Why am I hungery ALL the time?!

ejonesy31

I can never loose weight because I am always hungry! I'm 5'7'' and 170lbs and I am starving if I only eat 1500 calories a day even if they are healthy calories and I drink enough water. Anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

Aaron_K123

Most people find protein to be the most satiating of the macros and I notice looking at your diary that your protein intake is quite low and your carb intake quite high. I would bet that you would have much less trouble with hunger if you doubled your protein intake and brought down your carb intake.

sugarlemonpie

As said, protein will really help you to feel fuller and more satisfied. I would also make sure you don't have any gaps in your vitamin & minerals because you could just have a deficiency in something. Check your reports tab and see how you do!

Other than that, I don't watch much TV because cooking shows and commercials make me want to eat. Not sure if that's a problem of yours! Distract yourself with other things, or get up and go for a walk.

ChristineRoze

I find i am also quite hungry, will try to eat more protein as suggested. I do tend to eat a lot of carbs haha :P

phoenixx866

Try getting in more protein and/or fiber (protein preferred, especially if you're low.)

If you don't want to eat chicken all day, try my very favorite protein "shake" recipe. Trust me on this - it tastes like a regular shake!!!

- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (you can find this at almost any drug store and supercenter, like Walmart or Meijer)
- 1 c milk
- 1 smidge of cinnamon

Put in a blender and blend until mixed. Enjoy your Cinnabon shake.

I love whey protein powder. I have chocolate and sometimes I mix that with berries, or chocolate powder with peanut butter... Endless possibilities.

Kgerber777

I often find that although I really do think I am hungry the truth is I just want more food (due to taste or boredom). I have found that taking time between servings helps. If I eat my meal but still feel hungry I wait 10-20 min before going in search for more food. If I do end up eating more I make it something healthy Like a piece of fruit or some nuts.

Also, I find tea to be very helpful when I my body is telling me I want more but I know I have given myself enough to eat. Keep in mind we have trained our bodies to consume more food than necessary. I have read about people with eating disorders who have to retrain their bodies by eating even if they do feel full.

Slacker16

I think satiety is pretty personal, you need to figure out what fills you up. If what you're eating isn't doing the job, you need to try different combos.

The usual suspects are fiber, fat and protein. For me, fiber is the most filling followed by fat.

143tobe

I'm going to post a link about hunger hormones, something I had no idea actually existed. It's just some pretty general information, but good to know. I had the same problem that you are having. For the past few years I was always hungry. Like, painfully hungry, ALL the time. It didn't matter how much I ate, I could never get full and the hunger pangs never went away. About a year ago my brother in law had a heart attack, and it literally forced me into a do or die mode. I did the easiest thing that I knew how to do. I bought a few jars of weight loss protein powder and took it 3 times a day, plus a chicken or cheese salad, and a piece of fruit. I did this for just under a week, and just had to suffer through the hunger, which actually seemed to finally decrease by around day 3 or 4. By the second week on the protein powder I had decreased it to twice a day and had incorporated a lean dinner in addition to the salad I was already eating. By the 3rd week I only used the protein powder once a day for any meal I didn't have time to prepare, or for the times when I was just really hungry. I also started working out by this time, so I would also have a shake before or after a workout if I was feeling low.

Now, my answer is not to promote weight loss shakes, but for me they were instrumental in getting my eating back in control and apparently my hunger hormones back to normal levels (or my body reacting to them normally anyways). That was a year ago and and within that year I've lost 38lbs. I now count calories and try to stay close to macros. I did make an attempt to eat 80/10/10 at some point which is generally 80% carbs, 10% protein and 10% fat, but that once again made my body return to that always hungry state. MFP set my calories at 1200 which I found was way too low for me. I now have it set at 1280 but work out enough every day so that the minimum calories I eat is 1400 and my max is generally 1600 (more if I work out a bunch that day). Surprisingly, peanut butter with bananas has been a huge lifesaver for me. I was initially trying to stick with food combining which states that some fruits such as bananas should be eaten at separate times as fats like nuts, but I have found the combination actually curbs my appetite for longer periods and works as the perfect breakfast or snack. More recently I have been trying to put an end to my eating by 5 or 6 pm and I have found a warm cup of peppermint tea with a teaspoon of honey also tends to curb my appetite when I start feeling hungry towards bedtime. Just sharing my experiences with always feeling hungry and what has worked for me. I'm not promoting any kind of diet over another, but I also agree that eating enough fat and protein throughout the day seems to be key in keeping my hunger hormones in check (and me feeling good).

Here's that link on the hormones, again, some pretty basic info, but good to know that being hungry all the time really might be connected to your hormones, but also good to know it is fixable. Good luck with your weight loss journey, and I do believe you can get this in order! It is just going to take some time, patience, and dillignence on your part to find what works for you. You can do this!! :flowerforyou: :happy:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/your-hunger-hormones

mxmkenney

I can never loose weight because I am always hungry! I'm 5'7'' and 170lbs and I am starving if I only eat 1500 calories a day even if they are healthy calories and I drink enough water. Anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

I totally have this problem. I had my goal set to 1500 too and always ate over that - especially when I would workout. Then I would get so mad when I didn't lose any weight after starving all week! I upped my calories (using my TDEE based on moderate activity, minus 15-20% to lose about a pound a week). I don't eat back my calories now, but having the extra daily calories has helped with the hunger. And I am still losing weight. It's not coming off as fast, but the scale is still going down and it is much more sustainable this way.

tessi1993

i was like this for ages, and yes. protein is the key i usually have oatmeal for breakie, or eggs they keep me full till lunch smaller lunch and bigger dinner, ALL have protein!! ive been really good lately, don't feel the need to eat after dinner anymore. good luck!

Insomniac8

I can never loose weight because I am always hungry! I'm 5'7'' and 170lbs and I am starving if I only eat 1500 calories a day even if they are healthy calories and I drink enough water. Anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

Have you ever kept your diet for 10 days or so? I was like you, always hungry, when I started my diet but after 10 days my body adapted itself and I felt better.

ladyargentum

When I first came to MFP 8weeks ago I had a similar issue. Within 2-3weeks of sticking to a lower calorie diet my hunger pangs diminished. Now having reduced carbs and increased protein I never have this issue.

Good luck

feliscatus84

I agree with the person that said you need to up your protein. I also do 1500 calories a day and what tends to work for me is a 30/30/40 macro set. I do 30% carbs, 30% fat, and 40% protein. I generally eat about 20-30g carbs per meal 3 times a day and 2 snacks at 10-15g of carbs depending on how I feel. I've lost 30lbs this way since January. What I recommend the most is getting a good amount of fat and protein together. Those two things are going to keep you full. So that means kick out any low fat cheese, low fat yogurt, low fat sour cream, etc. Eat full fat versions of these things and weigh every gram. Overall, I personally never felt satisfied on a low fat diet. Sometimes I will go to 40% fat if I absolutely need to. The main thing is to have protein and fat at every meal. I think if you try this switch for a couple days it may work for you!

_Zardoz_

I can never loose weight because I am always hungry! I'm 5'7'' and 170lbs and I am starving if I only eat 1500 calories a day even if they are healthy calories and I drink enough water. Anyone else have this problem? Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?

err how do you know how much your eating? In the past week you've only logged about 2 days