Constantly Hungry!

Hello, I am new too this weight loss journey. So far I have lost about 8 pounds in the past 4 weeks. I would say I am loosing at a very steady pace but I am having an issue maintaining my diet due to excessive hungryness! No matter what I eat, my stomach starts growling about 2 hours after each intake. Then, if I skip a snack or dont eat something filling, I tend to either make not-so-healthy choices or over eat at my next "meal". I am having a problem trying to find easy, healthy (low sugar, low sodium, low carb) snacks that will keep me satisfied for more than 2 hours. I am also a very busy person (in school and working full time) so it is hard to find the time to eat every two hours and pack enough snacks for the entire day! I was curious if any one else had this issue, had any suggestions, or any type of healthy on-the-go snacks that have helped them curb their appetite and maintain weight loss.\

Thanks!!

-- The very busy and HUNGRY nursing student :(

Replies

  • 19TaraLynn84
    19TaraLynn84 Posts: 739 Member
    Protein!!! Eat plenty of protein with each meal, and you may find that you're not hungry until 4 or 5 hours later. And carbs really aren't your enemy (unless you're diabetic).
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Eating only 900 calories a day will do that to a person....
  • turtleball
    turtleball Posts: 217 Member
    exercise and eat back the calories or
    how about... 100 calorie popcorn?
    or a pickle- 10 calories eat
    eat more green with your meals (they are low in calories)
    how about when you eat, eat half a plate and then save the other for when your hungry 2 hours later?

    or if you feel like your calorie intake is too low then bump it up if you want.

    edit-
    I just viewed your diary, it is pretty obvious you need to eat more.
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
    I do notice that when I eat protein in a meal, I tend to be fuller for longer and don't have any snacking urges between meals.
  • longhornkate
    longhornkate Posts: 2 Member
    Fat, you're missing good fats. Good fat will keep you fuller longer along with protein. Suggestions include a piece of cheese, avocado, guacamole, coconut anything as long it's real coconut. You need fat to survive especially if you are going low carb. And yes, more than 900 cals is important.
  • Earthtokarmen
    Earthtokarmen Posts: 19 Member
    If your diary is accurate, you aren't consuming nearly enough calories. You body needs at least 1200 to function and most days it didn't look like you hit that. When you do have time to eat, eat a well-balanced meal, you'll see more sustainable results if you aren't starving yourself of nutrition.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    It took me awhile to find my balance. My balance is now enough calories to lose weight, enough protein to not feel empty hungries and enough exercise to build my body. Just cutting calories was not going to work and I could feel it. I had to learn and relearn everything. My philosophy is that it takes so long so that we can get it right.
  • 19TaraLynn84
    19TaraLynn84 Posts: 739 Member
    I guess I should have viewed your diary before I answered. You definitely need to eat more. You will still lose weight if you eat more than what you're eating now. Like a few hundred calories more.
  • everyone above me has missed some vital information to pass onto you.

    Fat is 100% the most filling macronutrient, followed by or equal to protein. CHO are usually NOT filling.

    My advice to you

    Eat calorically light food (whole foods tend to be very light on calories… ie Potatoes are hands down the most filling carb). Puffed wheat cereal is another great one….

    Eat an unlimited amount of veggies….. it's very tough to gain weight via veggies.

    Drink a fibre supplement like phyisium husk, apple pectin, or add guar gum to smoothies.

    Use stimulant products to suppress appetitie… ie caffeine, ephedrine, etc etc
  • nogoldilocs
    nogoldilocs Posts: 87 Member
    Whenever I see a thread that reads "constantly hungry" my first thought without reading further is "eat more". Then I read the thread, check the food diary and sure enough, there it is: too few calories. Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious: eat more.

    The thing about mfp is that there are many ways to use it. When first starting out one can use it just as it comes. Plug in your weight and your goals. Input all that you eat and drink. Record all of your exercise. Consume the number of calories calculated for you. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. If you are feeling good and losing weight, continue.

    If you do that and you are still hungry then maybe other suggestions will be helpful. You can experiment with different macros, and calculations of TDEE and BMR and other more advanced moves. You can make adjustments and tweak things to suit your needs. But my advice when first starting out is to just keep it simple. And a big important part of that is eating enough of whatever you are eating.

    To answer your question about healthy, on the go snacks, some I enjoy: sweet potatoes, hard boiled eggs, cheese, yogurt, anything with peanut butter.