Hunger pangs

PaulaTinker

So I am about two weeks into my fresh start. I have been doing fairly well staying on track but the last couple days, I am having hunger pangs and am finding it hard to resist grabbing something from the vending machine. I keep fruit and yogurt in the fridge at work but I swear the vending machine is calling me. I could use some tips to get past this.

Old_Cat_Lady

Start leaving any cash at home. If the vending machine takes credit cards, only take the cc when you need it. For now, please grab your yogurt.

Ready2Rock206

Maybe find some foods that are more filling and satisfying to you. Yogurt makes me so hungry. I had to stop having it for a snack.

knempress

Snacks with protein help me out. Nuts and cottage cheese are two of my go-tos.

gothchiq

Bring salad and raw veggies.

kimothy38

I do intermittent fasting 2 days per week. Some days are particularly tough. I know I won't of hunger though and the hunger pangs will go away, eventually. After a few weeks it settled down, thank goodness.

ahoy_m8

OP, how big is your daily deficit (after exercise) and how much do you have to lose?

PaulaTinker

I tried a couple of your tips today. I put all my change into my piggy bank at home so I didn't have change for the vending machine. I took baby carrots to snack on in lieu of yogurt. All in all, I did a little better today. I am going to pick up some nuts on my next grocery run and give them a shot too.

Ahoy, by daily deficit, I assume you mean how many calories I have left at the end of the day. I looked and it is usually between 450-600. I have about 85 pounds to lose.

Thanks to everyone that took the time to respond.

Dr__Girlfriend

Protein is crazy filling:)

x_desertcolt_x

beef jerkey might help, protein will help keep you feeling less hungry

nutmegoreo

PaulaTinker wrote: »

I tried a couple of your tips today. I put all my change into my piggy bank at home so I didn't have change for the vending machine. I took baby carrots to snack on in lieu of yogurt. All in all, I did a little better today. I am going to pick up some nuts on my next grocery run and give them a shot too.

Ahoy, by daily deficit, I assume you mean how many calories I have left at the end of the day. I looked and it is usually between 450-600. I have about 85 pounds to lose.

Thanks to everyone that took the time to respond.

Do you mean you have 450-600 calories left over from the target MFP gave you? How many actual calories are you eating? Just curious, because it sounds like you might be undereating which would explain the hunger.

EloquentSelfLoathing

Try black coffee - it suppresses appetite. Water also works if you drink enough.

kincharles

EloquentSelfLoathing wrote: »

Try black coffee - it suppresses appetite. Water also works if you drink enough.

All I drink is black coffee and, for me, it doesn't really supress anything - in fact sometimes it makes me want to snack on something.

@OP - There are hunger pangs and there are cravings; they are 2 different 'fish'. Cravings (which it sounds to me like what you are having) can be staved off by suggestions already given, hunger pangs are much more evident and tend to mean you are eating far too little (I speak from experience, though maybe I define hunger pangs differently since, at one point, I was barely eating enough to survive - where I would get pangs so intense I would feel nauseated (usually from smelling food) [long story, not an ED just hard times]) and tend to make you feel weak/out of sorts (again, that is my experience - maybe I have a different definition of what hunger pangs are).

Seffell

PaulaTinker wrote: »

Ahoy, by daily deficit, I assume you mean how many calories I have left at the end of the day. I looked and it is usually between 450-600. I have about 85 pounds to lose.

No, no, no. At the end of day you're supposed to have 0 calories left. Myfitnesspal have already taken care of the deficit when you set your weekly loss goal. If you have 600 calories left, no wonder you have hunger pangs. You're starving.

Please clarify - how many calories has mfp given you to eat, how many lbs per week have you set your goals at, how many calories are you eating per day?

PaulaTinker

My goal calories are 2180 and I have been eating between 1600-2000, couple days a bit less.

janejellyroll

PaulaTinker wrote: »

My goal calories are 2180 and I have been eating between 1600-2000, couple days a bit less.

You're hungry because you are eating so far under your goal. Your goal already puts you at a deficit (if you told MFP you want to lose weight). You can eat your goal calories, it will make this process a lot easier.

RunnersLament

janejellyroll wrote: »

PaulaTinker wrote: »

My goal calories are 2180 and I have been eating between 1600-2000, couple days a bit less.

You're hungry because you are eating so far under your goal. Your goal already puts you at a deficit (if you told MFP you want to lose weight). You can eat your goal calories, it will make this process a lot easier.

I agree with this, and would add that you may want to keep healthy alternatives available when the cravings come on... for me it was carrot sticks and dip, raisins, and almonds.

jgnatca

I agree with others that you were over-doing the deficit. Eat a little more and the hunger should be more manageable. There are no medals or saints in weight-loss land. Try and make this as easy as possible.

