Embrace Hunger and Hunger Pains While Dieting

great post - i totally agree - in fact i am hungry right now but won't eat until after my workout and drive home which will probaly be about 3-4 hours from now depending on traffic. when i want to get cut up fast i drink lots of water and chew a whole lot of gum!!and if i am feeling genorous i might even drink a cup of tea just as change of pace from water

Hey Rusty, great post, I will have to try this, but I hate being hungry and my girlfriend tells me I get cranky! Anyway, just one thing (and you can omit this comment from the site if you want) you have a grammatical error: Under the last bullet "Allowing Yourself to Get Hungry" is Key to Getting Lean. The first line; I don't our bodies were meant to have a never ending supply of constant food. Sorry it's dumb but I like your site and would rather not that someone come to the site and not return because of simple omissions of words. Mistakes, they happen.

I was honestly thinking about this about 10 minutes before you posted it.

For the past two weeks it's been pouring here, and I've been training in the morning and sitting around inside….partially to rest because its the beginning of my mountain bike race season, and partially because I just got out of school and I don't have a job yet. It is so much easier for me to eat when I'm in the house, because there is something I can always justify eating….even when I really don't need it.

It's kind of funny; there is the whole thing about the freshman 15. But in the past year, I lost 20 pounds when I went to school. The food is terribly unhealthy, but I was eating a small meal after working out in the morning and a big lunch and dinner.

Now that I'm home, I'm eating a lot "healthier" as all we have is organic, whole wheat, natural etc, but it is easier for me to eat throughout the day. Even with the healthier food, I find it much more difficult to eat the same amount of calories as when I was eating fried garbage in dining halls.

If only I had a job to get me out of the house….

On a side note, this weekend is the US Open of Mountain Biking. I'm racing in two events, so I will be riding more or less all day for three days straight….should I just forget counting calories and forced hunger on those days and eat what my body wants?

Thanks.

Randi,

Great self-discipline. Make sure you are careful with the gum chewing. Sometimes that will make you hungrier!

AFDerrick,

Thanks for pointing out that error. I'm sure I have all sorts of grammatical errors, but that is a BAD one. I'll fix it so it doesn't sound like "caveman talk". Good catch!

Trevor,

It is super-easy to eat to much when you are sitting around the house. My weakness is salty foods like Nachos. When I'm in my apartment I try to have a never ending supply of green tea. If I get hungry, I just drink a large cup of green tea…that seems to do the trick.

For your races, you better eat what your body needs. Dieting hard isn't the best idea for performance sports. Good luck in that race!

Rusty

Hey Rusty, another great post!
Being hungry is definitely really key, and I think it was one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle I was missing in my weight loss efforts. I always thought being hungry was unbearable, and I felt so weak until I ate something, but now I follow a warrior diet based plan and when you don't start your day revving up your hunger cues it's not so bad to be hungry! In fact, I actually enjoy it sometimes because I know I'm getting into a good state to get the most out of my workout. Eating less during the day also simplifies my life as well, not always worrying about my next food fix lol.
Anyways, keep up your excellent work, I've been continuously working hard and I'm so close to losing that last bit of fat!

This was a great post!!!! I keep falling back into the whole 6 meals a day thing and i get miserable. for me, mini meals make me even hungrier b/c i never get satisfied eating. i've also noticed that i eat less on less frequent meals then when i do 6. the body for life program is what got me doing mini meals. i can honestly say that when i started that program my battle with binge eating started and i became food obsessed. i began to fear hunger and if i felt the slightest bit of hunger i could mentally make myself feel grumpy and light headed b/c i thought i needed food. my life has been much more free not having to consume my thoughts with food. i feel like a normal person and i actually like to feel a bit hungry.

For some reason, when I eat only once a day I have alot more willpower and can stay away from junk food. It's strange, but when I eat 4 or 5 meals I ALWAYS end up binging on something bad.

Your right on the money with people being "scared" of getting hungry. Good post!

Rusty - you are always so right on for me! In college I stayed so thin b/c every time i would gain a few pounds, I would just go to bed hungry and skip dinner. I would basically wake up - go to the gym, eat some fruit, then go to class all day, have a salad for lunch (not low fat dressing either!) and then that was it until i lost the weight i wanted to. Then i would start eating dinner again, and not gain anything. I was also partying and drinking 3 nights a week too! Anyway, thanks for the reminder, that being hungry is the way to know your body is burning fat and using those fat stores! By the way, do you have recommendations on books or websites that list the GI's in foods? I'm really trying to work on eating lower GI foods, but a lot of foods aren't always so intuitive.
Thanks again!

Rusty, besides the "slowing metabolism" argument I'd worry that people will use the "eating disorder" argument against you :). I know better now but I was skeptical about a year ago when I first started reading your site. You probably don't want to get too defensive with your message, but I think it would be comforting for some new readers to know that what you're saying is not the same as starving yourself…and far from it, in fact.

Rusty,
Yikes! I'm getting cranky just reading this.. The best bodies in the world are good eaters… The key is choosing the right food, not bailing on meals.. Not only is this rough on your body, but its so negative for your mind.. Try giving a big presentation to your next client on an empty stomach.. No Deal! In my opinion, this is Hollywood's negative influence on us.. I see gaunt/tired looking bodies walking around when people are hungry and not eating.. If lean (muscle with low body fat) is the goal, you gotta eat, but eat correctly.. Choose the right foods.. I know your point is not to starve yourself, but moderation I"m sure is the direction you were going with this.. I do feel that if you choose the right foods, you can eat as much of it as you want and strip body fat and fuel lean muscle tissue..If I personally start skipping meals when I'm hungry and need nourishment, I not only lose lean muscle tissue, but my body starts running like a car low on fuel (sputtering & dragging down the road, if you know what that feels like..) Plus, my mind goes pretty nuts.. ha.. I'm a mad man when I need food, so I feed it,, but I stay lean and toned because I'm stuffing the right foods in my body.. Again, I think people struggle more with, what do I eat? than anything else.. Just my opinion..

John Fit..

