do not feel weak or light headed or anything like that... I generally feel absolutely fine which is good because if I didn't I know it would make me dread my DD's. Maybe doing a VLCD for 16 weeks has helped me handle VLC days (DD's) better.

One thing I have noticed very recently is I am getting full quicker on my UD's and I am almost struggling to eat my calories because I'm just not that hungry after about 1500.

Interesting what you said about being able to exercise and food shop on down days. I can do these and even cook delicous things for other people (or ready for up days ) and none of it bothers me now.

I also used to think i had blood sugar issues as would start to get a bit headachey if ever a meal was late but really think a lot of it was in my head. as can go ages with nothing now (3.20 and nothing but a couple of drinks so far today and feel fine)

Interesting how most of us notice a change in how we feel hunger. I wonder if that is our minds getting used to dds, or our bodies coping with it better? Maybe it is a sign we have activated that gene....my change was about 2 weeks in, which I think would be right.
Im not quite ready for vigorous exercise or food shopping yet, but I can comfortably cook for the family.

Another interesting note the past two weeks I have been fasting 5pm one day to 5pm the next day . But I am now back to doing alternate days as it wasn't workign so well for me. Yesterday's fast all day was easy as can be until 5 pm then a hunger hit me like back to day one. A nice dinner and a big bowl of sugar free jelly did not even seem to touch the sides of my hunger. I managed but i think that is only because I know now hunger will not kill me LOL.

So has my body learned this new way and didn't like the change or was it all in my head?

Wonder how many days of being back on alternates it will take for me to not have the raging hunger again. I am goign for a solid 2 weeks of strict alternates again just like my first 2 weeks :-) no weekend off !!!

Good luck with your alternates!

You are fasting for a longer period when on the full day rather than the 5 til 5, maybe that accounted for your 'hunger'. I've been more 'hungry' over my relaxed weekend than I am when fasting. Weird!!

It is so odd, I don't know if I've been lucky, or if it's just the way that I am, but I've just completed my 7th DD, where I fully fast, except black coffee, water & herbal tea, it now almost 1am, and I last ate at 7pm Saturday - 30 hours, and I feel fine, a little tired, but hey, it's gone midnight, I know I won't eat until 0830ish Monday - so 37-38 hours, but basis my previous forthcoming UD, I eat breakfast because I ought to, but feel I could continue...I'm not intending to do double DD, but think I'd be fine.
So far, I've not had any headaches, or feelings of weakness, real hunger or anything, yes a few tummy grumbles, but that goes with a cuppa, I always feel that if I'm 'hungry' I'll have some borvil or such like, but so far haven't, I also have 'fancies' but just put them to the back of my mind, telling myself I can have them tomorrow. I eat well on UD, good nutritional stuff, and a few beers on a Friday.
As I say, only been at this for a fortnight, but so far, so good - I'm hoping this continues, as I'm already feeling better.
As those of you that have read my diary know, I'm following SW on my up days, and having 3x DD a week, one of which is my SW WI class, where I always shop afterwards, and I happily cook for my OH too
I'm finding I'm not so hungry on my UD either, but, once I do eat, then I need my lunch and dinner, it's odd, no food is easier than some food??? So for now I'll leave DD as a straight fast, as I think if I tried to limit myself to 500 cals I'd struggle - ah well, we're all different (thankfully)

Originally Posted by Debridger

It is so odd, I don't know if I've been lucky, or if it's just the way that I am, but I've just completed my 7th DD, where I fully fast, except black coffee, water & herbal tea, it now almost 1am, and I last ate at 7pm Saturday - 30 hours, and I feel fine, a little tired, but hey, it's gone midnight, I know I won't eat until 0830ish Monday - so 37-38 hours, but basis my previous forthcoming UD, I eat breakfast because I ought to, but feel I could continue...I'm not intending to do double DD, but think I'd be fine.
So far, I've not had any headaches, or feelings of weakness, real hunger or anything, yes a few tummy grumbles, but that goes with a cuppa, I always feel that if I'm 'hungry' I'll have some borvil or such like, but so far haven't, I also have 'fancies' but just put them to the back of my mind, telling myself I can have them tomorrow. I eat well on UD, good nutritional stuff, and a few beers on a Friday.
As I say, only been at this for a fortnight, but so far, so good - I'm hoping this continues, as I'm already feeling better.
As those of you that have read my diary know, I'm following SW on my up days, and having 3x DD a week, one of which is my SW WI class, where I always shop afterwards, and I happily cook for my OH too
I'm finding I'm not so hungry on my UD either, but, once I do eat, then I need my lunch and dinner, it's odd, no food is easier than some food??? So for now I'll leave DD as a straight fast, as I think if I tried to limit myself to 500 cals I'd struggle - ah well, we're all different (thankfully)

