why am I always hungry??

deeannah

I am always hungry!! I will eat regular meals and some times a snack here and there..but I am still hungry, I mean to the point where my stomache is growling..

Breakfast:
Piece of toast, egg, cottage cheese with fruit

Lunch:
Sandwich, handful of chips, yogurt

Snack:
a cookie or cheese cubes or celery with peanut butter

Dinner:
Pasta with chicken, small salad, maybe a dinner roll


I mean what am I doing wrong?? why am I always hungry??

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

caitlinclock

Are you drinking enough water? I find this is my biggest problem that makes me hungry.

LisaGamerGirl

you could try having a snack between breakfast and lunch (around 200 cals) and/or a small snack after dinner.

Dafrog

sometimes my stomach makes growling noises when I know I am not hungry. I use to eat when this happened, part of what got me where I am. Google it. Stomach growling when not hungry.

AnaNotBanana

How long have you been eating smaller portions/less food? Maybe your stomach needs a little more time to adjust to the smaller portions/less food.

deeannah

Yes and no...I drink water put of a water bottle but I usually add crystal lite to it, so it still counts as water..I think?
I also drink a lot of juice and tea, in which has water, but I usually drink just plain water before bed and while in bed.

Gershwyn

Yeppers. Water and fibre. Won't feel hungry with a gut full of swollen psyllium!

janalenee

If were not drinking enough water, sometimes our body will confuse being thirsty with being hungry. We are supposed to take our total body weight in pounds, divide it in half - that is how many ounces of water per day our body needs. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you need 100 ounces of water per day.

Also, we should be eating every 3 hours. So allow yourself a morning and afternoon healthy snack. Carrots and hummus dip is great, fruit, fresh veggies, and yogurt are great snacks. Items that are high in fiber are more filling.

Hope this helps!

MarriedMama

Hi,

Maybe you are burning more calories from excercise than you are logging in your mfp diary. When I go long distance walk/jogs, I definitely get more hungry, and sometimes even have a ferocious appetite. More water will help too.

Best wishes,
Marriedmama

deeannah

sometimes my stomach makes growling noises when I know I am not hungry. I use to eat when this happened, part of what got me where I am. Google it. Stomach growling when not hungry.

I know the difference between hungry and my stomach digesting...and its hunger...

janalenee

P.S. - drinks with caffiene don't count as water. Caffine actually dehydrates you.

srcurran

I am that way. Always have been, and resigned myself to always being that way. I've learned to just live with it. When I'm bored and depressed it's easier to give in to the hunger. I'm trying hard not to go there.

Hang in there. You're not alone.

katieannd

I am the same way for the first couple weeks of cutting down my calorie intake. I think it is completely normal. Try eating cucumbers or celery as snacks...they might help fill you up a little more with next to 0 calories. I also non-stop drink green tea and water all day.

dudleyvic

Yes and no...I drink water put of a water bottle but I usually add crystal lite to it, so it still counts as water..I think?
I also drink a lot of juice and tea, in which has water, but I usually drink just plain water before bed and while in bed.

You are drinking your calories with the juice. Try getting rid of the juice and adding those calories as food instead. Eat more fiber. Examples: Apples, Black Beans, Brocoli (boiled), Peas, Whole Wheat Spagehetti, and Oatmeal. Eat your zero calorie foods when hungry. Examples: Veggies (raw is the best).

Beach_Chica

Yes and no...I drink water put of a water bottle but I usually add crystal lite to it, so it still counts as water..I think?
I also drink a lot of juice and tea, in which has water, but I usually drink just plain water before bed and while in bed.

It counts as water if the nutritional value is canceled out in ever section. It must read zero for calories, sodium, potassium, carbs, etc, etc to count as water. I learned that through LA Weightloss a couple years back.

Are you eating enough foods with high fiber? I like to eat a fiber bar and some snack that can easily be eaten in different increments. For example, I'll grab a little snack bag of grapes and pop a few in my mouth at a time, drink some water, and repeat every once in a while.

Alioth

Try going to the reports section and look at the different parts of your nutrition over the past 30 days. Are you consistently getting enough protein? Enough fiber? Enough fat? Calcium? Iron? Are you craving certain foods or are you just hungry in that vague restless way? I've found I'm the most satisfied when I go over in protein and fiber. I agree with what everyone says about fiber. So if you're eating regular pasta, refined/white bread for your sandwich (even some "whole wheat" breads are so much puffed air they don't count) and a cookie and chips might not be sturdy enough carbs for you. Lunch meat for sandwiches is also not very satisfying if you're exercising more than you were before too.

