Hunger Pains...

Leah8668

I just started using Myfitnesspal. Through this, I have realized why I am gaining weight. I did just recently have a baby, but since her birth I have just been packing on the pounds after the inital loss from giving birth (I am unable to breastfeed). After tracking my calories, I found that I eat over 1,000 calories a day on just SNACKS! (yesterday snack intake was almost 1,200) I don't eat all bad food, I eat fruit and yogurt, etc, but I can definitely cut out some junk. But the problem is I feel like I am always hungry and am always eating between meals. I just feel like I'm starving all the time. I didn't like my weight before getting pregnant, and now I just keep adding on the pounds. Any adivce on how to make it through the hunger pains? I don't eat out much, I make good homecooked meals. The problem is I'm never full and always snacking. I guess I'm snacking wrong. I just don't know what to snack on that is healthy, filling and relatively low calorie!! I try to drink lots of water but I just can't seem to lay off the snacks!! Any tips??

shadow2soul

It would probably help if you made your diary public. That way people can see what you are eating and it will be easier for them to offer advice on what to change.

I usually try for protein with every snack and meal. Protein keeps me full longer than carbs do.

vangogo3

I also could not breastfeed, therefore didn't lose the weight that is supposed to come off form breastfeeding, and I gained weight after babies and snacked like crazy. Havng a newborn is difficult and stressful. Let's face it, you are up all throughout the night, you're exhausted, and probably looking for energy boosts, thus you are hungry. Oh yeah, and if you're stressed, which I'm assuming you are, that might be triggering your eating as well. Advice? Don't go too nuts or be too hard on yourself right now. Make some small changes (for example, measure out portions, count out chips, and don't sit with a whole bag of anything! LOL!), get used to those, then make some more. Some satisfying snacks are almonds and walnuts. They can be high in calories but I find they are great for fighting off hunger. I eat them in yogurt (I love, love, love Dannon Greek Lite and Fit for 80 calories each!) and in salads. I pop 3 - 5 when I feel hunger start and it's not a meal or snack time. I chew each one slowly and really taste and enjoy them. I like to have hard-boiled eggs on hand for a low-calorie/high protein snack. Reduced fat cheese sticks are nice, as are chopped vegetables and hummus. You said you like fruit? It's apple season! Try apple slices with a nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower, etc.)! Be sure to measure out your nut butter...it's easy to eat more than a serving if you don't watch. If you have trouble with portion control as I do, buy pre-packaged 100 calorie packs or make your own (saves some money!) I love Pop Chips and you can have 23 in a serving for 120 calories. And hey...by joining in on MFP, you're already on the right track! Good for you! Good luck!

Jewlz280

I also could not breastfeed, therefore didn't lose the weight that is supposed to come off form breastfeeding, and I gained weight after babies and snacked like crazy. Havng a newborn is difficult and stressful. Let's face it, you are up all throughout the night, you're exhausted, and probably looking for energy boosts, thus you are hungry. Oh yeah, and if you're stressed, which I'm assuming you are, that might be triggering your eating as well. Advice? Don't go too nuts or be too hard on yourself right now. Make some small changes (for example, measure out portions, count out chips, and don't sit with a whole bag of anything! LOL!), get used to those, then make some more. Some satisfying snacks are almonds and walnuts. They can be high in calories but I find they are great for fighting off hunger. I eat them in yogurt (I love, love, love Dannon Greek Lite and Fit for 80 calories each!) and in salads. I pop 3 - 5 when I feel hunger start and it's not a meal or snack time. I chew each one slowly and really taste and enjoy them. I like to have hard-boiled eggs on hand for a low-calorie/high protein snack. Reduced fat cheese sticks are nice, as are chopped vegetables and hummus. You said you like fruit? It's apple season! Try apple slices with a nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower, etc.)! Be sure to measure out your nut butter...it's easy to eat more than a serving if you don't watch. If you have trouble with portion control as I do, buy pre-packaged 100 calorie packs or make your own (saves some money!) I love Pop Chips and you can have 23 in a serving for 120 calories. And hey...by joining in on MFP, you're already on the right track! Good for you! Good luck!

