I'm always hungry ):

sunflowerinkashmir

I recently started trying to count calories and eat better in an effort to lose body fat. I have a pretty fast metabolism but have been gaining weight a little recently. I'm trying to eat a lot a of protein to keep me full, but I'll eat something and then be hungry 45mins later. It's kind of scary. On Saturday, I ate a whole chicken and waffle meal from Roscoe's (it was my Friday night splurge!) and felt full but was hungry again an hour later. What am I doing wrong and how can I fix this? I'm worried about either a) I'm eating too little or b) I'm going to end up overeating because I'm hungry all the time. My diary is open if y'all need to look at it.

Fuzzipeg

I took a peek at your diary. I wonder if you have totally changed the way you eat. You say the weight gain is recent so I expect you are taking precautions, this is sensible but a smaller portion of your normal foods might be enough particularly as you are at the younger end of the age range on here. Also if the activity level you set for yourself is too low the calorie allocation will be lower than you actually need to go about your daily activity. People in their early 20 tend to be more active but do not necessarily realise it. If you are trying to loose 5 to 10 lb or there about setting for '5 per week loss will give you more calories, then using foods with a higher protein and fat ratio could help.

Better people than me will talk you through daily needs and things I am sure.

All the best in your efforts to be more healthy

flatlndr

For me, the waffle would do me in - I'm presuming it's white flour and some hidden further sugar. I would digest it quickly, get a sugar rush/crash, and be hungry again.
A quick look at your diary shows limited leafy green vegs. The occassional spinach, but not much more.

I'm also seeing high numbers in your sugar column. You could be getting spikes and crashes as a result, causing you to feel hugry. Feel free to have a look at my diary for comparison. I have the opposite issue from you. Because I am eating high fiber, whole foods, I fill up quickly, and stay full all day. In fact, I find I have to force myself to eat more sometimes to get my calories up -- which is not a problem I ever had before changing my food intake.

Of course, the food that works for me may not work for you ... so, ultimately, you need to find what works for you.

sunflowerinkashmir

I took a peek at your diary. I wonder if you have totally changed the way you eat. You say the weight gain is recent so I expect you are taking precautions, this is sensible but a smaller portion of your normal foods might be enough particularly as you are at the younger end of the age range on here. Also if the activity level you set for yourself is too low the calorie allocation will be lower than you actually need to go about your daily activity. People in their early 20 tend to be more active but do not necessarily realise it. If you are trying to loose 5 to 10 lb or there about setting for '5 per week loss will give you more calories, then using foods with a higher protein and fat ratio could help.

Better people than me will talk you through daily needs and things I am sure.

All the best in your efforts to be more healthy

I haven't changed it too too much. I set my goal at .5 lbs a week on here, but I definitely understand what you mean about younger people being more active. Thanks so much for the advice! (:

sunflowerinkashmir

For me, the waffle would do me in - I'm presuming it's white flour and some hidden further sugar. I would digest it quickly, get a sugar rush/crash, and be hungry again.
A quick look at your diary shows limited leafy green vegs. The occassional spinach, but not much more.

I'm also seeing high numbers in your sugar column. You could be getting spikes and crashes as a result, causing you to feel hugry. Feel free to have a look at my diary for comparison. I have the opposite issue from you. Because I am eating high fiber, whole foods, I fill up quickly, and stay full all day. In fact, I find I have to force myself to eat more sometimes to get my calories up -- which is not a problem I ever had before changing my food intake.

Of course, the food that works for me may not work for you ... so, ultimately, you need to find what works for you.

But it was soooooo good! XD you know, i didn't even notice about the lack of leafy greens. I'm actually a big salad person, but I guess I haven't been eating too many of those! I'll definitely add more to my diet. Yeah, I've noticed high sugar as well as high sodium in my diary, I'm not sure how to cut down on sugar because the things I was eating wouldn't strike me as sugary. I'm not sure if I'm eating too much fruit or what's up with that. Your diary was impressive, it seemed like you ate a lot of things but still had calories to spare at the end of the day!

Miamiuu

Im low carbing and eating a lot of protein. I have to force myself to eat really. I dont get hunger pains. Maybe you should eat more protein.

lavendy17

I am always hungry too! At most I can go 3 hours without food no matter how much I ate before.

