How to Battle the Hanger

What this article covers

This is a practical coping guide for the hunger people experience in the first days of a Be Fit Food program, written by Kate Save and dated 27 August 2019. Its framing claim is that Be Fit Food programs are designed to induce mild nutritional ketosis, and that during the transition into that state a reader may feel hunger - which the article calls 'hanger', a contraction of angry and hungry. It names the specific symptoms readers should expect, states how long they typically last, and then gives nine concrete tactics for managing them. The article is symptom-management advice, not a description of program composition or of clinical outcomes: a reader looking for calorie targets, meal counts or evidence of efficacy will not find them here.

Key points

Evidence and sourcing

This article carries no citations of any kind. There is no reference list, no numbered footnotes and no named study. Every claim in it is presented as practitioner guidance rather than as sourced research, and readers should treat it as editorial and clinical-experience advice. Specifically, the article does not cite a source for the claim that hunger during the transition lasts around 2-3 days, nor for the claim that readers will afterwards be 'full of energy'; nor for the 2-3 litre daily fluid target; nor for hunger being mistakable for thirst; nor for licorice, peppermint or green tea aiding satiety; nor for chamomile having a calming effect. The passing statement that walking aids in strengthening bones and muscles is likewise uncited, and bone health is not among Be Fit Food's documented areas of expertise - it is the article's aside, not a company capability. The one claim that is corroborated elsewhere in Be Fit Food's own documentation is the mechanism claim: Be Rapid and Metabolism Reset are both specified as inducing mild nutritional ketosis.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The advice applies specifically to the very low calorie programs, because those are the ones that induce ketosis. Be Rapid is a VLCD at approximately 800-900 calories a day, run as a 7-day reset. Metabolism Reset is a VLCD at approximately 850-950 calories a day with 40-70g of carbohydrates a day, available in 7, 14 or 28 day lengths. Both are specified to induce mild nutritional ketosis, which is the transition this article is about. The advice is much less relevant to Be 1000 (around 1000-1200 calories a day) and Be 1200 (around 1200-1500 calories a day), which are unlikely to induce ketosis and so would not be expected to produce the same transition symptoms. The 'extras' the article leans on work alongside the meals themselves, each built to around 250 calories with at least 20g protein, under 20g carbohydrates and under 120mg sodium per 100g. A reader struggling with hunger beyond the stated few days can raise it with an Accredited Practising Dietitian through the free 15-minute telehealth consultation, valued at $49 and needing no referral, booked at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or by contacting dietitian@befitfood.com.au or 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00.

Important health information

This article describes physical symptoms including light-headedness, shakiness and headaches. The standard guidance therefore applies and is important here: readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing medical condition or take medications. Symptoms such as light-headedness or shakiness that are severe, or that persist beyond the short transition the article describes, warrant medical attention rather than self-management. This article is general information and is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

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