I am so hungry, I can't seem to get full?

Killmenext

Hello all, I recently lost 97lbs, and 2-3 weeks ago started exercising a lot, doing High intensity interval running the last few days. I have been so hungry though and can't seem to get full. So far today I ate 2 hard boiled egg whites, an apple, two bananas, a bag of carrots I brought to snack on, and a lunch size Caesar chicken salad, but I am still hungry. Is this normal? I used to only eat once a day or so before I started exercising.

Looking at my calories for the day so far though, I am at 700 with 1,100 remaining. Should I be this hungry? Do I just have to deal with it? I am guessing it has to do with the running I am doing, which I plan to not only keep on, but do more of. I am also trying to lose more weight though, I still have like 20~lbs I want to lose. Do I keep at the same eating rate so I can lose more and just be a bit more hungry, or do I need to eat more still?

Thanks in advance.

diannethegeek

My general tips for hunger:

1. Make sure your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. If you're exercising and using MFP's setup for calories, this means you can/should be eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories.

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to wait it out and be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

Killmenext

Thanks for the advice. I typically have a protein shake with a banana in it after running, and for dinner I always try and have a lot of chicken in my salad, and have the eggs for breakfast. Not sure exactly how much protein I should be shooting for though. Instead of so much fruit that I usually eat (apples and banana every morning) should I try more protein rich things? I have been trying to stay away from anything wheat related like bread and pasta as well.

Sorry, I guess this has went from being about my exercise to more being about eating, I guess I should have through it through before I posted. >_<

calaz84

I hate it when I can't seam to get full. What helps me is eating more veggies like roasted cauliflower, or roasted bell peppers, spaghetti squash and yes more protein.

MinnieInMaine

If your not eating much bread/pasta, your body needs the carbs from somewhere so keep up with the salads and fruit.

Are you getting much fat in your diet? From what you listed, unless your salad includes things like avocados and full fat dressings, the lack of fat may be part of the problem. It's also the easiest thing to add to increase calorie intake as there are more calories per gram (compared to protein and carbs).

If you're wiling to open your diary, it would help for us to give more specific advice.

fitzman84

^^^More veggies more protein will help. And its definitely from the running. When I do Hiit workouts I get the same way... I usually just eat a pound of broccoli and that seems to help.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

You are only eating 1800 calories a day? As a 28-year-old male who is doing HIIT and running, you should be eating more.

bazzawood30

Eat some carbs!!!!! Your burning loads with Hit training and your body keeps burning extra for 24-48hrs after each session. Eat complex carbs for slow release oats brown rice wholemeal pasta etc.

BetterKimmer

First, great job on the 97lbs of loss! Next, according to what you say you have eaten, you have not consumed enough protein. I suggest you find all your macro and caloric needs at IIFYM.com. Implement that and you will feel much more satiated. You will have to play around with food for awhile until you find the foods you like that provide the nutrients and calories within your goals.

Chicken, tuna, turkey, lean beef, white fish, eggs/egg whites, low fat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc. All are a good start.

Killmenext

Thanks. ^_^ I am still trying to lose more weight, so have been trying to keep my calories low, MFP says I should be eating 1800 a day, but I know you have to be in a deficit to lose more weight, I usually eat like 1k to 1200 calories a day.

Also, eat carbs? I thought the whole point was to stay away from them if I am trying to lose weight?

I will look in to iifym, I am not even sure what a macro is. : \

jrline

as you get closer to your goal you will gradually need to up your calories you don't have the old fat to live off anymore. Good Luck on the rest of your journey. Congrats on your success so far

A_Dabauer

IF you aren't using a HRM to figure out your calories burned and eating those back appropriately. I'd recommend going to a site to calculate your new TDEE. Then deduct you 500-1000 or so calorie deficit for the day. Then make and average and set that at your new calorie goal at that. ***If you do this method don't eat back your calories burned as they are already calculated in your daily goal*** I'm guessing your body just isn't used to these activity levels and is actually truly hungry. Once you know the range you need to be eating at you'll feel more comfortable eating more.

