Starving

matthewsq

I'm 21 male, sedentary, 1500 eating. I ate 1400 today but I am starving. I usually eat more because I work out and I used to have a different job. now I have a desk job and I'm too busy to work out and too lazy. Any tip staying under my calorie goal?

joshdann

more water, more protein, less fat, less carb. That should be more filling.

theoriginaljayne

Eat more food? 1500 calories for a 21-year-old guy sounds really low.

thesophierose

more water, more protein, less fat, less carb. That should be more filling.

Carbs and fats fill you up! A lot actually. Eat fiber. Fiber is a proven filler actually.

matthewsq

i drink more than 5 liters a day. I go to the washroom every hour too. I just added protein powder back to my diet. so I can be more satisfied and it worked. but protein powder is pretty expensive for a student

gigglesinthesun

protein does keep you full longest apparently according to studies

matthewsq

any food examples i can get for fiber and protein?
I did some research for snack foods and i got these
banana
3 c air popped corn
quacker instant oat meal
activia vanilla
granola bar

moonmistmm

Some of the easiest sources of fiber are anything plant based, really. If you eat enough fruits and veggies, maybe some whole grains, you should be set on fiber. Fiber One bars are good too.

geekyjock76

On what basis did you decide 1500 calories is acceptable for a reasonably lean person such as yourself?

Hauntinglyfit

Why is your calorie goal so low? How tall are you?

joshdann

more water, more protein, less fat, less carb. That should be more filling.

Carbs and fats fill you up! A lot actually. Eat fiber. Fiber is a proven filler actually.

fiber is the exception. The things that take the longest to break down fill you up the most, since they stick around longer. That's protein and to some extent fat. The problem with fat though, is that it's *way* more calorie dense. You get more than twice as much food weight per calorie with protein versus fat. Digestible (non-fiber) carbs get digested very quickly (especially simple ones) and won't provide much of a full feeling for very long. Complex carbs stick around a little longer but still not as long as protein.

MuseofSong

If you don't mind eating brand food and not, made in a blender or whatever from scratch at your house food:

Nature Valley Protein Bars
Quaker Oat Bars

They're filling (especially if you eat them while drinking water) and taste nice.

If you're okay with diary:

Greek yogurt
Cheeses

I also like raw almonds, seaweed peanuts (heck, seaweed anything, I love seaweed), energy squares from nuts.com, and stuff like that.

You can try filling up on more vegetables with your meals. They're low cal, and I'll often put a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese (Maybe 10 or 15 grams) or a serving of shredded cheddar cheese (28 grams) on a couple servings of green vegetables. ^_^ So, it's a little more fat and protein with the vegetables, and they're not too boring. But, the cheese is optional if you don't mind them just plain.

The only thing is cheese and nuts have to be measured carefully because they're calorie dense foods.

liftheavyeatwell

On what basis did you decide 1500 calories is acceptable for a reasonably lean person such as yourself?

This. Even being sedentary you could, most likely should, be eating more to maintain your weight. Judging by your profile picture there isn't much to lose if weight loss actually is your goal.

emjvance

you shouldnt be starving yourself, you can go a little over the calorie goal, this is healthy, try and fit a little workout into your day. I know its hard but it is doable. I workout every night for 40 minutes every night doing insanity, if i want to eat more i know i need to do my workout. there is also T25 that i heard about and it is only 25 mins a day.

padams2359

Why are you trying to lose 30 more lbs? My BMR is 2400+, and I am 47. Yours has to be higher. 1500 calories a day, no wonder you are hungry. Eat healthy, yes, 1500 calories my cause some healthy issues, and the cost of food will be the least of your worries.

Nicolee_2014

Eat more

joshdann

My BMR is 2400+, and I am 47.

Where did you get that measurement?

Blesmols

When I started eating better, I was hungry a lot, but I've been doing this since July and now, it's all I can do to get enough food in to cover my calorie allotment! I'm a poor college student, too. Consider Healthy Choice Steamers. Walmart has had a long-running sale on these recently, too, for $2 each. Some of those have 21 grams of protein in them! Moreover, they have veggies too. I also happen to like the taste. I'm also a big canned tuna fan, but you have to watch how much you eat of that because of mercury! I also pick up a box of ThinkThin Brownie Bars, 20 grams of protein each. These are usually about $1.39 each, or $5.97 to $6.97 for a box of five. These taste pretty good, too, and I eat one for breakfast with some fruit each day. It seems the more protein I eat for breakfast, the better off I am on managing hunger all day.

