How to beat hunger?

Tiptoetherat

I have asked a lot of people this question. Now I ask all of you in hopes of getting more ideas.

Simply put I'm ALWAYS hungry. If I'm doing my diet right I'm hungry to the point of not being able to think straight in most cases. Worse yet, I'm not loosing weight so I'm going to cut my cals even more in the coming weeks (from 1700 to 1500). This has been going on for years, so I don't think there is any getting used to this, nor do I think its going to go away. My doctor refuses to give me an appetite supressent. So...any ideas on what to do to get my hunger to go away?

I have tried the following.

Drinking LOTS of water
Drinking hot beverages like tea and coffee
Splitting my food up into 6 or even 8 meals per day
Chia seeds
pounding salad and veg
Fiber supplements
Spacing out my protein during the day.

Any other ideas folks? I could sure use some help.

John.

nixxthirteen

Hmm.

I eat 1400-1600 per day and always feel quite full.

My typical workday schedule looks like:

1.) Toast and cream cheese, a banana, a coffee 6:30am
2.) Coffee 8:30am
3.) A Special K Nourish bar, or a Kashi bar 10-11am
4.) Lunch is either a ww tortilla with canned chicken and salsa and spinach, or a lean meat sandwich on light rye, or a chicken caesar salad with 100g shredded seasoned chicken. Then I have a couple 100 cal snacks like Snappea Crisps and yogurt, or string cheese with lunch. This is usually 1-2pm
5.) Dinner (400-600 cals)
6.) Small snack before bed if I have calories left

Drinking flavoured Mio water in between all of it.

hiyomi

Are you absolutely sure you are hungry and not bored? Just have to make sure! If not and if its really that bad, you may want to see a doctor for it and tell him your problem.

arditarose

Have you messed with your macros? More fat? Less fat but high volume? Less carbs/more carbs? What I do might not help you at all. I don't eat until 1, then I keep protein high at about 1g per pound of body weight, moderate fat, lowish carbs. Diet soda, hot tea, high volume veg. 1300 calories during the week and I'm not every terribly hungry.

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AmyRhubarb

How much do you have to lose? Curious why as a 35 year old dude, you're eating 1700 cals a day, and considering cutting to 1500? I'm a 48 year old woman and I lose on 1800-2000 cals a day. Your numbers seem low, and might explain the hunger.

Looking back through your diary for the past week or so - are you logging everything? Some days are really low, some days close to goal, but still don't seem like much food. I think I'd ditch that Starbucks egg salad sandwich - for 500 cals you could do a lot better than one lousy sandwich!

Didn't see much if any "pounding salad and veg" either, unless they just aren't getting logged.

Maybe try more home prepared meals that you could take to work? Cook meals on weekends and pack them up for lunches and dinners during the week? Lean Cuisines are small portions (at least they were when I tried them 20 years ago - haven't touched one since!), and very high in sodium, and not super filling as I recall.

Easy meal - cook up a batch of rice (white or brown, whatever you prefer), and portion out half cup scoops into small ziplocs, and then freeze them. Easy to pop into a bowl with some chicken (leftover or even the canned stuff is decent, I get it at Costco), some canned black beans, salsa, avocado, a little cheese, a little plain Greek yogurt or sour cream - easy lunch, inexpensive and filling with good protein, carbs, fat and fiber to keep you feeling satisfied and full. Change it up by skipping the salsa and drizzling with a little BBQ sauce, maybe toss some corn kernels in there if you like. Add romaine lettuce to either one for more volume.

JeromeBarry1

Well, sir, you have lost 32 lb. I'm going to hazard the guess that your diary is just not accurate because it doesn't resemble your comments in this conversation. The "TRY HARDER!" speech qualifies you for a refund because it's not going to work for anyone, not you, not me. Human will power is a finite and vanishing resource. Some people just do have greater production and sensitivity to the leptin and ghrelin signals of hunger regulation. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17212793

One strategy I offer is to prepare all your meals at home and without salt. I suspect that the salt in your restaurant food is triggering you to want to eat more.

