I'm always so hungry!

jattardi

I've always had a big appetite. I eat a lot. Big portions at meals, lots of unhealthy snacks. I'm trying to make a lifestyle change. Boy, will I miss Kung Pao Chicken.

Anyway, my question is, how do you guys deal with the hunger? MFP has me eating about 1,500 calories a day and that's apparently way less than I'm used to. So I eat well enough, but am always hungry. I'm sure eventually I will get used to it and my appetite will shrink (at least, I sure hope so!) but in the meantime I am having such hunger and cravings!

endlessfall16

Coffee.
Find other interests.

kristieshannon

I believe that 1500 is the minimum calories for men. You may be eating too little. How did you determine that this is the correct cals/day for you? What's your age, height, and starting weight? Are you getting in any activity and do you eat back any of your exercise cals?

quiksylver296

You don't list your stats, but I suspect you could eat a bit more each day and still lose. I'm 5'9", 175 pounds and currently losing on 1930 calories per day.

I use a food scale and weigh and log everything to be sure I am actually eating 1930.

Kitship

1,500 seems too low. When you first started MFP, did you tell it you wanted to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week? If you put 2, it gave you a 1,000 calorie deficit which may have put you at 1,500 per day. I would change it to 1 or 1.5 pounds a week loss. Go to Home > Goals > Edit Daily Nutrition Goals.

ETA: I am a 5'6 female and can lose on 1750 cals/day.

luciroo

1500 may be on the lowish side for you - what is your height/weight and how many pounds/week to lose did you set? I am a 51 year old female, 5'5", current weight around 129 and eat an average of 1600 per day and am losing. It may be better to up your calories and lose slower - it is more sustainable. I think too many people stop dieting or gain back weight because they eat lower calories to lose faster, then get so freaking tired of being hungry they give up.

frankie_xox

What do you have your weight loss rate set to? If you have it set to 2 pounds per week, you could set it to 1.5 or 1 pound per week and you'll be given more calories to work with while still eating at a deficit. If it's already at 1 pound per week, then you may need to research some more calorie-dense foods that will help you feel fuller longer (more fat/protein/fiber can keep you feeling fuller longer). I'm sure others will have some suggestions for food ideas!

Also: http://www.skinnytaste.com/kung-pao-chicken-zoodles-for-two/
I know this isn't as good as take out, but there are lots of lower calorie/make at home recipes that you can try to still get the flavours you enjoy I've actually made this recipe several times and it's quite tasty!

xbowhunter

The first 2 weeks is really hard. Once your body get's over that hump it will adjust. Try to stick to lot's of veggies,oatmeal. Basically filler foods that are low cal. Oh ya & lot's of H20.....

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. Eating enough also includes eating back a portion of your exercise calories if you're using MFP's basic setup. 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.

Unknown

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quiksylver296

@diannethegeek Your answers are always so awesome. I'm always excited to see what you add to the conversation.

yoyeen1981

Water. Drink a lot through the day and it really does keep you full.

I've found that I'm a huge portion person, too.

I always feel "cheated" when what I'm eating looks small. So I've added a lot more veggies to my diet. If I have some lean chicken and rice for dinner, I still feel hungry. But if I add in some steamed veggies (green beans or broccoli usually), the dinner looks bigger and the veggies keep me full.

We like to do Whopper Wednesdays, but if I get just one Whopper (670 calories) for dinner, I feel hungry afterward. Instead, I get two Whopper Jrs (600 calories) and I visually see two is more than one and it makes me feel better.

Maybe I'm just easy to fool, lol.

enterdanger

I agree with @diannethegeek. I would also say that if you are used to eating larger quantities you can try volume eating. I think there is some fancy diet called volumetrics, but the basics of it is to eat large quantities of lower calorie foods and very small treats. For example, I could eat one piece of toast with butter, or I could eat two pieces of plain toast.

When I need a big meal I'll eat like 3-4 cups of broccoli and a 4oz piece of chicken. This fills me up, but doesn't necessarily satisfy my sweet tooth or cravings. I'll used the calories I saved on a nice beer or some chocolate.

jattardi

kristieshannon wrote: »

I believe that 1500 is the minimum calories for men. You may be eating too little. How did you determine that this is the correct cals/day for you? What's your age, height, and starting weight? Are you getting in any activity and do you eat back any of your exercise cals?

These were the values that MFP gave me. I'm 34, 5'7", and my starting weight was 254. I go to the gym 2-3 days a week and usually burn about 350-400 calories (10 miles on a stationary bike and some weights).

jattardi

Kitship wrote: »

1,500 seems too low. When you first started MFP, did you tell it you wanted to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week? If you put 2, it gave you a 1,000 calorie deficit which may have put you at 1,500 per day. I would change it to 1 or 1.5 pounds a week loss. Go to Home > Goals > Edit Daily Nutrition Goals.

ETA: I am a 5'6 female and can lose on 1750 cals/day.

I said 2 lbs/week. I know it might be a lot, but I am so sick of being fat.

jattardi

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I will keep up the fight!

kristieshannon

How long have you been at it? Have you been dropping weight consistently? You could try, for a couple weeks, adding 100-200 cals/day and see if you are still losing.

Also, it took me awhile to realize that hunger between meals is normal. I used to NEVER feel hungry because I was always eating large meals and snacking in between. Our bodies are meant to feel those hunger signals. It was distressing to me the first few weeks, now I've learned to appreciate that feeling. It means what I am doing is working. I'm eating as planned, upping my activity, and losing at a steady, healthy pace.

kuftae

I typically ramp down my calories when i transition from bulking to cutting phases. Looks like you've been bulking for the past few years so we're in about the same spot. Go back to maintenance for a couple days and then slowly ramp down 100 calories a day or whatever.

