- never ask “why am I overweight and still hungry?” again
- why people who count calories STRUGGLE to lose weight
- speed up your metabolism NATURALLY & unlock your HAPPY weight
Why am I overweight and STILL hungry?!
I asked myself: Why am I overweight but feel starving… for 10 looong years.
10 years of:
Feeling uncomfortable in my BIGGER body
& having hunger pains that made it hard to concentrate on anything else.
FINALLY I figured out it’s EASY to lose weight and feel satisfied.
And the solution’s so SIMPLE, it will surprise you!
Here’s a hint:
It has to do with bread, beans, cheese & an apple
…stay with me!
You CAN lose weight and feel full
Have you ever looked in the mirror and whispered:
Because:
You’ve eaten a lot but you’re STILL hungry…
OR
You don’t know how you could POSSIBLY eat less.
Guess what?
Whether you’re eating a little or a lot, the solution is THE SAME.
Let’s cut through the clutter…
Here’s how to lose weight, WITHOUT feeling hungry.
It all comes down to RESPECTING your body.
How do you know if you’re hungry?
When do you go to the washroom?
How can you tell you’re tired?
What makes you scratch your arm?
…our BODIES send us signals to do these things!
Our bodies know what we NEED.
So when we feel hungry it’s because… (drum roll)… we’ve NOT met our body’s needs.
How can I be overweight and NOT meet my body’s needs?
Whether you eat a huge bag of chips OR carefully count the calories in rice cakes…
The bottom line is:
You’ll stay hungry
until you give your body
the ENERGY and NUTRIENTS it needs to function properly.
No matter how much or how little you eat, if you don’t eat a VARIETY of food that has a VARIETY of nutrients, you’ll stay hungry.
Nutrients are compounds in foods, essential to life and health, providing us with energy, the building blocks for repair and growth and substances necessary to regulate chemical processes. There are six major nutrients: Carbohydrates, Lipids (fats), Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals, Water.— The Department of Health, AustraliaIn other words, you can consume a ton of calories—or the recommended amount, but if those calories aren’t from different food groups (that provide different nutrients) you won’t feel satisfied for long.
…No matter how many chips or rice cakes you eat, you won’t get the ESSENTIAL vitamins and minerals that meet your body’s nutrient needs.
Stop Counting Calories!!
People who try to lose weight by counting calories struggle because calories don’t measure nutrients! Calories don’t take into account which vitamins and minerals you’ve consumed. Calories only measure energy.
Why do we NEED to eat a VARIETY of nutrients?
Think about your beautiful body.
It’s made up of millions of parts. Including, incredibly complex organs such as your:
Heart
Lungs
Liver
Bladder
Brain
Pancreas
Intestine
Kidney
Eyeballs
Skin
Stomach
Spleen
Uterus
Teeth
Gallbladder
Along with veins, blood, muscles and bones… and every other bit that makes up your body!
Each of these living parts need energy and SPECIFIC nutrients to do their important jobs.
The best way to get nutrients is from a natural source
For instance, think of a carrot.
Carrots contain many nutrients including:
zeaxanthin
lutein
gamma-carotene
Vitamin A, B, C & K
minerals
& fiber
10 AMAZING things that the nutrients in carrots do for your body:
- Boosts immunity
- Helps maintain a healthy cholesterol & blood sugar level
- Cleanses the liver
- Keeps skin healthy
- Strengthens bones
- Increases metabolism
- Maintains Oral health
- Prevents cancer
- Promotes heart health
- Protects eye health
You can eat chips or rice cakes ALL. DAY. LONG. But these foods have barely any of the ESSENTIAL nutrients that perform 100’s of VITAL roles in your body—like nourish your skin, bones and beating heart. So you’ll feel hungry until you eat the essential nutrients your body requires.
Capiche?
When I was trying to lose weight I did not capiche (!)
I got SO wrapped up in following diet rules, tips and tricks, that I forgot the reason we eat is to NOURISH our bodies.
All the diet restrictions I’d read over the years gave me tunnel vision and I only thought about CALORIES.