I agree with some of the other posts:
1. White flour and added sugars will make you hungrier. Enjoy them in moderation, and be aware of the consequences.
2. The fact that you didn't have vegetables next to the chicken and waffle is another reason you're hungry.

I know that you might not yet appreciate this, but a meal that is half veggies is infinitely more filling and satisfying (and for longer) that one without. I was not very good about it most of my life, and one time I mixed rice with this veggie stew that my mom made, and realized I could barely finish it and I was a lot less hungry later. So this is a powerful change that you could try. (Not for nothing the USDA's ideal plate looks the way it does. Really.)

GingerLolita

1.) It looks like you're drinking plenty of calories. Eating food instead will fill you up more.
2.) Your diet seems to include a high amount of processed foods. Whole foods tend to be more filling.
3.) It looks like you're not hitting your calorie and protein targets. Making an effort to do this will certainly help keep you full.
4.) You skip lots of meals. I'm someone who tends to be hungry often, so I eat six times per day. Everyone's different, but eating more often may help.

knra_grl

eat smaller portions more frequently - I have days where I want to eat all day and others where I can go hours without eating

just make healthier choices when you are in "grazing mode" and keep track of your calories

Makoce

I had the same problem .. I would eat every 2 -3 hours, probably a total of 6 - 7 meals and still be hungry.

I switched to 16:8 intermittent fasting and upped my protein intake a bunch - I got rid of grains white flours and processed sugars and went from being a ravenous food hungry binger to now forcing myself to eat to hit my calorie goal because I have finally found the end of my stomach! :laugh:

sunflowerinkashmir

1.) It looks like you're drinking plenty of calories. Eating food instead will fill you up more.
2.) Your diet seems to include a high amount of processed foods. Whole foods tend to be more filling.
3.) It looks like you're not hitting your calorie and protein targets. Making an effort to do this will certainly help keep you full.
4.) You skip lots of meals. I'm someone who tends to be hungry often, so I eat six times per day. Everyone's different, but eating more often may help.

I'm going to try to drink water solely but I need coffee sometimes. I should skip the Starbucks though!
So, processed foods would be like...the bread, yogurt? I'm sorry, I'm kind if confused on the difference between whole and processed foods.
So basically for the targets, I should hit my calorie target, is it ok to go over my protein target? And then try to stay under for carbs, sodium and sugar?
Ahhhh, I don't think I've skipped any meals, i make sure to at least have a breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I do think I'm someone that needs to switch to eating smaller meals more often.

flatlndr

For me, the waffle would do me in - I'm presuming it's white flour and some hidden further sugar. I would digest it quickly, get a sugar rush/crash, and be hungry again.
A quick look at your diary shows limited leafy green vegs. The occassional spinach, but not much more.

I'm also seeing high numbers in your sugar column. You could be getting spikes and crashes as a result, causing you to feel hugry. Feel free to have a look at my diary for comparison. I have the opposite issue from you. Because I am eating high fiber, whole foods, I fill up quickly, and stay full all day. In fact, I find I have to force myself to eat more sometimes to get my calories up -- which is not a problem I ever had before changing my food intake.

Of course, the food that works for me may not work for you ... so, ultimately, you need to find what works for you.

But it was soooooo good! XD you know, i didn't even notice about the lack of leafy greens. I'm actually a big salad person, but I guess I haven't been eating too many of those! I'll definitely add more to my diet. Yeah, I've noticed high sugar as well as high sodium in my diary, I'm not sure how to cut down on sugar because the things I was eating wouldn't strike me as sugary. I'm not sure if I'm eating too much fruit or what's up with that. Your diary was impressive, it seemed like you ate a lot of things but still had calories to spare at the end of the day!

No doubt that fried chicken & waffle combo was very tasty! I miss that type of food sometimes.

You've received a range of suggestions here from low carbs to whole grain moderate carbers (my plan). Different mixes will work for different people. Some like to graze all day. I prefer 3 meals, plus a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack. You need to figure out what works for you. Whatever you do ingest, log every possible detail. Then, on days when you are hugry ... or not hungry ... you can review what you ate (or think about what you didn't eat), and make sensible adjustments. Also think about what you did on the day before. Since I changed my food consumption to what you see in my diary, I have only had two days when I felt tired. The rest of the time I've had more energy than I've known what to do with. For those two down days, I found that on the day prior, I had a low calorie intake, and a high exercise count. As a result, I was depleted the next day. I upped my calories for one day, and I perked back up.