EddieP50

Get a lot of Protein and Fiber. Eat foods that have more volume but low calories.

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Mike02209

May sound a bit crazy, but if you are hungry and you think shouldn't be (cause you have eaten recently) , try playing Tetris or something similar on your phone. After a couple of minutes you forget about food.

kirstinethornburg

protein shakes, water, salads with lunches and dinners and nuts for snacks help me

kirstinethornburg

working out also helps with hunger

endlessfall16

Maybe you have a very low "pain" tolerance and willpower. Could you remember any instance (not related to foods) that tested your willpower? Like hiking 5 miles in 90 F degree, something like that? It's hard for anyone to know another person's "feels"

OfficialDSXIII

Hey man, I'm like you and can be hungry ALL the time. 6 small meals won't cut it for people like us.

What I've found helpful is intermittent fasting. At first your stomach will be growling like crazy, but after you get used to it you don't even think about food during the fasting period. I usually stop eating around 7pm and don't eat again until the next day around 2pm when I get out of work. Sometimes I don't even eat until 5pm..

When I do eat though.. I smash like the Hulk! After I'm done eating I finally feel satisfied.

You should definitely give it a try before taking appetite suppressants.

matuskap

I dont think beating hunger is the way to go for you from what i read. I got it fixed for myself with uping my calories (or more like accepting daily binge that came as part of the day anyway) and up the cardio a little more. Body doesnt crave back as much energy as it gave out with cardio. So burn 500, eat back 350 and you are good to go Slow but VERY effective.

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angerelle

Tiptoetherat wrote: »

The egg salad sandwiches that I have in my log are NOT from starbucks I typically use that sandwhich because I figure its best to estimate high with what I eat. But no I go very much out of my way to not eat out.

I'm sorry, I don't have anything particularly helpful to add, but this confused me. The *best* thing to do is log accurately, not estimate high. I don't understand why you can't log your sandwich properly if you are making it yourself, which is what your comment implies.

skbird50

I will get hungry after a work out, and the stresses from work get my too. I find that when I add a 1/4 of an avocodo to a meal, and also I use GG bran crispbreads as a subtitute for bread whith plenty of water, I no longer have those distracting hunger panges. GG and non fat cream cheese are a staple in my diet and cost me very few calories. I keep my fiber and protein high. I eat 1100 to 1300 calories a day.

grubb1019

Have you had medical tests run? Maybe there is a medical reason for your constant hunger.

tlflag1620

You could try playing with your macros. My personal experience is that when I eat high carb, I'm hungry all. the. time. Dropping the carbs and eating more fat works for me - I was able to eat fewer calories (went from averaging 1800 per day to 1600 per day) without feeling hungry, some days I struggle to reach 1600 (that said, I'm a 35 female, I'm not saying you should only eat 1600). If you don't want to try carb restriction, you can always try to up the protein and/or fiber- many people find that helps (I wasn't one of them).
I do think whatever you decide to do you should log accurately. No sense in eating less than you are allowed to! That will make anyone hungry.

_benjammin

I'll second the more protein and fiber recommendation. Also, maybe intermittent fasting. I don't eat til noon, 2 or 3 cups of coffee keeps hunger at bay for me.

970Mikaela1

I'm going to throw another vote for intermittent fasting. If I eat breakfast my appetite is insatiable. I don't eat until lunchtime and I'm all good. Then dinner at 7 or 8

DanSTL82

First off, when most people think they are hungry, they're actually just bored and want the entertainment of eating something delicious. There's a saying that goes, "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry." When you are really hungry, does an apple sound appetizing to you, or are you wanting chips, etc.?

Secondly, eat less bread-y stuff. Carbs like bread, pasta, and chips will make you hungrier faster. Set your protein and fat macros to 40% and 35%, with carbs being 25%. You'll notice you eat much more meat and veggies and much less bread that way.

Alluminati

Intermittent fasting works for me, as well.

