Met my calorie limit but still hungry?

czmiles926

What should you do if you've already eaten your calorie allowance for the day, but still feel hungry?
Should you eat or wait til tomorrow?
I'm pretty new to mfp, I mainly got it to make sure that I'm not eating too much or too little and to make sure I get enough protein because I don't eat meat.

sosteach

Drink water and take a walk or eat something low cal high fiber (like veggies)

czmiles926

Thank you:)

billglitch

perhaps increase fat tomorrow and see if that makes a difference

crescentgaia

Water! 9/10 your body need to be hydrated and shows it as hunger.

CynthiasChoice

If you aren't getting enough protein, that could cause you to be hungry. Do you have a protein powder you like?

I've been on a protein powder search lately for my daughter, who doesn't eat meat and has a whey, soy, and pea protein sensitivity. So I'll share what I've found.

Paleo Protein - Egg White Protein: It's good mixed with some almond milk, orange juice, 1/2 banana and frozen strawberries. When I smelled the egg powder in the container, I didn't have much hope, but I couldn't taste or smell it in the smoothie, and it has no grit or chalkiness whatsoever. It has no sugar or artificial sweeteners or flavorings.

I also got a Casein Protein Powder from Optimum Nutrition. It's good mixed with almond milk, peanut butter, 1/2 banana and frozen blueberries. This one does have artificial sweetener - a bit too much for my taste. It isn't great mixed in water, but it was good in the smoothie. The good thing about casein protein is that it digests slowly and keeps you satisfied for a long time.

My own standby that I love is MRM Veggie Protein with brown rice, pea and hemp protein and other nutrients. It's sweetened with Stevia. Lately, my favorite smoothie with this powder is with almond milk, cacao powder and iced coffee.

Since I've added protein powders to my diet, my appetite and hunger is better controlled. Good luck to you!

CynthiasChoice

Drinking hot herbal tea or doing a 5 - 10 minute meditation can quiet my hunger too. I like the Calm app for meditation. My nutritionist recommended meditation and I didn't believe it would work for hunger till I tried it.

avotarian

if you find that you're very hungry often, you may want to consider your daily calorie allowance. the app & other calculators aren't spot on for everyone. it's possible you weren't given enough calories for what you burn in a day. time will tell, keep an eye on the scale, then you can readjust if needed.

kommodevaran

First set your calories correctly. I suppose your goal is to lose weight. You can't lose more than around 1% of your body weight in fat per week, so set yout calorie goal to reflect this. 1 kilo of fatty tissue equals 7000 calories. So, if you weigh 100 kilos, you can set your goal to lose 1 kilo per week. But do not expect to lose that fast. You would have to do everything right all the time, and nobody manages that. Even if you did everything right, you won't see the loss as a steady drop on the scale, but as erratic jumps down, and maybe at certain points, up. But over time, if you keep at it, your loss will approximate a little below 1% of bodyweight per week on average.

Then log correctly and hit your calorie goal every day. This means that you have to weigh everything, log the amount you're actually eating, find/check entries to match nutritional values of the item you're eating, not forgetting or leaving anything out, and no cheat days. Use the recipe builder if you cook.

Then look at diet composition. As you're already cutting out a food group, take special care to balance and vary what you do eat. Appetite, hunger and satiety is a bit individual, so you may have to experiment to find your ideal diet and meal schedule. You may also find that you can eat in a number of different ways that are equally good for you. But a good tip would be to get a majority of your calories in the form of real, whole foods, and cook.

Then make sure that you're eating food you like. Don't cut anything out just because you want to lose weight. Anything can be eaten, it's about dosage and frequency. Counting calories is great because you can eat anything and still have a good diet and be within your calorie goal. Prelogging is a good tip, this will enable you to see the whole day at once, before you eat, and you can adjust and tweak and hit your goal while having a delicious menu that fits your needs perfectly.

Then you should aim to get enough sleep and rest, exercise moderately, drink enough water, have some fun and do something important every day. Build meaningful relationships. If you have any physical and/or mental issues, get proper help for that.