As an aside, if you are on your last 20lbs of a 120lb loss, chances are you are looking more for body re-comp more than true weight loss, so don't be scared to eat much closer to you TDEE than you were when you were in weight loss mode.

Congratulations on all your success so far.

MinnieInMaine

Wow... Yes you need to be in a deficit but not THAT much of a deficit! MFP's goal already includes your calorie deficit - you're not supposed to eat less than that. You should also be logging your exercise in the exercise diary and eating back at least half of what MFP gives you for the calorie burn. No wonder you're so hungry!

Killmenext

I bought a samsung gear live watch because it had a HRM and it was supposed to be usable with Runtastic, but now they say they don't support it, so I am waiting for another app to start using it properly because it is still fairly new. I am going to have to look up what all these terms mean, such as TDEE and such. I have no idea what they are.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Killmenext wrote: »

Thanks. ^_^ I am still trying to lose more weight, so have been trying to keep my calories low, MFP says I should be eating 1800 a day, but I know you have to be in a deficit to lose more weight, I usually eat like 1k to 1200 calories a day.

Also, eat carbs? I thought the whole point was to stay away from them if I am trying to lose weight?

I will look in to iifym, I am not even sure what a macro is. : \

The 1800 should already include a deficit and a pretty big one at that. Did you tell it 2lbs a week? That's a deficit of 1000 calories a day. You don't have much more weight to lose. You should be eating at a smaller deficit now. Change it to a pound, or even a half pound.

A "macro" is a macro nutrient. The macro nutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Unless you have an underlying medical condition there is no reason to avoid carbs as long as you are getting enough protein and fat. To calculate the minimum protein requirement you should get an estimate of body fat percentage. Lets go with 25% for now. You should be eating about 1 gram of protein * bodyweight * 0.75. For fat it should be 0.3gram * bodyweight. Those are minimums. Once you hit those numbers you can then fill the rest of your calories with whatever you want, carbs or more fat and protein.

Killmenext

Oh, I didnt know that the 1800 was already low. I don't know what I should be eating to get that many calories though. I typically just eat apples, bananas, eggs, chicken, and salad stuff with ligh dressings. usually a much bigger salad for dinner, and after all is said and done, it still ends up being about 1200 calories total for the day. Should I be actively looking for things with *more* calories? I still want to make sure I lose the rest of my belly and random areas that I had fat from when I was bigger, like under my arms around my chest area and such.

Jesssamesssa

I dont think youre eating enough Protein. When you exercise, especially lift weights you need more protein. Protein keeps you fuller longer too. I exercise/lift 5 days a week and eat 140-200g of protein. I weigh 166.... I eat 5x a day with 2 protein shakes added in.

Killmenext

I need to start weighing out my food to know a bit better exactly how much chicken I add to my salad, but usually it is listed under "1 - Chicken breast Filet" from the walmart frozen foods. Which is a few oz, I believe. I don't currently lift, but probably should start. All this is real new to me, lol. I only started exercising about a month ago, if that. Before that, for the last 10 years I was over 300lbs.

jrline

If you are gonna be running consistently follow the 50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fat diet called the Runner's Diet. It will help you have the energy to run farther and faster.

Killmenext

I typically have been going between 2-3 miles, doing about 1/5 of a mile near sprinting, then walking a bout twice as much, then running again, and just try and keep doing that since I just started and can not really do much farther yet, lol. My legs are still getting used to it. I will try and bring a protein shake in to work with me for breakfast and have that to try and help out, and less fruit. I will have to find out what my actual BMI is I suppose to be able to do all these other calculations that it looks like I have to do. Is there a guide on where to start? I see formulas that require you to know this, and that, but how do I know what this and that even are? lol.

ccrawshaw

Protein and fiber are the name of the game to feeling full for longer. Focus on lean versions of those and you will definitely notice a difference.

SoDamnHungry

Try eating some bread. My stomach would be growling on that, too.