It is a known thing about not eating and not being able to stop once you start eating. Its similar in effect to alcohol , drugs & smoking..if you do not have it its easy, but have one drink, cigarette etc..you are back to square one. Food is no different, to many of us its an addictive drug, the problem is we can't live without food, the other things we can. So we have to 'learn' to control how we eat. I must admit my DD is easier than most of my UD's. I 'know' what I can have & I stick to it. On UD's I always think I need or want a little more. However I am learning every week to 'control' it.
You are doing brilliantly by the way...well done

I once followed the mantra of 'slimmer people eat breakfast' and found it to be absolute rubbish! Not eating is so much easier to avoid hunger than eating even a small healthy amount. When I first started juddd I made myself vegetable soup to get me thru lunch, now I find it so much easier not to have anything til teatime. I think I was actually making it harder for myself trying to have something small! I do find the hunger varies from wk to wk tho, some fast days I'm fine and don't really notice, other fast days I'm counting down the hours until it's over! I guess we're all different... What it definitely is teaching me tho, is that hunger will not kill me or send me off on a complete binge. On other diets I think I'd actually eaten too much healthy stuff as I was so afraid I'd get hungry and binge, but I'm learning hunger is not what leads to that. I could still have eaten 10 apples and then had a binge, because it was the feeling of deprivation leading to over eating. Hurrah for never feeling deprived any more!

Originally Posted by JillyCornwall

It is a known thing about not eating and not being able to stop once you start eating. Its similar in effect to alcohol , drugs & smoking..if you do not have it its easy, but have one drink, cigarette etc..you are back to square one. Food is no different, to many of us its an addictive drug, the problem is we can't live without food, the other things we can. So we have to 'learn' to control how we eat. I must admit my DD is easier than most of my UD's. I 'know' what I can have & I stick to it. On UD's I always think I need or want a little more. However I am learning every week to 'control' it.
You are doing brilliantly by the way...well done

You're spot on there.... we just cannot manage with food.....
and control is the key here, I think that's possibly why I'm aiming for SW choices on my UD as there is still that level of control, having said that, I don't deprive myself, but, it keeps a check on what I do eat, and it's always in the back of my mind that I need to stay within my syn allowance, although not quite as strictly as before I started to JUDDDD
Of course, the other factors are 1) ensuring we eat until satisfied, and not full to bursting, 2) recognising that we may not actually be hungry, just a little dehydrated, 3) making the healthiest, nutrional choices as much as possible, I'm not advocating we don't eat things we enjoy, just try to balance them a bit.

And thanks for your lovely comments

Originally Posted by DopeyAngel

I once followed the mantra of 'slimmer people eat breakfast' and found it to be absolute rubbish! Not eating is so much easier to avoid hunger than eating even a small healthy amount. When I first started juddd I made myself vegetable soup to get me thru lunch, now I find it so much easier not to have anything til teatime. I think I was actually making it harder for myself trying to have something small! I do find the hunger varies from wk to wk tho, some fast days I'm fine and don't really notice, other fast days I'm counting down the hours until it's over! I guess we're all different... What it definitely is teaching me tho, is that hunger will not kill me or send me off on a complete binge. On other diets I think I'd actually eaten too much healthy stuff as I was so afraid I'd get hungry and binge, but I'm learning hunger is not what leads to that. I could still have eaten 10 apples and then had a binge, because it was the feeling of deprivation leading to over eating. Hurrah for never feeling deprived any more!

Agree there, I often feel 'hungrier' earlier if I've had breakfast, than if I haven't had breakfast and wait until lunch...... whether I've been trying to lose weight or not...again, that hunger, might not really be hunger of course, so now, I'll always have a drink first to see if it subsides

Originally Posted by Derbynanny

Interesting what you said about being able to exercise and food shop on down days. I can do these and even cook delicous things for other people (or ready for up days ) and none of it bothers me now.

This is me, isn't it amazing?

I find my DD hunger very empowering and don't ever feel the need to eat unless real temptation is put in my way and i am "suffering emotionally". I don't plan to eat before a main meal at around 6pm on a DD but sometimes have ot have a bowl of soup around lunchtime if I am feeling weak.

I haven't posted much lately as I am just continuing my DD days as part of my life. I haven't weighed for a few weeks and feel really slim today.