Some hunger is normal when you’re eating fewer calories than your body uses, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re constantly starving your way through MacroRx+.
If you’re unusually hungry, first stop and think about what you’re experiencing. Are you generally hungry and ready to eat, or are you specifically craving something sweet, salty, crunchy, or highly palatable?
One simple strategy we’ve used for years at MacroRx+ is what you might think of as the “chicken and broccoli test.”
Ask yourself:
“If I could have as much plain cooked chicken breast and steamed broccoli as I wanted right now, would I eat it?”
If the answer is an enthusiastic yes, that’s a pretty good signal that you should take your hunger seriously. Have something filling and nutritious. Chicken and broccoli are simply examples—you don’t literally have to eat those foods.
If chicken and broccoli sound completely unappealing, but cookies, chips, ice cream, pizza, or another particular food sounds fantastic, pause before assuming that eating more is what your body needs. You may be experiencing a craving, habit, boredom, stress, or a desire for a particular taste rather than generalized hunger.
That doesn’t mean cravings are bad or that you can never eat the food you’re craving. It just helps you identify what problem you’re actually trying to solve.
If you really are hungry, don’t try to prove your willpower by suffering through it. Start with foods that provide protein, fiber, volume, and plenty of nutritional value. Lean protein, vegetables, fruit, lower-fat dairy, potatoes, soups, and other filling foods can often help you feel much more satisfied for relatively few calories.
Also look back at your day. Have you eaten enough protein? Fiber? Have you gone a very long time without eating? Did you use a large portion of your calories on foods that weren’t very filling? Has your activity increased substantially?
Most importantly, tell your coach if unusual hunger becomes a pattern. Don’t repeatedly exceed your prescription because you’re hungry, but don’t repeatedly ignore significant hunger either. Your hunger, food log, weight trend, activity, and progress are all useful information when your coach reviews your prescription.
The goal isn’t to eliminate every feeling of hunger. It’s to learn the difference between hunger and wanting a particular food, make a thoughtful choice, and let your coach know when hunger is consistently making your prescription difficult to follow.