Always hungry

sweetiepie781
sweetiepie781 Posts: 75 Member
edited November 26 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Ok so I am at( well actually below ) my goal weight but anymore I feel like I am always hungry and never satisfied with the foods that I have been eating on a regular basis that use to fill me up I am doing cardio 4 -5 times a week why am I always starving ?? Also trying to figure out the best way to up my calories but now afraid of gaining weight why is maintenance so much harder :( really struggling I am either gaining or losing every week

Replies

  • bogfeet862
    bogfeet862 Posts: 1 Member
    eat less sugar.sugar has a chemical in it that inhibits the brain from telling you that you're full.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    bogfeet862 wrote: »
    eat less sugar.sugar has a chemical in it that inhibits the brain from telling you that you're full.

    strong first post
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    bogfeet862 wrote: »
    eat less sugar.sugar has a chemical in it that inhibits the brain from telling you that you're full.

    Sugar is carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. What particular one causes this to occur?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    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.

    You are going to fluctuate in weight all the time, even in maintenance, even when you eat perfectly. Your body is too complex to hold a static weight all the time. You need to accept that your maintenance weight will be a range and try to look at the bigger picture rather than the number on the scale.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Ok so I am at( well actually below ) my goal weight but anymore I feel like I am always hungry and never satisfied with the foods that I have been eating on a regular basis that use to fill me up I am doing cardio 4 -5 times a week why am I always starving ?? Also trying to figure out the best way to up my calories but now afraid of gaining weight why is maintenance so much harder :( really struggling I am either gaining or losing every week

    You need to see maintenance as a weight range rather than a set number. It will never stay the same week in week out. Too many factors come in to play, hormones, salt intake etc.

    How far under your goal weight are you?
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    edited November 2015
    bogfeet862 wrote: »
    eat less sugar.sugar has a chemical in it that inhibits the brain from telling you that you're full.

    My brain seems to cope no problem, maybe my brain is a super brain with a magic seal!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I always get hungry this time of year. If I'm hungry, higher fat foods - even a spoonful of ice cream or a few nuts - satisfy me. When I eat easy-to-digest carbs (sugar, white rice, waffles), I get super hungry an hour later. It's insulin resistance - it goes up and overshoots. So I mix my carbs with protein and fat - all is fine.
  • RenaTX
    RenaTX Posts: 345 Member
    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.

    You are going to fluctuate in weight all the time, even in maintenance, even when you eat perfectly. Your body is too complex to hold a static weight all the time. You need to accept that your maintenance weight will be a range and try to look at the bigger picture rather than the number on the scale.


    Thank You! I knew these things but it's nice to be reminded again.

  • sweetiepie781
    sweetiepie781 Posts: 75 Member
    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.

    You are going to fluctuate in weight all the time, even in maintenance, even when you eat perfectly. Your body is too complex to hold a static weight all the time. You need to accept that your maintenance weight will be a range and try to look at the bigger picture rather than the number on the scale.


    Thabk y
    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.

    You are going to fluctuate in weight all the time, even in maintenance, even when you eat perfectly. Your body is too complex to hold a static weight all the time. You need to accept that your maintenance weight will be a range and try to look at the bigger picture rather than the number on the scale.

    Thank you I appreciate all the insight :)
This discussion has been closed.