I'm willing to bet you're 4 weeks into your New Year diet.

You've experienced the whoosh of initial weight loss in the first week and the steady (and considerably smaller) losses in the weeks after, and you aren't alone if hunger is now starting to bite.

Some degree of hunger during dieting is natural.

Some people suffer more than others.

However, we don't want hunger to present a serious threat to your ongoing adherence. If that is the case, something needs to change.

When coaching, there are four things we look out for.

​
1) Check that the rate of weight loss isn't too fast.

If the average rate of weight loss is 0.5-0.75% of body weight per week (1–1.5 pounds per week for someone weighing 200 pounds), most people will find this manageable.

If you are exceeding this, you should raise your calorie intake. (Increase calorie intake by 250 kcal for every 0.5 lbs (~0.25 kg) we are off our target.)

Few people find fast rates of weight loss sustainable. You aren't going to be the exception.

Besides, if you keep your rate of weight loss within this range, you are more likely to maintain muscle mass and gain some.

​
2) Consider whether you're due a diet break.

Dieting is hard; planning structured breaks every 2–4 months can be beneficial. I'll leave the specifics to my article, but naturally, if you have had an "accidental" diet break recently (your adherence was shit over Christmas, for example), then don't have another diet break now; focus on regaining diet momentum by building blocks of solid adherence.

​
​3) Consider if your food environment is fucking you up.

I'll let my article do most of the talking, but these are the kinds of things to consider:

• Do you have what you need in the fridge when you need it?
  This starts with planning your grocery shopping in advance rather than "playing it by ear" when you are at the supermarket.
• Is your partner supportive of your goals or unintentionally screwing you over? ​
  A conversation must be had if the previous habit was to crack open a bottle of wine together and munch chips in front of the TV every evening. Willpower is finite. Do not rely on it.
• Are your main friend groups supportive of your goal?
  If your buddies spend every weekend eating and drinking rather than doing active hobbies, while that may be fun, it's probably the cause of your physical decline. The sad truth is that willpower rarely works in this situation — people need to form different friend groups.

​
​4) The fourth most common culprit of hunger is inappropriate food and drink choices.

• Cut down on any alcohol intake so that you can use those calories for food.
• Switch from shakes or liquid foods (like juice and protein powder) to real food.
• Eat a slow-digesting protein like eggs or cottage cheese, or eat meat with plenty of fibrous green vegetables before bed.
• Switch from refined carbohydrates to foods like potatoes or pasta for your carb sources. Potatoes are the most filling and satiating, at ~15 g of carbs per 100 g raw weight.
• Coffee in the morning can blunt appetite.
• Make sure you're staying hydrated, as dehydration can often feel like hunger.
• Prioritize quality sleep, as fatigue can also increase hunger and cravings.
• Keep busy. An idle mind will wander and think of food.

​
If you've taken care of all of that...

...the calorie deficit may be too high to be sustainable for you.

It doesn't matter that the average person will find a rate of 0.5-0.75% of body weight per week sustainable. If you do not find it sustainable, you need to accept a slower rate of fat loss.

Some people have stronger hunger and fullness cues. This gradually pulls people to be heavier or lighter. — Your naturally skinny friend? This is part of the reason why. It's genetic. — We can't control our genetics, but we can (and should) do everything else right to tip things in our favor.

Sometimes, we have to accept slower rates of weight loss.

But if this is the difference between getting shredded lean (albeit three months later) vs. not at all, you'd be wise not to care.

Your future self will appreciate it in one year when January rolls around and everyone is dieting again (but you aren't).