Why am I always hungry???

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Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    OP:


    Here are a few things I think you should attempt in order to combat hunger.

    If I were you I would do the following two things for starters:

    1) Increase the proportion of whole and minimally refined foods in your diet. Increase your fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce the quantity of heavily processed foods as these tend to be lower in satiety and nutrients and higher in energy density. I'm not saying you should fully eliminate all treats, but consider keeping your discretionary calories (calories that you aren't spending on nutritious and satiating food) to about 200-300 cals/day assuming a daily goal of 2000.

    2) Remove your snacks, but in exchange for this, eat 3 to 4 deliberate and larger meals. Think of this as moving your "snack calories" and adding them to your meals so that you are now eating larger meals. For starters, I'd space these out somewhere around 4-6 hours apart.


    I would start by consuming meals containing mixed macronutrients (a balance of protein/carbs/fats based on macronutrient availability in your diet).
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    My maintenance calories usually say I should eat around 2000 calories a day, but I am STARVING an hour or 2 after every meal or snack. I try stay just a bit under 2000 since some sites say 1900-1700 to maintain. Is my metabolism faster than these sites are guessing? I'm 5'4, around 110lbs, 18 years old, I run/do other cardio 4-5 times a week and do weights/body weight exercises 3-5 times a week. Besides that I just lay around all day. I don't remember a time I have been fully satisfied! And yes, I'm drinking enough water.

    Based on your food diary, you eat a lot of simple carbs which make most people hungrier after consumption. Stick to complex carbs… sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, and lots of veggies.

    Try to eat a more whole foods diet… processed foods aren't great at satisfying hunger. Eat more fruits and veggies.

    Also, water. Make sure you are drinking 10-11 cups of water a day.

    You can't be starving an hour or two after a meal. It's likely thirst, not hunger.
  • schin724
    schin724 Posts: 3
    If your meal are just carbs, you are going to feel the hunger real quick. Because carbs are quickly digested and used for energy. Veggies that are rich in fiber is gonna help you maintain that full feeling. Remove partial complex carbs intake from brown rice, oatmeal, wholewheat bread etc, and replace them with veggies like eggplant, broccoli, carrots, kales. Broccoli's root are rich in fiber take your digestive system longer to break them down. Have a cup of low fat milk or fat free. Milk contains casein which are also in the slow digestive category. Wish you the best.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight. My ideal weight is 112 and I already know I face a lifetime of hungry days to maintain 112. What works best for me is to save all my calories for one meal at the end of the day. That way, at least I can feel halfway-full once a day! Also, once I start eating I am hungry the rest of the day-- more so than if I wait to eat until late in the day. It's s trigger! AND, I find I am far less hungry if I make sure a good many of my calories come from fat. A 150-calorie tiny bag of chips is way more satisfying than a huge giant plate full of weeds!!:bigsmile:
    This is NOT how I feel!!!!
    I'm 60 years old. 5'2", 125 lbs.
    I lose at 1800 net per day including exercise calories (about 3-500).
    I maintain at 2200.
    I eat a large bowlful of different veggies a day-think lots of color!
    I also eat eggs, turkey, chicken, beef, fish and beans. I eat peanut butter and a little dark chocolate everyday and use a tablespoon of olive oil. I also eat a couple of servings of whole grains, yogurt and fresh fruit.

    I am always more than satisfied-never hungry except right before mealtime!
    If you need to eat so little to lose-there is something not right in your diet or medically!


    ETA-just took a look at your diary-please refrain from giving advice to anyone!
    You need to see a doctor for what appears to be a major eating disorder!!
  • bonjalandoni
    bonjalandoni Posts: 136 Member
    Your Total Protein macro for the WHOLE DAY is horribly low. This is it right here....the problem.... Eat what ya want, but get well into the 120's mg protein every day.
    [/quote

