definitely lost weight but feel hungry & tired

slimandsmiling

Hi all, I was looking for some advice. I am definitely slowly losing weight and feel a lot happier in my own skin but I feel hungry quite a lot. I am very determined and do not want to start eat all the rubbish I was eating but I feel like I am hungry and my energy levels feel low. I am always slightly anaemic .. how can I stop feeling hungry.. could I just be thirsty? could it be I need to exercise more? any advice would really be great. x

clambert1273

well I am going to venture to say.. you aren't eating enough. If you are hungry and low energy then you need to eat more.

BodyByButter

You're leaving calories on the table every day, you should try to hit your calorie goal. It's not very high anyway.

Will_Run_for_Food

More protein - try a couple of hardboiled eggs for a snack

Need2Exerc1se

Why would you have to eat rubbish to add more calories? Just eat more non-rubbish.

AmyG1982

Protein, fat and fibre will help keep you fuller. Drink lots of water. And if you're still hungry eat a healthy snack.

beachlover83

Have you tried adding protein powder to a glass of milk? It's kind of expensive but always helps me when I'm needing an extra boost. Or just adding protein in general should help.

diannethegeek

These are my really general tips for hunger:

1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

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 be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

Roxiegirl2008

Like others have said add protein or fiber. I am one of those "I have to eat all day" people so I have built in snacks through out the day that consist of veggies, protein or an apple (high in fiber). That way my "beast" is always dormant.

aelphabawest

Check your iron intake (you can do it through reports) - when I'm not getting enough iron that tends to cause me to be low energy. Eat foods high in fiber. Try to up your caloric intake a little bit to see if it helps (if you're set to loosing 1.5 lbs a week, try 1 lb a week for example).

kristen6350

You aren't eating enough. You are supposed to get very close to that number they give you not hundreds under it. You aren't doing yourself any favors. And with only 8lbs to go you really should set your goals to .5lbs/week to prepare yourself for maintenance, which will give you MUCH more calories. You'll still lose weight and you won't be hungry - win win.

Need2Exerc1se

Have some peanut butter. Iron and potassium, both of which can cause fatigue if you get too little, plus protein and fat for satiety, and it's delicious!

SueInAz

diannethegeek wrote: »

These are my really general tips for hunger:

1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

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 be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

If your weight loss goal is set too aggressively, this can happen. Be sure you aren't trying to lose too much weight each week. Many people pick 2 pounds per week because... well, it sounds awesome, right? If you don't have a lot of weight to lose, though, it just isn't sustainable.

ellisboyd1

I never go hungry, because that's not a sustainable diet. You wouldn't ignore thirst, so why ignore hunger? Ask whether you're eating enough calories, or whether you're using those calories wisely enough.

I usually eat a couple of hard boiled eggs or fruit.

RoxieDawn

Are you eating well enough on the days you exercise? Or let me ask this, are you hungrier on certain days like the days you exercise? I looks like Wed when you exercised you ate a good portion of your exercise calories.. Were you extra hungry this day?

Maybe your TDEE these days requires you to need more. I would be dead tired after burning 500+ calories. That is a great calorie expenditure and being tired would def be in the cards.

VCoffee90309

I have that problem a lot. I usually eat the on something that I don't particularly like, which is broccoli, then I gnaw on that a little while. Then I'm not quite so hungry anymore. Then the hunger just kind of goes away. Another thing would be to keep busy. I think people eat more when they're bored. Drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest. The first thing might not work for you, it's just a weird thing I do

VeryKatie

I looked at your diary too - it looks like you're not eating enough. I recommend eating back 75% of your exercise calories and always, always netting AT LEAST 1200 calories a day, if not a bit more.

I notice you have somewhat high calorie burns (sorry I didn't look at the actual diary) and I might suggest this - when logging exercise, overwrite the calories burned MFP gives you with a number that is 0.75 times that. And then make sure you eat that back. I worry maybe you are over exercising and under eating a bit.

Also make sure you're getting a good balance of protein, fat, carbs, and coffee (oh wait, maybe the coffee suggestion is for me). And also, make sure you sleep! Try to get on a schedule if you don't have one.

RoxieDawn

Let me add, you did not eat enough on the days you exercise. You most likely do need to eat more on the days you exercise.

You are in the same boat I am in, with the pesky 8 to 10 lbs to go. I do not think you need to expend more exercising, but need to eat a little more on these days. You are smaller now and your metabolism is different and you may need to adjust calories in and calories out to make more of a balance.

Eating at a smaller deficit for these last few pounds is really hard and I am trying to eat a little more to loose this weight.

There is another thread called EM2LW and you might want to check this out.. it has a lot a great advise and things you can learn.

slimandsmiling

thank you everyone, the reason I stopped eating tonight is because I went over my protein and carbs (even though it was all quite modest really).. I had no idea what fat to have so I decided to have nothing more. On my jogging days I like to feel satisfied so I can start my exercising with energy. oddly I also find after a run I have no desire to eat again as I don't feel hungry for some hours after that. If I am only walking more or doing weights my body doesn't seem to need much more food for those activities. when I ate back my calories I didn't lose weight so I am not doing that. I do have a broccoli and peanut butter but I am currently only eating stuff I know I will enjoy. I am very into apples at the moment. x

RoxieDawn

This pesky 8 to 10 lbs is the time to reassess. Plateau and changes in your body are going to happen.

I do not eat back my exercise calories either but I have started creating a better balance. I had to adjust after loosing down to where I am now. I am sort of creating a maintenance with a smaller deficit at the same time so it is not as hard when I have reached my goal.

For me, my running expends a great deal of energy. I am having to deal with this as I too am dead tired after the work out. I don't even feel like eating but I look at this as a good thing as long I know I am tired from the workout and my body is not falling ill to sickness. Creating a balance in the calories in and calories out (especially on work out days) is something I have had to do for long term success.

Bonniebkj

I would try eating smaller more frequent meals. I also always eat a carbohydrate and a protein together, the carb gives you more immediate energy and the protein helps you to feel fuller longer. So maybe try to eat 5-6 smaller meals (200-300 calories each depending on your needs) every 2-3 hours.