Always hungry!?

ellieliam9796

So I have been counting my calories for 15 days now and it has been going great until now. I am on a 1200 calories a day and I drink 1.5 - 2 litres of water everyday. I have not been at all hungry until yesterday and today where I am just always hungry constantly. Can anybody help me and tell me why this is happening now?

janejellyroll

1,200 calories isn't a whole lot. Did you get that goal from MFP? If so, what did you choose as your weight loss goal? Are you doing any exercise? If so, are you eating at least some of your exercise calories back?

juggernaut1974

1200 is probably too drastic of a cut at your current height, weight & activity level to maintain long-term.

If you can fill in those detail, we can advise more specifically.

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.

ellieliam9796

janejellyroll wrote: »

1,200 calories isn't a whole lot. Did you get that goal from MFP? If so, what did you choose as your weight loss goal? Are you doing any exercise? If so, are you eating at least some of your exercise calories back?

It ranges sometimes I don't do any excersing and just end up walking around the house and other days I would run for around 3.5 miles. If I get hungry I will eat some of tje calories I earned back but sometimes I just don't get hungry so can't eat all the calories back because I am already full that is how it has been until now.

kshama2001

ellieliam9796 wrote: »

So I have been counting my calories for 15 days now and it has been going great until now. I am on a 1200 calories a day and I drink 1.5 - 2 litres of water everyday. I have not been at all hungry until yesterday and today where I am just always hungry constantly. Can anybody help me and tell me why this is happening now?

Where are you in your menstrual cycle? My appetite shoots up a few days before my period starts. Other women are hungrier at ovulation.

ellieliam9796

kshama2001 wrote: »

ellieliam9796 wrote: »

So I have been counting my calories for 15 days now and it has been going great until now. I am on a 1200 calories a day and I drink 1.5 - 2 litres of water everyday. I have not been at all hungry until yesterday and today where I am just always hungry constantly. Can anybody help me and tell me why this is happening now?

Where are you in your menstrual cycle? My appetite shoots up a few days before my period starts. Other women are hungrier at ovulation.

I am on the birth control pill and I came of my period about 1 week and half ago I usually don't get this hungry until 3 days before I start my period again

ellieliam9796

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.

Thank you for the advice I have been a little bit stressed for a couple of days will that affect my hunger so quickly

ElizabethOakes2

I'm on 1200 + half my exercise calories and doing fine, so it may not be the amount of calories, but the quality of the calories. How much protein are you getting vs carbs and fats? I find I actually need about 15 more Protein than the calculator suggests. Add more beans, nonfat yogurt, lean meats and fish into your diet and see if that helps the hunger.
Also, if it's just this one day, it could be hormones or emotional eating. Try a hot cup of tea to see if that eases the hunger cravings.

dubird

ellieliam9796 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

1,200 calories isn't a whole lot. Did you get that goal from MFP? If so, what did you choose as your weight loss goal? Are you doing any exercise? If so, are you eating at least some of your exercise calories back?

It ranges sometimes I don't do any excersing and just end up walking around the house and other days I would run for around 3.5 miles. If I get hungry I will eat some of tje calories I earned back but sometimes I just don't get hungry so can't eat all the calories back because I am already full that is how it has been until now.

I would suggest setting MFP to sedentary instead of figuring that into your day. If your exercise is a regular routine every day, you may find yourself eating less than you actually need on days you don't exercise. If you're concerned that MFP is setting your calories too high, enter your stats the same way in some other online calculators. Using several and averaging is a good way to double-check. All calculators use different numbers for what their activity levels, but they should all be close.

Also, don't go with what MFP says for exercise. General recommendation is to only eat back half of it if you let MFP calculate because MFP is notorious for over-estimating. Your best bet is to get a heart rate monitor and figure it up for yourself. Second best is to get some kind of activity tracker with a HRM.

Another suggestion is to split up your calories differently. You may be a person that does better on several small meals rather than 3 big ones. For me, I have one big meal at night, a smaller lunch, then several 'snacks' during the day. It all totals up to my calorie goal, but splitting things up that way helps me stay full. And time of day you eat has no bearing on weight loss. If you don't have a medical issue like chronic heartburn, you can eat right before bed if you want to.

ew_david

Hard to say without knowing what you're eating, but I'd say it's a combination of a too-low calorie goal and not enough protein and fat.

ellieliam9796

ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »

I'm on 1200 + half my exercise calories and doing fine, so it may not be the amount of calories, but the quality of the calories. How much protein are you getting vs carbs and fats? I find I actually need about 15 more Protein than the calculator suggests. Add more beans, nonfat yogurt, lean meats and fish into your diet and see if that helps the hunger.
Also, if it's just this one day, it could be hormones or emotional eating. Try a hot cup of tea to see if that eases the hunger cravings.

It has been a couple of days now but today is the worst. My protein is usually 15- 20% of my nutrition. And I will try a cup of tea

diannethegeek

ellieliam9796 wrote: »

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.

Thank you for the advice I have been a little bit stressed for a couple of days will that affect my hunger so quickly

It might. People react differently to emotional cues. If you're someone who wants to eat while stressed, you might try to channel that stress into something else (exercise, journals, hobbies, etc)

diannethegeek

ellieliam9796 wrote: »

ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »

I'm on 1200 + half my exercise calories and doing fine, so it may not be the amount of calories, but the quality of the calories. How much protein are you getting vs carbs and fats? I find I actually need about 15 more Protein than the calculator suggests. Add more beans, nonfat yogurt, lean meats and fish into your diet and see if that helps the hunger.
Also, if it's just this one day, it could be hormones or emotional eating. Try a hot cup of tea to see if that eases the hunger cravings.

It has been a couple of days now but today is the worst. My protein is usually 15- 20% of my nutrition. And I will try a cup of tea

20% of 1200 calories is what? 60 grams of protein? As a point of reference, my calorie goal is higher but I usually aim for 100-110 grams of protein to stay full (and I'm paranoid about muscle loss). You might consider adjusting your goals. MFP sets them a little low for fat & protein, imo.

Francl27

Eat more. I never had to eat less than 1650 and I lost 80 pounds. And I was 16 years older than you...

erinc5

Some days I am hungrier than others. Just how the body works. On days I am not super hungry, I eat a little less than my calorie goal. On days I am super hungry, I eat a little over my calorie goal. It all balances out in the end. If you are very hungry, try some raw veggies in bulk - celery, cauliflower, big bowl of spinach, etc... You can eat a lot without going TOO overboard on the calories. I haven't had to do this in a while, but one of my favorites for hunger is 2 cups of sugar snap peas with a ginger or spicy peanut flavored vinaigrette dressing. That combination is usually only around 200 calories and fills me up pretty good.