hollow stomach!

kblaine92
kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What do you do when your stomach constantly feels some sort of emptiness?! I rather feel empty then FULL, but I hate this empty feeling. I will eat and feel comfortable and then about an hour or 2 later I'm kind of hungry again but 1200 calories a day
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Replies

  • Tla0126
    Tla0126 Posts: 207 Member
    Sometimes extra acid in your stomach can cause that feeling... Check with your doctor and see if an acid reducer is something you should try.

    Good luck - that's an awful feeling!
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    You only have 10 lbs to lose. Why not eat more? Making sure you're getting a good amount of proteins, fats, and fiber can also aid in satiety. I'd up your calories and work on balancing your macros.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    You only have 10 lbs to lose. Why not eat more? Making sure you're getting a good amount of proteins, fats, and fiber can also aid in satiety. I'd up your calories and work on balancing your macros.

    This
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    What do you do when your stomach constantly feels some sort of emptiness?! I rather feel empty then FULL, but I hate this empty feeling. I will eat and feel comfortable and then about an hour or 2 later I'm kind of hungry again but 1200 calories a day

    Honestly perhaps your stomach feels empty because it is and perhaps you are hungry because you are not eating enough. 1200 calories a day is very low. What is your height, weight and gender?
  • Kathy535
    Kathy535 Posts: 31 Member
    I get this, even after eating I have hunger like pangs. I've come to the conclusion it's excess acid as Tia1026 suggests. The doctor prescribed me PPIs and it's definitely less noticeable with those..
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I get this, even after eating I have hunger like pangs. I've come to the conclusion it's excess acid as Tia1026 suggests. The doctor prescribed me PPIs and it's definitely less noticeable with those..

    I would think its actual hunger. As in you are hungry because you are eating at a huge deficit.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    I am 5'3 127lbs and I am a female.
  • Mario_Az
    Mario_Az Posts: 1,331 Member
    put some food in it :)
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    It probably feels hollow because you're only eating 1200 calories a day.
  • Kathy535
    Kathy535 Posts: 31 Member
    I get this, even after eating I have hunger like pangs. I've come to the conclusion it's excess acid as Tia1026 suggests. The doctor prescribed me PPIs and it's definitely less noticeable with those..

    I would think its actual hunger. As in you are hungry because you are eating at a huge deficit.

    But I'm not eating at a huge deficit. And while it's like hunger, it's subtly different.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    What's the proper amount of calories for my size then and especially if I want to lose 8lbs?
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I am 5'3 127lbs and I am a female.

    So lets see. 22 years old, 63 inches, 127 pounds, female. Going to assume sedentary for now (ie desk work and no exercise).

    http://exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    That gives a BMR (the amount your body burns if you were in a coma) of 1400 (so you are eating 200 calories below the amount your body needs to stay alive) and a NEAT of 1800, so you are eating at a very aggressive 600 calorie daily deficit despite not being overweight.

    Yeah I think you are just honestly hungry. You should probably eat more.

    If you are not completely sedentary and go for walks or even exercise then its even a larger deficit.

    With only 8 pounds to lose you should probably be looking at hitting a 300 calorie deficit tops while being above your BMR in calories. I'd think 1500 calories net a day. Net meaning after eating back any calories you burn from exercise.
  • tehboxingkitteh
    tehboxingkitteh Posts: 1,574 Member
    I get this, even after eating I have hunger like pangs. I've come to the conclusion it's excess acid as Tia1026 suggests. The doctor prescribed me PPIs and it's definitely less noticeable with those..
    In 1.5 hours, you went to the doctor, got a prescription, and know that medication works?

    Edited because I can't tell time.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member


    But I'm not eating at a huge deficit. And while it's like hunger, it's subtly different.

    If you are eating 1200 calories a day as a 22 year old woman who is 5'3 you are eating at a huge deficit especially if you only have 10 pounds to lose. You probably maintain at close to 2000 calories.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    put some food in it :)

    Yeah, pretty much.

    I mean I know you might think this is an insult to even say it this way but if your problem is you feel hungry, perhaps you should eat more.

    I'm losing one pound a week eating about 2100 calories a day and I am never hungry.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    I walk/jog 2-3 miles a day. If that makes a difference
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I walk/jog 2-3 miles a day. If that makes a difference

    Okay so you are probably burning several hundred calories on top of the 1800 that you likely maintain at which would put you in the 2000 calorie TDEE range. 1200 calories is dangerously low and I am not sure why you are trying to be so aggressive with your diet when you aren't even overweight.

    You need to eat more.

    You aren't feeling that your stomach is empty because of some medical condition or acid reflux or anything like that, you feel its empty because its empty because you aren't eating enough. You are hungry because you are hungry.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    Yeah I'm not sure why when I set this up it gave me a calorie intake of 1200 so that's what I've been going by, and yes I have stayed HUNGRY!
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    MFP is quite notorious for setting calorie goals FAR too low, regardless of height and weight. For example, it told me to eat 1200, and my BMR (the bare amount of calories I need to LIVE) is 1280. And I am extremely tiny, only 5 feet. So unless you are smaller than me, or bedridden, it is almost a CERTAINTY that you are eating too little. (This can result in lean muscle loss, chronic fatigue, metabolism damage, and bingeing due to over-restriction.)