I always shoot for 2lbs a week too. You just need to fill your stomach up-- veggies, water, or anything with lots of volume for lower calories.

There's also a lot of "diets' or protocols you can follow that could help, could make things worse. You have to try them out though. I like intermittent fasting.

Afura

While I understand just wanting to get rid of it (I started at a higher weight than you), making a transition into eating in a way that you can handle is just as important. And I don't mean cutting out foods/food groups/etc, I just mean eating less of the foods you want to eat. It may be worth going to 1.5 or 1lb a week at first to assist with that.
Log your food as accurately as possible, and take a look at it to really see where there are areas you could trim, and other areas where you could add. And basically just see @diannethegeek s posts.

Queenmunchy

frankie_xox wrote: »

Also: http://www.skinnytaste.com/kung-pao-chicken-zoodles-for-two/
I know this isn't as good as take out, but there are lots of lower calorie/make at home recipes that you can try to still get the flavours you enjoy I've actually made this recipe several times and it's quite tasty!

That's one of my favorite recipes.

itsmemaringle

Have you checked for hypothyroidism? If I don't take my pills I literally cannot eat enough, my body needs more.
Also check what you are eating, is your body getting nourishment from what you are eating? Or is it empty calories? Are your macros on target?
And as always drink water- 2-3 litres each day. I find if I don't drink 2 litres my weight sticks ☹ good luck et us know how you get on

Francl27

jattardi wrote: »

Kitship wrote: »

1,500 seems too low. When you first started MFP, did you tell it you wanted to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week? If you put 2, it gave you a 1,000 calorie deficit which may have put you at 1,500 per day. I would change it to 1 or 1.5 pounds a week loss. Go to Home > Goals > Edit Daily Nutrition Goals.

ETA: I am a 5'6 female and can lose on 1750 cals/day.

I said 2 lbs/week. I know it might be a lot, but I am so sick of being fat.

So let's see. You know that your goal is aggressive, that's what YOU chose, but you still come here to complain that you're hungry.

I just don't get people sometimes. 'hey look I'm starving myself but I'm SO HUNGRY, how can it be?'

Sunny_Bunny_

It's just my preference, but I use a low carb high fat diet. I find it to be more satisfying on fewer calories and lots of people use it as a way to deal with hunger. It's especially helpful if you are insulin resistant, pre diabetic, diabetic or have PCOS.

tomteboda

I agree with everything @diannethegeek said. I would like to add that I've observed getting my full RDA of fiber also helps with hunger.

1 lb/week has been pretty good for me.

filovirus76

Trader Joe's has an awesome Kung Pao Chicken that is very low in calories. I have it about once a week and get a rather large portion. Find some low cal rice or quinoa and you're all set. (hint: my wife uses riced cauliflower)

tomw86

I would suggest upping your calories by switching to 1.5lb loss per week. I'm a 29 male, 5ft 10 currently 236lb and started at 308. I walk 6 to 10 miles a day for work and hit the gym 3 times a week for weight training. Losing at a rate of 1.5 to 2lb a week and eating between 1900 and 2100 calories a day.

I would never have lasted if I'd been eating only 1500 cals a day, I'd have probably eaten my co-workers!

endlessfall16

Francl27 wrote: »

jattardi wrote: »

Kitship wrote: »

1,500 seems too low. When you first started MFP, did you tell it you wanted to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week? If you put 2, it gave you a 1,000 calorie deficit which may have put you at 1,500 per day. I would change it to 1 or 1.5 pounds a week loss. Go to Home > Goals > Edit Daily Nutrition Goals.

ETA: I am a 5'6 female and can lose on 1750 cals/day.

I said 2 lbs/week. I know it might be a lot, but I am so sick of being fat.

So let's see. You know that your goal is aggressive, that's what YOU chose, but you still come here to complain that you're hungry.

I just don't get people sometimes. 'hey look I'm starving myself but I'm SO HUNGRY, how can it be?'

I get what Franc is saying. The OP is wanting to have the cake and eating it, too.

mikkara

...Now that many posters have addressed the issue of your daily caloric intake (I agree, too low for a male), may I suggest that you mix up your exercise routine? If you go to the gym (yay, good for you!), varying the equipment can help with the redistribution of your body weight as you are losing. For instance, try the treadmill and use the incline feature and speed feature. It's a bit harder, but you can burn more calories in a shorter period of time. As to feeling hungry, you may not be eating food with enough fiber in your diet plan. Fiber makes you feel full, and that's why I eat bread, potatoes, lots of leafy greens, etc.

maidengirl_

You could be dehydrated. What may feel like hunger could very well be thrust. Anyway, for your height, age, and starting weight, 1500 calories is too low even with the 2 pounds per week loss you input on MFP. You should be eating around 1800-2000 calories per day.

cate320

Drink more water, and eat more fats and proteins.

I find that if I eat something low in calories, but high in sugar (like a piece of fruit) that I get hungrier faster than if I eat an equivalent amount of calories in meat or fish.

TheLegendaryBrandonHarris

A few tricks I've learned:
Use drugs. Folks will scoff, but it's hard to argue with results. I dropped from 286 to 200 pounds from February to October of last year. I used prescription phendemetrazine under the supervision of a physician.

People above mentioned fluids and I totally agree. I regularly drink water and lemon juice with artificial sweetener when I want something besides water. But water definitely helps.

What's important to you? Dating? A nice new suit? Running a triathalon? Whatever it is, try to stay focused and tell yourself, "This is important to me."

Keep busy. If you're like me, your mind with dwell on food unless it's otherwise occupied. (Ties into the previous suggestion.)

Finish the drill.
Seriously, I went from a high of 317 pounds to my current 200 pounds. YOU CAN DO THIS. What you're trying to do is possible.

I believe in you.