Why am i always hungry?

magerum

If you choose the right foods to eat, you can actually eat a whole lot of food on a 1,200 calorie a day diet.

Most people are always hungry because they're poisoned. This is a whole other topic, but there's ingredients / chemicals put in food to purposely make us addicted and want more. People shouldn't even be able to chug a 2 liter of coke, or can after can of soda or a triple mcbacon cheeseburger, or whatever it's called these days. But chemicals, basically drugs in the food, make it possible and like with any other drug, addiction and withdrawal sets in when we try to change things. Chinese food never makes people filled thanks to MSG, which shuts down the transmitters in the brain that say i'm full...which is why people just eat an obscene amount of Chinese food, especially at buffets. MSG is just one of the chemicals in food that do this though, there's so many.

I would try eating as much organic food as possible to avoid these ingredients. Your body is craving REAL FOOD. Food with MSG, highh fructose corn syrup and especially artificial sweeteners and so many other chemicals will make you feel like you're STARVING when you aren't. It's just the nature of the drugs in the food taking over your body....more more more.

Also when you're hungry, eat fruit. Ice cold cucumbers sprinkled with some salt, a tomato with salt. Get creative! But eat WHOLE, REAL foods, not drugged up chemical laden food from Acme & Shoprite because you'll always feel hungry. Also foods high in fiber will especially make you feel full.

:noway: :noway: :indifferent:

ETA: Organic doesn't mean what you think it means. It's a marketing term for food. If you think it means chemical free you're greatly mistaken.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/998983-misconceptions-of-organic-food-s

mikeyrp

Runners definitely need fuel - anything over an hour of running take some form of fuel with you, and always take on recovery food after (this can be as simple as porridge with full fat milk - I'm not advocating all these recovery shakes although they can be good too.)

CoderGal

If you choose the right foods to eat, you can actually eat a whole lot of food on a 1,200 calorie a day diet.

Most people are always hungry because they're poisoned. This is a whole other topic, but there's ingredients / chemicals put in food to purposely make us addicted and want more. People shouldn't even be able to chug a 2 liter of coke, or can after can of soda or a triple mcbacon cheeseburger, or whatever it's called these days. But chemicals, basically drugs in the food, make it possible and like with any other drug, addiction and withdrawal sets in when we try to change things. Chinese food never makes people filled thanks to MSG, which shuts down the transmitters in the brain that say i'm full...which is why people just eat an obscene amount of Chinese food, especially at buffets. MSG is just one of the chemicals in food that do this though, there's so many.

I would try eating as much organic food as possible to avoid these ingredients. Your body is craving REAL FOOD. Food with MSG, highh fructose corn syrup and especially artificial sweeteners and so many other chemicals will make you feel like you're STARVING when you aren't. It's just the nature of the drugs in the food taking over your body....more more more.

Also when you're hungry, eat fruit. Ice cold cucumbers sprinkled with some salt, a tomato with salt. Get creative! But eat WHOLE, REAL foods, not drugged up chemical laden food from Acme & Shoprite because you'll always feel hungry. Also foods high in fiber will especially make you feel full.

:noway: :noway: :indifferent:

ETA: Organic doesn't mean what you think it means. It's a marketing term for food. If you think it means chemical free you're greatly mistaken.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/998983-misconceptions-of-organic-food-s

This. And I did the 1200 and use to go around saying that 1200 makes a lot of salad...man...I sure showed my past self I could eat a heck of a lot more salad.

And I'm pretty sure you're entirely wrong and not making any sense. Particularly about the MSG never makes people filled. And how some additives that are sugar based are evil but other ones such as salt are OK.

One thing I will agree with is if your diet is made completely of crap, you're going to be missing things from your diet, and you're going to feel hungry. Get your nutrients first, and don't kill yourself if a brownie makes your way down your esophagus. It's much more important to fuel yourself then starve yourself trying to figure out which foods are holy enough for us to digest.

WalkingMermaid_

Calculate your BMR and TDEE

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

and you will find out the reason.

wow, it told me 2142, what a difference!

^If your TDEE was calculated at 2142, then you need to be eating 1700 calories for weight loss. I think you're hungry because you're not eating enough. I've lost 18 lbs in less than two months by eating 1800-2000 calories a day.

Lots of people here have lost huge amounts of weight eating a very decent amount of calories.

TheBitSlinger

Are you lifting weights? If you are, and you don't get enough protein and good carbs, your body will start consuming existing muscle cells. This happened to me when I started lifting and didn't get enough food to support the demand for new muscle tissue.

*Edit to add: I frequently got dizzy and lightheaded.

sharleengc

If you want to keep a low calorie number then maybe change it to half a lb or a lb a week goal.