If you have to snack, consider vegetables. I moderately like carrots, but if you buy a bunch of them, eating them is a chore. I chew them so much that by the time I have a carrot, I'm tired of eating.

matthewsq

my height is 5'5. I want to lose one pound per week and that's what mfp gave me

nomeejerome

Why 30 pounds? Why the 1500 calorie goal? Why not make time to work out? Why not set reasonable goals?

ETA: How do you know how many calories you are truly eating each day if you do not log accurately?

wilmnoca

Stay out of McDonalds for one... ????

nomeejerome

Stay out of McDonalds for one... ????

You don't have to stay out of McDonalds.
But I do realize if a person goes there they risk you calling them a McFatty. :sick:

JustYandy

Listen to your body eat when hungry,but don't over indulge.Drink a big glass of water if your still hungry then you probably need to eat...Then you know it's not just in your mind.Your metabolism is probably higher then you think or your activity level may not be set right.Eat a apple?

bethanytowell

I just a lettuce wrap. 200 calories for both wraps total. Lettuce, sliced ham, sprinkle parmesan cheese, 1 tsp of cesar dressing. Delish. I work a sedentary office job as well. Im always hungry. I would normaly have eaten the donuts in the break room when feeling as hungry as i just was but i am so proud and pretty satisfied with my lettuce wraps. Just get creative. you can do it.

jjrichard83

more water, more protein, less fat, less carb. That should be more filling.

Carbs and fats fill you up! A lot actually. Eat fiber. Fiber is a proven filler actually.

Carbs won't fill you up long term...

Honestly get into ketosis. Low carb it- your hunger will stop, and your fat will shed off like crazy. 120 grams of protein is more than enough, and fill up on fat.

Check out the info Brad Pilon & Matin Berkhan talk about. It'll help you greatly! Once going into ketosis I started shedding 3-4 lbs a week with no hunger at all. There are many ways to get to your goal, but this is the easiest way by far... Just takes some diet planning.

brraanndi

my height is 5'5. I want to lose one pound per week and that's what mfp gave me

I'd change it to .5 a week to give yourself more calories to work with.

I'd also eat a real breakfast instead of protein powder if you aren't working out. Eggs and Bacon IMO are really filling. I make up a huge batch ( with veggies cooked in the eggs ) and that gets me a super filling breakfast for 400ish calories daily.

crempel83

I say add lots of veggies to your meals they help fill you up and are low calorie. And take the stairs if you have them in the building and try and break up your sitting activity helps you feel fuller, even if you just go for a walk around the block at lunch time. I read about a study where they found that sitting actually makes you feel hungrier.

torie079

EAT!!!

Mcmilligen

Try adding in psyllium husks. It's pretty much all fiber, and has no digestible calories. I'd try drinking a shot of it 1 hr before eating your meal, and it should help a bit.

Other than that, eat low calorie, high nutrient foods. You can fill a salad bowl full of greens, veggies a bit of fruit etc and it will fill you up nooo problem. Add a bit of protein on top like nuts (be careful, very calorie-dense), tempeh, or lean meat. Meals like that actually make me feel stuffed.

hungryhobbit1

Stay away from popcorn while you are getting used to a calorie reduction, it's a trap! Very low calorie but it will fill up your stomach preventing it from shrinking as you eat less. (A smaller stomach will reduce some of those hunger pangs.) Also, bananas, popcorn, oatmeal and granola bars are all examples of carbohydrate-rich snacks, not protein. (They are also fine to eat if they fit in your macros, but you said you wanted more protein) Green veggies will give you fiber without so many carbs.

Try:

green beans, snow peas, cucumbers, broccoli, salads etc for fiber
cottage cheese, tuna, turkey, chicken breast, hard boiled eggs for protein (I'm trying to think about snack friendly items but any form of meat will work)

BUT: I agree with the general sentiment that you have probably cut your calories too low. Haven't read the whole thread yet, but depending on how tall you are and how much you weigh, 1500 calories sounds itty bitty for a 21 year old male. I am a 40 year old 5 foot tall female and I'm losing weight on 1390-1800 calories a day depending on exercise.

any food examples i can get for fiber and protein?
I did some research for snack foods and i got these
banana
3 c air popped corn
quacker instant oat meal
activia vanilla
granola bar

kyleekay10

Stay away from popcorn while you are getting used to a calorie reduction, it's a trap! Very low calorie but it will fill up your stomach preventing it from shrinking as you eat less. (A smaller stomach will reduce some of those hunger pangs.)

Uh. What? No.