AliceAxe

here is an article I foudn that I hope helps.
http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/suffer-from-excessive-hunger-12-reasons-you-need-to-take-it-more-seriously/

I have hypoglycemia. my blood sugar can go dangerously low if I dont eat all the time like a damn shrew. it makes me ravenously hungry all the time and it hell trying to lose weight like this. I have to take nutrition bars with protien and such everywhere I go , eat before bed and in the middle of the night. Ive found that I can get away with constant snaking to keep it up and things at bay but every so often I have to have a big meal, usualy at least one per day. it realy helps to be on a low glycemic diet. it stablised things a lot so I dont get realy bad attacks out of the blue. I used to go down into the 20s and pass out. now I just get disoriented and the shakes if Im not careful or my body decides I havent had enough food, but Im good at knowing the signs.

sounds like youve tried everything with little relief. I would definatley find a differnt doctor that will take your problem seriously.

endlessfall16

Tiptoetherat wrote: »

endlessfall16 wrote: »

Maybe you have a very low "pain" tolerance and willpower. Could you remember any instance (not related to foods) that tested your willpower? Like hiking 5 miles in 90 F degree, something like that? It's hard for anyone to know another person's "feels"

This is a fair question! And here is a fair reply. I used to wrestle in High school I finished a match with a broken arm.

Nowadays I race cars, I have done three 24 hour endurance races and finished two of them.

I have my faults, but I don't think lack of will is one of them. ;-)

Those things certainly tested most people's willpower.

One of my strategies with hunger is to IGNORE IT when I know I get enough nutrition in the day and am not getting dangerous symptoms (headache, dizziness, shaking, etc). But you said your hunger kept you from thinking straight, I suppose you can play around with previous meal's time and your macros.

I also correspond my calorie intake with activities that I can see ahead. If I know I'll sit in the office for the next 4 hours, a creamy coffee will be enough. If I have an exercise session, I'd load up a bit of carbs 1 hours before.

Good hunger, appetite suppressants for me are: coffee, excitement, brazil nuts with water, jicama, psyschology, visualization (my cravings go away when I imagine how salty bacon is, or how greasy, dirty burger patty comes off the grill).

These days I'm actually not craving or hungry a lot. That's because I eat fully when I like, and I don't eat when I want to lose weight. Wanting and desiring is the keyword here. It's very strong and the driving force. So much that I don't even need to count or log anything.

Kamikazeflutterby

Tiptoetherat wrote: »

Ok folks a bit more info.

I have pretty much given up on food because after years of dieting I have grown to hate and resent eating. That's another conversation though!

I don't eat a lot of veg nowadays because I hate them the most and eating lots of them didn't help, so why eat them?

The egg salad sandwiches that I have in my log are NOT from starbucks I typically use that sandwhich because I figure its best to estimate high with what I eat. But no I go very much out of my way to not eat out.

I use a 1700 cal diet because that seems to be the only thing that KINDA works...which makes me think that 1500 is more like what I need to be at. I have gone as high as 2500 in the past, and the hunger is still there.

NONE of my health professionals (and yes I have seen more then one) will give me anything to help with the constant hunger they ALL just tell me to "try harder!" when it comes to loosing weight.

How much do I want to loose?? ALL OF IT!!

hope that helps

John

Your profile says you've lost 32 of 34 pounds. Is this accurate? How much are you trying to lose a week? If the answer isn't "only .5lbs or less" then I think that's your problem. The less you have to lose, the slower you should be trying to lose it. Near the end you should be eating so close to maintenance that poor measuring will blow your calories for the day. Sounds like you could be overcompensating by overestimating, and making yourself miserable.

That "high" egg salad estimate is bad. Enter your egg salad recipe with the ingredients weighed, then weigh the amount of egg salad it makes. Make one "serving" equal one ounce/gram/kropog/whatever, weigh the volume you'd normally eat, then eat the crap out of it. I bet you'll be surprised at the difference between a high guess and reality.

PAV8888

I don't know your past history, or you current needs. I do know what I see in your logs. And what you say.

To me a 35 yo male whose doctor is telling him to try harder and lose weight is currently clinically obese. So we have a 35 yo obese male... whose TDEE should be in the hight 2Ks if not close to 3K... which means that 1700 is plenty low enough to lose weight.