Even though there are different strategies, there are common themes:
- watch out for white flour products consumption
- watch out for sugar consumption
- eat more leafy vegs! (they are full of nutrients, will fill you up, and will keep you feeling full)
- make sure you are getting enough protein

Sources of sugar I see in your diary:
- Luna Bar
- Your low fat yogurt (might have added sugar over and above the natural milk sugar; if so, perhaps consider switching to a low-fat greek yogurt, which has about 1/3 the sugar ... at least that's the case for the brand we get)
- Bolthouse Farms - Green Goodness Fruit & Veggie Drink ... looking at the ingredients list, it's a bit of fruit juice (which is kind of like sugar water with flavor), and a bit of pureed fruit/veg. If you could eat a piece of fruit and a bit of veg, and wash down with water, I think you'll come out ahead, and will feel fuller, longer.
- Starbucks - White Chocolate Mocha had 58g sugar ... most of your daily allowance
While fruit is has sugar, eating the whole fruit (rather than having fruit juice) gives you all the fiber and nutrition of the whole fruit. An apple and a glass of water is a much better choice than a glass of apple juice.

And yes ... as you can see from my diary, I am able to eat a lot, and still have lots of spare calories at the end of the day. With all the whole foods and fiber in my diet, I fill up, and stay filled up. I don't get hungry at all ... a bit change for me ... when I ate poorly, I was constantly hungry.

Glad to see that you are exercising ... with a nice mix of cardio and strength work getting started. That's a big help.

Good luck!

CherylG1983

Eat more meals in smaller portions with lots of fiber. If you normally eat 3 meals a day with a couple snacks, eat six meals with no snacks. Also, increase your fiber intake, as fiber takes longer to break down, so you will feel full longer. Try having steel cut oats with berries and honey for breakfast or a mid-morning meal. That keeps me feel satisfied for at least 2 hours.

flatlndr

1.) It looks like you're drinking plenty of calories. Eating food instead will fill you up more.
2.) Your diet seems to include a high amount of processed foods. Whole foods tend to be more filling.
3.) It looks like you're not hitting your calorie and protein targets. Making an effort to do this will certainly help keep you full.
4.) You skip lots of meals. I'm someone who tends to be hungry often, so I eat six times per day. Everyone's different, but eating more often may help.

I'm going to try to drink water solely but I need coffee sometimes. I should skip the Starbucks though!
So, processed foods would be like...the bread, yogurt? I'm sorry, I'm kind if confused on the difference between whole and processed foods.
So basically for the targets, I should hit my calorie target, is it ok to go over my protein target? And then try to stay under for carbs, sodium and sugar?
Ahhhh, I don't think I've skipped any meals, i make sure to at least have a breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I do think I'm someone that needs to switch to eating smaller meals more often.

No problem, most of us need a jolt of caffeine to get going. But there is a huge difference between cup of plain coffee, and a grande mochafrappachino (or whatever the fancy drink is). In one case, you have 500 calories from one of those coffees. That's a whole meal's worth of calories for you. And with all the sugar calories in there, a very nutritionally poor meal.

Whole Food: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_food
Processed Food: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processed_food

There's not a clear line either. I tend to think of it as a spectrum. A raw chicken breast is a whole food. A frozen dinner including chicken is a processed food.

Yogurt is very close to fully whole food. Milk plus bacteria, allowed to ferment ... very healthy. Load it up with sugars and flavors ... not so healthy.
Bread ... depends. Read labels. Look for whole wheat varieties with high fiber and low sugar. You'll feel fuller for longer. With white bread, the wheat grains are processed much more than whole wheat grains, providing a food that is very easily/quickly digested, and you'll feel hungry again sooner (kind of like what you experienced with your waffles).

Snack bars, fully prepared meals, etc, are all processed foods. Whether or not manufacturers do it on purpose to keep you hungry (I'll leave that to a conspiracy panel to discuss), processed foods often have high sugar, high salt, or high sugar in combo with high fat, and usually low fiber, so you eat more to feel full, and then you feel hungry again very quickly, as compared to whole foods.