Always Hungry?: Conquer Cravings, Retrain Your Fat Cells, and Lose Weight Permanently

I was an early adopter of Dr. Ludwig’s, “Always Hungry?” plan.Lengthy review and my personal tips for success.After a snow boarding accident in 2005, I gained a significant amount of weight, ballooned to 255+ lbs. Following this plan I was able to shed right at 100 lbs in 12 months and have maintained that loss since (nearly 12 months now).Yes, In the beginning cooking and prep work for meals took longer. Now, however, it’s second nature and cooking takes less time than before I started “Always Hungry?”Other benefits, inflammation due to my injury significantly reduced, sugar cravings are non-existent, and at 46 years old I’m at 14% body fat.I’ve been able to resume a fully active life.There is a supportive Facebook group for the “Always Hungry?” book as well.Everyone will have different results, based on a number of factors. Underlying health issues, compliance and adherence to the outlined protocol and so forth.Here is the text of a post I made to the related Facebook group...Always Hungry? - My 21 tips and insights for success, starting out and maintaining. Some of these are repeating what I found essentially important in the book and others are my personal observations.We have a lot of new members joining the AH lifestyle, feels like a movement, a food revolution.I've been working on and editing these in response to questions I get. Hope they make sense are are helpful for those starting out, maintaining or rebooting.1- Read the book, then read it again.2- Keep the book handy as a reference or guide book, nearly 20 months in and I still go back to it when I'm questioning something.3- Get "buy-in" from members of your household. I'm not exactly sure how successful I would have been without that. This house is an AH zone. Not saying it can't be done without that, just my personal opinion and experience.4- Breath, it's a lot of information to consume in the beginning. It can be done, I promise you.5- Plan, set yourself up for success by looking at your calendar. I realize this is not always possible and we all live busy hectic lives. Michael travels a lot for work, we planned our initial 2 weeks of Phase 1 around his schedule and when he would be home for a couple of weeks.6- The book talks about this but it was essential for our success. Three days before our start we cleaned EVERYTHING that was non-complaint from the cupboards save for the food we needed for those few days. Two days out, armed with our shopping list we restocked the house. One day out we did our week one prep work.7- Day one, measure yourself and weigh yourself. Use the provided trackers as you progress through the first several weeks / months. I still use my tracker every week to log my weight and waist. I keep a handy 3 ring binder in the pantry right next to my copy of AH. The daily component of the tracker really helped me learn what it meant to "listen to my body".8- Don't look at this as if it were a diet, working and sticking with the plan has been life changing for me. Embrace all aspects of the lifestyle.9- Again, from the book, but so important..."be gentle with yourself". There are no cheats only decisions, remember, this is not a diet.10- Play with food, the choices and combinations are truly endless. We comment all the time with how seldom we repeat meals. We always loved to cook, this has made us much better, more creative cooks.11- Don't go in search of "compliant" packaged things that remind you of things you used to eat. Embrace change.12- Learn to read labels. Not the "nutritional label" but the Ingredient List, it's usually in tiny print. In my personal opinion and experience, the list is printed so small because you have never heard of much less can you pronounce some of the ingredients. (Those with advanced chemistry degrees and a good Latin background may disagree).13- Try as hard as you can and follow the meal plans as outlined during the first four weeks. (I realize those with particular food sensitivities, health concerns, lifestyle choices may need to deviate). This was an essential element for me. Got me to open my mind and try a couple of things I would not have. Also, it was a total "brain retrain". It showed me what a truly balanced meal looks like.14- Pay particular attention to portion sizes as outlined in the book. This is of great importance to readers in The United States. We have been assaulted for years with "super-sized", "value meals", "unlimited"...you get my point.15- Eat mindfully, eat slower, enjoy the fruits of your labor. This will really help with learning to eat until 80% full. Also, eat around the plate.16- You found this Facebook group, use the search function...many answers to your questions will be found there. If you can't find the answer or still have questions, ask away! This is a great group with a ton of smart and supportive members.17- Appreciate the NSV's!18- Find your "joyful" movement. It may be one thing, it may be several things. It may be something you used to do and enjoyed but stopped for whatever reason.19- Everyday on the plan gets easier, eventually it just becomes who you are, only changed. Believe it or not, even cooking takes less time than it did before AH.20- Don't be intimidated with asking questions at restaurants and or asking for modifications. Any good restaurant that wants your business will do their best to accommodate you. If not, make a mental note so as not to return.21- Finally and most importantly...Don't compare yourself or your progress to anyone else. Everybody and every body are different.