I COMPLETELY forgot about the stuff we learned as kids, like to eat balanced meals!
Which eating pattern sounds most like you?
Eating Pattern #1:
You eat lots of food that’s high in energy (lots of calories) but low in nutrients. It’s heavily processed and packaged… like chips, chocolate, candy, fast food, etc. This food is called Empty Calorie Food because you can eat a lot but still feel hungry. So you become OVERFED and UNDERNOURISHED.
Please Note:
Processed foods are also full of additives like sugar and salt that are highly addictive. Additives are addictive. And they CONFUSE your body which ALSO makes you want to eat more… You CANNOT win with food made in factories.
Eating Pattern #2:
You don’t eat enough energy OR nutrients. So your body goes into survival mode. In this state your metabolism slows down to conserve energy and it’s hard to lose weight and easy to gain it. And worse, starving yourself usually leads to bingeing (and often purging). All these choices CONFUSE your body and primes it for MORE weight gain.
Both of these eating patterns set you up to FAIL. And make you wonder: Why am I overweight and still hungry?
…Sadly I LIVED Eating Pattern #2 for 10 years before having some understanding of what was going on and finally breaking the pattern.
Another reason why you need to feel FULL
Feeling satiated is important for a healthy BODY and MIND.
When your body’s sending hunger signals to remind you to eat, it’s difficult to be fully present with your friends, teachers, colleagues, children, parents, animals… and yourself.
Who are you?
What do you care about?
Are there boundaries you need to set with certain people?
What music do you love?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
These are the kinds of questions you should be considering, while taking in the world around you and really listening to the people you love… rather than being preoccupied by hunger pains.
It’s vital you eat enough of the right kinds of food
Then you’ll never ask:
Why am I overweight and still hungry?
Instead you’ll be lookin’ and feelin’ FINE. Full of energy and a love for life!
Here’s how I made the change so it lasts…
How do I get enough energy and nutrients to lose weight and STOP feeling hungry?
The experts will tell you to look at food labels. And figure out the % Daily Value.
“Do the math!” They’ll say.
And I guess they want you to also keep track of the calories you eat? And keep those ENERGY and NUTRIENT tallies running all day, every day?
Why complicate something that is really quite simple?— Mary Poppins, a magical nannyBut what if we’re eating dinner at someone else’s house, or at a work BBQ or on a date… and don’t have access to food labels?
And what if we don’t want to spend any of the precious time we have on this planet logging everything we eat?
For the last 25+ years I’ve been a healthy weight by taking a much, MUCH easier approach.
The simple solution to: “Why am I overweight and STILL hungry?”
You can eat enough of the right kinds of food SIMPLY by:
Eating ROUGHLY balanced meals made MOSTLY of whole foods.
…Like beans on toast with melted cheese and an apple on the side.
And I stress roughly and mostly because the OCD-perfectionist in me took waaay too long to relax and stop worrying about eating the EXACT amount.
There’s no such thing as exact or perfect when it comes to eating!
When you focus on “roughly” and “mostly” you’ll experience a huge and exciting change in your body and mind.
This is when I call upon a recurring guest who makes regular cameo appearances on my blog…
The Eatwell Guide!
Simply put fresh food on your plate in proportions similar to the Eatwell Guide for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you’ll get enough energy and nutrients to meet your body’s needs. And thus, lose weight and feel satisfied!
Seriously, whoever designed the Eatwell Guide is a bloody genius.
What about snacking?
How do I make snacking easy?
If you’re hungry between meals? Eat a ROUGHLY balanced snack made MOSTLY of whole foods.
Losing weight and feeling full really is that easy. And when a healthy-eating routine is that SIMPLE, it’s effortless to continue long term.
April 28th, 2019 was my 20 year anniversary since I recovered from bulimia, lost weight and got on with my life. Here’s a link to my story.
TROUBLESHOOTING: Why am I overweight and still hungry
My eating was so disordered for so long. But when I tried the healthy method of eating outlined in this blog post, my life got better quickly. I reached a healthy weight, had WAY more energy and could concentrate on life.
