i'm so hungry, and i need to not be.

Reitanna

i'm 160 lbs and am shooting for 1200 calories a day. i know starting a diet is the hardest part, but not only does feeling hungry hurt, but i also get HANGRY. i eat two meals a day, no snacks, and have a slimfast shake if i'm hungry enough between the two meals. i keep yelling at my stomach, telling it that it can't be hungry, but naturally, it doesn't listen. T_T

what are good ways to curve appetite without hurting my diet?

psychod787

Reitanna wrote: »

i'm 160 lbs and am shooting for 1200 calories a day. i know starting a diet is the hardest part, but not only does feeling hungry hurt, but i also get HANGRY. i eat two meals a day, no snacks, and have a slimfast shake if i'm hungry enough between the two meals. i keep yelling at my stomach, telling it that it can't be hungry, but naturally, it doesn't listen. T_T

what are good ways to curve appetite without hurting my diet?

Quit the shake and eat REAL food. In some research liquid calories as not as satisfying. Also look at 1200 cals a day. What is your suggested maintenance with exercise/activity? How is protein intake?

jenncornelsen

So were similar weight, I am currently eating about 1500-1600 cals per day and losing . 1200 is really low. If your exercising be sure your eating back your exercise calories. You need something sustainable. If you need to eat more to stick with it eat more.

BarbaraHelen2013

How did you come to the 1200 number? If you got it from some nutty women’s magazine then ignore it!

Put your personal statistics into the MFP set up. Choose a sensible weight loss goal (no more than a pound a week). And see what it says. Unless you’re old(er), which from your message I’m guessing you’re not, very short and very sedentary 1200 is probably completely unrealistic for you, which explains why you’re struggling.

whoami67

I'd probably eat more volume and change my macros to make me more satiated. I'd probably also eat more since 1200 tends to leave me hungry. I also like three meals and 1-2 snacks a day.

My own personal preference is to eat a lot of volume by eating a lot of vegetables. I've also found that I do best with higher fat and protein levels, and lower carbs, but not low carb. Low carb makes me hungry.

Play around with what you are eating, when you are eating it, and how much you are eating to see what makes you the most satiated. Everyone is a little different so I can't tell you what will work best for you, only what I've found works best for me.

a_candler

I remember when I started myfitnesspal, I of course over estimated my activity level and wanted to loose 2lbs a wk-it set me up at 1200. Well that didn't even last a WK, I too was starving and it made me lightheaded. I adjusted activity/goals and settled between 1500-1700 cal and I still lost weight and was able to stick with it! So important to make realistic goals so that you can stay with it and not cheat or quit

Dani9585

You have received great advice - good luck

MikePTY

Your stomach is yelling at you because you ARE hungry. Eat more calories, and make sure you are getting a good amount of protein and fiber in your diet.

AmyG1982

I agree 1200 is really low but I do find no matter what changes I make I’m always really hungry at first. I think it’s normal to be a little hungry. I find eating lower carb, higher fat and protein more satiating for me personally but the first couple weeks and I’m always ravenous! After. Week or two it seems to level out and I can manage to stay below my calories much easier.

Eat fibre, fat and protein to be a little fuller and drink a TON of water.

kjm3579

Eat fat and protein, give your body something to work with. Eating frequently, will also cause repeated insulin spikes and your body will never burn any fat, it will run on all of the carbs/sugar your giving it. Slimfast shakes sell so well because people keep buying them - nobody gets slim fast on Slimfast.

psychod787

kjm3579 wrote: »

Eat fat and protein, give your body something to work with. Eating frequently, will also cause repeated insulin spikes and your body will never burn any fat, it will run on all of the carbs/sugar your giving it. Slimfast shakes sell so well because people keep buying them - nobody gets slim fast on Slimfast.

