Always Hungry

whatfatjeans

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

Jayco141

Drink Water, lots of it. Many times when we think we are hungry, we are simply dehydrated and need to drink more. When hungry slam a cup of water. It makes a huge difference.

magpie0829

I second the advice of drinking water. Always have a bottle of water handy and if you feel a hunger pang (or what you think is a hunger pang) drink some water and see how you feel again in 10 minutes.

elsesvan

agree with water and much more veggies...But you know this I guess...;)

DannyRedgrave

Smoke cigarettes, and drink diet soda. It'll satisfy that pesky need.

kshama2001

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

Please change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

LeslieB042812

There are so many factors that impact hunger! I think it really comes down to individual differences and I would encourage you experiment to find what works for you. Some ideas of places to experiment include:

Play with the timing of when and what you eat. For some people, eating throughout the day staves off hunger; for others, saving calories for the end of the day does (this is me!). Some people do better working out on an empty stomach, for others after a small meal is better and others have a tiny snack first (splitting the difference).

Also, think about food volume, which basically means that 20 calories of lettuce will fill a bigger hole in your belly than 20 calories of peanut butter. Looking at your list of foods for today, avocado and peanut butter are both good for you, but low volume for the calories. Depending on the amount of each that you're eating, you might be using up your calories for very small volume. I'd recommend at least adding in more veggies for low calorie bulk.

Also, depending on how you prepare your food, you might be consuming more "empty" calories. For example, an instant oatmeal typically has a lot of sugar, which will use up your calories without filling you up. Likewise, not all Greek yogurts are created equal. I look for brands and styles that have a high protein/calorie ratio and minimal added sugars, to get the most satiety for my calories.

Last on my list (although there's tons more!), some people respond better to different macro mixes. You mentioned that you're focusing on protein, but looking at your day, you could probably boost your protein to carb ratio. Other people, though, don't feel full unless they have more carbs.

Good luck finding your happy spot!

LeslieB042812

Also, are you sure you're eating enough for your workout levels? Sometimes, you're hungry because you legitimately need more food!

whatfatjeans

Thanks everyone! I drink a lot of water. On my 100 ounce of the day. I drink 128 ounces, so a gallon of water daily. I haven't had this issue with my journey so far, it's only been the last two days.

Leslie- my oatmeal is weight control by Stop & Shop. It's low in sugars along with my Greek yogurt. I will try adding some more carbs with my food!

whatfatjeans

LeslieB042812 wrote: »

Also, are you sure you're eating enough for your workout levels? Sometimes, you're hungry because you legitimately need more food!

I tend to burn 400-800 calories a workout. I add an extra 100-200 depending on the workout.

kshama2001

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Thanks everyone! I drink a lot of water. On my 100 ounce of the day. I drink 128 ounces, so a gallon of water daily. I haven't had this issue with my journey so far, it's only been the last two days.

Leslie- my oatmeal is weight control by Stop & Shop. It's low in sugars along with my Greek yogurt. I will try adding some more carbs with my food!

I think you need more protein rather than more carbs, which is why I asked you to open up your diary. I'd like to see your macros.

LeslieB042812

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Leslie- my oatmeal is weight control by Stop & Shop. It's low in sugars along with my Greek yogurt. I will try adding some more carbs with my food!

I wouldn't recommend adding more carbs besides lower carb veggies--you already have a lot of carbs on your list and they don't tend to be as filling! I prefer using the oatmeal from the tub and just using the fruit as a sweetener (and maybe a touch of splenda or other controled sweetener). A trick I learned from Hungry Girl is to double the water that you put in your oatmeal and then let it sit longer so it absorbs the water. This helps with the volume filling your belly!

LeslieB042812

whatfatjeans wrote: »

LeslieB042812 wrote: »

Also, are you sure you're eating enough for your workout levels? Sometimes, you're hungry because you legitimately need more food!

I tend to burn 400-800 calories a workout. I add an extra 100-200 depending on the workout.

How do you know what you're burning? If you're confident you're burning that much, then you're definitely not eating enough. However, those estimated calorie burns seem really high.... If they come from MFP (or any other online calculator), then most people recommend eating half of them back. Using that formula, you should be eating an extra 200-400 calories on workout days. See if you are still losing weight when you add in half of your calories and you might have found your solution.

mis1022

I would also save to give it time. And that is comes in waves. Some days I am famished and could eat everything...other days I am not so much. Probably not really advice in there, expect that it is normal and will come and go.

JeromeBarry1

If you are hungry all the time, I'd say that 2 months is an appropriate time to review your goals. If your goal is the all-too-frequent 2 lb per week, adjust it to 1 or 1/2 and meet your calorie budget with vegetables and protein.

I looked at your most recent day in your diary and I shall characterize it as "a lot of candy and sweets". That's not the sort of feeding plan that creates satiety.