I'm hungry now…but its 11:47pm here and I refuse to eat! You're so right about hunger as an advantage when it comes to weight loss. I am trying to stick to two smaller meals and one "larger" meal each day, and it seems to be working. I havn't lost weight, but I just want to maintain what I have accomplished for the most part. I am wondering if there is a specific amount of time in which someone should stay hungry to optimize fat burning, without getting as starved as a grizzly bear coming out of hibernation. I tend to get a bit grumpy if I get too hungry for too long, so I am hoping you say a few hours max!

Hi Rusty. I think this post is excellent. I started a diet in which I ate only very healthy food and was told to eat whenever I was hungry. I lost two pounds in three months! That was a slap in the face. As soon as I started reading this website and began the warrior diet, I've been losing two pounds a week. yay! I still eat healthily, but I try to restrict my eating to dinner time . It makes a lot of sense that yoour body will only burn fat as a last resort. If I get worried about my metabolism slowing down, i just visualize it as a dial that I'm turning up to maximum all the time. I know it sounds a bit hocus pocus but i think that if you salivate when you visualize eating a chocolate cake, surely visualizing increasing your metabolism will have an effect.
Also, I only strictly follow the warrior diet about 3-4 times per week and it still works.
Anyway, I only meant to write that your website always inspires me to work hard towards the body I want, especially on off days; but I went on a bit of a rant.

About allowing yourself to get hungry before doing cardio, will that create the same effect as doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach? I mean that the body mainly takes energy from fat in the body rather than food in the stomach.

I absolutely agree. I was a very skinny kid. I was always active and too excited and energetic to think about food. Food was a hinderance to my playtime. I think if we can incorporate more of the games of our childhood into our adult lives, we would naturally want to be more active. Sounds silly but it has worked for me.

Rusty,
You somehow always seem to know what motivation I need with your posts! I'm at home studying for the LSATs full time, and my first marathon is this sunday, so i've been having to taper these past 2 weeks, and I find that with the stress of studing and not being able to run as far as i have been, I've been eating waaaaay too much. I lost 26 lbs since i first started following your site, and this post was JUST the motivation I need to get back to the one meal a day until my test June 16th! (my reward after the test is a weekend at the beach with friends, so its a good challenge to see how much I can lose in 4 weeks!)
sorry for the ramble, just thanks for the pick-me-up!

I actually like feeling hungry a bit… feels a bit like an accomplishment like for not giving in to primal urges.

Hi Rusty
I've been trying to do the warrior diet for a few days now and I feel like I need to lay down all the time. I haven't tried working out yet because I feel so weak as it is. Is this normal? Will it go away soon?

Thanks!

Nice post Rusty,

When I was in my young teens I was overweight, then I ran lots + sometimes avoided carbs - and ate lots of vegetables. Sometimes just had an apple for lunch. Simple science - it worked. I got skinny. (I had the added benefit of growing a good few inches too!)

However now I am a bit wiser and keep a more balanced diet. I wouldn't want to jeopordise any hard earned muscle.

I entirely understand the pro-hunger arguement. As I said it worked for me. Although, I tend to follow a slightly more 'balanced' style now except before my workout of course!
I eat (the right foods) when I'm hungry but virtually no food 3-4 hours leading upto my workout. (As you currently know I'm leaning up so this eating style ensures my body calls upon my fat supplies - its working a treat) Also for those who think you would feel 'tired' working out when hungry - as Rusty has said so many times before - the caffeine intake pre-workout gives you the boost you need. I find once I've started workingout I no longer feel hungry.

My struggle is in the evening. Its so tempting - but Im trying to eat carrots/apples etc instead of cereal. It has to be the effect of tv - I always want something tasty when I watch tv at night!
I think the solution is either:
-Strength of mind (but I hate sleeping on an empty stomach!)/ eat something healthy an hour or two before bed or
-workout later at night/do something other than watch tv

I don't like to see people starve themselves excessively/obsessively - always do something you can sustain for at least a month!

Eitherway, the mirror (a normal one!) doesn't lie - as they say: you are what you eat.

Good luck all,

Luke.

I've been doing this and working out and while i'm getting leaner i'm not losing weight. I run like crazy and lift weights and only eat around 600 calories a day but I just can't lose the weight. I don't know what the problem is….

HELP… I've been trying to follow the warrior diet and eat my main meal at night (dinner) with my family. During the day I get hungry and try to snack on some almonds and/or a V-8. My daily routine (at least 4 days a week - I am hoping to get up to 6 days) is I wake up at 4:00 a.m. and hit the gym. i do weights on alternating days and do about 1.5 hours of cardio (i've been doing the rotating stairs, running for 3 miles and maybe incline walking) and I haven't lost a single pound and/or an inch. I feel as if I am getting bigger especially in my butt and thighs. I am getting frustrated with the process. Ok, I am 39 years old - i don't mind working hard in the gym as long as I am seeing results. I used to be about 112 lbs. and currently I am about 125 lbs. I have a small frame and I am only about 5'3. I have to be burning at least 1100 calories in the gym and it isn't easy - I am totally soaked with sweat when i am done. After the morning work-out I don't eat except like I said maybe some almonds and/or V-8 juice at lunch time - I have maybe 20 almonds and my dinner is protein and salad - and I am not eating more than necessary. I am getting so discouraged. I do have a hypo thyroid and am on medication - I keep telling myself that I am working out and that is good but my body is fighting me to loose any weight and to keep going but not to see anything after the gym had just kicked my BUTT and eating one main meal a day is KILLING me. I worked out like this before my son about 4 years ago and can't get back there. I don't to stay at my current size as I look heavy and I want to wear the clothes that I have already purchased. If I buy clothes at this size its like telling myself that I am ok with it. Please help….

Adding to my post - I drink a liter of water during my work-out and about a gallon of water during the day.

I dont know what to think about this post. I am an healthy 25 years old women who's in pretty good shape and i am trying to loose an extra 5 pound for the summer. But it seems that when i stay hungry for too long then i have a complete diet blow out…. I get home after work and training and before i have time to make dinner i snack like crazy! If i am less hungry, i can wait for dinner. Maybe i just need a little bit more of willpower…

I see people dont really like this idea, but i understand what you are saying. There are times when you should fight the urge to fill your stomach. If it is late at night and you are hungry its best not to eat, if its almost lunch time and you get hungry wait. There is no need to strave yourself but there is also no need to feed yourself every time you feel a bit hungry.

