I'm so hungry

Graciegraves1989

Day 3 and I'm really really hungry.

I am eating way too many snacks and getting irritable at the end of the day because I'm used to feeling full.

Does anyone have advice? I really don't want to get discouraged.

kommodevaran

Snacks or snacking? What are you eating? You shouldn't be troubled by hunger just to lose weight. If you are overweight, you have been eating too much and need to stop that. Are you getting enough calories? What have you set your calorie goal to, and are you hitting it every day? If you prefer to stick to meals, then don't snack. And at any rate, eat real food. And eat food you like. You can feel hungry just from the idea of restricting your intake. Don't think of "eat less, move more" as restriction, think of it as being more selective, living a happier life.

ccsernica

If you want useful advice, it helps to open your diary so people can see what you have (or have not) been eating.

DebLaBounty

Drink water when you feel hungry. Don't cut out caffeine, if you're used to drinking it, because you'll get a headache and/or get grouchy. Figure out today what you're going to eat tomorrow, including a plan for snacks, then eat only that. Have a number of snacks around that fit your caloric deficit that will fill you up. I guess for me, the planning has helped. When I'm really starving and I have just 200 calories left, I scramble 2 eggs because they're filling and about 140 calories and they take the edge off that feeling that I've been deprived. Read through all the forum postings to get ideas about what other people do. The Food and Nutrition section is pretty helpful.

Sheisinlove109

Don't cut your calories so much right at the start. How many more calories were you eating before?

2plebeian

My biggest piece of advice: get low cal. hummus (here we have one that's 102 kcal per 100 grams), get carrots and selery, and just indulge on that stuff. Really, to eat 200 grams of hummus and 400 grams of carrots really isn't all that bad. It's still 600 grams of food, so it'll make you feel full, and it's low in calories. I do this kind of stuff because I too love snacking (and sugar).

Also, planning your days ahead helps greatly. I often enter 2 days into MFP so I have an overview of exactly what I'm getting in with the meals I have planned, e.g.: standard breakfast of low fat Greek yogurt with a scoop of protein powder, blueberries and oatmeal, lunch with 2 oatmeal raisin buns so I get my sugars in when I need them the most, and then a dinner with 200-300 grams of chicken breast, sauted in teriyaki sauce with some nut-rice and broccoli, and voila, I'm at around 1400 kcal. That would mean I have about 800 left on my own diet (slow cut, going from ~14-15% body fat to around 11-12%), which I can fill up with e.g. some ice cream (150 ml b&j peanut butter ice cream for about 400 kcal, a banana for 120 kcal, an apple for 60 kcal, and then maybe a small sandwich later at night if I'm still hungry, or a semi-large handful of walnots for about 200 kcal). This way it's fairly easy to keep track of what you're doing. Of course, I don't know your TDEE or where you set your calories at. If the 1400 prescribed in the "normal day" are already your limit: good, just eat that. Still hungry? Replace the raisin oatmeal buns by something more substantial, like making yourself a meal with shrimp or chicken, rice, and steamed veggies that you'll eat for lunch, for roughly 500 kcal.

jpoehls9025

One piece of advice,

Start incredibly small when reducing calories. I know when you start to loose weight you have dreams of grandeur and link that to extreme impossible to maintain deficits.

If you start small it gives your body time to adapt and get used to its new intake and you can drop it gradually over time to hit the calories you should be consuming and I promise you will no longer have hunger pangs when you reach it this way.

Graciegraves1989

I may have cut too much. I'm at 1740 right now and was near 2500 before.

jpoehls9025

Graciegraves1989 wrote: »

I may have cut too much. I'm at 1740 right now and was near 2500 before.

yeah If you have problems with hunger pangs, like I did when I first started to workout (many years) ago I reduced my original caloric intake about 200 a week until desired goal reached.

For example if I was you Id aim for 2300 for week 1 and move to 2100 week 2 ect. (you don't have to just my advice)

At the end of the day you just got to feel your body out, but little tricks like that made it very sustainable for me when it came to making me capable of eating less (without going insane with hunger pangs or binge eating)

ElleHeart22

When I started I started small and did what I needed to to move toward where I wanted to be. I set little goals. First it was just no sweets, then it was healthier foods in general but still a lot in amount, then it was smaller portions, then it was calorie counting. This kept me from going crazy. It's ok if it takes baby steps to get there. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but I've been hitting my calorie goal every day now and I'm starting weight work. Mistakes are ok in the beginning, though you should continue to try not to make them again. Don't be discouraged, just think of how amazing you'll feel everyday as you get a healthier and healthier lifestyle. And if you're starving, sometimes a small healthy snack like a piece of fruit and a string cheese can give you a boost to go and exercise a little bit. Exercise usually takes off the hunger for me till my next meal. Water too.

mastdog

chew gum and drink lots of water

MsHarryWinston

Volume eating helps with the sensation of having a full stomach. Low calorie high volume foods. Spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, egg whites, squash, etc. Start making recipes that include lots of these things to fill out the meal. You can eat a high volume of foods and pretty much never feel hungry. I'm on about 1,550 calories a day and am never really hungry.