    ^^Definitely this, looking at your diary, protein is very low especially if you are working out 3 days a week. Up your protein to 25% of your calories and that will take care of your hunger.
  • amcampbell2342
    amcampbell2342 Posts: 17 Member
    I'd say to increase your protein a bit....
  • dazedandconfused87
    dazedandconfused87 Posts: 44
    I have just switched my calories up to maintenance and have cut out cardio workouts for the time being to give my body time to heal after overtraining and underfueling (unintentionally) and I've been eating between 2,000 - 2400 per day and I feel like I am always hungry!!!!! Eating much larger portions of food when I eat instead of snacking throughout the day which had me in the 1400 - 1700 range when I was actively trying to loose although I wasn't counting calories back then. I heard it is a sign of the metabolism working?
  • mscheftg
    mscheftg Posts: 485 Member
    Why are you eating fish oil capsules for breakfast?! That's the most important meal of the day! Get yourself some real food for breakfast! I had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 2 sausage links and a cup of coffee the other morning. It was over 500 calories, but I was satisfied all morning. I had fat, carbs, and protein all together. Freaking amazing.
  • Ulwaz
    Ulwaz Posts: 380 Member
    try eating more fruit and veggies :3
  • ArtGeek22
    ArtGeek22 Posts: 1,429 Member
    Took a peek at your diary and you seem to be under carbed to me and what I mean by that is that you don't seem to be eating enough fruit/veg/whole carbs. Remember, your brain largely runs on glucose so if you aren't getting enough, espcially from the right sources, your brain will seek out more. It is all about balance. I would increase the wholefood carbs, and lower the sodium drastically as 2,000 mg is a ton of sodium (which just promotes bloating). Hope I helped :flowerforyou:
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Why are you eating fish oil capsules for breakfast?! That's the most important meal of the day! Get yourself some real food for breakfast! I had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 2 sausage links and a cup of coffee the other morning. It was over 500 calories, but I was satisfied all morning. I had fat, carbs, and protein all together. Freaking amazing.

    Actually it's not - you don't have to eat breakfast if you don't want to. Not everyone likes eating first thing and meal timing has no bearing on weight loss. For some people, eating first thing makes them hungrier throughout the day.

    (though technically the first meal you eat regardless of time is breakfast as it is breaking the fast)
  • figuu
    figuu Posts: 20
    Why are you eating fish oil capsules for breakfast?! That's the most important meal of the day! Get yourself some real food for breakfast! I had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 2 sausage links and a cup of coffee the other morning. It was over 500 calories, but I was satisfied all morning. I had fat, carbs, and protein all together. Freaking amazing.

    Actually it's not - you don't have to eat breakfast if you don't want to. Not everyone likes eating first thing and meal timing has no bearing on weight loss. For some people, eating first thing makes them hungrier throughout the day.

    (though technically the first meal you eat regardless of time is breakfast as it is breaking the fast)
    If you look further back you can see that I eat breakfast when I wake up early enough. My lunch is my "breakfast" and I just put my fish oil pills there because they're always under my breakfast "frequents".
    I think eating more protein and more food in general is going to help.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Why are you eating fish oil capsules for breakfast?! That's the most important meal of the day! Get yourself some real food for breakfast! I had 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 2 sausage links and a cup of coffee the other morning. It was over 500 calories, but I was satisfied all morning. I had fat, carbs, and protein all together. Freaking amazing.

    Actually it's not - you don't have to eat breakfast if you don't want to. Not everyone likes eating first thing and meal timing has no bearing on weight loss. For some people, eating first thing makes them hungrier throughout the day.

    (though technically the first meal you eat regardless of time is breakfast as it is breaking the fast)
    If you look further back you can see that I eat breakfast when I wake up early enough. My lunch is my "breakfast" and I just put my fish oil pills there because they're always under my breakfast "frequents".
    I think eating more protein and more food in general is going to help.

