Should I eat if I'm hungry even if it goes over the count?

anditshannah
anditshannah Posts: 20 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Sometimes I feel really bad hunger pains and it makes me feel sick or makes me not able to sleep. Should I eat anyways? Even if it goes over my count for the day?
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Replies

  • marelthu
    marelthu Posts: 184 Member
    I would say yes. Usually if I'm hungry before I go to bed I'll have some yogurt or a half cup of Kefir. Others may differing opinions.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    indigoblue9572 wrote: »
    You may want to reassess your calorie deficit if you're feeling such strong hunger pangs. Eat something light (a few carrot sticks, a piece of apple, a piece of cheese) if you're hungry. Definitely check to see if your current deficit is too low to sustain. You shouldn't feel that hungry if you're eating properly.

    I tend to agree with this. If it is mild hunger or just wanting to snack while watching TV then I ignore it. If it is enough to keep you up at night then I would eat something. If this is happening often though you should re-evaluate your intake and meal timing.



  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    Also, how are you counting your calories? If you are guessing or eye balling, you may be overestimating your calories. Use a food scale. Meaning you might have more calories to eat to hit your daily goal by just measuring properly.
  • bunny_347
    bunny_347 Posts: 10 Member
    Yes, i had this, hunger pains to the point of feeling sick. Had just started Kyla's workouts, + usual 40 mins running + low intensity everyday exercise. I felt sick for 1.5 weeks. Then i binged. Felt awful. Carried on binging. Take away message can you sustain what your doing (unlikely if you are not sleeping well)? If you cant listen to your body, keep a reasonable defecit, re-assess what you are doing.

    If you are super active 1200 cal is not going to do it for you, lower the deficit. stick in for the long term.
  • infinitynevermore
    infinitynevermore Posts: 98 Member
    If you're that hungry, bring your limit up by 250 and see if that works. If it doesn't, or you start gaining, you might want to tighten up your logging.
  • bigmuneymfp
    bigmuneymfp Posts: 2,235 Member
    No
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,669 Member
    I get super hungry on any calorie count if my macros are out of whack. Think about what satiates you. Try out some days with different combinations - higher fat, carbs, protein, or (not technically a macro) fiber. It may help you feel better without going over.

    For me, that means fewer carbs. For example, I had a special meal planned where I was going to go over my calories last night. Homemade french fries. I ate a ton, but an hour later I was starving. Today, I'll eat chili for dinner, will be comfortably within my calorie goal, and predict I'll be satisfied all night.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    If you are that hungry when you go to bed, you are doing something wrong.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    bigmuneymfp wrote: »
    No

    OP should be in pain because she'll go over her calories?
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    I didnt eat well yesterday so all of the food that I did eat left me feeling starving, at the end of the night I went over my calorie goals and had a few healthy snacks, I didnt feel great about going over, but I was hungry and I know im under my net calories for the week. How many calories are you eating? Are you working out?
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    Check you macros too- some people find increasing certain things (for me, protein but others like higher fat, etc) really helps with satiety. I second everyone saying to reassess your calorie goals. I really had to relearn what I thought was good and healthy food before I was hitting calorie goals while feeling not hungry. It is a process as you learn what works well for you.

    Good luck OP. I agree, if you are that hungry to the point of pain, eat something and re-evaluate your goals moving forward. Trust me, people can lose weight without feeling like they are starving themselves. It just takes some time to learn.
  • RamboKitty87
    RamboKitty87 Posts: 272 Member
    Hey, check your net calories are not too low... mine would be between 400 and 900 a day and I would feel really hungry and sicky and sometimes dizzy, after reassessing things I am now upping my net calories to 1,200 so eating more on days where I exercise more and I feel a whole lot better :)
    Other things to check are vitamins and minerals are you getting enough? are you get enough fibre, protein, fat, sugar without going over allotted daily goals? also what others have said about high volume, its all about seeing what is right, a whole trial and error, it takes a little time to get it right, I'm still in the whole trial and error stage myself and trying out ideas that don't leave me feeling so dizzy and hungry at bed time.
    I hope you feel better soon :)
  • BigBadVanna
    BigBadVanna Posts: 65 Member
    Maybe rearrange calories so you can have a bedtime snack? I love greek yogurt with a sprinkle of granola and strawberries before bed. I found that eating (or nothing) less at breakfast allowed me a bedtime snack and I didn't feel hunger until lunch anyways.
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  • feathernaut
    feathernaut Posts: 66 Member
    I think the "quality" of your calories might be coming into play here too. Try not to drink calories too much and avoid candy. A Twix will leave you still feeling hungry. Try to get the most satiety for your calories that you can.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    Depends if it's a little hunger or really bad, gnawing hunger. If it's gnawing hunger, I'd do two things:

    1. Try to move your meals around into a configuration that keeps you satisfied and not hungry.
    2. If that doesn't work, reassess your calorie goals.