Hey Rusty. I agree with what you are saying about getting hungry making you lose weight. It does make sense because when you are hungry, your body does start burning fat.

However, I find that when I am hungry I cannot concentrate for very long. My take is that when you feel hungry you should eat but just eat something small which will satisfy your hunger. A piece of fruit usually does the trick for me. As you say in your 'Skipping Meals will not slow down your Metabolism Post';

"It actually doesn't matter when you ingest your calories during the day. There are certain times when it is more strategic than others, but for the most part if you eat 2,000 calories in a day…you ate 2,000 calories in a day."

I find that spreading my daily calories by having a small breakfast and lunch, supplementing this with a couple of healthy snacks and then having a larger meal before and after the gym is what works for me. I'm sure that your approach is also valid but I don't think it is the only solution.

got it no food for a day lol…wonder what results i will get

Hey Rusty great post my problem is that I am home a lot doing the day with nothing but time and food on my hand. I try the green tea and water to full me up but how much green tea is too much. I find myself drinking so much its tough not to snack but I try to stick to fruits.

Quick question a little off the post. A friend and I were talking and I told him about the Hollywood look and how I love this site. He is one of those guys who was in the gym and is now way to big for his frame kind of like the Rock was when he was wrestling. We wanted to know to get the hollywood look should he just focus on cardio and leave the weights alone. Also will cardio help to square his chest out to get rid of the man boob look?

Thanks!!!

PS….are you going to post the 10 males like you did for the females?

Hey man, about children…in the warrior diet ori talks about kids having a perfect feeding cycle. dipasquale in the anabolic diet talks about kids having a natural feeding cycle. The trick is to find instincivly what works for you. Meal frequency is a touchy subject. Some people like eating bunny rabit meals through the day. Others like eating huge meals…I like big meals. I think it is dishonerable and demasculating to eat a small meal period. It is best to suffer through the hunger, develop a physical toughness to it, almost like an immunity. Imagine being able to function better and better on empty. Imagine your performance capacity when you then compensate and function on a full tank. The leanest and meanest, most ferocious men in history did this and we should too.

Every great diet book to some degree talks about this.

bodyopus, ultimate diet, and anabolic diet do it in a weekly fashion…the warrior diet on a daily cycle.

Even john berardi who recomends a high meal frequency has his ideas about undereating and overeating…(recomending carb meals only AFTER intense excercise) — let me sum up precision nutrition in 3 phrases:

eat light protien, friut, and veggie meals before excercise.

eat carbs after excercise- more if you want to gain mass, less if you want to loose bodyfat….sounds another version of the warrior diet

charels polliquin, one of the world's best strengh coaches developed a system for olympic athletes based on undereating and overeating to increase performance…this involves minimal eating for 2 weeks followed by 5 days of intake around 11,000 calories.

Martin Berkhan over at leangains.com…go check his blog and his amazing physique transformation…221 lbs of blubber to 200 lbs at 5% bf.

One more thing…a real life example. A competitive bodybiulder i know- Although we're against the bb look…I had a conversation with him and he was saying how he just was not eating this week except for a few bags of tuna a day because he wanted to look extra ripped for a trip to vegas….

ok- so, best bodies-high meal frequency?

From a physiological standpoint it is impossible to be anabolic in a chronically fed state as well. Anabolism occurs when protien turnover is occuring and nitrogen balance is in favor of rebiulding, ie-positive. There has to be some cyclical loss of nitrogen in order for the new nitrogen to replace it. Excercise is catabolic PERIOD.

Fueling up before excercise beyond what is only nessecary to hammer out a good session is actually counter productive even in terms of anabolism. I hope everyone sees the logic in what I am getting at…

Rusty,
Can you please come out with a best selling book, b/c I am so annoyed with these people that tell me to eat 5-6 times a day or else i'm going to mess up my metabolism. The Europeans and Japanese don't eat all day long, so why do I? Maybe it works for some fitness people, but not all of us that have to work and do other things besides eat and plan our next meal!
Thanks again!

I just stumbled upon your site recenty and I'm a big fan. We have similar fitness views and goals. I've also noticed that the less often I eat, the quicker I lose weight. When I am out of town on business and I don't have snacks available to mindleddly munch I lose 3-5 pounds in a week. All while eating good and sometimes indulgent meals. I'm trying to get into the habit of only putting food into my mouth two or three times a day, max. How long do you recommend staying hungry for? Also, on a side note, I've bought old (50's and 60's) bodybuilding magazines and books and almost all of them recommended not snacking and eating three times a day. The bodybuilders would line their eating plan, and it never had 5 meals a day. I think that was marketed to America. You can't sell "less food". Finally, do you have any tips on habit building?

Hi Rusty, great site you have there! I discovered your site three weeks ago and have been reading the articles over and over again. I have been exercising regularly since 8 weeks ago, incorporating HIIT into my routine, SS for better endurance, plank for toned abs, even drinking green tea. There has not been much different in the weight department, in fact I'm probably around the same weight when I started. However, I feel healthier than ever, have so much energy these days. I know my body is getting leaner, especially the upper body - my stomach is flatter than ever and my face looks thinner. I'm slightly frustrated that I can't seem to get rid the fat from my hips/thighs. I'm a female, 170cm/63kg. I so want to lose an extra 3-4kgs. It could be something to do with my diet though. I watch my diet, but not really strict with it. I'm too scared to follow the Warrior Diet because I might get cranky when I'm hungry and lose concentration during the day as the blood sugar goes out of whack. Any advice?

Your previous article re 'Avoid Fat Loss Plateaus by Taking Strategic Breaks from Dieting' got me thinking. Should I follow that or should I restrict my calories intakes and be hungry as in this article?

