I'm always hungry! Help!!

ashtonclairex

I'm eating really healthy. But within hours I'm starving, I ignored it at first but I keep going light headed. What do I need to eat more off to keep me full? Porridge doesn't work for me!

diannethegeek

Porridge never really lets me feel full either unless I add protein. I do much better with eggs & veggies or avocado & toast, myself.

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.

cmriverside

More protein. Are you eating fats? That's important too. Fiber.

I find I do best when every meal and snack has a balance of Carbohydrates/Fats/Protein and fiber. So - whole grain breads and cereal, lots of vegetables and a little fruit every meal along with my lean protein. Porridge by itself would leave me hungry too. Have an egg with it or some turkey sausage. Pour extra milk on it. Throw some chopped nuts on top.

If you are doing that and still starving, eat low cal vegetables in between meals. Snack on a bag of salad mix or a plate of cucumbers, carrots, peppers, celery, tomato. Pair that with some cottage cheese or hummus and it will tide you over till the next meal.

ashtonclairex

It's protein and fats I believe I'm missing out on. My mind is just salad salad salad!

cmriverside

I know, it's hard to make changes. You need protein and fats, though - they help with satiety. A half tablespoon of coconut oil or butter with your porridge (or nuts) will help.

ashtonclairex

That's good advise I'll give it a go! Thanks

pinuplove

ashtonclairex wrote: »

That's good advise I'll give it a go! Thanks

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when someone takes the good advice given by the regulars here, who preach the same thing daily only to often have it fall on deaf ears or be shot down by excuses, and runs with it Good luck getting full, OP!

Theo166

cmriverside wrote: »

I know, it's hard to make changes. You need protein and fats, though - they help with satiety. A half tablespoon of coconut oil or butter with your porridge (or nuts) will help.

Or mix in 1-2 tablespoon of peanut butter!

whatlunasaid

Fiber, fiber, fiber. Try and have a light salad or soup before/with each meal, but give yourself something substantial too. Pick whole foods over processed foods. Don't drink your calories. Drink tea if you're sick of water. Snack on nuts and nut butters, hummus, and greek yogurt.

I personally find that nuts and nut butters are more satisfying than oils and butter. But it will take experimentation to find out what works for you.

ashtonclairex

Thanks for all the advise everyone! My downside is I'm allergy to nuts! But I'll deffo give all the other advise ago!

fitbethlin

diannethegeek wrote: »

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.

YES. THIS. ALL OF THIS. OMG.

zheeduh

There's some pretty smart tips in this post on how to play around with your calories.

I would also vouch for the "meal timings" tip. I actually would recommend trying intermittent fasting (eating only within 8 hours each day, or basically skipping a meal). A lot of the times, if I eat breakfast, it just results in me getting hungry again in 3 hours. But if I skip breakfast and focus on doing work, I find that the hunger comes and goes.

try2again

When I have oatmeal, the bowl is almost overflowing & holds me half the day because of the cup of berries in it

debtay123

If you are a volume eater and like salads as you said- be sure to add protein and a healthy fat to it- such as lean chicken or beef or maybe an egg- for healthy fat could add a few nuts, little avocado etc.

samasam799

I know how u feel I'm always hungry at work im a food server looking at food all day. I notice since I been drinking or eating something with high protien I'm not hungry