Always always ravenous!!

mom22lyns

Someone help! I am ALWAYS hungry!!! It’s been detrimental to trying to lose weight and I am getting so discouraged! Just last night, a lightbulb went off, and I wondered if it could be connected to an overactive thyroid?? My last TSH reading (in March) was 0.52. I am on 150 mcg Synthyroid daily. Could this be the culprit?? I’m getting super discouraged

janejellyroll

The usual stuff I suggest looking at if you're always hungry - Is your calorie goal realistic? Have you experimented with different approaches to meal timing and macros? Are you getting enough fiber? Have you experimented with higher volume meals? Since you have medical issues, it's also certainly worth talking to your doctor about.

rheddmobile

Definitely check in with your doc about your meds, they may need to be tweaked.

I find that my hunger drops greatly when I eat fewer carbs. However, some people are the opposite. Play with your macros and see what satisfies you.

MadisonMolly2017

@mom22lyns

In case this helps, here are things that make me “ravenous”:
1. Not exercising daily - walking/hiking in my case
2. Not enough protein
3. Too Much salt
4. Too much sugar
5. Not enough fats
6. Not enough water
7. Not enough fiber
8. Eating Out (see 2,3,4,)

The key ones for me are salty or sugary foods/drinks & not exercising.

It took me a long time to recognize that salt triggered my appetite.

Also I tried protein pacing & was Never Hungry. Basically you eat every 3 hours with your protein evenly divided across this meals.
I did 9:30, 12:30, 3;30, 6:30, & 9:30 because of meds I need to take after eating, 12 hours apart. You eat within an hour of rising & stop, I think, 2 hrs before bed.

sofrances

I'm definitely less hungry on days when I have more protein and fibre. I think fibre is especially important, and the good thing about fibre is that it is often present in high quantities in vegetables, which are pretty low calorie.

Here's a good article which usefully features "fibre per 200 calories" for a long list of vegetables:
https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-fiber.php

yirara

Your tsh looks great to be honest. Do you feel you have enough energy to get through your day? Do you feel restless? Is your heartrate elevated in rest? And equally important: how do your fT4 and fT3 look like? If they aren't over range then it's not your thyroid.

Seriously, I'd look at what your eating and how much.

brenn24179

for me it is not enough protein and I drink water at night when I get hungry

sksk1026

It might help to experiment with your food - I can curb my hunger and food cravings by starting the day with 30g of protein (eggs and egg whites), keeping my carbs under 100g, and getting enough sleep.

AnnPT77

FWIW, because I'll bet it would be more individual than universal: I've been medicated to at/just below the low end of the normal range for a while, and it didn't spike my appetite.

Like others, I wonder if you can find a more satisfying eating pattern, either composition of eating, or timing. Are you still trying to lose weight (since you asked in the "maintaining weight" part of the forum)? If so, any chance you're over-restricting calories for your current body size?

BuddhaBunnyFTW

I have trouble with hunger too so I go after fiber rich calorie light foods.