That being said, try weighing out your nuts before hand and pre-log them. There's a lot more calories in nuts than people realize.

trixsey1

I've set my MFP to 1200 a day and I usually eat just over 1000 calories which I've been doing for over a week now, and lost 2 lbs.

I jog each morning too so it frees up a few hundred extra calories according to the MFP which I don't use anyway (I don't eat more food I mean).

If you eat foods that contain fibre and protein they will fill you up more.
I do get a little hungry towards the evening, but I have enough calories left over to snack on some almonds or a piece of fruit and that is satisfying enough.

I don't have breakfast, just fresh pineapple juice to start my day, then I'll have a high fibre dinner and high protein tea.

Perhaps the reason you are hungry is because you are eating "empty" calories (calories derived from food containing little or no nutrients). Try changing your diet and see if that helps.

I've tried 1000 calorie diet before, but it wasn't enough to sustain me and like a lady said above you get weak, lethargic and nauseated, those extra 200 calories to play with seem to be fine so far and I'm not feeling much "hunger pangs".

If I've worked out for longer I get hungrier, I burnt over 1000 calories one day last week and I did need the extra fuel and went over the 1200 to 1500, but the MFP gave me extra calories to use anyway, so I didn't feel like I failed my total intake for that day - I haven't gone over 1200 since then and average around 1100 calories each day depending on my meals.

TeaBea

Dr__Girlfriend wrote: »

Protein is crazy filling:)

For some..........

Protein, fiber, and fat are the usual suspects....but it's an individual thing. Fat free protein isn't filling to me.

OP - your daily calorie goal is something to MEET. Your deficit is already built in, you shouldn't have several hundred calories left (unless you logged exercise calories....those can be inflated). If you chose 1 pound a week....your deficit is 500 calories. That's the number Ahoy was looking for.

TeaBea

trixsey1 wrote: »

I've set my MFP to 1200 a day and I usually eat just over 1000 calories which I've been doing for over a week now, and lost 2 lbs.

I jog each morning too so it frees up a few hundred extra calories according to the MFP which I don't use anyway (I don't eat more food I mean).

If you eat foods that contain fibre and protein they will fill you up more.
I do get a little hungry towards the evening, but I have enough calories left over to snack on some almonds or a piece of fruit and that is satisfying enough.

I don't have breakfast, just fresh pineapple juice to start my day, then I'll have a high fibre dinner and high protein tea.

Perhaps the reason you are hungry is because you are eating "empty" calories (calories derived from food containing little or no nutrients). Try changing your diet and see if that helps.

I've tried 1000 calorie diet before, but it wasn't enough to sustain me and like a lady said above you get weak, lethargic and nauseated, those extra 200 calories to play with seem to be fine so far and I'm not feeling much "hunger pangs".

If I've worked out for longer I get hungrier, I burnt over 1000 calories one day last week and I did need the extra fuel and went over the 1200 to 1500, but the MFP gave me extra calories to use anyway, so I didn't feel like I failed my total intake for that day - I haven't gone over 1200 since then and average around 1100 calories each day depending on my meals.

Ugh, this is horrible advice. Lean muscle loss.....no thanks.

MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back (you earned them). By increasing the deficit (through exercise) you very likely increase your lean muscle loss. Many more people would rather lower their body fat %, than just lower the number on the scale.

janejellyroll

RunnersLament wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

PaulaTinker wrote: »

My goal calories are 2180 and I have been eating between 1600-2000, couple days a bit less.

You're hungry because you are eating so far under your goal. Your goal already puts you at a deficit (if you told MFP you want to lose weight). You can eat your goal calories, it will make this process a lot easier.

I agree with this, and would add that you may want to keep healthy alternatives available when the cravings come on... for me it was carrot sticks and dip, raisins, and almonds.

This is good advice -- I have a drawer at work where I store some snacks that I enjoy and are easy to fit into my goals.

PaulaTinker

Thanks everyone. I am going to add a wider variety of snacks. I was doing only fruit and yogurt. I will mix in some nuts, veggies and even some jerky. I think that may help me sustain this for the long haul.

Purplebunnysarah

Also consider hummus, hard boiled eggs, and single serve cheese. All protein or fat+protein that can help you feel full (my normal snack is one of the above plus either fruit or raw veg).

cwolfman13

Other than in the morning, if I'm having actual hunger pangs and I'm not very near a meal time, it pretty much means I'm under-eating.

Of course, you have to determine if it's actual hunger or psychological..."vending machine calling me" kinda makes me think it's psychological and you just really want something from the vending machine.

try2again

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Other than in the morning, if I'm having actual hunger pangs and I'm not very near a meal time, it pretty much means I'm under-eating.

Of course, you have to determine if it's actual hunger or psychological..."vending machine calling me" kinda makes me think it's psychological and you just really want something from the vending machine.