If you have done all this, and still feel hungry, it's in your mind. Appetite, hunger and satiety are not static, they are dependent on habits - what you are used to, family; environment - things like weather, peer pressure, being at home or at work or on vacation; mood - are you happy, sad, tired, stressed - all these elements can make us want to eat more or eat less, and people are somewhat different in what reactions we have to each variable. Just the idea that you're going to eat less, can make you feel more hungry. If that is the case, you just have work on your thoughts. Your body is designed to store and release energy on demand. As long as you are eating well, you are safe, and any feeling of hunger is normal and good, and you just have to get used to it. If you are overweight, you have eaten too much for quite a while, and you need to adjust your expectations of fullness to a level that corresponds with eating normally.

cs2thecox

When that happens to me, it's because of the types of food I used to get to my calorie limit for the day.

If I eat all my calories in, say (ridiculous example), soda and marshmallows, then I'm going to be crazy hungry (not to mention sugar crashy) by the end of the day.
If I focus on good amounts of veggies, lean protein, healthy fats, and minimally processed carbs, then this is a LOT more food on the plate(s) and will also keep me a lot fuller for a lot longer. When I get it right, I have spare calories at the end of the day, but am happily full. (Then it's G&T time! )

So if this is happening regularly, have a look at the type of foods you're eating, and also the timing of your meals. (I feel fuller on 3 meals + 2 snacks, than 3 bigger meals).

If you're eating perfectly, then have a look at this article (admittedly from my trainer!):
http://mattfordfitness.com/weight-loss-dieting-and-the-ghrelin-hunger-hormone/

amusedmonkey

Eat something and plan better next day. If it continues, look into the types of foods you are eating and consider if it would be worth it to increase your calorie target.

laurenebargar

Yeah I agree with all of the PP's however, if this is just a rare occurance I say eat, Every once in awhile I have a day where it just feels like nothing will fill me up, I eat a little more that day, some days Ill even eat to matienance. However you have to be careful that you dont continue doing that, if you just started MFP Id look into the kind of foods you are eating, and make sure one you arent thirsty, and two that you are eating the right foods to keep you full. I also find that I do not drink any of my calories except for one coffee in the morning (less than 80 calories) If I was drinking any other my calories I'd be starving all day.

apullum

Are you hungry, or are you craving something? If you're actually hungry, then eat a small snack and check your macros tomorrow to see if something is off. If you're craving something, my go-to solution is flavored tea.

cs2thecox

laurenebargar wrote: »

I also find that I do not drink any of my calories except for one coffee in the morning (less than 80 calories) If I was drinking any other my calories I'd be starving all day.

I had a wake up call on that recently...
I moved house, have a much longer commute now, and am finding that a coffee in the morning really helps. I started buying a skinny latte on the way to the train station.
My PT noticed it in my MFP (he spies - mixed blessing!) and was like "what are you doing wasting 180 calories on that every morning?!"
I was all like "nooo, I can't give it up!"

Then realized about 2 days later that I could just have the barista dump a shot of espresso straight into my morning chocolate protein shake/smoothie/breakfast. I get my coffee, skip the calories, AND get a discount for using my own cup. Win!

So yeah, don't drink your calories!

ninerbuff

For many, it's habitual behavior. If you're used to just snacking eating all the time and change that habit, then you need to stick to the change.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

devrinator

I struggle with that too. I'm to the point where I've realized that some days I do need to eat more than others. So if I'm still hungry--to the point I feel like I have to do something--I'll eat something light, even if it puts me over my goal for the day. Some days it's easy for me to even go under. Well, and some days I break the whole calorie count all together!!

I'm thinking we aren't static in caloric needs. For me, maintenance is around 1500 calories a day (or at least it seems based on my whole last month of calorie intake). So...some days I eat 2700 calories. Some days only 1000.

lorrpb

It's ok to go over a couple hundred once in awhile. It doesn't mean you'll gain weight or even stop losing. It just means you might have a wee bit slower loss that week. It makes less than 1 lb difference. It can also be a signal that you're not eating enough base calories. Many people are too aggressive with short term weight loss goals.