Constant hunger!!!

twistedwoman

Hi, my goals are set to lose 1 per week. I am trying to stay away from junk food but I'm constantly starving.

Currently today I have had weetabix for breakfast, chicken, sweet potato, broccoli and courgette for lunch. Also snacked on grapes and a bit of pineapple and I'm still hungry and it's only 3.20pm!!

How can I feel fuller for longer??

Thanks

SamanthaLouiseMence

Are you drinking plenty of water? You can feel hungry when your body needs water

Red5092

Drink a lot of water, and go for a walk. Your day looks good nutritionally, maybe you need a distraction to stop thinking about food.

twistedwoman

Yes I try to drink 10 large cups a day

refuseresist

More protein could help maybe greek yoghurt in the morning, eggs or something with lunch?

twistedwoman

Trouble is that I leave for work very early in the morning and can't eat breakfast that early. At work we only have a microwave, not even a toaster so it's quite restrictive really.

VintageFeline

Weetbix is basically as filling as eating air for me. Try some other breakfast alternatives. I like porridge and a giant mug of coffee, keeps me going a while. Others prefer something more protein heavy. If you have the room adding some fats in could help too (butter on the veg for example).

VintageFeline

We posted at the same time. What about overnight oats? Can do it in advance and just grab on your way out the door.

refuseresist

twistedwoman wrote: »

Trouble is that I leave for work very early in the morning and can't eat breakfast that early. At work we only have a microwave, not even a toaster so it's quite restrictive really.

No one suggested eating earlier. What time do you have your weetabix?

Lounmoun

Your lunch is probably fine. Try more protein and fats.
breakfast or snack ideas- Greek yogurt, granola bars, sandwich, dinner leftovers, nuts, hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, hummus, trail mix

CorneliusPhoton

I have found that plenty of protein, fat, and fiber is key to feeling satiated. Try adding nuts to your breakfast. Whole milk. Strawberries, Avocados, guacamole, chicken, nuts, black beans, lentils, greek yogurt.

twistedwoman

I have breakfast at work at about 8.30 and lunch around 1ish depending on time. Think I need to get more organised for breakfast.

CorneliusPhoton

Also, hardboiled eggs!

twilaorr

I know exactly how you feel. I'm about 8 weeks into a weightless program, and initially I felt like I was constantly starving! I found something that works for me. For breakfast, I have a pouch of Oat Revolution Steel Cut oatmeal. It comes in microwave pouches, so it would be perfect for you to take to work. You pour the pouch into a bowl, fill the pouch with water and pour it into the bowl, then microwave 2.5 minutes. I toss on a handful of blueberries and it's ready to eat, very good, only around 190 calories and the best part: filling! It definitely stops the feeling of being hungry. Good luck!

niblue

What works for me is exercising more, which gives me more leeway with what I eat.

astrampe

Hardboiled eggs for breakfast - you can cook 10, peel them and keep them in little containers - just grab a container and you are set. Also protein shakes if you don't have time...Or even weetbix and eat it with a proteinshake instead of milk.
Prep a bunch of chicken legs and keep in the fridge - eggs & chicken will keep you full until lunch....

MommyL2015

If you're used to eating a lot more, you'll just need to be a little uncomfortable for a bit until your body gets used to your new lower volume days. I don't have a quick fix but as others have said, higher protein and fiber helped me, and evenings with huge plates of roasted vegetables with grilled or baked chicken breasts help me get the volume I miss with low calories.

With that said, don't go super hungry. Eat appropriately because being miserable isn't going to help you stay motivated.

svel713

Are you getting enough protein? If you have a refrigerator at work, you can bring some milk in a bottle and mix it with protein powder around lunch. Some powders are as low as 110 cals, and with 5-6oz of milk would bring a shake to ~200 cals and ~30g protein.

raychl88

Steel cut oatmeal, for me, is the best bang for my calorie buck for breakfast. I eat it around 6:30 and as long as I drink enough water throughout the morning I feel satiated until lunch at noon. Your lunch sounds good and filling. Maybe something a little more substantial, like greek yogurt, would be a more satisfying afternoon snack. Also try having a cup or two of herbal tea...you'd be surprised how full that can make you feel.

If you're just starting out with calorie counting, this is a normal phase. It's probably that you're not so much "starving" as you're just unfamiliar with limiting your eating and snacking. It gets easier!

raychl88

...Also if you're finding it really difficult to stay within your calorie allowance, you can use that as motivation to earn more calories with exercise.

twistedwoman

I'm doing ok on the exercise front, I have started bootcamp 2 times per week and also do swimming lessons once per week (42 and I can't swim!!). I also always hit 12,000 as I walk my dog every evening on a long walk over the woods as he is blind and can't walk on streets.

Thanks for all advice.

tennileb

My challenge has always been yes I'm hungry ....but why? Bored hungry , thirsty hungry, anxious hungry, or less likely physical hunger .

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.

dlkfox

When you first start out, hunger is typical. Part of it is just learning that not feeling full is OK and the new normal.

Experiment with macros -- high fiber is the winner for me. You'll have to figure out what works best for you. My first thought is all that your snack of fruit is quickly metabolized by your body -- add or replace with protein which takes longer.

CattOfTheGarage

Yeah, hang in there. I was hungry for a few weeks and then I adjusted. Hunger won't hurt you - although if you're so hungry you're getting light headed or nauseous, it would probably be worth trying to fit in a snack.

Eggs at breakfast really do make a difference, even if it's just a cold boiled egg you bring into work. You can boil a batch of them at the beginning of the week, only takes 10min.

SezxyStef

I agree more protein in the morning and at lunch.

I make a fruit smoothie with protein powder in the summer and in winter I warm up egg muffins (easy just look on pintrest) and ham in the microwave at work in the winter.

I bring greek yogurt with me just in case and ensure I get protein in at lunch too....

but there is a greek yogurt there just in case.

If you do need a snack try greek yogurt veggie dip with celery etc.

twistedwoman

Great ideas, thanks

Rabbitsocksgardener

I find that I can eat like 5000 calories and not feel full if I'm not eating the right food for my metabolism. Mine is very slow so I really only feel satisfied when I eat a buttload of vegetables (fruit too). That keeps me fuller longer than carbs and protein from breads or meats! I would say to make a point of adding a couple extra portions of low calorie produce! And to hang in there because your body and mind always need an adjustment period to changes in diet

Psychgrrl

I make a protein shake before work and drink it on the way. Yummy and filling. Hard boiled eggs. Salad with extra chicken breast or tuna. You don't have to be able to cook. I'm lazy and by the pre-boiled eggs at the store.

Sunny_Bunny_

I couldn't eat low enough calories for weight loss consistently enough to amount to much in the past. I gave low carb a try and now I can easily go 8 to 10 hours til my next meal without snacks if I have to. I am totally content eating 2 meals a day without snacks every day and hunger isn't an issue anymore.
For me, the carbs just made me hungry again too soon. They didn't stick with me and it was too hard to not overeat when I felt hungry every single day. I could deal with it some days... But not day after day after day.

goutham6779

Inused to feel the same before after starting the workout like running and yoga and eclipster my body started asking for more food but that is not actually hunger .when we feel like eating something we need to postpone it .for example when i feel hungry in between i convince my self i will eat after drinking a glass of water .once when i consume a glass or 2 glasses of water depending upon the hunger i feel relaxed and i could postpone my self taking food for 1 hour then i will continue the something after 1 hour.