Also play with your macros. Some ppl feel more full with higher protein or fat or complex carbs but it is different for different ppl, so see what works for you.

It takes some trial and error but once you have a better understanding of what your body needs for satiety it all becomes SO much easier.

livingleanlivingclean

I find snacking makes me feel more hungry. I preplan my meals, and have 2-3 bigger meals a day rather than lots of little snack sized mini meals. (I've done the 6+ meal a day thing, I was hangry, all the time!).

I get a lot of my carbs from vegies - they give a good hit of fibre, along with lots of volume due to them not generally being very calorific. I also eat quite a lot of protein (150g) which helps me a lot with satiety.

yskaldir

Find something else to occupy your time so you don't think about it.

mitch16

Drink water. Chew gum. Go for a walk. Have a high volume/low calorie snack (vegetables, air-popped popcorn).

Pearlsss

I've been mixing up some collagen protein powder w/ water or ice tea & it does give that full feeling. Protein is key to feeling satisfied

SezxyStef

I often have to ask is it hunger or appetite...

Real Hunger comes with stomach rumbles, dizziness, lethargy etc. Food is required immediately

Hunger means you can wait at least 30-60mins to eat

Peckishness comes with a need to eat within an hour or so...90,mins even

Appetite...no food is really required you just want it.

If you are eating 1740 calories I suspect it's not really hunger...unless those 1740 calories are not nutritional dense foods.

If you are feeling peckish or even hungry (but not to the point of being dizzy) then have a protein heavy snack but wait for your scheduled meal.

vivelajackie

I went from eating until I was miserable to being ok with eating the majority of cals on my days off in one meal. That definitely did not happen overnight. I was a snacking queen. Like I said, I'd stuff myself and half an hour later be reaching into the fridge or pantry to stuff myself again. If only I'd stopped impersonating a Thanksgiving turkey I might not have gotten up so high.

It can be a useful practice to grab a glass of water when you get hunger pangs. I was doing this several years ago when I worked around food and found myself reaching to nibble. I'd grab a drink instead and fill up with water. Often, hunger and thirst feel similar. It's also an action that sticks in your mind, pinpointing just how much you turn to snacks.

Also, I agree with others that are saying to gradually decrease the calories until you're at your suggested intake. I think I'd have had an easier time starting out if I'd approached it that way. Good luck!

toxikon

I eat 1400 calories a day comfortably (150lbs and 5'7") and here are a few tricks I use:

1. Intermittent fasting - I don't eat breakfast. If you're used to eating breakfast, the first week can be hard but once you're adjusted you may find that you don't get hungry in the morning anymore! I don't begin eating until 11am-1pm. I have a small lunch (500 cals) and a big dinner at 7pm (900 cals) because I enjoy having a big hearty meal in the evening.

2. Volume-eating - high-volume, low calorie foods can be quite filling. Bulk up your meals with lots of salads and veggies.

3. Fat and protein - don't neglect these macros! I personally find healthy fats and protein much more satiating than carbs, especially sugary/simple carbs.

4. Cut-out snacking - grazing works for some people, but I'm most successful at controlling hunger when I limit myself to 1 snack a day (if I really need it) and 2 larger meals. Instead of snacking, enjoy hot tea or broth.

SingRunTing

I'm always hungry the first week of a cut, no matter how small the deficit. Unless you're getting physically ill (headaches, nausea, etc), you may just have to wait it out.

Caveat: I'm only saying this because you've already mentioned how many calories you're eating. You can try changing up your snacks, that might help. Protein and fat help me, but it usually takes me a week before the hungries go away.

floridachickinoz

I love volume eating. I am one of those who like to feel satisfied after a meal. One of my favourite meals is a turkey Bolognese with lots of veggies over Slendier noodles which has only 10 calories per service. I keep my calories even and around 300 per meal. I am not a snacker. I workout for an hour and I enjoy a glass of red wine at night. With a little research and putting your mind to it, you can make your favourite meals into low cal volume goodies.

TavistockToad

make sure you're eating enough protein and fat to help keep you full

1982Josie

This thread has some great ideas for volume eating
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/39842776#Comment_39842776