For me, I need to keep my calories under about 1400 to lose and my goal is currently set at 1200. That being said, I always eat my exercise calories back (or at least make a good dent in them) and I try to stay away from junk food like chips and crackers. I usually have turkey/roast beef wraps at lunch and some form of chicken for dinner. Breakfast varies depending on my day and a protein bar. I can't do protein shakes, I've never found one that I like. At the end of my day, I'm not usually hungry. If I am still hungry an hour or two after dinner, then I know I need something else and I get yogurt or a granola bar. I don't go crazy and have another meal. That works just fine for me.

If I have a few days where I'm really struggling to stay in my calories, I up the number of my goal for a while and change it.

sdrspoultry

I would say so, yes - 1200 is the smallest possible intake someone can healthily sustain. I know a lot of people who work out and say that they actually lost quicker when they increased their intake a small amount (whilst maintaining a deficit) because they had more energy and were therefore more motivated to train hard.

Also - I recommend you look at recovery drinks for after your work outs - you generally recover more quickly and feel less hungry.

Finally, what are your goals? Because pure weight loss is different to fitness and / or maintenance.

I weigh 150 and would like to get down to around 120-130, Im a runner and want my times to go down and would not be complaining if I could get a set of abs :P

1. I started at 150lbs, and I was eating at about 1700 cals without exercise and losing weight. With exercise I was up over 2000 and losing weight. Particularly if it was cardio. I'm 127lbs now and I'm still eating over 2000 and not doing cardio. This site can really skew a persons version of what is normal to eat.

If you're a runner I recommend fueling up, you can get injuries easier when you don't have enough fuel to repair yourself. I recommend checking out this thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/963088-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

If you have the genes for it and you've been thin before via running and managed to get abs, then just keep doing what you're doing. I got to 120lbs and still didn't have any and had a bit of a muffin top so I had to put on muscle by eating at a surplus and lifting progressively heavy weights. I found the benefits of cardio on my physique was minimal. I was eating at a calorie deficit so I was going to get smaller anyway. If you want to lose weight and you don't care if it's water or muscle, cardio is VERY helpful with that. If you want to try to get rid of a higher ratio of fat, lifting is the way to go. But if you enjoy the running keep it up, it's great for your heart.


On the left I was running every day on a treadmill plus many walks. On the right I was lifting a few days a week. There's only a ~7lb difference in my weight between the 2 photos.

that's awesome!!! and thanks for the wonderful advice!

NewViolet

why am I all of a sudden ALWAYS hungry?? Ive been still eating relatively the same things but I need to eat like twice as much to feel full. I drink a lot of water and take in a lot of protein, but I cant stay full!

Everyone has offered great advise, I would just like to add to it all that you up your healthy fats and definitely up the veggies! It is great and healthy and you will can get pretty full on a bunch of cooked greens. Good luck!

DragonSquatter

my calorie limit is 1200, and there's days ive hit 2000. I just don't know what to do. I still have a lot of weight to lose, but when I ignore my hunger I get light headed and drowsy

You are probably undereating then if you're getting drowsy and lightheaded. Consider upping your daily intake level to something more manageable for you on a daily basis and try to be more patient.

Yeller_Sensation

Eat more and eat well.

This is anecdotal at best so take it with a grain of salt while you try to learn something positive from my experience: I am 5"2 and was 42 years old when I started eating smarter and lifting weights to shed fat. I had already hit my target weight but I wanted to be stronger. I had to eat at least 1600 calories every day to fuel my body for strength training.

The result?

I lost even MORE weight.

Fast forward to 14 months later (I have been in maintenance since last August). I am lifting heavier than ever and I now consume at least 1900 calories a day. The weight hasn't changed but the body looks better.

RabbiBeth

Capster, I agree with you. 1200 cals CAN be satisfying if one is eating whole, unprocessed foods. I agree with everything you said about the chemicals, etc - they are the worst.

On the other hand, to the original poster, if you are SO active, it might make sense to increase your calories..but do it in a healthy way. Add 1/2 avocado or couple Tbs almond butter to your diet...something rich and filling but healthy.

Keep us posted!

wilsoje74

Looks like you eat a lot of processed food. I'm not a super clean eater, but try to limit boxed and canned stuff to o ce or maybe twice a day max (example chef boyardee ravioli, low cal treats, cookies etc). Try more fresh fruits, veggies, homemade meals.

Peachy1962

More veggies and as much fiber as ya can get will help you feel full longer!!! Good luck! xxx

Blizaine

Switch your macros to 70% fat, 25% pro, 5% carbs and you will never be hungry again on 1200 cals, you will loose weight, have more energy, think more clearly, and reduce your risk for serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and others others.

JDHINAZ

More veggies and as much fiber as ya can get will help you feel full longer!!! Good luck! xxx

You can add a column to your diary to track fiber. Increasing fiber helps me a lot. Easy way to do that is with chia seeds. Lots of fiber, and you can sprinkle a tablespoon on your meals. 3 tablespoons a day will help.
Good luck, girl! Glad to see you here!