    I agree, more food is always good :wink:
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    Well, someone here has looked at my diary and freaked out. I do NOT have to "eat that little to lose" In fact, I lose weight on the standard 15 calories per pound per day formula for maintenance. When not dieting, when not trying to maintain I average close to 4000 calories per day, and gain about 2 lbs. per month. I would STILL be hungry on 2000 or even 3000 calories per day..Apparently, the person who freaked out is unaware of the FACT that many people would have to consume much more food than THEY do in order to not be hungry. And I have a fast metabolism. I am results-oriented and would not have the patience/perseverance to stick to any one-pound-per-week diet. Nor the motivation to even start on a diet that slow! I will be down to 112 soon and then have to try to figure out my maintenance calories. I tried 1680 for maintenance twice, and lost down to 109 once and 108 once, at the rate of a pound or two per week I guess, and I don't like how I look at that low of weight. For around 30 years, my ideal weight was 131-135. I had gotten to the point where for.over a decade, I hardly ever had to diet because I pretty much knew how much to eat to maintain. And yes, I was always hungry, but I was eating way more calories than most people would need to fill them up. But then within 3-4 years after menopause, my weight-- which did not change-- redistributed, and I had to reassess my ideal weight, which turned out to be 112 due to postmenopausal weight redistribution. Maintaining 112 is new territory for me and that's why I am dieting now. I have had to diet back down to 112 several times within the past 3 years. It isn't because I can't stick to a maintenance plan. It is because I don't know my maintenance calories yet for 112. One thing is certain: if that poster saw how MUCH I eat when I am not dieting, they would REALLY freak out then. They need to realize that not everyone is ever going to avoid hunger on 2000 or 3000 calories. Our bodies do not contain some inner compass to point us toward feeling full on the proper calories to maintain ideal weight. Some people can feel full on that, but not me, and NOT most people. For most people, their ideal weight doesn't correspond with how much they need to eat to feel satisfied. And let me point out that my ideal weight isn't even a very low weight for my height,and it is well within the BMI healthy weight range. AND, yes I am hungry within an hour or two of eating a meal. My body WANTS two huge meals per day, two hours apart. When my ideal weight was 135, I could eat one huge meal per day and maintain, although not quite as huge as I would like.
  • figuu
    figuu Posts: 20
    Well, someone here has looked at my diary and freaked out. I do NOT have to "eat that little to lose" In fact, I lose weight on the standard 15 calories per pound per day formula for maintenance. When not dieting, when not trying to maintain I average close to 4000 calories per day, and gain about 2 lbs. per month. I would STILL be hungry on 2000 or even 3000 calories per day..Apparently, the person who freaked out is unaware of the FACT that many people would have to consume much more food than THEY do in order to not be hungry. And I have a fast metabolism. I am results-oriented and would not have the patience/perseverance to stick to any one-pound-per-week diet. Nor the motivation to even start on a diet that slow! I will be down to 112 soon and then have to try to figure out my maintenance calories. I tried 1680 for maintenance twice, and lost down to 109 once and 108 once, at the rate of a pound or two per week I guess, and I don't like how I look at that low of weight. For around 30 years, my ideal weight was 131-135. I had gotten to the point where for.over a decade, I hardly ever had to diet because I pretty much knew how much to eat to maintain. And yes, I was always hungry, but I was eating way more calories than most people would need to fill them up. But then within 3-4 years after menopause, my weight-- which did not change-- redistributed, and I had to reassess my ideal weight, which turned out to be 112 due to postmenopausal weight redistribution. Maintaining 112 is new territory for me and that's why I am dieting now. I have had to diet back down to 112 several times within the past 3 years. It isn't because I can't stick to a maintenance plan. It is because I don't know my maintenance calories yet for 112. One thing is certain: if that poster saw how MUCH I eat when I am not dieting, they would REALLY freak out then. They need to realize that not everyone is ever going to avoid hunger on 2000 or 3000 calories. Our bodies do not contain some inner compass to point us toward feeling full on the proper calories to maintain ideal weight. Some people can feel full on that, but not me, and NOT most people. For most people, their ideal weight doesn't correspond with how much they need to eat to feel satisfied. And let me point out that my ideal weight isn't even a very low weight for my height,and it is well within the BMI healthy weight range
    Umm.. Just saying, you shouldn't "diet" at that low of a calorie count either.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    Well, someone here has looked at my diary and freaked out. I do NOT have to "eat that little to lose" In fact, I lose weight on the standard 15 calories per pound per day formula for maintenance. When not dieting, when not trying to maintain I average close to 4000 calories per day, and gain about 2 lbs. per month. I would STILL be hungry on 2000 or even 3000 calories per day..Apparently, the person who freaked out is unaware of the FACT that many people would have to consume much more food than THEY do in order to not be hungry. And I have a fast metabolism. I am results-oriented and would not have the patience/perseverance to stick to any one-pound-per-week diet. Nor the motivation to even start on a diet that slow! I will be down to 112 soon and then have to try to figure out my maintenance calories. I tried 1680 for maintenance twice, and lost down to 109 once and 108 once, at the rate of a pound or two per week I guess, and I don't like how I look at that low of weight. For around 30 years, my ideal weight was 131-135. I had gotten to the point where for.over a decade, I hardly ever had to diet because I pretty much knew how much to eat to maintain. And yes, I was always hungry, but I was eating way more calories than most people would need to fill them up. But then within 3-4 years after menopause, my weight-- which did not change-- redistributed, and I had to reassess my ideal weight, which turned out to be 112 due to postmenopausal weight redistribution. Maintaining 112 is new territory for me and that's why I am dieting now. I have had to diet back down to 112 several times within the past 3 years. It isn't because I can't stick to a maintenance plan. It is because I don't know my maintenance calories yet for 112. One thing is certain: if that poster saw how MUCH I eat when I am not dieting, they would REALLY freak out then. They need to realize that not everyone is ever going to avoid hunger on 2000 or 3000 calories. Our bodies do not contain some inner compass to point us toward feeling full on the proper calories to maintain ideal weight. Some people can feel full on that, but not me, and NOT most people. For most people, their ideal weight doesn't correspond with how much they need to eat to feel satisfied. And let me point out that my ideal weight isn't even a very low weight for my height,and it is well within the BMI healthy weight range. AND, yes I am hungry within an hour or two of eating a meal. My body WANTS two huge meals per day, two hours apart. When my ideal weight was 135, I could eat one huge meal per day and maintain, although not quite as huge as I would like.
    That's all terribly interesting but 700 calories a day is very un healthy-for anyone but even more so for a woman your age. You should be eating at least 1200 calories a day!
  • cgallagher1019
    cgallagher1019 Posts: 10
    The amount of calories you eat is far less important than what they are made up of. Complex carbs, proteins and fats (your 'macros')are necessary. Oats, sweet potato, quinoa, rice (yes, even white rice) lean meats, nut butters, avocado etc. These foods will keep you full and fuel your workouts. Also, remember, if you are lifting weights you are burning calories for up to 48 hours after your workout. So, you need to eat extra carbs and protein in order to actually maintain your weight vs lose it.
  • oksanatkachuk
    oksanatkachuk Posts: 149 Member
    You said that you try to stay between 1700-1900. What's your weight doing? Are you maintaining or still losing slowly?

