Ever have days where you stay hungry?

cmpilgrim

I've been having one of those days (actually this is the third in a row) where I just feel hungry all the time. Does anyone else do that? I've tried eating whole natural almonds in the past when that happens or foods high in protein, but it never seems to help. I'm 5'5" 148 lbs, 1200 calories a day. I'd like to lose about 16 more pounds and I don't want to sabotage my progress because I keep feeling hungry. Does anyone have any advice?

Just for example today I had an apple cinnamon nutra grain bar for breakfast and 2 cups of Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal with 1 cup of Horizon organic 2% milk for lunch. I wish I could eat more for breakfast but it makes me feel nauseous to eat much. I just ate lunch an hour ago and I'm already hungry again

rainbowblu

If I'm hungry I eat.

rainbowblu

You should eat more real food for breakfast. Eggs,real oats, meat.I'm less likely to get hungry when I eat real food not processed foods...I also drink hot tea with my meals-seems to give me that "belly full" feeling that I sometimes want.

diannethegeek

These are my general tips for hunger:

1. Make sure your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. 1200 calories is fairly low and it's possible that you could be eating more and still lose weight. 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. Consider swapping out the nutrigrain bar and raisin bran for something with more protein, especially.

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.

MomTo3Lovez

Yep that's me today but I know the cause of it and for some reason today I can't help myself...tomorrow is a new day so I will pick myself back up dust myself off and move on

RaspberryTickleChicken

Kind of ... I wouldn't exactly classify it as 'hungry.' More like 'snacky.' I don't believe in self-deprivation even when I was losing. I portion out whatever and log it all.

What helps me is that I know what my kryptonite is so I don't even buy temptations like Doritos or Oreo cookies. Same reason why I do not carry loose change to work (vending machines).

If it's not readily available I can't indulge and is forced to go with the healthier options.

Good luck!

leggup

With 16 lbs left to lose, your MFP goal should be set to lose 0.5-1 lb per week. When you have 15 lbs or less to lose, your MFP goal should be set to lose 0.5 lb per week. With that information, there is no way that your goal should be 1,200 calories/day. I am guessing it should actually be closer to 1,400-1,500. Check your settings.

Additionally, this is net calories. You can eat more if you exercise more. Sometimes I go for a walk because I'm hungry or I want ice cream.

williams969

You're likely hungry because you're eating a quite low goal. I'd be ravenous on a 1200 calorie plan, too. Being at an already reasonable lower weight, with a small goal, a 0.5 lb/week goal is more reasonable. Change your settings; I bet you'll get a much "nicer" calorie goal to eat. And if you're using the MFP method correctly, additionally you should eat back your exercise calories earned. That will make a huge difference in satiety.

Francl27

I'd be starving at 1200 calories too. Heck I have days like that where I'm starving... and I'm eating up to 2100 calories a day to lose my last couple pounds (which is arguably going very slowly).

I'm 36 and I never had to eat under 1600 to lose my 81 pounds. Eat more.

May_Rose

Cereal never fills me up. In fact, it always leaves me hungrier. Try different foods. The key to feeling full is getting plenty of protein, fiber, fat, and the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Think yogurt, cottage cheese, lean meats, fruits, veggies, peanut butter (pb2), etc.

I've found that I can feel satisfied, pretty easily, on 1,200 calories. I don't feel full, but satified is the key.

kcjchang

Typically on my rest days. I find it I don't really want to eat much after an hour or two on the bike.

lmr0528

Yep this is me today. Breakfast, lunch and 3 snacks and I'm still hungry. I'm just over here almost chewing on my arm until dinner time, in between chugging water.

acpgee

I notice that whenever I have more 50g of carbs in a single sitting it sets me up to feel ravenous all day. I believe it spikes my blood glucose, causing an insulin spike. The subsequent dip in blood glucose a few hours later makes me feel famished and crave carbs. If I do eat more carbs at this point my blood sugar is on a yoyo all day, where I feel famished during the dips.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

MFP is quite notorious for setting calorie goals FAR too low, regardless of height and weight. For example, it told me to eat 1200, and my BMR (the bare amount of calories I need to LIVE) is 1280. And I am extremely tiny, only 5 feet. So unless you are smaller than me, or bedridden, it is almost a CERTAINTY that you are eating too little. (This can result in lean muscle loss, chronic fatigue, metabolism damage, and bingeing due to over-restriction.)

Go to

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

and enter your height/weight/activity level.

Subtract 10-20% from the number it calculates for you, and that is the number of calories you should be eating a day in order to lose weight. With this method you do not eat back your exercise calories, as they are already figured into your daily goal.

Sued0nim

Yes today and yesterday ...just want to eat all the time

cmpilgrim

AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »

MFP is quite notorious for setting calorie goals FAR too low, regardless of height and weight. For example, it told me to eat 1200, and my BMR (the bare amount of calories I need to LIVE) is 1280. And I am extremely tiny, only 5 feet. So unless you are smaller than me, or bedridden, it is almost a CERTAINTY that you are eating too little. (This can result in lean muscle loss, chronic fatigue, metabolism damage, and bingeing due to over-restriction.)

Go to

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

and enter your height/weight/activity level.

Subtract 10-20% from the number it calculates for you, and that is the number of calories you should be eating a day in order to lose weight. With this method you do not eat back your exercise calories, as they are already figured into your daily goal.

Aha! Thank you! Yea that tells me my BMR is 1419 and TDEE is 1951.

cmpilgrim

acpgee wrote: »

I notice that whenever I have more 50g of carbs in a single sitting it sets me up to feel ravenous all day. I believe it spikes my blood glucose, causing an insulin spike. The subsequent dip in blood glucose a few hours later makes me feel famished and crave carbs. If I do eat more carbs at this point my blood sugar is on a yoyo all day, where I feel famished during the dips.

That's a good point. I never really thought about that. I'm going to have to start paying more attention.

arditarose

I eat more than that and I'm hungry every three hours. It feels like I need to cram food down my mouth constantly. I find it very annoying.

rivka_m

I agree with all the people mentioning protein, fat & fiber. I love my carbs but it's protein and fat in particular that keep me full.

Also sometimes the day after I've done a new exercise routine I'll be starving all day. Sometimes I bank exercise calories for the next day for this reason (wish MFP could parcel these out weekly instead of daily).

erockem

If I get that way, I log it before I eat it. Like today. When I see the stats at the bottom of the screen, it makes me think twice. I promptly delete it. It seems that if I don't count it first, it doesn't seem real or doesn't count until it is entered/counted which is to late to change my mind.

wkwebby

I definitely have the sugar/carb problem of insulin spiking and dipping. I'd suggest the protein also. It helps! If you start to get hungry, chug water first to make sure it isn't your thirst, and then eat a higher protein snack. I go with hardboiled eggs as my go to snack food. I will keep a package in the fridge at work or portion out 3-4 eggs for two snacks during the day. It is a life saver.