I'm always Hungry

bnmoyler

Ive been really really stressed, overwhelmed, and yes, hungry. No matter what I do I just can't stop eating and when I do stop, I get weak, sleepy and a headache. I haven't really gained- but I don't think I've really lost either. Still under maintenance though. I just don't like the fact that I feel ravenous. I like to be more in control. I feel really unhappy about all of this. Do I really just need more??? I don't like the idea of this. The more I eat, the hungrier I become. Please help because this is making me depressed.

healthygreek

Perhaps it's time for a physical? Your extreme hunger could be a sign of diabetes.

esjones12

Stress can really mess me up when it comes to eating. I've been anxious all week waiting on some news and I've had to really really watch what I've been eating. I would suggest the following to myself if I was in your shoes:

1) Reduce your stress level. Make a plan, stop the drama, remove yourself from a situation. Do whatever you have to do to reduce your stress. Everyone is different.
2) Re-evaluate your calories and make sure you are eating the correct amount with a reasonable deficit. I get headaches if I don't eat enough or my macros get out of whack.
3) Eat nutrient dense foods to help fill you up. Fiber and protein are good at that. A large salad will help calm the stress by allowing you to eat for a longer period of time than say a smaller portion of something for the same amount of calories. If you use spinach in your salad it will really fill you up. Personally I find highly processed foods leave me craving more, so I avoid them as much as possible.
4) Eat smaller portions every few hours. Your body will usually adjust after a few weeks of a set schedule...it can be uncomfortable at first, but you will readjust. My body feels like an alarm clock because I almost instantly get hungry at my normal eating times (7am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, 3pm, 6pm).
5) Exercise! This can help reduce stress, AND it allows you to eat more calories and keep your deficit
6) Drink lots of water.
7) Get enough sleep. I average 8hrs a night. If I get less my body feels super hungry the next day. I know it can be hard to get quality sleep when you are stressed out, but refer to #1!

I hope something I mentioned can help. Feeling hungry all the time is no fun. Best of luck!

Need2Exerc1se

How much are you eating and what type of foods do you eat? Do you get enough fiber, protein and fat? Do you drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids?

You say you are ravenous and can't stop eating but you are still under maintenance. How far under maintenance do you typically eat?

bnmoyler

healthygreek wrote: »

Perhaps it's time for a physical? Your extreme hunger could be a sign of diabetes.

Nope, already had that checked. In fact I was still in disbelief after my appointment and bought a glucose moniter. It's never high or low.

bnmoyler

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

How much are you eating and what type of foods do you eat? Do you get enough fiber, protein and fat? Do you drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids?

You say you are ravenous and can't stop eating but you are still under maintenance. How far under maintenance do you typically eat?

My maintenance is around 2160. For months, I'd been doing 1200 and was fine. Here lately I'm always over and my daily calories are averaging between 1500-1600. I feel most content around 1700-1800. I'm a strict vegetarian so I really focus on my food. I do admit, I haven't been drinking a lot here lately other than coffee and that can't be good.

Need2Exerc1se

bnmoyler wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

How much are you eating and what type of foods do you eat? Do you get enough fiber, protein and fat? Do you drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids?

You say you are ravenous and can't stop eating but you are still under maintenance. How far under maintenance do you typically eat?

My maintenance is around 2160. For months, I'd been doing 1200 and was fine. Here lately I'm always over and my daily calories are averaging between 1500-1600. I feel most content around 1700-1800. I'm a strict vegetarian so I really focus on my food. I do admit, I haven't been drinking a lot here lately other than coffee and that can't be good.

I think that right there answers the question of why you are so hungry. 1200 is a pretty big deficit (around 44% if my mental math is correct). What's your rush?

Eating 1500-1800 should still yield weight loss if your maintenance is around 2160.

bnmoyler

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

bnmoyler wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

How much are you eating and what type of foods do you eat? Do you get enough fiber, protein and fat? Do you drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids?

You say you are ravenous and can't stop eating but you are still under maintenance. How far under maintenance do you typically eat?

My maintenance is around 2160. For months, I'd been doing 1200 and was fine. Here lately I'm always over and my daily calories are averaging between 1500-1600. I feel most content around 1700-1800. I'm a strict vegetarian so I really focus on my food. I do admit, I haven't been drinking a lot here lately other than coffee and that can't be good.

I think that right there answers the question of why you are so hungry. 1200 is a pretty big deficit (around 44% if my mental math is correct). What's your rush?

Eating 1500-1800 should still yield weight loss if your maintenance is around 2160.

I guess you're right. I'm fine the way I am and am not in a big rush. I'd be happy if I lost 5-10 lbs in a year. I'm keep my fitness pal set to 1200 to pull a tight mental rope, but I'll eat to my satisfaction. Some days 1200 cals are ok but others, I need more. It all balances out :-)

mom3over40

Have your doctor check your A1C? My glucose number has always been ok but, last year, my doctor checked my A1C and it was high. It is a number for glucose average in the last 3 months (something like that). I started to look into glycemic index of food, (how fast certain food turn into glucose). For example, potatoes are very high but (surprisingly) sweet potatoes are relatively low. The higher the index, the easier it will be turned into glucose in our body, and for me, the faster I get hungry after eating them. It helps a lot to maintain eating in deficit when I switched to high fiber carbs (low in the index).

Having all that said, I recently reached my goal weight and wanted to get rid of more of my body fat... But I found myself hungry all the time. Not sure if it is because of goal weight being reached (lack of motivation) or it is being winter and cold, or, the madeleines cakes were on sale... Still somewhat maintain my weight but not gaining any ground in losing fat...

MoiAussi93

Try to eat more protein. When I increased my protein to 30% of my calories from 15% (keeping calories exactly the same), I IMMEDIATELY noticed how much fuller I felt. In fact, at the beginning, I really had to force myself to eat enough (this was at 1350 calories). If you're vegetarian, you need to make more effort than some to do this, but it is really worth the effort.

Feeling fuller greatly reduces the urge to snack as much in the evening.

ana3067

My guess is you are either not eating enough on average or your macro balance is way skewed. E.g. too many carbs. If you eat more and become more hungry then macro balance is probably why.

Liftng4Lis

pregnant?

Archerychickge

Four things... and I can't see you logs from where I am, but

1. get plenty of rest
2. drink lots of fluids
3. get enough exercise
4. eat enough protein.


That should help at least.

skinnyinnotime

Hmm, yes 1200 cals will make you feel hungry at some point along the line. Eat up!