I hope you’ll save yourself PRECIOUS time by respecting your body’s needs.
If eating 3 ROUGHLY balanced meals made MOSTLY of whole foods feels overwhelming, check out this article I wrote about Structured Eating. And ask someone you love to read it too. It’s more fun and effective to work toward goals with someone you trust.
Make Today Count
Each day you make a healthy choice, no matter how small, the same choice is much EASIER to make the next day.
Don’t start tomorrow.
Your next meal is an opportunity to respect your body by giving it the energy and nutrients it needs to help you reach and maintain a healthy weight… WITHOUT feeling hungry.
Make today count!
Build healthy eating and exercise habits. A healthy weight will follow.
Next Steps
Is breakfast, lunch or dinner your next meal? What fresh food can you add to what you normally eat? Focus on making one small change that’s doable and build on it. Want to see what everything I’ve shared in this post looks like “in action”? Sign up (below) and you’ll INSTANTLY get my ONE DAY Meal Plan that’s an example of what I eat every day that helped me lose 30 pounds for good 25 years ago. xo
Get rid of your diet RULES!
In the comments (below) I’d love to know:
a) Do you read FOOD LABELS and keep a running tally of the nutrients you’ve consumed?
b) Has this post changed your thoughts on trying to lose weight via “calories in, calories out”?
Do you know anyone who asks themselves: Why am I overweight and still hungry? Please share this post.
These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
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Sharing what I learned makes the 10 years I STRUGGLED worth it
This EASY method helps you reach a healthy weight naturally so you can STOP asking yourself: Why am I overweight and still hungry?
I don’t think I am #1 or #2. I eat mostly healthy, very little processed foods but still struggle with overeating. I guess more #2 than one…try to restrict and fail! I think it’s partially mental in my case.
Hi Sara! Do you eat higher-fat whole foods? Like whole milk and regular-fat cheese , 14% sour cream, butter on toast, avocado, salmon, etc.? I found that when I introduced higher-fat foods (including mayonnaise on a tuna sandwich) it made me feel full and then I didn’t have the desire to eat more.
When you say “restrict” do you mean higher-fat foods or a treat like a cookie once in a while?
When I used to avoid treats I’d end up eating tons of other stuff and in the end would have been better just eating the d*mn cookie 🙂
Restricting is a mental game and always made me feel deprived, which made me preoccupied by being in limbo… should I or shouldn’t I eat that… But if you stop restricting via eating higher-fat food that’s natural plus the odd unnatural treat, that could help to curb the desire to overeat.
What do you think? Thank you for your comment. xo
My takeaway is… I dont think i am either type (ah!). I eat ‘healthy’…barely any processed foods and overeat. Maybe more type 2 than 1.
Love your honest comment Sara. See my previous response. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! Yes I do incorporate high fat foods. I do eat ‘junk food’ sometimes on weekends but don’t crave it too much. My issue is with always craving food in general and too large portion sizes.
Eating whole foods is really key because it reduces cravings. Dinner is hardest for me since my husband cooks and prefers meals with more meat and processed carbs than I would choose. I’m trying to eat smaller portions and adding my own whole foods, but it’s hard not to feel “deprived” of the tasty foods when I watch my husband eat them!
Hi Madeline,
I think slow and steady is a good approach. I started giving my partner apple slices in the morning (easier to eat than giving him a whole apple when he doesn’t want it in the first place) and now Alex reaches for the apples first!! Before buttered crumpets. It’s all about building slow habits. He does most of the cooking too and loves vegetables (if they’re not boiled to mush – it’s all about how you prepare these fresh foods) but he didn’t like fruit.