John Fit
The whole 5-6 meals a day thing is complete and utter horsewash. The only reason that people get fit under the whole multiple meals routine is that they eat lower calories with the right foods. Rusty has already covered this before and the myth of multiple meals has been dispelled several times. In fact you should check out everything having to do with the Warrior Diet and Intermittent Fasting. Firstly check out a few posts on this site:

snacking takes more discipline than fasting
another study shoots down the idea of eating 6 small meals per day
the one meal per day warrior diet revisited
Here's a collection of articles that will further shine light on the subject.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/players/11/01/workout1107/
http://www.leangains.com/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting/
http://www.fast-5.com/
http://projectfit.org/iflifeblog/
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/76987.html
http://www.alanaragon.com/an-objective-look-at-intermittent-fasting.html
http://ifdiet.blogspot.com/2007/08/intermittent-fasting.html

The list goes on and on JohnFit. Your results come from proper nutrition and exercise, not meal frequency. Frequent meals are best suited for diabetics and hypoglycemic. So maybe you should try it yourself sometime. There is still the issue of nitrogen balance however, but I do not think that Ori Hoffmekler ever worries about nitrogen. In my case, I find IF and WD so much more satisfying.

Rusty,

I actually notice I lose weight easier when I don't eat anything a few hours before bed time. I read a lot of fitness publications and they suggest you drink a protein shake before bed containing Micellar Caisen so keep you in a positive nitrogen balance. Is this recommended for people who want to lose weight?

Also, because I'm a frequent snacker…I started taking a pure Hoodia extract and it helped tremendously with my cravings for junk food/carbs. I also drink a lot of Green Tea which also seems to do the trick as well.

great article. i was wondering what your thoughts were about trying to stay "anabolic" instead of catabolic in terms of maintaining muscle. I am skinny and have always worked hard to put on muscle. I have been succesful, yet I noticed when doing HIIT a few times (and not eating for an hour before/after), I rapidly lost some of my hard-earned muscle mass in a couple of weeks. When we let ourselves feel hungry, does the body automatically burn fat before turning to burning muscle?

Hi Rusty,

I was thinking of the exact same thing this week. You read my mind!

I've tried the mini meals for the last 2 years or so but the weight loss was really slow.

Since the last 2 months I've lost 8 pounds but a lot of inches too.

Breakfast : yogurt with berries and sunflower seeds

fruit for snack

Lunch: Salad + beans/lentils

Dinner : tortillas with cooked veggies

Exercise: HIIT twice a week,steady state 2-3 times a week
and strength twice a week.

I'm still 10 pounds away from goal weight but I think I look okay because people who I've known for a while stop me and tell me I'm looking good.Plus a trainer at my gym has been paying a lot of attention to me

My body type is endomorph,I'm curvy even when I'm skinny at 115 pounds (I'm 5' 3").Hunger is easier for me to tolerate. I found that when I was heavier my insulin levels were out of whack and that was the time hunger would make me cranky or shaky.
Also,I read somewhere that eating too close to bed time releases too much insulin into the blood and works against fat loss.

So basically I've followed a lot of what you've said on your site,increased the quality of my nutrition dramatically.

I'm following Newton's law too : energy cannot be created or destroyed just changed from one form to another.
I'm not at goal yet but getting there and feeling confident about it and not feeling like a victim of my weight anymore.
Thanks so much. 10 more to go !

For some time i kept using those six meals per day approach, and it's fantastic if you want to keep gaining weight, but to lose fat it sucks, even if you eat low caloric meals. Being hungry means one simple thing in phisiology, it means your body is using its reserves as energy, (reserves = fat). I totally agree with you Rusty, being hungry sometimes is good for fat burning, the same way cardio in the morning with an empty stomach works better, because your body will use fat as energy. Very good post Rusty

Wow…This Post pushed some "hot buttons"! Definitely mixed feelings here (a sign of a great topic in my opinion).

A couple of things for those of you angered by this post

1) I'm not endorsing anorexia. I still believe that you should eat the calories your body requires, but in a much more strategic manner than eating whenever you get hungry.

2) Yes, you can get lean on 6 meals per day…many people have and still do to this day…you just have to be much stricter with what you eat. I don't like to eat nothing but a small chicken breast with a bit of salad and veggies.

3) I like Thai Food, Pizza, Chinese Food, Italian Food, Mexican Food, Indian Food…etc. This way of eating allows me to eat this type of food 3-4 times per week and maintain a low body fat percentage.

4) Once you get used to having an empty stomach during the day, it feels great. I am ultra-energetic during the day and never get mid-morning or mid-day crashes. You will feel better without constant food bogging down your system.

More than anything, this is just an alternative way to get lean that is the easier route in my opinion. The 6 meal per day approach is just a tougher and slower route for a lot of people.

Okay…time for me to answer a few comments!

Karolina,

I love the way you worded this…"when you don't start your day revving up your hunger cues it's not so bad to be hungry!" Yeah…eating leads to more eating. When you start your day with a cup of coffee or green tea it is easy to avoid food.

Karie,

I have no idea how people do the 6 meal per day approach and get things done. I get focused on tasks and projects and like to work 5-6 hours solid without interruption. When I used to eat 6 meals per day, it felt like my whole day was based around finding the next meal.

Christine,

Here is a decent site for GI: www.glycemicindex.com
I should do an article of the GI of common foods. The list on this site is a bit too big to be effective.

Burak,

Thanks for the comment. Yeah…I got a little bit of flak for this post (I couldn't include a few of the comments, because they were a bit R-rated). I love posts that "get the conversation going". Both ways of eating work, it really depends upon how structured people want to be in their diet.

John Fit,

Good points. I think that both ways work. It most likely comes down to how people like to eat. I do know some people who can't go without food for more than 3 hours, but when they do eat…they eat tiny amounts. People like myself…I like to eat large meals but not as often. It works for me as well as quite a few others. I'm 6-8% body fat year round and get to eat pizza and drink beer a few times per week. This way of eating is a "win-win" in that I get to eat the good stuff and still keep a low body fat level.

Jennifer,

Don't torture yourself. If you are starving then eat something. There really isn't a set time. You will learn what works for you after doing this for a while.