I think that Dr. Ludwig has done an excellent job of stating where we have gone wrong in the battle for our health. Obesity is so much more complex that we could ever imagine, and our attempts to do diet after diet is overwhelmingly insufficient in a culture where we are bombarded with food messaging and our body chemistry is wired against us. I have been studying obesity for years, and I wish I could look every single person who struggles with their weight (myself included) in the eye and say, "Its not your fault. Its not a matter of your willpower. You live in a society where eating healthy is counterintuitive, and you have received so much contradictory information, much of which has worked against you. Congratulations on everything you have done to come this far, and know that you deserve better than what the medical and public health fields (and the diet industry) have offered you in terms of solutions. We are responsible for doing better."Enter Dr. Ludwig. I really enjoyed his breakdown of different studies in the early chapters, as well as what he has learned in his own research. I like how he takes into consideration how we can do things differently to get the results we have always wanted. He places the focus on what is going on inside of our bodies, and reminds us that focusing on immediate results never leads to long-term satisfaction. Finally, his wife, Dawn Ludwig, is a brilliant chef who has worked hard to create delicious satisfying recipes for each phase. This program doesn't leave you hanging when you are done losing your weight. It tells you how to mindfully proceed for the rest of your life. Thats what I've missed with other diets, where the message seems to be: "Do this...forever." Its like a horror movie on repeat.So, where does that leave me? I've done Weight Watchers, Body for Life, Whole 30, and more, all with varying results. I now would truly like to lose twenty pounds. I could say forty, but I've learned how difficult that is to achieve and maintain. So, I just want to be healthier, and to have more energy and life. And I know it will take time (not might.. will!). I found this book in the library, then immediately purchased it on Amazon, and have read it from cover to cover. What am I waiting for? Its the middle of the summer and I've got all kinds of events that are centered around food. So, I'm focusing on healthy filling meals whenever I can.. that are helping to prepare me for what is outlined in Phase 1. Of course, I'm not eating phase 1 ratios, but I am much more intentional about what I put on my plate. Next, I've looked into my social calendar and have identified two weeks where I am committed to doing this diet. I have things on my calendar, like meeting up for cold drinks, where apparently I'll be trying to have sparkling water, but at least it won't be a four course meal or a birthday dinner! Its very hard, honestly, to identify a time where I won't have to work around some event centered around food. I will only do my best most of the time, because anything short of that will lead to perfectionism and failure for me. Oh, to know oneself.My experience of the outlined meals is that it is heaven for someone who is willing to commit to the work. Even if you don't know how to cook, Chef Dawn Ludwig will guide you. However, I'm really into simple recipes. So, I will use the simplified basic elements of a meal as outlined for each phase.... and perhaps make larger portions of a handful of the Phase 1 meals. Remember, if I hang my hat on doing this perfectly, I'll never start. So, if you are reading reviews about how complicated the menus are, just know that you don't have to follow them in order to start resetting your body and gaining the benefits of this lifestyle. I'm slowly warming myself up, noticing more what I eat every day, practicing asking for alternatives to the many processed carbohydrates that are available when I eat outside of the home. Its not easy, and I don't do it every time. I've started stocking the 70% chocolate, and getting used to a satisfying dessert that is not overwhelming. I also have transitioned into having only heavy cream with my coffee (half and half if I'm out), and I no longer miss the sugar. I purchased an instant pot on Prime Day, which should really help with cooking. I've joined the online community to meet others who are following this approach. I've started taking the daily walks recommended, and have more energy to work out (although that may change in Phase 1).What I like about this book is that it considers everything that doesn't work with other approaches. And so, it doesn't tell you to give up anything forever. However, it makes you think about how it would feel to not be addicted to sugar and always looking for a new solution, to have your fat cells retrained and behaving properly. That has changed my mindset, even when I go out and have something that I would have called unhealthy before, now I know it is really counterproductive to my goals. I can have it, but I can't rely on it as the basis of my approach, because it will fail me. And I don't want to have enough of it to crave it regularly. I'm reminding myself how to enjoy whole foods as the basis of my diet.Bottom Line: I do believe that Dr. Ludwig is on to something, and I really do believe this will work for me. However, I'm taking my time and learning as much as I can to make this easy and realistic for me. I hope to come back with an update in the future.