A few carbohydrate ideas that aren’t processed that both you and your husband would probably love are:
1 – jacket potato with sour cream
2 – mashed potato made with whole milk and butter
3 – home fries: cut potatoes into wedges and toss them in a bowl with olive oil and then cook at 350 until they are as golden and crispy as you like
These are all natural foods (whole foods) and have lots of taste! If you try any of these let me know! xo
3 years after after a high blood sugar warning which led to following the Diabetes Canada guidelines for diet ( https://www.diabetes.ca/managing-my-diabetes/tools—resources/basic-meal-planning) and exercise -(https://www.diabetes.ca/managing-my-diabetes/tools—resources/physical-activity ) my biggest take way from this article is a big YES . Eating well without deprivation (and moving our bodies for fun) is not complicated and can make us feel like carefree kids again! I am very happy to have discovered Kelly’s web site and a kindred spirit.
A friend was looking at my website the other day and emailed me to say that I don’t talk about FREEDOM enough so I love that you said this Elaine (carefree kids!) For 10 years I thought I had to be starving to lose weight!!! I thought I was addicted to food because I thought about it all the time. But as soon as I started eating more foods full of the nutrients our bodies crave I stopped thinking about food… and felt free. There is no need to ever feel hungry just choose natural food as much as you can (for meals and snacks) because then your body knows when it’s full (whereas processed food keeps you feeling hungry.)
The other AMAZING thing about natural food is that it’s full of fiber.
Re: Diabetes
Here’s some research you might be interested in – I’m coping a paragraph from my book on page 47:
“Research on fiber: A recent study found that simply adding foods that are naturally high in fiber (a minimum of 30 grams of fiber per day*) to what you normally eat, gives you nearly the same results as following the American Heart Association diet; a diet that requires you to limit saturated fat and decrease daily calorie intake. Both test groups lost similar amounts of weight and improved their cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and inflammation markers.”
*PLEASE NOTE:
I don’t get hung up about “30 grams of fiber” … what does that look like?
As long as you’re eating ROUGHLY balanced meals made MOSTLY of whole foods you’ll exceed the 30 grams.
Fiber is so good for you and it’s in fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates (leave the skin on potatoes when you make oven fries with olive oil!) xo
Yes to fiber! And that’s why a few frosted mini wheats make a great snack/dessert. A bit of sweet and some crunchy fiber. 🙂
I have used many “diets” over the years but always gain the weight back. From counting calories to counting points to not eating for most of the day – I have become a diet “expert.” But here I am today still overweight and still practicing unhealthy habits every day. From this blog I believe that dieting has to end and eating 3 balanced meals with real foods is the way to become healthy and lose weight. I am in.
That is so awesome Connie! I’m not being over-dramatic when I say I have tears in my eyes because I know that feeling of being READY to be kind to yourself. I have this thing where I think if something’s NOT hard, or NOT punishing that I’m not doing it right! So dieting and feeling hungry made me think I was on the right track. BUT… the truth is our bodies **want** to be a healthy weight desperately because all their jobs are easier. Our bodies fight to be a healthy weight (and all the aspartame, reduced-fat and processed foods completely confuse our bodies). Our natural bodies LOVE natural food. Just like Apple computers like Apple software 🙂 So despite what the diet industry makes us think… when you meet your body’s needs and are kind to your body, it revs up your metabolism and you NATURALLY reach a healthy weight.
I was 30 pounds overweight for 10 years because of dieting.
I’m excited for you to focus on fueling your body vs. dieting.
A food diary could be a cool way to break the diet mentality and help you focus on fueling your body. Even if just for one day you kept track of the times you think… “I can’t eat that because I want to lose weight.” Then make yourself say out loud to yourself. “I CAN eat that because it’s the X food group and my body needs those nutrients.” Stopping yourself interrupts an unhealthy thinking pattern. And don’t be hard on yourself. It takes time to unlearn and undiet. But small improvements will take momentum! xo
Hi Kelly, Thank you ever so much for you lovely and lovely work…You asked whether we read labels and keep food diary – I always read labels but I don’t always keep a food diary.
My query re your article is regarding emotional eating. I’d like to know your thoughts on it.
Also, I have been in this struggle for >50 years! I don’t know why I don’t give up!