Even with all that, I still have days, even a week at a time where I'm hungry all day and can't get enough. Sometimes it's because of stress, or not getting enough sleep, or because I'm building muscle. So good luck, I hope you figure out what works for you.

deeannah

Thanks everyone!!
it might be my fiber intake as many of you have said, I eat lots of fruit and veggies with almost every meal, I think its because I am not a huge meat eater, red meat once in a while, but I dont eat chicken.
I eat a lot of rice, veggies, pastas etc..I am thinking I might need a fiber supplement or I might try my hand at making fiber bars at home (I do alot of baking and cooking anyway)

again, thanks for all your input=)

dudleyvic

Just get the whole wheat versions of your pastas and rice and you should get enough fiber then.

momtodeshawn

I can't usually go between breakfast/lunch without a snack (especially on days I work). Maybe try that? I also tend to eat a snack after dinner too. Nothing with a lot of calories, usually around 100 for each snack. Oh...and I chew gum. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

SpiritCymbal

I am always hungry!! I will eat regular meals and some times a snack here and there..but I am still hungry, I mean to the point where my stomache is growling..

Breakfast:
Piece of toast, egg, cottage cheese with fruit

Lunch:
Sandwich, handful of chips, yogurt

Snack:
a cookie or cheese cubes or celery with peanut butter

Dinner:
Pasta with chicken, small salad, maybe a dinner roll


I mean what am I doing wrong?? why am I always hungry??

Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

A simple answer is to make sure you're eating 6 "meals" a day, eat more fiber and drink plenty of water. 6 smaller meals rather than 3 larger meals will take care of the hunger. Not only will you not have that hungry feeling during the day, you'll notice that you'll naturally start eating smaller portions for your main 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Another key element is for your snacks, instead of eating a cookie, cheese or anything like that, try to eat foods that are high in fiber. The fiber makes you feel more full and will help you make it to your next meal with a smaller portion. Not only that, the fiber is great for your metabolism as well. Since your body has to work harder to digest fiber, your metabolism will be kicked up a notch.

Just for example, this is my M-F routine...I'm almost OCD on how strickly I stick to this regiment.

7:30 - 9:00 Breakfast (oatmeal, eggs, yogurt, bran cereal, etc...)
10:30 - 11:00 Snack (apple, almonds, un-salted peanuts, protein shake, etc...)
1:00 - 1:30 Lunch (balanced lunch with protein & fiber, good source of carbs for the day, etc...)
3:00 - 3:30 Snack (apple, almonds, peanuts, protein shake, etc...)
5:30 - 6:00 Dinner (balanced dinner with protein & fiber)
8:00 - 8:30 Snack (protein shake, apple or small amount of unsweetened peanut butter, etc...)

Drink as much water as you can during the day too. Water (and ice) make you feel more full as well.

Good luck.

jojo0909

Try going to the reports section and look at the different parts of your nutrition over the past 30 days. Are you consistently getting enough protein? Enough fiber? Enough fat? Calcium? Iron? Are you craving certain foods or are you just hungry in that vague restless way? I've found I'm the most satisfied when I go over in protein and fiber. I agree with what everyone says about fiber. So if you're eating regular pasta, refined/white bread for your sandwich (even some "whole wheat" breads are so much puffed air they don't count) and a cookie and chips might not be sturdy enough carbs for you. Lunch meat for sandwiches is also not very satisfying if you're exercising more than you were before too.

Even with all that, I still have days, even a week at a time where I'm hungry all day and can't get enough. Sometimes it's because of stress, or not getting enough sleep, or because I'm building muscle. So good luck, I hope you figure out what works for you.

I agree. It looks like you could use some protein at lunch, even a handful of almonds. I know if I am tired, I seem to crave the "comfort" foods.

daben

Hi...something you might try is to get more protein with a protein bar. Since your not a large meat eater, you might eat peanut butter and nuts, you have to balance out your meals with enough of each carb, fat and protein. For instance, if you don't get enough carb. your body starts breaking down it's reserve.....proteins and carbs go hand in hand, somewhat. Oh and increasing water and fiber will help too. Good Luck!

modernfemme

One thing I'm dealing with is mistaking heartburn for hunger pains. Sometimes when my stomach is on empty, I'll feel the burning sensation, which makes me want to eat. If I drink plenty of water this definitely helps feeling hungry.

Figured I'd offer something different just in case you might have the same problem I do.

ivyjbres

Well, the standard answers you've heard already: fiber, water and maybe you stomach hasn't adjusted (shrunk) yet. I'll give you a non standard answer: In some people, for mostly unknown reasons, the brain mistranslates nerve impulses. While you'd have to have a really expensive series of tests done for a diagnoses it is known to happen. Part of the time I think I may be in this group. I can put down any amount of food and 5 minutes later feel hungry again. I finally borrowed an unhealthy mantra from one of my skinny friends: "Hunger is fat leaving the body!"

lilscuder

Alot of great imput ! Thanks to some advice from MFP Friends~ I find that Hummus fills me. If you have a Trader Joes, they have a delicious Mediterrranean & a Jalepeno Cilantro Hummas that is so delish ! I put it on Whole Wheat Ry Krisp crackers (2) crackers good sized are only 50 calories. I drink water with it. Red Roasted Hummas is tasty on baby carrots. I Also love~ Edamame. It's yummy. I buy it in a frozen bag. The soybeans are already shelled. Just pop in micowave. Cool, and add a touch of Sea Salt ! Make a Great snack. ( well not the whole bag at one time ! ) lol I Hope this is of some help, in getting rid of those nasty, persistent, hunger pains.