Jennie,

Thanks for the compliment. The nice thing about the warrior diet is that you don't need to follow it every day. Ori recommends that people eat during the day if they are at a picnic, a holiday, camping, etc. He really focuses on having a high quality of life (something that many diets miss).

Cecilia,

Yeah…doing cardio on an empty stomach is the same as doing it in the morning. Either way works well. I just can't get myself to get up early to workout in the morning.

Jules,

You will be more alert ad be able to study better without eating the whole day. When I was in college I always had the strong urge to nap whenever it came time to study. I wish I would have ate this way back then. Good luck on your marathon!

Elizabeth,

That sound miserable. Why don't you start by getting used to only eating 3 times per day for two weeks? After that, knock it down to twice a day for two weeks. From that point forward, just eat once per day 2-3 times per week. You will get good results from that. Over a period of 2-3 months you will just naturally throw in more one meal days. You can be flexible with this…it isn't "all or nothing". I actually eat 2 times per day most of the time…and I have one meal days 2 days per week now. I rarely eat 3 times per day.

Luke,

This is a great point. I don't want people to torture themselves…I just want them to understand that being hungry now and then is a good thing. Very well put. Also, I love this…"I find once I've started working out I no longer feel hungry."…I need to do a post on this. I have noticed the same thing. As soon as I start working out hard I don't crave food at all. Great point!

Cassidy,

You may need to begin to include "carb cycling" or "calorie cycling" to "reset your metabolism". Please read this post: Avoid Fat Loss Plateaus by Taking Strategic Breaks from Dieting

Anne,

You certainly don't need to go all out and eat only once per day. A good strategy I have used in the past was a protein shake in the morning, another at noon, a 5:30 workout, followed by a decent sized dinner. I would get a bit hungry throughout the day, but the small amount of calories during the day stopped me from going nuts when I finally did eat.

Tom,

There are a lot of approaches that work. What you do isn't too different from what I'm recommending. It sounds like you eat very light during the day and probably get a little bit hungry and then you eat your larger meal at night after your workout. That is a good strategy.

Manchild,

Your friend should still lift, but spend 2/3 of his time in the gym on cardio. Maybe 30 minutes of lifting followed by 60 minutes of cardio. For his man boobs…have him drop flat bench and decline and just do incline presses to build up his upper chest to square his pecs up a bit.

John,

Amazing comments! Seriously…you bring a lot to the table. I love this part the best "From a physiological standpoint it is impossible to be anabolic in a chronically fed state as well. Anabolism occurs when protien turnover is occuring and nitrogen balance is in favor of rebiulding, ie-positive. There has to be some cyclical loss of nitrogen in order for the new nitrogen to replace it. Excercise is catabolic PERIOD". A 5 out of 5 stars buddy! Very solid stuff!

Marie,

I'm creating several short reports that I will sell for a very affordable price. Once I bring them to market, I will be able to see what the market is in high demand for and then create a mega-ebook on the topic with the most interest. This site has been a great source of info and that is why I appreciate the comments from you guys so much. It really is a win-win, because I spend hours per day answering questions and you guys indirectly tell me what the market wants.

Travis,

As far as habit building goes. You have to go over to my favorite blog: www.stevepavlina.com
He has the best free personal development advice ever. I sort of modeled my blog after his. Give out "your best content for free" and you will be a success online. Obviously, I am creating paid product as well…but the idea is to give and help as many people as possible for free…then if people want a really detailed and expanded course, they can buy your paid stuff. Either way their lives will be better from visiting your site. So to your "hunger" question…don't starve yourself, just don't worry about rushing to get food when you are hungry.

hilz,

You sound like the perfect candidate for backing off your diet for a week to "reset your metabolism". Yeah…follow the advice here for the following week: Avoid Fat Loss Plateaus by Taking Strategic Breaks from Dieting

Ricky,

Great points. John Fit is right in that it is possible to stay lean off of 6 meals per day, I just don't think it is the easiest route. Awesome links to other resources! I have visited all but two of those sites and they are all solid. Both you and John Fit are great contributors…I like seeing both viewpoints. Make sure and keep it nice

Mark,

I have never tried Hoodia. Does it work well? It might be a possible solution for people working their way in to dieting. I wrote a post on it 9-10 months ago about how it works…I've just never tried it. Also…as far as a protein shake before bed…I would only recommend that for people trying to gain muscle.

Steve,

As a naturally skinny guy, you really need to use the shopping cart approach with my site. Some of this stuff will work for you and some won't. The majority of us aren't naturally skinny, so that is who I'm addressing most of the time. Read john's comments about 6 comments up from you. He does a wonderful job explaining how Intermittent Fasting can help build muscle while getting lean. Also visit the resources that Ricky posted. You will learn how a lot of this applies to you, but you will have to tweak it a bit to make it work for your body type.

shailja,

Nice to hear that you are making great progress! I always like reading your comments. Keep up the great work…you are almost there.

Helder,

Yeah…I'm sure we've all tried this approach. This just didn't work for me, even though it sounded good. I started eating 2-3 meals per day many years ago and felt guilty about it! I always read I was "suppose" to eat every few hours. I'm glad that many other people besides myself are coming out of the woodwork to let people know that you can make incredible progress without eating all of the time!

Wow….my hands are tired from typing. Great comments everyone!

Rusty

I will read your suggested posting - but worse case senerio and this doesn't work any suggestions? I am assuming that I still should be working out right?

Rusty,

Yes, the hoodia is working well for me. The are two brands that I have tried with effective results. The first one is on I-Herb.com and it's called Hoodia by Paradise Herbs. It's about $12.00 for 60 capsules. The second one is called HoodiThin it's VERY expensive $59.99 for a 1 oz. bottle (it's in liquid form)

I took the HoodiThin last week for the first time around 8am an didn't have a desire to eat until about 1 or 2pm so it works. Everyone responds differently of course. The pills are a good alternative but take a little longer to kick in, nonethless the appetite reducing effect is still there not as potent as the liquid.

I find it ironic that the people who need to lose the most weight, usually believe that they will waste away if they get any hunger pains…..Ummmm…don't they want to burn fat stored up?