Hi Marsha,
Thanks so much for your comment and the info you share really helps me know where to focus. My thoughts on emotional eating are 2 things:
1 – Anything can become a habit. Even at the end of my eating disorder when I started to understand things better there was a window of time when bingeing and purging became a habit (didn’t realize until years after) because it was a coping mechanism I’d used for nearly half my life and all my adult life (14 to 24 years old). My belief is that habits should be broken sloooowly. So if you kept track of each time you think you engaged in emotionally eating in a week, then you could try to do it the same or one less time the next week. It sounds like a slow process but once you get started it really takes momentum. I went from purging many times a week to none at all when I INTERRUPTED that well worn habit (it was so hard not to do the first time and I even woke up in the night worried if I did the right thing?!) and then the next morning my body felt so great from not doing what I usually did that it was so much easier to break the purging behaviour pattern.
2 – I think it’s always worth speaking to someone who specializes in emotional eating and seeing if there’s an underlying issue. For me my underlying issue was OCD. But trauma, grief, abuse and so on can all be underlying issues and once addressed can make it much easier to turn unhealthy habits into healthy habits by making small improvements.
When I first went to a doctor I was disappointed because I wanted PERFECT help. But now I realize that recovery and getting healthy is all about patching together things that are working. For instance, I can speak about my experience with the hope you see some parallels and I can share what healthy eating and exercise look like. Those are huge pieces of the recovery puzzle.
But other resources and experts will help with different aspects of your “pathway” back to health.
My doctor diagnosed me with OCD, my parents got me on the meal plan at school so I’d eat 3 meals a day and I phoned after each meal to check in for accountability and then… I just got fed up with my life revolving around dieting. So I finally let go of trying to be thin and started to focus on health. These 3 aspects (and probably others) worked together to help me get healthy.
Not dieting and getting healthy is possible! I think starting with simply keeping track of your emotional eating would be a great start. And trying to cut back a little each week. Keep it simple.
Also… I love that you said: I don’t know why I don’t give up!
I think that’s because you are a go-getter and now that you have a plan (this 10 day challenge) you can redirect that high-achiever energy toward making healthy choices.
Think of it this way. This challenge is 10 days. So tell yourself you can go back to dieting after 10 days if you want to… but for these 10 days you’re going to commit to trying something new even if it feels bloody awkward! Push through it and see how you feel at the end! xoxo
I am more like eating pattern number 1. Perhaps as a result of stress, I have fallen into the pattern of allowing non-healthy foods into my diet on a regular basis. My goal of the challenge is primarily to A) Get back on track with eating 3 healthy meals day/ and or snacks, and eating only one plate of food per meal, with occasional treats (like weekends or special occasions). I want this to become my no-brainer way of living. I also want to B) Slow down and eat my food without reading anything. And C) I want to change my habit of eating large portions quickly to go onto the next ‘task’ or D) Eating mindlessly at the end of the day as a ‘reward’. I also want to extend compassion towards myself in this area, and not beat myself up for not doing this ‘perfectly!! 🙂 I’m 55 now, and was a healthy size 10-14 for most of my adult life, until the last several years. I am not obsessed with a number, but do want to get back to a healthy weight. Looking forward to the challenge!
I think the 10-day challenge is the perfect kickstarter to get into a healthy routine, Kathy. I find accountability makes a big difference when I’m working toward any goal. I love that you said:
“I want this to become my no-brainer way of living.”
Since I started eating 3 balanced meals a day made mostly of whole foods (because they’re packed with nutrients that make us feel full naturally so we don’t overeat) eating has gone from all-consuming to TOTAL no brainer. I love your goal. And the fact you’ve really thought about what you want to achieve sets you on the path to reaching those healthy goals. xo
Brilliant, Kelly. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person yet I never really equated getting enough nutrients to feeling full.
Biggest take away: “you can consume a ton of calories—or the recommended amount, but if those calories aren’t from different food groups (that provide different nutrients) you won’t feel satisfied for long.”
Thanks!!