AmyRhubarb

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

What's your daily calorie goal, and are you exercising?

whatfatjeans

AmyRhubarb wrote: »

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

What's your daily calorie goal, and are you exercising?

1620
I work out 5 days a week

AmyRhubarb

whatfatjeans wrote: »

AmyRhubarb wrote: »

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

What's your daily calorie goal, and are you exercising?

1620
I work out 5 days a week

Are you eating back any exercise cals?

sarabushby

You could make some swaps. Eg the avocado, peanut butter and Greek yoghurt (unless non fat) are all calorie dense. You could probably find more filling foods for the same calorie allowance. E.g swap the avocado for other green vegetables such as broccoli & asparagus, lose the peanut butter altogether and have non-fat Greek yoghurt rather than regular.

whatfatjeans

I thought peanut butter was good for you

DisneyDude85

sarabushby wrote: »

You could make some swaps. Eg the avocado, peanut butter and Greek yoghurt (unless non fat) are all calorie dense. You could probably find more filling foods for the same calorie allowance. E.g swap the avocado for other green vegetables such as broccoli & asparagus, lose the peanut butter altogether and have non-fat Greek yoghurt rather than regular.

With that suggestion she won't have any fat in her diet at all!

zyxst

whatfatjeans wrote: »

I thought peanut butter was good for you

PB is fine if you can fit in your goals and you like it. It's not evil.

LPflaum

whatfatjeans wrote: »

I thought peanut butter was good for you

Everything in moderation. Peanut butter is extremely calorie dense- 1 tablespoon has 94 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1.5g of sugar, and 4g of protein. One or two tablespoons isn't a bad idea. A quarter of cup will give you more than half of your fat calories for an entire day.

PiperGirl08

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

Lose the granola bar and replace with fruit.
Have the Chicken Breast meal for dinner.
Have PB on whole grain for lunch.
You should still have room for an after dinner snack.

Don't follow the advice about smoking and diet soda.

sarabushby

@DisneyDude85 I understood she still has more calories yet to consume. The granola bar almost certainly has some fat, potentially milk in the oatmeal depending how it's prepped. Peanut butter is SO calorie dense without being filling that there must be other food choices that could replace it and still have some fat. It was just a suggestion for how to feel fuller on the same calories.

LPflaum

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Hi guys!

So I'm two months into my weight loss journey, down 11 pounds. Lately, I've been noticing I'm hungry ALL day. I eat healthy, protein, that jazz. But for example pre-workout I only have 330 calories to eat.

Today I had: oatmeal with raspberries
Apple
Chicken breast with brown rice avocado fresh fruit and Greek yogurt
Think thin granola bar
Celery & peanut butter

I'm eating enough but I'm hungry. What do I do?

Maybe replace that granola bar with a protein shake?

LPflaum

sarabushby wrote: »

@DisneyDude85 I understood she still has more calories yet to consume. The granola bar almost certainly has some fat, potentially milk in the oatmeal depending how it's prepped. Peanut butter is SO calorie dense without being filling that there must be other food choices that could replace it and still have some fat. It was just a suggestion for how to feel fuller on the same calories.

Which ThinkThin bar are you eating?

itsbasschick

you don't list the amounts you're eating, so it could be that, but you're eating most of your protein mid-day. maybe spread it out throughout the day. a non-fat greek yogurt in the morning won't add many calories if you drop the raspberries. you're already having an apple.

fruit sugars don't last as long as complex carbs, and peanut butter is calorie dense, so if you're waiting to eat more or eat more often, maybe you could replace it with a dip made of non-fat greek yogurt, dill, a little parmesan cheese.

PiperGirl08

Personally, I find PB to be filling -- I have 2TBS of fresh ground most days for lunch. PB also has numerous nutritional benefits, so the calories are not empty.

no_day_but_2day

LPflaum wrote: »

whatfatjeans wrote: »

I thought peanut butter was good for you

Everything in moderation. Peanut butter is extremely calorie dense- 1 tablespoon has 94 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1.5g of sugar, and 4g of protein. One or two tablespoons isn't a bad idea. A quarter of cup will give you more than half of your fat calories for an entire day.

Depends which kind you get

kshama2001

whatfatjeans wrote: »

I thought peanut butter was good for you

Your 1 T of peanut butter is not the problem.

Looks like your macros are set to 60% carbs, 15% fat, and 25% protein, which is not working for you, as you are hungry. You could add protein powder, an egg, or Greek yogurt to your breakfast. Or have eggs. Since you're an omnivore, just have more meat with other meals.

I like 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein, which, FWIW, also happens to be "The Zone." I can go higher on carbs when I'm getting them from foods such as legumes. I have to be careful of foods made from flour as this triggers me to overeat. I make sure my snacks have protein as well. For example, I had cheese, almonds, and a tangerine today.