    Caveat: Have you just started losing weight? When I first started, I was ravenous for about the first two weeks. It wasn't because I physically NEEDED more food, it was just because my body was used to getting more food and was freaking out over its absence. If you are starting out: stay strong and power through the hunger. It WILL go away and you will become full on lower quantities of food/calories.
  • bigmuneymfp
    bigmuneymfp Posts: 2,235 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    bigmuneymfp wrote: »
    No

    OP should be in pain because she'll go over her calories?

    If she wants to lose weight

  • bigmuneymfp
    bigmuneymfp Posts: 2,235 Member
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    If you are that hungry when you go to bed, you are doing something wrong.

    That's how I know I'm doing it right! Lol
  • gem1804
    gem1804 Posts: 9 Member
    Sometimes your body can confuse hunger with thirst. So are you drinking enough water throughout the day?

    Try eating some more filling healthy foods such as pulses, snack on nuts or have lean dried meats as a snack for a protein hit perhaps?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    bigmuneymfp wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    bigmuneymfp wrote: »
    No

    OP should be in pain because she'll go over her calories?

    If she wants to lose weight

    Hunger to the point of pain isn't necessary for weight loss.
  • bigmuneymfp
    bigmuneymfp Posts: 2,235 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    bigmuneymfp wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    bigmuneymfp wrote: »
    No

    OP should be in pain because she'll go over her calories?

    If she wants to lose weight

    Hunger to the point of pain isn't necessary for weight loss.

    Probably not but it sure isn't comfortable
  • Spartan_Gingi
    Spartan_Gingi Posts: 194 Member
    If I'm hungry, I have a glass of water. If I'm still hungry 20 mins later, I have a string cheese, or some fruit.
  • planetcadillac
    planetcadillac Posts: 137 Member
    If you feel hungry at night late when you are ready to sleep you can try a couple of things. One, make sure you don't eat your last meal too early. I don't eat after 7 but I am not going to eat dinner at 4 and nothing after that. Second, perhaps you should try to eat some fiber, and/or protein as the last thing you eat as that will help satiate you into the evening. Carbs are the worst to eat last because they burn off the quickest and the crash is most noticeable. Others have said that your calorie count maybe too low, that is very true. If you had been used to eating 2,500 calories for years and suddenly go on a 1,200 calorie diet cold turkey that can be difficult for the body to adjust to. I often suggest people drop in 1/4 increments. Good luck!
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    The eating plan that does this for me is Paleo / Keto (low, low sugar/carbs and high protein/fat/fiber); my ratios are: (45% protein, 40% fat and 15% carbs/sugar).

    I knew from my own past experience that carbs and sugar are the devil. If I eat one sweet thing, then, I can't stop. I know that if I eat simple carbs (like bagels / white potatoes) my heart will race. If I eat complex carbs (like canned white beans) then I feel okay, but I don't really lose weight. I have restricted sugar and carbs before and knew that by restricting them, I am not craving them and I feel better.

    See this website for a list of paleo websites:
    http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

    I started by making incremental changes last November (one meal at a time), with the end goal being that I would hover around 1400 calories because as an older woman my skin doesn't bounce back as it did when I was younger. By losing the weight slowly, I have minimized the sagging skin.

    It took several months of tweaking before I finally found my "sweet spot" in terms of balance between carbs and protein and (since January I have lost about 23 pounds). And... I am only complaint calorie wise about 75% - 80% of the time. I have some health issues and can't really exercise. Despite this and being tied to a desk all day, I have lost and continue to lose weight.

    For me, eating low carb and low sugar all of the time some amazing things happened:

    I don't crave sugar (I have an entire box of Charms Wild Berry Blow Pops in my file drawer that I haven't touched since November because I don't crave sugar; I once measured my stress level by how many of them I consumed in one day);

    My moods are more even and I don't have blood sugar spikes and crashes;
    By consuming more healthy fats my joints don't hurt as much and I am more or less satiated on 1400 calories.

    I used Paleo Leap and Paleo Tribe for the recipe ideas (they have some great low calorie recipe options) but this isn't necessary. I do think preparing and eating food that I make as opposed to boxes or eating out has helped me a lot. Boxes say they are low carb (but they have lots of other additives in them to make them taste good.)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    These are my really generic tips for hunger. I think they've all been covered up above, but I have a cold and there's not enough cold medicine in the world for me today.

    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. Play around with your macro splits. Some people find foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber help them 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. Others do really well with volume eating and higher amounts of carby vegetables. You may need to try different things to see what works best for you.

    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.
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