Love your take-away Sandra. We’re just not taught to think that way about food. It’s all calories this and low-fat that. Movies, billboards, tv, commercials, friends… popular culture doesn’t really talk about eating in terms of fueling our bodies and meeting its needs. I just finished a blog post about Taylor Swift and she said something similar: https://www.the10principles.com/taylor-swifts-eating-disorder-message/ Thanks for your comment! xo
It is great to hear from the other participants. I see I have a lot in common with most of them! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your eating pattern Kathy. When people can see themselves in others it’s much easier to identify unhealthy habits. xoxo
Thanks Kelly. This is such a sensible approach to eating. I have been dieting for a long time now and felt embarrassed to share the new diets with my older children because I knew I didn’t want them to eat that way or copy me. Cutting out so many food groups and avoiding so many healthy foods is such a negative thing for our children to witness. I usually tried to avoid conversations with my husband and family about my new diets because of this, which creates such an imbalance in the household. Now I am on the “Kelly plan” I can happily put the “eatwell guide” up on our fridge and we can all encourage each other to eat in this sensible way. It’s just great, and so balanced and so good for children and teenagers to be exposed to, rather than all the other dieting nonsense. Thankyou for encouraging people to do what is right for their bodies and also for encouraging appreciation of our bodies and self love through heathy and sensible eating. Everybody needs to hear this. Keep up the great work Kelly!
I LOVE that you’re getting your whole family involved in eating ROUGHLY balanced meals made MOSTLY of whole foods J!
Eating this way unlocks your H 🙂 PPY weight and… it makes it easy to navigate every food situation (BBQ’s, dinner parties, Thanksgiving, etc.)
Even better? You’ll have more energy and time to enjoy life.
Thanks for your sharing your experience!
xoKelly
Hello again Kelly. Now after three to four weeks of following your great ideas, I feel so satisfied after these three balanced main meals (guided by the “Eatwell guide” and you) that I don’t even find myself looking for snacks. I can feel that it’s all now falling into place for me. It makes perfect sense that if you feed your body properly and don’t miss any nutrients at meal times, then you body doesn’t send hungry signals between the meals. So many years I have wasted learning new diets that left me hungry. This is very simple! And the three times a week getting my heart rate up is not too much to ask either. It’s wonderful to feel food freedom and energetic again. And my weight moved down this week too, after creeping up for a few weeks. It feels like it’s all coming together nicely now. While I know it will vary from week to week, I love having this sensible “go to” plan to rely on while my body readjusts. It’s not difficult!! Thankyou!
Bingo! I love that you’ve embraced the ROUGHLY balanced MOSTLY whole food approach to eating, J!
And here’s something I challenge you to do…
Are you ready?
Stop weighing your self.
Instead TRUST THE PROCESS.
When you stop weighing yourself you can start listening to your body vs. having a random number dictate your choices – and how you feel about yourself. (A number that doesn’t take into account muscle building – muscle weighs more than fat – water bloat at “that time of the month” and all the gorgeous fiber you’re putting in your body a bunch of grapes in your stomach that help you LOSE WEIGHT, weigh more than a little chocolate that triggers fat storage and hunger, after the sugar crash).
Get rid of your scale.
Your clothes are your best indicator of changes in your body.
I unlocked my H 🙂 PPY weight for good when I stopped weighing myself.
What do you think?! Let me know!
xoKelly
PS Keep up all the good stuff you’re doing and keep me posted. I LOVE hearing about your journey. xo
Hi Kelly,
This post reflects exactly what I was thinking – Why am I still hungry with all this stored energy on me? My body is telling me it is missing the nutritional elements it needs. I also had tunnel vision and mixed messages about how to move forward. I consider myself an intelligent, open-minded person but pre-conceived ideas can really get in the way of successful planning.
Your post has made everything so clear and obvious. I will never have to ask myself that question again.
Thank you so much! I am making that change right now!
I will never forget your advice.
So happy this article made the next steps clear, John.
Yes! Focus on nutrients instead of calories… then you’ll unlock your H 🙂 PPY weight naturally.
Keep me posted on how you’re doing and please just hit reply if you have any questions,
xoKelly