This is what I was thinking too. Take a moment to analyze if it's real hunger or not. If it's true hunger, you'll be willing to eat whatever you brought. The vending machine is probably appealing more to your psychological cravings.

kshama2001

PaulaTinker wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I am going to add a wider variety of snacks. I was doing only fruit and yogurt. I will mix in some nuts, veggies and even some jerky. I think that may help me sustain this for the long haul.

And you are going to meet your daily calorie goal moving forward, yes?

kshama2001

try2again wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Other than in the morning, if I'm having actual hunger pangs and I'm not very near a meal time, it pretty much means I'm under-eating.

Of course, you have to determine if it's actual hunger or psychological..."vending machine calling me" kinda makes me think it's psychological and you just really want something from the vending machine.

This is what I was thinking too. Take a moment to analyze if it's real hunger or not. If it's true hunger, you'll be willing to eat whatever you brought. The vending machine is probably appealing more to your psychological cravings.

It's real hunger. She's been under eating.

try2again

kshama2001 wrote: »

try2again wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Other than in the morning, if I'm having actual hunger pangs and I'm not very near a meal time, it pretty much means I'm under-eating.

Of course, you have to determine if it's actual hunger or psychological..."vending machine calling me" kinda makes me think it's psychological and you just really want something from the vending machine.

This is what I was thinking too. Take a moment to analyze if it's real hunger or not. If it's true hunger, you'll be willing to eat whatever you brought. The vending machine is probably appealing more to your psychological cravings.

It's real hunger. She's been under eating.

I know. I was reacting to a previous comment addressing this particular issue. The 2 issues can co-exist.

trixsey1

TeaBea wrote: »

Ugh, this is horrible advice. Lean muscle loss.....no thanks.

MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back (you earned them). By increasing the deficit (through exercise) you very likely increase your lean muscle loss. Many more people would rather lower their body fat %, than just lower the number on the scale.



No, I'm not just lowering the number on the scales.

This method works for me, and I'm not asking anyone else to try it nor am I suggesting anyone to do so.

I exercise each day, I'm more fit and stronger than I have ever been and I look good. I'm back in a size 12 (UK dress size) and I feel good about myself.

I was a big girl, very much overweight. I couldn't even take my dog a walk without feeling weak and out of breath.
Now I can walk for miles and I can jog every morning. Before I couldn't even jog for 1 minute, now I can do a 3K / 4K jog and feel like I can take on the world afterwards.

My body is toning up, my tummy is getting flat and I can fit in some of my old clothes which makes me feel really proud of myself.

I eat healthy foods, my diets consists of fish, chicken, eggs, lots of veg and fruits and I no longer reach for the nearest or quickest item out the cupboard or consume empty calories. I'm not always hungry nor am I starving myself.

I'm simply saying that eating the proper food will keep you full and sustain you until your next meal, especially high fibre foods.

So please don't judge. This works for me and if I can eat 1200 calories and not feel hungry, then to me I'm doing something right.

nutmegoreo

trixsey1 wrote: »

TeaBea wrote: »

Ugh, this is horrible advice. Lean muscle loss.....no thanks.

MFP is designed for you to eat exercise calories back (you earned them). By increasing the deficit (through exercise) you very likely increase your lean muscle loss. Many more people would rather lower their body fat %, than just lower the number on the scale.

No, I'm not just lowering the number on the scales.

This method works for me, and I'm not asking anyone else to try it nor am I suggesting anyone to do so.

I exercise each day, I'm more fit and stronger than I have ever been and I look good. I'm back in a size 12 (UK dress size) and I feel good about myself.

I was a big girl, very much overweight. I couldn't even take my dog a walk without feeling weak and out of breath.
Now I can walk for miles and I can jog every morning. Before I couldn't even jog for 1 minute, now I can do a 3K / 4K jog and feel like I can take on the world afterwards.

My body is toning up, my tummy is getting flat and I can fit in some of my old clothes which makes me feel really proud of myself.

I eat healthy foods, my diets consists of fish, chicken, eggs, lots of veg and fruits and I no longer reach for the nearest or quickest item out the cupboard or consume empty calories. I'm not always hungry nor am I starving myself.

I'm simply saying that eating the proper food will keep you full and sustain you until your next meal, especially high fibre foods.

So please don't judge. This works for me and if I can eat 1200 calories and not feel hungry, then to me I'm doing something right.

You noticed all those differences in a week?

PaulaTinker wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I am going to add a wider variety of snacks. I was doing only fruit and yogurt. I will mix in some nuts, veggies and even some jerky. I think that may help me sustain this for the long haul.

Sounds like a good plan. You need to find a routine you can stick with and will set you up for a lifetime of habits that will help you maintain the lose, once you have gotten to your goal.