Insulin spikes mean nothing. Unless people are eating 24hrs a day, insulin will return to baseline in a timeline for the size of meals. Yes, people can lose weight drinking slim fast. If op is having hunger issues using them and still feeling hungry, then I suggest real food as well.

laurenebargar

Honestly eat more, maybe try a slower rate of loss. I fell into a phase of overeating and wound up gaining like 15 lbs back that I lost, then when I was ready to start losing again I kept trying to eat only 1,200 but I kept failing and then just thinking well I already ruined it and eating way more. I finally changed my rate of loss to 1 lb a week, which gives me 1,460 and I have no problem sticking to it, im not hungry anymore and finally losing again!!

whitpauly

Ugh the Slim fast, I love the taste but tbh it makes me HUNGRIER if I drink it alone! I'll sometimes have it as part of a breakfast, say egg white omelet(ingredients measured is about 150 cals) +the slim fast which when mixed with almond milk is about the same so a 300 calorie breakfast, either cut the slim fast and eat real food or try to work it in like I do, like I said I only drink it cuz I like the taste🤷

kshama2001

a_candler wrote: »

I remember when I started myfitnesspal, I of course over estimated my activity level and wanted to loose 2lbs a wk-it set me up at 1200. Well that didn't even last a WK, I too was starving and it made me lightheaded. I adjusted activity/goals and settled between 1500-1700 cal and I still lost weight and was able to stick with it! So important to make realistic goals so that you can stay with it and not cheat or quit

I only made it through lunch time my first day with a weight loss goal of 2 # per week / 1200 calories

https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

lallaloolly

a year ago i started my weight loss journey at 160 lbs, and lost weight rapidly (was 145 lbs within 3-4 months), primarily by cutting out all added sugars/processed foods and eating whole foods. (i did whole30 for one month and then added rice, beans, corn, and moderate alcohol back into my diet). like one of the commenters above, i also ate about 1500-1600 calories a day, always ate three meals a day, with no snacks. after an initial adjustment period (less than a week), i never had energy/sugar crashes or hunger pangs.

apullum

What pace of weight loss did you select? Many women get a calorie goal of 1200 because they selected an overly aggressive pace of loss for their current stats. At 160 pounds, you should be targeting a 0.5 or 1 lb/week loss depending on how tall you are.

kristen8000

First, ditch the shake. From Sept. 3rd to Nov. 9th, I lost about 15lbs eating btw 1200-1300 calories a day. I ate 3 meals and 3 snacks of real food. It can be done. And after a period of time, sometimes I even skipped a snack or 2...

Second, how long have you been doing this? For me, when I start any kind of calorie restriction, I'm miserable for about 2 weeks. I call it "I ate crap for a long time and now my body is crying". After 2 weeks, I'm back to my old self and the lack of food/calories doesn't seem to bother me. If it's less than 2 weeks, hang in there.

Third, 1200 calories MAY be a calorie level that is just too low. I would need to know how many pounds you want to lose before I can recommend a reasonable rate of loss. Fast isn't the best or only way. Finding something you can stick to is. It's ALL about consistency.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

I’m 136 pounds and eat 1800 to lose half a pound a week. If 1200 is making you hungry eat more calories. As others have said plug in your stats and set the rate of loss to a less aggressive loss than you currently have.

MichelleMcKeeRN

I am 5’2” 145lbs and lose weight at 1495 calories. I do *try* to balance my macros and that really helps with hunger. Have you tried clean eating, more food, more water...?

Tennisskater

I like eating the white part if a hard boiled egg in between meals- I make a bunch and keep in fridge. The process of peeling and eating is very satisfying to me + the protein is 👍

nytrifisoul

Drink coffee black with sweetner in the morning, and afternoon. Nothing else. Maybe its just me, but the caffeine rush takes my appetite away. Try and make it till dinner time and eat a big meal (800 ish calories) , then close to bed time eat a 400 ish snack. I sleep like a baby doing this. I think the term is called intermediate fasting nowadays. 20 years ago it was called the warrior diet, and was frowned upon by most know-it-alls. I swear by it. Its worked for me for 20 years, i just like to jump off the wagon every 5 years, but thats just me, not the method.

mgfit2020

I do agree with other posters that 1200 seems needlessly low, BUT to answer your question:

Add veggies to EVERYTHING.

They will add minumially to your calorie count and bulk up the volume of what you're eating (not to mention the health benefits of the vitamins, fiber etc.)

I too get hangry, and I've noticed that I make terrible food decisions if I go too long between meals. Keeping washed and chopped veg like carrots and celery sticks handy at all times to snack on has been a game changer for me! A big handful of celery for example is under 30 cals and for me snacking on it on my commute home means that when I do get home I can take my time and make my dinner according to plan, rather than going through my kitchen in a hangry rage eating everything in sight the second I step through the door.

Hope this helps, best of luck to you!