    Go to

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    and enter your height/weight/activity level.

    Subtract 10-20% from the number it calculates for you, and that is the number of calories you should be eating a day in order to lose weight. With this method you do not eat back your exercise calories, as they are already figured into your daily goal.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Yeah I'm not sure why when I set this up it gave me a calorie intake of 1200 so that's what I've been going by, and yes I have stayed HUNGRY!

    MFP is a tool, its a calculator...it has no brain. It will spit back at you what you tell it. If you told it you were sedentary and that you want to lose 2 pounds a week it will give you an answer. It bottoms out at 1200 calories meaning if the answer is below 1200 calories it will report back 1200 calories because they don't want to get in trouble for telling someone to eat at a level that would be malnourishing.

    Here is the thing. You aren't sedentary and losing 2 pounds a week at your height and weight is an unreasonable and unhealthy goal. If you eat that little a few things are going to happen.

    1) you will be hungry, light headed, dizzy, weak, tired
    2) you will find it difficult to stick to your diet, you will find it to be a pain rather than enjoyable
    3) Exercise will become harder and harder as your body resists, rather than being easier as your body gets stronger.

    None of this is what you want.

    Go back to MFP. Tell it you are lightly active. Tell it you want to lose half a pound a week. What does it tell you to eat now?
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    Your stomach feels empty because it is! Why the hell are you only eating 1200 calories per day? Change your MFP settings - you're allowed.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    So I would subtract from my TDEE calorie intake number? If so after subtracting 20% It comes to 1440 calories a day.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    I have it set to lightly active but I changed my goal to losing .5 lbs a week instead of 1.5 ( I'm new to this whole dieting thing) and my calorie intake says 2080! I don't even know If I could eat that much in a day ( lol )
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I have it set to lightly active but I changed my goal to losing .5 lbs a week instead of 1.5 ( I'm new to this whole dieting thing) and my calorie intake says 2080! I don't even know If I could eat that much in a day ( lol )

    This is why I was saying you were eating at a huge deficit. Most people think 2000 calories is this huge number. That is because most people only track their calories when they are actively trying to diet. Go eat a hamburger, should solve that.
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
    How much fiber are you eating? Protein? Healthy fats? Are you drinking your minimum 64 ounces of water? Are you losing calories to drinks?

    A lot of "diet" foods I've noticed aren't well balanced to make you feel full, they just want the "low fat' or "low cal" label at all costs.

    I'm on 1,200 a day, and I'm eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies and it makes a big difference. My lunch yesterday felt huge, because of all the carrot sticks and raspberries.

    (Of course make sure you eat back at least a portion of exercise calories, if not all.)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    How much fiber are you eating? Protein? Healthy fats? Are you drinking your minimum 64 ounces of water? Are you losing calories to drinks?

    A lot of "diet" foods I've noticed aren't well balanced to make you feel full, they just want the "low fat' or "low cal" label at all costs.

    I'm on 1,200 a day, and I'm eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies and it makes a big difference. My lunch yesterday felt huge, because of all the carrot sticks and raspberries.

    (Of course make sure you eat back at least a portion of exercise calories, if not all.)

    You are 37 and have 50 pounds to lose. She is 22 and has 10 pounds to lose. 1200 calories is not an okay intake for her.
  • kblaine92
    kblaine92 Posts: 16 Member
    Oh and also, I have found it enjoyable that I don't constantly feel bloated as before when I was eating horribly.. but I don't enjoy feeling hungry.. you're very right about it making this hard but it's gotten easier. But I don't want to be unhealthy and I need as much advice and appreciate it all thus far!
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Eating a balanced diet can consist of everything. You don't have to cut things out. I think it's important to pick nutrient dense foods to reach your micro and macro targets but after those are met, it's really free game. The body doesn't care where it gets its nutrients from, just that they're being met. Have you read?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    It's very helpful.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Oh and also, I have found it enjoyable that I don't constantly feel bloated as before when I was eating horribly.. but I don't enjoy feeling hungry.. you're very right about it making this hard but it's gotten easier. But I don't want to be unhealthy and I need as much advice and appreciate it all thus far!

    All things in moderation. You don't need to go back to old habits that made you feel ick but you should eat more, even if its more of some of the foods you now enjoy. A handful of almonds is 160 calories, a couple of those in your day would do you some good.

    Take care and realize you are more likely to succeed if you don't push your body to the point of self-harm but instead work with it as a partner. If you are tracking your calories and you feel hungry sometimes its okay to just respond to that by eating.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I'd just like to add a thank you to you kblaine92 for not getting defensive when I and others questioned your diet choices. It is refreshing to see you listening to others opinions and considering them without taking them as personal attacks. I'll admit when I give this kind of advice I expect some push back or feeling that I have insulted someone and you have been really cool with it so thanks, I think you have a good attitude.

    I do hope you read into this yourself a bit both here and online and come to your own decision about weather or not you should be eating more. I think you should of course but if I advised you to just follow blindly what random strangers on the internet told you to do then I'd be doing you a disservice.

    Think of this as a heads up that several people here think you are probably undereating and take the time to look into it yourself. Several people have provided links that might help you out.

    Cheers and good luck

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