Good luck in the mountain bike race Rusty….I'll be with you in spirit whooping pass people on the single speed this weekend….in a fasted state of course. (Minus the performance enhancing coffee before hand of course) But it makes the meat and beer taste soooo good later too.

Mark,

That is great info for anyone having trouble with cravings. I never knew there was a liquid type!

Mike,

One of the readers is the mountain biker that has the race. I'm relaxing this weekend with my girlfriend. I really enjoy your IF site by the way! I'm going to do a specific post on Intermittent Fasting…and your site will be a main feature along with LeanGains. The people here (myself included) will really enjoy your site.

Cheers!

Rusty

Rusty,

I have a questions about fat burners. I'm 10- 12 pounds away from goal weight. I had bought Lean System 7 last year but never used it.Should I try it? Do you know if there is any potential of side effects.
The ingredients are
green tea
Yerba Mate mg 500
Guarana mg 700
Citrus Arantium mg 300
Forskohlii mg 150
7 Keto mg 50
Dandelion Leaf mg 50
Bioperien mg 5

Thanks so much…weight loss Guru!

This is so true!
A lot of people have asked me lately (mainly guys) how can I put up with 2 meals per day. I eat a salad or something small at around 9:30am and a big meal between 6 and 8 pm. I am a college student so sometimes going with the flow and eating crap is what life is all about. Nevertheless over the past 5 weeks I have gone from 172lbs to 163lbs. I am not at a high fat percentage and my height is around 6 feet. I am trying to get the extra lean look for summer and hunger pains have made half the magic (along with HIIT cardio). Have gotten some nice comments from girls as well who really notice the slimming down.

Anyways, thanks for the EXCELLENT site and keep up the good work.

Jaan from Estonia

Hey Rusty! How are you?? I used to believe that you have to eat mini meals to lose weight. I have totally changed my way of thinking. I do so much better to eat 3 meals. I eat my largest meal about an hour after my workout. Im reallly focusing on lean protein, fruits/veggies, and light dairy. I eat low carb leading to my workouts and then eat my carb meal after my workout. I actually love egg whites and can eat them every morning along with some fruit. (: I went off my plan this past week and was a little lazy. (i typically workout 5 days per week). I could sure tell the difference in how I looked and felt. I missed working out! I also didnt have energy…..well, im back on track and feeling great! I gained a few pounds but im on the road to getting leaner (: Thanks for all of your great topics.
Sandy

yes yes yes ol rusty!

as people grow older, the void widens in many, which can seg-way into consuming more than is needed, whether it be in the form of food, entertainment, etc. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that conditions and accepts over-consumption to the point where it has become a behavioral standard instead of an aberration. Hence, it seems totally concievable why the "many meal" per day idea has been so embraced here; for some it basically is providing a "scientific" license for gluttony.

I am in complete agreement regarding children, who from my memory eat to live rather than live to eat. (but the way things are going, this may not be true much longer:() Sporadic eating is not only more manageable, it is easier to remain active throughout the day when the stomach is not constantly digesting food it may not need.

bottom line, i think that we need to be realistic with ourselves; very few of us are elite or even just competitive athletes who need a constant influx of food to maintain. the average recreational athlete's metabolism and activity level is no where close to that of a pro's, so it seems logical to consume accordingly. (depending upon the results one is after) I've met so many people who think that just because they jog in the park or do some resistance training now and then that they need to take down the whole buffet table! Obviously not true. i think the less is more approach, while under appreciated by most, goes a long way in keeping our bodies and minds in equanimous balance! it's a battle for all of us, but a winnable one.

thanks for the time rusty and all else.

hawk-eye

I love all the comments that have been made about this topic. Its so nice to finally read a different perspective on meal frequency. I wanted to ask what your thoughts are of starches on days you don't workout. Should I not be eating oatmeal, whole grains, etc. on nonworkout days and just be getting my carbs mainly from fruits and veggies?

Hey Rusty, for a 6'2 male going for the "Hollywood/ Lean Male Model Look" what would you suggest I weigh? I know there are differences in bodytypes but as an ideal for you what would you pick to best showcase the look your site is based on? I'm thinking 175 or 180, can't pick between the two, what would you choose?

Rusty, how do you feel about doing cardio twice a day? I was thinking of going to the gym and running for about 30 min at like 10 am then having a small meal at noon or 1 and then doing the same thing at 6-7 pm and eating a moderate dinner at 8. I have one month to look my best for a vacation. And how many days a week could I do this without over-doing it?
Thanks!

Hey Rusty, quick, simple question if you dont mind. Do you recommend the warrior diet for more serious athletes (for example, those who train twice a day - once in the morning and once again later on in the evening) or is this more for the average joe trying to lose some weight.

shailja,

It looks a bit high in Yerba Mate, which is basically an herbal form of caffeine. Guarana gives you energy like caffeine, but it more "slow and steady". Citrus Arantium has been found to boost resting metabolism without increasing heart beat or blood pressure (it is basically a healthy version of ephedrine). Dandelion Leaf is a natural diuretic and is a great way to lose any water retention. This supplement will certainly be effective, just don't take it too late at night, that Yerba Mate will keep you awake.

Jaan,

You have a ton of beautiful women in Estonia. It probably is great incentive to stay lean and mean. Have a great one!

Sandy,

You have a flawless game-plan. It will work out very well for you. I always tell people that if they do want to eat a bit junky every now and then to try and limit it to their meal after their workout.

hawk-eye,

Great comment. What is cool is that I maintain the same amount of muscle mass of eating less overall calories each day. When you eat less often your body increases its ability to absorb nutrients. You don't need insane amounts of protein, etc. You are right about people trying to eat like professional athletes. Very few of us come anywhere near these activity levels. If our full-time job was working out, of course we would need more food, but this isn't a reality for most of us.

karie,

I'm not carb obsessed. You can eat carbs and still STAY lean. To lose weight quickly, you may want to limit them for a while. Once you reach your weight loss goal, include them even on off days. So for now, maybe avoid the grains and starches on your off days.

EJ,

It really depends upon what you look like at 180. You will probably look great at 180, but if you still need to sharpen up then lose another few pounds. So…my answer would be most likely 180 pounds.

