Always Hungry

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  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    kellyjellybellyjelly wrote: »
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    These are my really general tips for hunger:


    I find gelato like Talenti while high in calories is a great snack that can help keep you fuller.

    Some other foods I find filling are peanut butter on a tortilla, cottage cheese, yogurt mixed with protein powder or fruit, & lean meats like tilapia/chicken.

    I do like the Talenti gelato.. Do you know are most gelatos the same way and what about adding some Chia seeds to yogurt ???
  • cwilso37
    cwilso37 Posts: 79 Member
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    Looking at your diary shows you average around for grams of protein a day. This is way too low. Eating more protein should help cut the hunger cravings.

    I will also echo the sentiment that cutting back the refined sugar for more complex carbs might be a good thing.
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
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    So I briefly looked through your diary. I know it's not as convenient, but perhaps try replacing your mini wheat meals with a more complex, fiber enriched carbohydrate. Oatmeal is great with some berries. Chicken and some greens is going to go a long way compared to a hot dog which I see you eat a lot too. A 600 calorie hotdog on a white bun is going to be twice the calories and half the satiation (from my experience) than 5 ounces of chicken, 100g of brown rice and some cauliflower/broccoli.

    Drink some water before each meal. Snack on an apple and chew your food slowly so your body has time to recognize the food and tell your brain that you're not hungry anymore.

    good luck
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
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    For me, I find that having increased my protein and fat intake keeps me from being hungry.
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
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    Not matter how much volume, fiber, or protein I add.. I'm always hungry while in a deficit. It's just part of the game/journey. I try to embrace it.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    Not matter how much volume, fiber, or protein I add.. I'm always hungry while in a deficit. It's just part of the game/journey. I try to embrace it.

    This is me, also. If I'm not hungry, then the scale is not moving. That's the way it has always been for me. Eating more protein helps a little, but when I'm losing weight I am always hungry. Often I go to bed early just to escape feeling hungry.

    I'm also cold and get a funny taste in my mouth and my pee smells funny. Just like when I was on Atkins. I suspect the same mechanism is at play with keytones.

    I can tell if I'm losing weight without even stepping on the scale.

  • rugbyphreak
    rugbyphreak Posts: 509 Member
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    Are you possibly confusing the stomach growls of a food allergy with the stomach growls you perceive as hunger? Maybe you aren't getting enough substance from your meals. 400 calories of beer is not as filling as 400 calories of salad or chicken, ya know? Protein and fiber help you feel full. Maybe re-evaluate your food choices and make sure they are giving your body what it needs.
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
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    Restating some of the things the others have said - refined carbs tend to jack up hunger for me. Also they tend to be the kind of food whereby you can eat mindlessly without feeling satisfied. I tend to avoid them. I eat pasta once in a blue moon. Cereal, only very particular kinds (example: http://www.amazon.com/Nutritious-Living-Hi-Lo-Vanilla-Almond/dp/B004K64GC8).

    Also, it's OK to feel hungry. As long as you're not getting hypoglycemic, you'll be fine. Drink some water, or a cup of coffee or tea, and then do something else.
  • Ohwhynot
    Ohwhynot Posts: 356 Member
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    _incogNEATo_ wrote: »
    You're 35 years old and have roughly 43 pounds to lose. I think a daily goal of 1200 calories is too low. Maybe somebody with more knowledge can help here.
    I am 38 and had 45 lbs to lose. Obviously, I don't know your other stats, OP, but I am 5'8" and lose on 1600 if I don't eat back exercise calories. I am insanely cranky sad headachy HUNGRY on 1200 but satisfied on 1400-1600, depending on how much fiber and protein I eat. And I don't mean like scoop of metamucil fiber, I mean salads, hearty bread, fruit, etc.

  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    You will see over and over again on MFP that to lose weight all you need is a calorie deficit and it doesn't necessarily matter what you eat, and that's true, but what you're discovering is that your choices make a big difference in how we feel and how satisfied we are. That doesn't mean we have to drop every treat or indulgence (I'm proof of that), but you do have to start looking at food as fuel and asking, "Is this going to get me through until my next meal?" The 70 calories in your coffee creamer could be a big bowl of fruit. 200 calories of candy, for me, could be a big tuna sandwich (on an 80 calorie roll) topped high with veggies. You don't have to revamp everything overnight, but you do want to become more mindful of the volume and substance of your foods. Have balanced meals throughout the day so you don't get overly hungry. I'm generally under 1500 and rarely hungry other than the normal meal time signals (except for the occasional day where nothing seems to satisfy.) You can do it :)
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
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    From looking at your diary, you are not eating enough protein, or enough in general for my preference. If you insist on sticking with 1200 calories, replace those high carb foods with more filling ones in particular ones with higher protein. For breakfast, try eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or higher protein cereal.
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    Thank you for the input everyone.. I replaced a few items with some better choices.. I have oatmeal with protein on the morning, I've been waiting a little later to eat breakfast as well.. I went shopping and bought healthier alternatives to snack on.. I was a lot less hungry yesterday because of this.. =)
  • freak4iron
    freak4iron Posts: 995 Member
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    Up the protein and healthy fats and watch the carbs, especially the low GI carbs. That's what works best for me while cutting.

    Another thing that I've been playing around with is skipping breakfast and not starting to eat until lunch, this helps me immensely. Cutting is hard especially when you're used to eating out of boredom or "feeling-eating" this makes it so there's a smaller window to work with.
  • freak4iron
    freak4iron Posts: 995 Member
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    Quite frankly though,if you can't sit with the feeling of being hungry, you are gonna struggle loosing weighT. You body wants to naturally maintain a homeostatic environment. When your trying to drop body fat your forcing it to not do that and making it get its energy through your fat cells rather than VIA the stomach. So your gonna feel hungry to some extent.... It takes discipline for sure.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    It takes at least 20 minutes for a meal to register with the brain. Try having a glass of water at your meal, putting down the fork and sipping between bites to slow you down. Fiber, protein, and healthy fats are satiating. Sugar and refined grains are hunger - producing.
  • Becca_250
    Becca_250 Posts: 188 Member
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    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.

    7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.

    I would agree with all of these. I'm one of those people who could eat continuously even when I'm probably full. I do find drinking a big mug of tea immediately after finishing my meal helps to feel properly full and not be tempted with anything further snacking (at least for a while!).

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