How do you deal with hunger?

EliseTK1

I struggle with extreme hunger, especially when calorie restricting. I'm 33 y/o 5'5" ~174 lbs, I've had my RMR tested (resulted in 1467 kcal/day), and I'm watching my weight loss carefully to ensure I'm not losing too fast. Except for the last couple days in which I was celebrating Thanksgiving with the family, I generally eat a balanced diet including lots of fiber and lean protein.

No matter what I do, I get really hungry. (I'm not talking appetite vs. hunger- I can definitely tell the difference.) I could be eating 1000 kcal over maintenance (like yesterday) and a few hours after eating I'll still get that gnawing, painfully empty hunger sensation. My stomach audibly growls. My husband will be amazed sometimes. ("You're hungry already? Really?") I think it's my body's way of preventing me from losing weight again. I did some damage when I was younger.

So, I'm eating the right amount for healthy weight loss- 1500 kcal/day with exercise/activity being the way I get into a deficit. But I'm soooo hungry. It often keeps me awake at night. Does anyone else have this issue? What do you do? Ignore it? Drink a ton of water? Eat something really low calorie to fill your stomach for a short time?

It's frustrating when your physiology is quite literally working against you.

88olds

Are you eating sufficient fat? If I go too far down the LF road I get this agitated never satisfied thing.

But when I’m hungry, I eat. Sometimes I eat to avoid getting hungry. Tinker around with what you eat and when.

It’s your brain that will resist weight loss. Get your head right and your body will follow.

vggb

I recently started MFP on Oct 31 and I was hungry all the time too. I am on a restricted calorie intake of 1200/day. I waited for my system to adjust to less food, about 2 weeks, which was pretty tough. I drank a lot of water, ate a lot of raw snack size veggies, some fresh fruit and watched my calorie intake closely to stay within my limit. I went over a few times but I didn't beat myself up over it. I am adjusted now and although I start getting hungry before meals, I'm not hungry all day long.
Make sure you have good snacks on hand to satisfy yourself and chase it with water. Good luck.

cmriverside

If 1500 is that close to your RMR, then that is a good level most likely.

Are you eating a little more on exercise days? Try eating 1700-2000 on those days - depending on exertion and time spent. Otherwise your Net intake is dipping below your RMR, and yeah - that'll make you hungry.

Exercise calories - do I eat these? A video explanation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67USKg3w_E4

TavistockToad

I think you're confusing RMR with TDEE... you don't need to eat 1500 and also create a deficit, 1500 is already a big deficit for you. No wonder you're hungry!

concordancia

Have your tried playing with your macros? Different people are satisfied with different macro mixes. If you are eating a normal American diet, try less carbs and more protein.

Weightloss is all about calories, but being able to stick with it takes a bit more maneuvering.

EliseTK1

vggb wrote: »

I recently started MFP on Oct 31 and I was hungry all the time too. I am on a restricted calorie intake of 1200/day. I waited for my system to adjust to less food, about 2 weeks, which was pretty tough. I drank a lot of water, ate a lot of raw snack size veggies, some fresh fruit and watched my calorie intake closely to stay within my limit. I went over a few times but I didn't beat myself up over it. I am adjusted now and although I start getting hungry before meals, I'm not hungry all day long.
Make sure you have good snacks on hand to satisfy yourself and chase it with water. Good luck.

Thanks! These are all helpful suggestions. I think I will need more time to adjust. I may need to start carrying a snack pack of raw veggies.

Playing with macros may be helpful. I've been trying to focus on one thing at a time so I don't overload my willpower and give up altogether. I'll come back to that.

I'm trying to eat the same whether I exercise or not, otherwise I find myself dying to eat more on my rest days.

I was definitely referring to RMR, not BMR or TDEE. I know my TDEE/maintenance is higher- that's the point. However you may be right in that I need to overall up my calories. I'm going to give it another couple weeks, and if I'm losing too fast, I'll up it accordingly.

Thank you all for the support!

elisa123gal

For me, I try to reflect on what I ate earlier in the day. I find certain foods make me more hungry later and it can spiral out of control .. for example..something silly like chicken noodle soup... or Thai food triggers a hunger wave that can last a day.
When I keep a diary of what I'm eating I can figure out what keeps me full and not thinking about food..and what sends me into a hunger and insatiable hunger mode.