Elizabeth,

I actually think that once a day is plenty. Do it for an hour at night for 21-28 days in a row and you will make outstanding progress. Since you aren't doing cardio in the morning, you have a bit more energy to do the 10-15 minute HIIT part of the cardio. Follow that up with 30-45 minutes of steady state cardio and you will lose a lot of fat in one month.

Cheers,

Rusty

Hmm…. I'm not sure what I think on the topic. On the one hand, when I was in highschool, I used to have a bowl of cereal in the morning, nothing during school hours, a snack when I got home, and then a bigger dinner. Then I got to college, and I started eating only twice a day thanks to the dining meal plans, and I gained weight. (Yes, the excessive drinking could've had something to do with it, too). I just remember going to bed so hungry sometimes I couldn't fall asleep, and I was going to be damned if I was going to spend any partying money on food!

Now, I try to do the 6 small meals a day, and lately it hasn't been working out for me. In fact, the time I lost the most weight was when I went to Egypt and couldn't/didn't want to eat anything for a week. Maybe the month-long diarrahea also had something to do with it….

I'm obviously still trying to figure things (hence, why I read your site). I think the one thing I've learned thus far is that everyone is different. I have a friend who is vegan and she stays thin and happy with eating. Meanwhile, if I go vegan for just one meal, I get irritable and cranky and sense the lack of protein. I also have an impossibly thin boyfriend (5'10", 155 lbs, 8% fat) who eats once, MAYBE twice a day. But he eats donuts, cookies, and all sorts of other crap that would crush me if I ever tried to eat it.

Like I said, I'm still trying to figure it out for myself, but I can say with certainity that everyone is different!

It just makes me a little concerned when I see someone saying they wake up at 4 am to do cardio for 1.5 hours every morning and that they're burning an estimated 1100+ calories/day. You just can't burn 1100 calories a day and be consuming the same amount of calories you would on a day when you're not burning 1100 calories!

The problem with your article is that it's just too black and white, and you don't account for any mitigating factors, which can lead people to take what you're saying to extremes. I understand you have an opinion on the matter, and I respect that, but you don't have any research backing up the stuff you say; it's all just anectodetal, which is fine, but it needs to bear some kind of disclaimer. I'm just worried someone is going to read an article like this, take it as gospel, and try to take it a step further by eating once a day, or maybe once every other day, etc. I know you said you're not advocating eating disorders, but I would argue that it's negligent to put that caveat in the comments and not the article.

Jen,

Great points…I am going to do a post that points to over a dozen studies on Intermittent Fasting. I sometimes forget to pass on the studies from many of the journals I read. This is something I need to get better at…I get lazy and sometimes just post the methods, but don't always follow up with the science behind the methods.

Rusty

Hey Rusty, I was wondering if you could address maintenance mode sometime soon. All of your dieting strategies work great for me but whenever I try to take a break, I don't eat unhealthy foods, I still get excercise but I seem to gain a few pounds back. It's frustrating to backtrack my progress! So how exactly do you know how many calories and how much excercise you need to maintain your results?

Mina,

You can do a type of intermittent fasting as a serious athlete. Check out the resources listed here: IF Life, The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting.

Karolina,

Thanks for the reminder about doing a post on maintenance mode. I'll do a post on that soon.

Rusty

My only problem with allowing myself to get hungry before a workout is that I tend to get light headed. Is there a supplement I can take for energy so I don't neccessarily have to eat to have the energy to have a hard cardio workout?

Hi Rusty. I'm a 22 year old female, and I'm really comfortable with working out, running and weights and etc. I have been into fitness for 4 or 5 years now. My recent issue is related to having too much muscle for a pretty young lady. I am 5'5" and weigh around 124, a very muscular 124. I was surprised when my sister told me I look like a boy from the back! I currently do HIIT 4 to 5 times a week, and train with weights 3 times a week for around an hour, lifting in a 5×5 sort of routine. I also do yoga regularly, like 4-6 times a week for 14-60 minutes. And hiking and rockclimbing a lot. So I know I'm fast, strong, and flexible. No complaints. But I don't really want to look like a boy, since I'm not. I do tend to eat a pretty good amount, spread out over 4-7 meals throughout the day. My BF levels are probably pretty low, since my abs stand out really clearly. No six pack action or anything, but definitely a 4 pack and toned. My question is, do you think that by incorporating more IF principles into my current eating habits, it could help reduce the crazy packed look that I'm currently developing? I'd way rather look more athletic and strong, and less like a bodybuilder. I realize this is a training issue too, but my weight training sessions are pretty mellow. I never train for the pump, and I train the whole body using complex movements and free-weights. Any input is awesome, thank you so much.

Lei

Casey,

Have you tried Green Tea? It seems to work well for a lot of people.

Lei,

You sound like you are doing everything right. You are just someone who naturally has more muscle. Intermittent Fasting does seem to make the body sleeker in my experience as does steady state cardio on a treadmill. Why don't you try to eat slightly less calories during the day and give IF a shot. Also, try doing a mix of steady state cardio and HIIT. Maybe just do HIIT twice a week for a while and steady state three times a week. To be honest, you sound like you look great and probably don't need to change.

Rusty

Rusty
Have you heard of Jay Robb? He wrote some books Fruit Flush and some kind of Fat burning Diet book. It sounds like he has some of the same philosophies about eating that you do as far as eating. He really advocates eating alot of fruit and salads. I saw an article he has in the Women's First Magazine. Thats why i was asking if you knew anything about him. I like this 3 day fruit flush plan. It sounds like it could get someone on track (if you are off track) to eating healthier.

PS
I went out today and bought lots of fruit!!! (:

Sandy,

I'll lookup Jay Robb…he sounds like a smart guy! Our bodies were meant to eat fruit. Have you read my fruit post. It is a very interesting insight into why we should eat fruit:

Incredible Fruit Facts: Why Fruit Should Be A MUCH Larger Part of Your Diet!

You will like this if you haven't read it yet. It is deep.

Rusty

No, I missed that one. I will read it. Thanks I actually really love fruit. It also fills you up.