This! After I had both of my kids, I lost that initial burst and then gained. I barely nursed with my oldest and got just a bit further with the second, but didn't have that huge drop in weight like a lot of women I knew did. For me, I snacked all of the darn time because my kiddo was awake ALL THE TIME. Seriously. He just wasn't like other newborns or even my oldest kiddo. He rarely slept and it was mostly when he was held. As a result, I was exhausted all the time. So, what does your body do when you are worn out from lack of sleep? It looks for energy in other places, aka, food. I drank coffee like a crazy person and snacked all day. I might have had one meal a day and that was when my husband got home and could take over the baby for a bit. I never realized how much I had come to depend on snacking until I started tracking again. I had to put the brakes on! But it wasn't until he was older and sleeping better. I was losing, but it was achingly slow because I was just always tired. If it makes you feel better, it will improve! When you snack, you probably need to go for things that are filling but really low cal. And like the PP said, portion it out. You can still have them, but they have to fit into your day. Protein and good fats will help SO MUCH. For example, for one of your snacks you could have half of an avocado with salt and pepper and then some tortilla chips with salsa. About 125 for the avocado, 140ish for the chips and 20 to 40 for 2tbsp. salsa. Grand total would be under 300 which seems high, but with good fats and crunch, satisfying and filling. If you wanted to keep it under 200, just find a cracker or chip that you like but is a bit lower in cals or just put the salsa in the avocado! I also like nuts and dried fruit. My current fave is dried mandarins (100cals for 1/4c) and a few pecans. Hummus with pita chips. Carrot sticks with ranch. Banana and 1tbsp. pb in cocoa powder. Jerky. Lots and lots of snack variety or what I call 'small meal' variety with either good fats, protein, or 'crunch'. I like crunch. LOL But I would say cutting back a bit on the carbs and upping protein and good fats would help out with the munchy monster! Good luck and don't give up! It WILL get better!

psuLemon

I suspect a few things. Your protein and fats are low or your calories are low. With 24 pounds to lose 1 lb per week should be your max. Also with a newborn then you are probably lightly active. I suspect you chose sedentary and 2 lbs per week. If you open your diary we can look. Also eating whole foods will naturally lower calories which should allow you to up quantity. And lastly eating lots of veggies help.

gigglesinthesun

depending on how long ago you gave birth your hormones might still be all over the place. Not getting enough sleep is also a factor.

I would take it easy and actually aim for not gaining weight rather then losing it.

Chances are if you are hungry all the time and tired, you are more likely to say 'sod this' and eat whatever you want thus getting a lot of calories in one hit and wiping out any deficit you may have painfully accrued. If that happens often enough you'd actually gain despite being hungry 90% of the time. It does get easier after a while (I have 2 children including one that only slept 8h in 24h as a tiny baby and my blood sugar and hormones and everything were just all over the place), but good luck anyway :-)

emmanap91

I just feel like I'm starving all the time. I didn't like my weight before getting pregnant, and now I just keep adding on the pounds. Any adivce on how to make it through the hunger pains? I don't eat out much, I make good homecooked meals. The problem is I'm never full and always snacking. I guess I'm snacking wrong. I just don't know what to snack on that is healthy, filling and relatively low calorie!! I try to drink lots of water but I just can't seem to lay off the snacks!! Any tips??

Cucumber, tomato, red bell peppers, spinach leaves, etc. - chop up and sprinkle a pinch of garlic salt or whatever seasoning you prefer.
Super filling, and most of these vegetables are less than 60 calories per (one 8 inch long cucumber is about 47 cals; one medium tomato is about 22 calories; one large red bell pepper is about 51 calories). Whenever I want a snack I just grab one of each (for a total of 120 calories) and it fills me up for 2-3 hours. Vegetables are the way to go because the large amounts of cellulose in them makes them filling, but since our bodies can't break down most of it, they are very low-cal.