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Comment by rho4 | Hacker News Reader

I needed to simplify even more:

Calorie counting doesn't work for me, I'm just not disciplined enough. I learned a shortcut, which might not work for others: I try to go a bit hungry. If I'm hungry, I'm in calorie deficit. I might even get a bit cold. Turns out I can just listen to the hunger feeling and know whether I'm currently losing or gaining weight. But walking past a bakery, inhaling the smell of fresh bread... Can't say I'm always able to resist.

Some other simplifications:

- I don't keep food at home anymore. Only rice and some bland tasting astronaut food which I can only tolerate when hungry enough.

- I love sugar, and I'm cheating my brain by drinking cola zero. I've gotten so used to it by now that I actually really like the taste and it feels like getting a sugar fix.

- No fixed meals: Only eating when actually hungry, not because it is time.

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> If I'm hungry, I'm in calorie deficit.

That's actually not true. When your stomach has been empty for two hours, it begins contracting to sweep remaining food into the intestines. This rumbling is called 'borborygmus'. Cells in the stomach and intestine produce ghrelin, a hormone that triggers feelings of hunger. Src: https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/what-happens-in-... So, the body isn't so clever to recognize how much fat you've stored before sending 'hunger' signals.

That is probably correct. I still do believe that being aware of my hunger feeling and learning to monitor it was the key to losing weight for me.

Upon reflection, you're probably partially correct too. There are other factors apart from the level of food in the stomach, and I'm not knowledgeable enough to make definitive statements. For example, the amount of fibre you ingest has an effect on how long you feel stuffed.

> I'm just not disciplined enough.

That is exactly the point.

Being disciplined is the only way to lose weight. All these magic techniques and whatnot are just shortcuts to cheat you into being more disciplined. And what works here is different for everyone.

I agree. I guess I just wanted to say that calorie counting was a kind of discipline I could not muster (like many), and that there might be simpler strategies which could work out for you. Still requires discipline.

For me intermittent fasting, eating lots of fiber, cooking instead of eating out and avoiding sugar at all costs. You know just treat food with the same respect that you would give to medicine: it can heal you or make you ill.

>it feels like getting a sugar fix.

And it's horrible for your body. It's still releasing insulin, but there's no sugar to meet it. So you're driving toward metabolic syndrome without putting on the pounds.

You are probably right. The acid is also not good for the teeth. But getting a grip on my weight is just way more important to me, in comparison.

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