    At 110 lbs at 5'4, you've got nothing to lose by giving the 2000 calories a fair shot. (You may gain some water weight initially, give it some time.)
    I haven't weighed myself in a long time so that's why I said around 110, give or take a few. Might as well try!

    I might suggest u r being depressed and demotivated? Working out will give u a boost, some caffeine maybe ..
  • figuu
    figuu Posts: 20
    You said that you try to stay between 1700-1900. What's your weight doing? Are you maintaining or still losing slowly?

    At 110 lbs at 5'4, you've got nothing to lose by giving the 2000 calories a fair shot. (You may gain some water weight initially, give it some time.)
    I haven't weighed myself in a long time so that's why I said around 110, give or take a few. Might as well try!

    I might suggest u r being depressed and demotivated? Working out will give u a boost, some caffeine maybe ..
    Where did this even come from? Did you read my post? I work out around 5 days a week and I'm wondering if I'm eating right.. Does not knowing my exact weigh make myself "demotivated" to you?
  • oksanatkachuk
    oksanatkachuk Posts: 149 Member
    Oh I m sorry, I guess "laying all day" part got me confused
  • healthym0m0f2
    healthym0m0f2 Posts: 15
    I'm also short 4'10". I'm currently trying to lose weight after gaining weight due to health issues but when I do maintain around 105lbs I do strength training about three times a week. Also I know some say to eat smaller meals through the day but I prefer three bigger meals and a small snack around 7pm. I feel full and satisfied this way. Also since I started eating paleo I am almost never hungry between meals. I start getting hungry when my carbs are high and protein and fat are low. I also "try" to eat vegetables with ever meal too for fiber.

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