Hungry!!

HARLEYzFIT

Sometimes I can go all day and eat very little and feel fine. Other days I feel like I am constantly hungry. Ive tried drinking lots of water and waiting awhile but I still fee hungry. Any suggestions?

strong_curves

Eat food. I don't understand why you aren't if you're hungry.

janejellyroll

Are you getting enough fiber? Protein? How many calories are you eating a day?

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.

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.

maxit

Going all day and eating very little is often not sustainable and may not be healthy (depending on what you eat when you do decide to eat). The "general tips for hunger" are great, in my opinion. My experience during deficit eating periods is that I make friends with the "I could eat" feelings (hey, how are ya doing, wish I could stay and chat but I got things to do) knowing that the data I keep confirm that I am getting adequate nutrition (macros, micros and calories).

sdirks

Try eating foods that help you feel full without a ton of calories. Veggies are great for this: 2 cups of steamed broccoli is less than 100 calories, and 2 cups of baked squash with olive oil is about 150 calories. A cup of raw baby carrots is less than 50 calories... so you can add 2 TBSP of hummus and still be under 100 calories for a nice snack.

Avoid foods that are calorie-dense but don't make your stomach feel full, like smoothies/shakes, snack bars, soda, fruit juice, yogurt, trail mix, granola, pasta, baked goods, frozen food, pre-packaged meals, etc. Make sure you're getting the most out of your calories by eating foods with lots of nutritional value. Beware of any added salt or sugar in your food, as those two can trick your body into thinking you're hungry when you're really not.

I also find that exercising makes me not want to eat as much. Try doing 10 minutes of yoga or stretching before a meal. Also drink a glass of room-temperature water 10-30 minutes before each meal. This prepares the Ph of your stomach lining, allowing your stomach to more effectively communicate to your brain when you're full and it's time to stop eating.

Don't be afraid to eat when you're hungry. Give your body real food. Try to eat a few raw foods each day when you can since nutrients are lost when food is cooked. No need to go nuts eating salads for every meal! An apple or banana with your breakfast or some raw veggies and hummus in the afternoon can really help your body get healthy and drop excess fat.

TheBeachgod

Just for reference. I'm not suggesting go vegan, just showing some foods are more filling than others yet have the same amount of calories.

WendyLaubach

How long has it been going on? Sometimes all we have to do is wait a bit for our stomachs to shrink some more.

MamaMc3

When I am feeling really hungry, I ask myself, "Am I hungry enough to eat an apple?" If I am truly hungry, then a fruit or vegetable should sound good. If it's just a craving or an emotional response, then typically the healthy food wouldn't be satisfying. If I am hungry enough to eat a piece of fruit or a vegetable, then I eat it! It could be, too, that since you aren't eating a constant amount each day, your body is trying to catch up on your hungrier days. If I were you, I'd try to eat on a more consistent schedule. Your body will get the hang of it over time, and then maybe you won't have days where you aren't hungry at all and then days where you feel like you're starving.

tara_means_star

If you can open your diary and tell us how many calories you are eating per day, we could probably give you better advice that is more specific to your situation.

HARLEYzFIT

Thank you all so much. I am not sure how to open my diary but I will look into it. And to answer the question about eating the apple... I had dinner of half a chicken breast, some corn and potato and onion. 1 hour later I was starving and ate an apple. I usually find when I eat apples it doesnt curb the hunger. I can not be hungry but tell myself to eat an apple for breakfast so I will have something in my stomach and that will make me hungry. Weird?

tara_means_star

at the top of the page click settings, toward the bottom of that page hit diary settings, the bottom of that page it says diary sharing, change that to public.

HARLEYzFIT

Changed it to public. Thanks