I possess a roll of belly fat that I (and my boyfriend!) would prefer to say goodbye too.
I sympathize. Most success stories involving becoming attractively-thin (i.e. having so little fat that you can see abs, or whatever turns you+partner on) don’t involve feeling subjectively hungry, or craving any food in particular. You sure can do a lot of exercise, especially aerobic, and not lose weight (assuming you’re already skinnier-than-average) - because eating simply cannot be held constant, forever.
If I undereat for too long (really feeling hungry), and a satisfying food is available, I’ll overeat. As in, I could have eaten 1⁄3 as much and still felt satisfied for a few hours. On the other hand, people can get used to a fixed eating routine that’s difficult at first; some people don’t eat at all until evening. Perhaps they’re successful only because they don’t (psychologically) feel hunger, or perhaps this means that hunger isn’t necessarily the downfall of moderate eating.
Also, caffeine (ok) and smoking (bad) reduce appetite.
It’s best to experiment with kinds of food until you find a way to reach a weight you’re happy with. Diet is more critical than exercise. You may not be lucky enough to find anything that gives you what you want; consider learning to be happy with what is 90% of how you’d like to appear and is 50% more comfortable than reaching 95% (or whatever).
Definitely experiment with satisfying hunger with foods that satiate you for longer (regardless of calorie count). Wheat is definitely suspected by many to have a bad satiety curve (compared to comparable calories of other foods). For non-celiac sufferers, the only thing I’ve heard that seems scientific is that wheat has phytic acid, which should simply mean that you effectively need 50% more of various minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, whatever—I forget the details). I think there were rat studies that suggested most grains are worse for obesity than many other foods (except oats and white rice, which were neutral). There’s a chance that doesn’t translate to humans. Most of what you hear excitedly claimed on the internet is simply not trustworthy, but there’s nothing wrong with indulging in placebo-tailwind experiments, if you find something that makes you feel good, physically.
Also, reduce stress and increase (regular, during dark/quiet hours) sleep if possible.
I sympathize. Most success stories involving becoming attractively-thin (i.e. having so little fat that you can see abs, or whatever turns you+partner on) don’t involve feeling subjectively hungry, or craving any food in particular. You sure can do a lot of exercise, especially aerobic, and not lose weight (assuming you’re already skinnier-than-average) - because eating simply cannot be held constant, forever.
If I undereat for too long (really feeling hungry), and a satisfying food is available, I’ll overeat. As in, I could have eaten 1⁄3 as much and still felt satisfied for a few hours. On the other hand, people can get used to a fixed eating routine that’s difficult at first; some people don’t eat at all until evening. Perhaps they’re successful only because they don’t (psychologically) feel hunger, or perhaps this means that hunger isn’t necessarily the downfall of moderate eating.
Also, caffeine (ok) and smoking (bad) reduce appetite.
It’s best to experiment with kinds of food until you find a way to reach a weight you’re happy with. Diet is more critical than exercise. You may not be lucky enough to find anything that gives you what you want; consider learning to be happy with what is 90% of how you’d like to appear and is 50% more comfortable than reaching 95% (or whatever).
Definitely experiment with satisfying hunger with foods that satiate you for longer (regardless of calorie count). Wheat is definitely suspected by many to have a bad satiety curve (compared to comparable calories of other foods). For non-celiac sufferers, the only thing I’ve heard that seems scientific is that wheat has phytic acid, which should simply mean that you effectively need 50% more of various minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, whatever—I forget the details). I think there were rat studies that suggested most grains are worse for obesity than many other foods (except oats and white rice, which were neutral). There’s a chance that doesn’t translate to humans. Most of what you hear excitedly claimed on the internet is simply not trustworthy, but there’s nothing wrong with indulging in placebo-tailwind experiments, if you find something that makes you feel good, physically.
Also, reduce stress and increase (regular, during dark/quiet hours) sleep if possible.