Hunger

russianraver

Ever since I started my diet I have been having hunger pains is there any thing I can do to help curve this sensation.

janejellyroll

Some more details would be helpful -- Do you have an aggressive goal? Are you eating back exercise calories? Are you getting enough protein, fiber, and fat?

russianraver

My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week. And I eat the smallest portions possible at the Cafeteria at work.

janejellyroll

russianraver wrote: »

My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week. And I eat the smallest portions possible at the Cafeteria at work.

2 pounds a week is the most aggressive goal and will give you the fewest calories. If the hunger is enough of an issue, you can always choose a more reasonable goal -- that will give you more calories to eat per day.

diannethegeek

These are my really generic 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.

Blitzia

I think diannethegeek has great advice. But I have some followup questions from what you said here:

russianraver wrote: »

My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week. And I eat the smallest portions possible at the Cafeteria at work.

What is your starting height and weight? 2 pounds might be too aggressive of a goal. If you drop your goal from 2 pounds to one pound, you would be able to eat significantly more food. How long have you been dieting and how are you dieting? Are you counting calories? All you need to do in order to lose weight is count your calories and make sure you are at a calorie deficit. You say you eat the smallest portions possible at the cafeteria - that doesn't sound like calorie counting to me. By counting your calories you may be able to eat more than you are eating now and still lose weight. If you start to pick your portions by calories instead of just by what looks small, you can eat large portions of foods that aren't very calorie dense like vegetables and lean meats, which is probably more filling than just trying to get the smallest portions possible.

russianraver

214LBS I have to weight 204 by the end of the month or my military career will be in danger I just recovered from acl surgery and I was eating the same amount of calories as I was before I tore my acl

livingleanlivingclean

Can you take your own food? Being able to choose options that are less calorie dense will enable you to eat bigger portions which may satisfy you more

DietPrada

Hunger is the reason most people end up yoyo dieting, cave and put it all back on again. I know, I did it for 20 years. The last 4 years though, I've been able to stick to my calorie goal, and hunger (that gnawing kind that makes you forget your diet) is a thing of the past. Low carb, moderate protein and plenty of fat. Protein and fat are great at keeping you satisfied. Too many carbs promote an insulin response which causes hunger and can be a vicious cycle. I know everyone's different, but maybe try it for a bit. Eat plenty of protein and full fat foods, cut back on the sugar and carbs - see if you're more satisfied.

russianraver

I plan to lose all my fat weight and then work the process of gaining muscle once I get my body fat % back to 15% or less

TavistockToad

russianraver wrote: »

I plan to lose all my fat weight and then work the process of gaining muscle once I get my body fat % back to 15% or less

you should work on losing fat while retaining as much muscle as possible... gaining muscle is hard work...

russianraver

I am unable to make my own food because I am deployed

edwill3456

Make sure your eating plenty of protein fiber and fat. When I cut I do a 40/40/20 ratio for my macros. It keeps me in satiety.