How much do you move around in a day? Increase walking (not exercise.. just some moving around... even the 250 steps an hour thing).

FOOD: You may have given up on vegetables.... well.... say hello to carrots, celery and onions.

carrots (125 to 170g) to celery (1/3 to 1/2 of carrot amount) and low cal frozen fruit (say unsweetened strawberries) or mid cal frozen fruit (say blueberries... about 1.5x carrots).... scoop of protein powder (has sweetener)... OR 1 or 2 0% sucralose or stevia sweetened yogurts. possibly 1-2g of cinnamon or 10g of unsweetened cocoa. And unsweetened cashew vanilla milk.... You haven't even hit 500 Cal. You might even be able to throw in 15-20g of chia seeds before you hit 550.

And there is no way that after drinking a good 1.25L to 1.33L of spoon thick shake slurpee that you will be hungry (other than bored hungry) right away!

<hint: I splurge and throw in 50 to 100 Cal of mini chocolate chips while eating... cause crunchy and fun to fish with every spoonful>

Eggs... say 2 large eggs (about 100 to 110g) for 150 Cal. Plus 300g of egg whites another 150 Cal. Plus 100g each of celery, onions, carrots, and mushrooms plus 150g of green peppers (151 Cal for 450g of veggies).... so far we have 451 Cal and 700g worth of food to go blam in your stomach.

You can then fit in about 75g of chicken breast or Canadian back bacon a pinch of baking powder and a couple of sprays of Pam before you hit the 550 Cal mark.

Stir fry the veg. and optional meat, beat the eggs with a pinch of baking powder and pour them in, cook at extremely low heat covered on stove or shove into oven to finish at 350ish.... pretty darn filling for a 550 Cal egg bake. if you're vegetarian add some water and chickpea flour (basan) into the mix instead of the meat.

Anyway.... just saying that things like the above... or soups... soups made with low cal veg like cabbage for example.... I see a lot of options available out there.

YES: 1700 will leave you hungry. I don't know your situation. I started at 48 yo. before fitness pal and trying to figure things out I was stupid hungry at times and spending calories on things like subway sandwiches and olive oil for my salad dressing.... because subway is low cal and olive oil is healthy, right?

I started MFP and with a 2lb goal I was supposed to be eating at 1700.

Didn't like it too much so I gradually upped it. For some reason MFP is not making too much sense for me looking back to early 2015 where I was steadily losing at ~1.5lbs a week... but my records indicate that I very quickly ramped up from eating at around 2100 to eating at around 2300 and then 2500 a day.... and have since moved up while still losing at an extremely slow pace.

Plus walking. I certainly didn't do anything more than just walk till I was well under 200lbs. Heck i still don't do much more than just walk.

But I certainly DO walk AND choose to eat food that is low calorie but high volume

PAV8888

Weigh your food. Your log shows only cups and eyeball estimates. Yes, some entries don't have gram options... but I still measure in grams and convert back... just saying.

Lose the banana and peanut butter... try apples instead of banana (unless using a banana for a smoother smoothie experience... but think of it as luxury when you compare cals and staying power compared to apples) and plain Greek yogurt which you can flavour with a 0% artificially sweetened yogurt instead. Or in which you can mix PB2 if you really need to have the taste of peanut butter in your day.

So, yeah... use your logs to optimize your day.

And use a trending weight app or program.

Because if you're not losing fast you really do need something like that to keep you sane and stop you from over-reacting to water weight changes.

Oh, and if you only have 2lbs to lose... ignore everything I've just been babbling about and realize that the correct deficit for you is 0.5lbs a week or even 0.25lbs a week... not 2lbs like you are currently set at.... 2lbs is suitable if you're clinically obese.

85Cardinals

Intermittent fasting has helped me deal with hunger issues, yes. It wasn't easy at first but it get better after a couple of weeks. And then you actually start to enjoy eating more cause you don't take it for granted anymore.

lemonychild

feed it