He has a website. JayRobb.com

Sandy,

Great…I'll check out his site!

Rusty

Hey Rusty! This is off topic. Why is it that some fitness experts say that doing too much cardio (such as running) causes you to lose muscle????? I was reading my friend's Abs Diet for Women book and I was shocked to read that.

Hello again rusty,

Lately I've had some extra cash cause I got a new job. I wanna start eating real clean so that I can burn the small fat that I have in a fast time. I'm kinda having trouble deciding which foods to get. So what do you suggest I shop for at the grocery store?

I haven't followed any of your diet principles before but I'm thinking of going with your "perfect" diet plan that you posted and the warrior diet also.

Sandy,

Marathon Style running burns lean muscle. HIIT maintains muscle while burning body fat…and low-mid intensity steady state cardio done for 30-45 minutes burns body fat for energy.

You are "playing with fire" when you run at a mid-high level for over 60 minutes. That is why I never tell people to increase their time of doing cardio to burn more fat. I either have them up the intensity of their HIIT, eat less calories or carbs, or add in another session or two of running per week.

Keep your running no more than 45-60 minutes at a time and you have nothing to worry about.

Rusty

KK,

Here is my shopping list when I'm trying to get extra lean:

1) 6-8 Chicken Breasts
2) eggs or "Egg Beaters"
3) 6-8 Fuji Apples
4) 6-8 Navel Oranges
5) Bell Peppers
6) Head of Cabbage
7) 3-4 bags of Salad (cut up already I'm lazy)
8 ) 4-5 cans or containers of Chicken Broth
9) Onions
10) Celery
11) Cilantro
12) A big thing of Pace Picante Salsa
13) 4-5 big containers of Low Calorie Vanilla Yogurt
14) Green Onions
15) Cheese
16) As many other interesting "green vegetables" as possible
17) A Six pack of Corona Light Beer or Mothership Wit Beer
18) Corn Tortillas
19) Frozen Corn

Here is what I eat. Most of the time I make a big chicken salad or large chicken soup or a large omelette. These are my low carb days.

Other times I make chicken tacos or scrambled eggs with corn tortillas cut up into it.

Both meals I steam green veggies. I also eat fruit in the morning…now almost every day…nothing but fruit in the morning. I also eat fruit mid day on some days.

On days where I get hungry again before bed, I eat a cup or two of vanilla yogurt for dessert. I also allow myself one beer a couple of hours after my workout if it was tough enough.

Hope that helps!

Rusty

I went back and read that exert I had read. I think I misunderstood it! He was saying that chronic light cardio (not HIIT) will not let you achieve the body you want. He was talking about people who only use light cardio without strength training in an attempt to lose body fat!
Ive been doing 30 mins HIIT followed by 20 mins steady state. No marathon training here!! (: Thanks for all your help Rusty!

I see. Thanks for the help.

What about on your high carb days? what do you eat on those days?

Hi Rusty

Its all very well to let yourself get hungry and try and enjoy that hunger in a masochistic way because you think thats the way to lose weight.

But the fact is that when your body goes hungry, it makes up for it at your next meal by saving that food and converting it to fat.

In other words, put your body into starvation mode and it will react by trying to save itself.

KK,

I eat things like chicken and rice, tacos, Italian Food, etc. on high carb days. I keep the calories within control, but eat loosely to a certain extent.

Jacqueline,

There are disputes over the idea of your body going into "starvation mode". Newer studies have shown that the body goes into starvation mode after a period of 10-14 days of chronically low calories. I don't recommend that. I think the body needs the right amount of calories each day, but this can be done in a more strategic manner than eating every few hours.

Anyway…here is a quick post I did on that.

Starvation Mode

Like your site, by the way!

Rusty

Rusty,
How many days do you eat high carb and then how many low carb?

Sandy,

I haven't been as good as I should have been. I aim for twice as many low carb days as higher carb days. I try for 5-6 really clean days and 2-3 loose days, but I'm just maintaining my body fat percentage. If I was trying to lose body fat…I would go 2-4 weeks low carb followed by one week moderate carbs to "reset" my metabolism. Kind of like "3 steps forward and one step back" until you get as lean as you like.

Rusty

So do you still think eating low carb all day and then eating a higher carb meal after HIIT is okay?

Sandy,

Absolutely…that is basically what I recommend. Eat most of your daily carbs after your daily workout and it will be very unlikely to be stored as body fat.

Rusty

I often find that if i let myself get hungry the chance that i will crave undesirable foods will be significantly increased, IMO its better to eat something relatively harmless that will curb the hunger than let yourself get to a point where you night crack and eat something you shouldn't, but i guess it depends on your willpower and the rest

What you've stated is a pretty simple truth…to lose weight you have to eat less than you need - in a controlled manner. I don't really define that as starvation mode, per se. Starvation mode to me is, for example, anorexia. Very poor eating habits coupled with excessive laxative or other abuses to the body.

When lowering intake eat nutrient dense foods…check proteins and carbs for the right balance for your body makeup. If you eat low calorie foods that have little to no nutritional value, you'll set yourself up for failure and be very hungry indeed. Eat "high value" foods, and - sure - you'll still find the occasional hunger burst but nothing you can't manage. Your body will make the adjustment and not go into starvation mode because you continually fill it with the best sources for energy and well-being.

Growing up, when we were hungry my Dad always said, "Have a glass of water." At the time I thought he was crazy but I guess he knew his stuff.

Now there's hungry, and there's starving.

Hungry to me is the little growl every so often from your stomach just letting you know that it's time to start thinking about getting some more food. Starving is a few hours past hungry where your body is not asking, it's demanding food. You have reduced mental capacity and bad moods. I hope this article is just about my definition of hungry, because I see little benefit from starving (especially when you're actively working out).

Phil,

I guess different people handle hunger in different ways. When I go past a certain point of not eating, I don't get hungry anymore.

Colt,

What is weird is that when you first shift to eating few times per day, you do get extremely hungry and it is a struggle. Once you get used to eating less often you get hungry, but it isn't miserable at all…if anything you feel more energy. There is a transition period to go through first.

Rusty