A friend borrowed it. He lost 50 lb. It must have worked. He never gave the book back.

Contiene conceptos y recetas útiles. Me gustaría que tuviera un índice, particularmente de las recetas.

I’m 64, have tried many diets & I’ve been overweight most of my adult life. It’s early days (2-months in) but I can truthfully says this “lifestyle change” is working for me. I am never hungry now which is ironic because I was always hungry before. This program is easy to follow & easy to personalize. I don’t like vegetables...no problem. I’d never had a smoothie before...they are fabulous! I love ice cream...frozen yogurt made with peanut butter, full fat Greek yogurt, 70% cacao chocolate & frozen berries is better. I’m a nibbler in the evening...a seed & nut assortment satisfies this urge. I was skeptical that a diet primarily of protein & high fat foods would work for me. I had experienced success with an Atkins diet but quickly tired of so much meat & eggs. A friend suggested this is like a Keto diet but I don’t think so. I thought I’d miss eating potatoes, which is one of my favourite foods, but I don’t. Quinoa is my new go-to favourite & I’ve found a delicious quinoa, peanut butter & chocolate chip granola bar recipe. I used to eat a lot of bread. Sandwiches were a staple at lunch. Toast at breakfast. A slice of bread with butter at supper or a bun. Not anymore. Casseroles with pasta, spaghetti or lasagna. Nope. I think the secret to this diet is that you are eating food that is natural and not highly processed. Recently, I was shopping in a huge grocery store & realized that there wasn’t actually very much food there to eat. I don’t panic if I am invited out to dinner. I enjoy what’s offered & don’t worry about trying to pick items that are “diet approved” and I go back to my new way of eating the next day. It is such a relief not to be counting calories, or points, or weighing everything. You measure a lot but that is because you are cooking again; making a recipe. But don’t worry, it’s not labour intensive. I found this book in the library first (online). I didn’t read it until a few days before it was due. Got through a few pages and didn’t really get into it before it went back into circulation. I wasn’t going to take it out again but decided to place a hold & give it another chance. SO HAPPY I DID! I think it is a life changer for me. Bought my own digital copy and haven’t look back. I’m down 13-pounds in 2-months. Not a lot but I don’t care. I feel different. My stomach is shrinking. And, my life no longer revolves around food; thinking about it, craving it, stressing about it. I just eat and I’m never hungry. What a relief!

Excellent book by a very experienced Prof. Ludwig. A must read for all trying to maintain good health through good eating practices. Beyond common myths surrounding what constitutes a healthy diet, Ludwig provided detailed scientific analysis based on his two decade experience. "Eat real" and avoiding heavily processed food is the key. The book details a wide range of healthy as well as tasty recipes that are quick to prepare.

Excellente information sur le poids, le métabolisme, comment le corps utilise les aliments et que faire pour résoudre ces problèmes de faim permanente.Comment créer un menu pour se sentir mieux et améliorer sa santé ?Pour ceux qui veulent une alimentation qui améliore la santé.

Die Überschrift ist nahezu pathetisch, aber dennoch nicht übertrieben. Ich habe mittlerweile eine stattliche Sammlung an Ratgebern, Diät-Kochbüchern und ähnlichem Material angeschafft. Dieses Buch ist ganz anders, als alles was ich bisher gelesen habe. Es holt den Leser / die Leserin am "Punkt 0" ab und führt fundiert in wissenschaftliche Grundlagen von Stoffwechsel und die damit zusammenhängende Entstehung von Übergewicht ein. Die einfache Sprache macht es Laien und Leuten, die nur Grundkenntnisse im Englischen haben leicht, zu folgen und die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen nachzuvollziehen. Danach wird schrittweise in ein Konzept der Alltagsänderung eingeführt. Schritt für Schritt werden kleine Änderungen mit doch großer Auswirkung eingeführt. Ich hoffe, das Werk erscheint bald auch in deutscher Sprache, um noch mehr Leser/-innen zu erreichen. Ich bin begeistert, dass die Versprechungen im Buch auch wirklich eingetroffen sind und kann jede/n, der Gewicht reduzieren möchte, nur ermutigen das Buch anzuschaffen. Bei mir hat es sich wirklich gelohnt...