JoRocka

Killmenext wrote: »

Oh, I didnt know that the 1800 was already low. I don't know what I should be eating to get that many calories though. I typically just eat apples, bananas, eggs, chicken, and salad stuff with ligh dressings. usually a much bigger salad for dinner, and after all is said and done, it still ends up being about 1200 calories total for the day. Should I be actively looking for things with *more* calories? I still want to make sure I lose the rest of my belly and random areas that I had fat from when I was bigger, like under my arms around my chest area and such.

"that many?"

um. what do you mean "1800 is that many"

that's not that much food- I'm shooting for 1650- as a grown *kitten* woman training 3-4 times a week. And I'm happy to lose 0.25 pounds week- and I feel like I'm dying eating that few calories.

1800 is NOT that much food. Eat fuller fat- fuller protein foods- and toss some carbs in there- I can eat 1000 calories of ice cream easily without ever touching the rest of my food for the day- it's very easy to add an extra 2-300 calories- hand full of oreos- ice cream- a soda. Whatever.

Heavier dressings- more food- salads aren't the only way to go.

So YES_ you should be looking for more food- or higher calorie foods.

melimomTARDIS

potato/rice/bread would help anchor some of those meals, providing fullness.

Killmenext

Okie dokie, I will try to add some more carbs and protein in to my meals. Thanks for the help all!

jrline

Run walking is what I do

mangogirl272727

You're not eating anywhere near enough. 1800 would really be an absolute minimum for you. All of these calculations can be done via online calculators; you don't have to work them out yourself. Just google bmi calculator, tdee calculator, etc.

diannethegeek

Usually we'd have some pinned posts at the top of the board for starters, but those are gone now that we have our new updated forums.

This post is a really good starting point: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

And linked within it you'll also find this one is really good: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

As others have said, 1800 calories is your goal with the deficit necessary for weight loss already built in. And MFP expects that to be 1800 calories + the added exercise calories after you log your workouts here. I'm not surprised you're hungry eating so little.

As for increasing your calories, you can start by adding more calorie-dense foods to your diet. Things like nuts, nut butter, less lean cuts of meat, full fat dairy, cheese, Greek yogurt, granola, butter, olive oil, coconut oil, full calorie condiments, full calorie sauces and dressings, potatoes (sweet, white, purple, red, etc), and other foods higher in calorie. It should be fairly easy to increase your calories by a few hundred at each meal with a little pre-planning.

Tedebearduff

Killmenext wrote: »

Hello all, I recently lost 97lbs, and 2-3 weeks ago started exercising a lot, doing High intensity interval running the last few days. I have been so hungry though and can't seem to get full. So far today I ate 2 hard boiled egg whites, an apple, two bananas, a bag of carrots I brought to snack on, and a lunch size Caesar chicken salad, but I am still hungry. Is this normal? I used to only eat once a day or so before I started exercising.

Looking at my calories for the day so far though, I am at 700 with 1,100 remaining. Should I be this hungry? Do I just have to deal with it? I am guessing it has to do with the running I am doing, which I plan to not only keep on, but do more of. I am also trying to lose more weight though, I still have like 20~lbs I want to lose. Do I keep at the same eating rate so I can lose more and just be a bit more hungry, or do I need to eat more still?

Thanks in advance.

Eat more protein

Killmenext

And all this time I have been trying to do whatever I can to keep my calories at a minimum >_< , well shoot. Glad I asked, lol.

BetterKimmer

Killmenext wrote: »

Okie dokie, I will try to add some more carbs and protein in to my meals. Thanks for the help all!

Try to make them complex carbs! Complex mean harder to digest, keeping you feeling fuller longer = happy tummy! Try at least 80% of the time. Allow for one or 2 fun foods.

I see several replies with marco suggestion. They are good. Follow them. I am 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight and .5 grams for both carbs and fats currently. At least most days!

And saw your remark on lifting. YES, YES, YES! Lift. Lift Heavy. As long as you enjoy lifting, you will love the difference it makes. Add in HIITs or Tabata, and you are set!