Hungry all the time!

asdowe13

Wow that's a huge amount of carbs a day sugars and undereating of calories. I'd be ravenous if I ate what you do. Do you realise the more sugar and processed foods you eat the more your body craves? Do you eat any fresh vegetables?

I would love to see studies that prove this, since i don't believe it at all.

If you haven't seen the studies, then why don't you believe it?

Here you go: http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/

I see some results and conclusions there but no studies!

Who were the studies conducted on, what did each person eat? too many variable for me to buy that article.

I don't find I have a higher craving for more sugar or processed foods, that would be why i don't believe it!

mommyrunning

Based off your diary you eat a couple big meals a day but don't seem to eat many snacks. Maybe you are going too long in between eating. Some people do fine eating only 2 or 3 meals and so have better success eating every few hours. Try something you can eat on the go like a granola bar, almonds, string cheese etc. and have snack in between your main meals. That may help with not feeling satisfied. While it seems like you aren't eating enough based on your diary sometimes feeling hungry is mental. For example I often want to eat if I am tired or bored. Hope you are able to find a solution. Congrats on your impressive weight loss.

amandzor

Hit your calorie goals.

Also, increasing my protein intake has eliminated most of my hunger rumblings. I feel satiated longer than I do with carbs.

Tedebearduff

I know that this is a point of contention here, but should I be eating back exercise calories? I use a fitbit and routinely overachieve my steps by a good deal (17,000) steps per day and I run about 15-20 miles a week. I have my calories set on lightly active as well, if that helps. Also, could lack of quality sleep have an impact on my feeling hungry every day?

Your way under cause of the fitbit... fitbit calories don't count.. .don't eat these calories back. Fitbit is meant to get you more active .. it just also counts calories... The calories burnt from it don't really count as MFP has already taken your activity level into account when you set it for your job, lightly active, active ect.

You already know what to do so this is silly to say really but clean up your eating and lose the excuses. Everyone has **** in their life all your trying to do is justify your lack of effort... You don't want to track then don't expect results, you want to eat crap and hope your in your calorie goal again don't expect results. I know this reads rude just being straight forward and to the point.

Isobelle40

Give up the "light" foods and eat the normal/natural alternatives.They may add a few extra cals but with a slightly higher fat content (but often lower sugar content), you will feel more sated after eating for much longer.

Noogynoogs

You need to drink more

Hegemone

Oh my gosh this back to school transition is so hard and with a baby, I can remember those days! I feel for you. Weekend: take a couple of hours with the baby strapped on your back or in a little swing, get some music going and prep. You will be so glad you did it. Here are some ideas or questions that have helped me:
Can you do some overnight oats with greek yogurt and berries and chia seeds and make up several at a time in jars for on the go, zero thought:drinker: breakfasts?
Can you make up a big batch of stew on the weekends for weekday dinners: crock pot of easiness no complicated recipe? Salad on the side can be as simple as a bag of pre washed salad mix and some cherry tomatoes.
Can you over the weekend make up five sandwiches and wrap 'em up to go, with a side of whatever pre-chopped veggies, etc that you want? Bananas, oranges, apples on the side?
Best wishes, being hungry is not good.

icrushit

My advice - ensure your intake is appropriate first of all. If it is, and you're still hungry, swap out some of the carbs for fat and protein until you are no longer feeling hungry all the time. The other alternative is to eat more complex carbs, if you're not already doing so, although in my experience (and as someone who lost 70lbs by eating a diet rich in complex carbs), I've never been as full as when I eat more fat and protein in my diet.

dawnmcneil10

Make yourself some smoothies. Frozen fruit, greek yogurt, a little milk and ice and you've got protein, vitamins, fruit and they're pretty filling. Snack on some almonds throughout the day, also grapes, celery and carrots travel pretty well and you could snack on those items while cruising off to the football field. If time is an issue grab the precut stuff at the grocery store.

Someone else said this earlier and it's a big time saver, if you're running the grill to say cook a steak toss on some chicken breast, keilbasa, fresh veggies and grill up a bunch of extra stuff for the week and immediately package it in single serve containers. Also the crock pot is your friend during the summer too, toss stuff in there and let it cook, pulled pork is super easy and I love it on a baked sweet potato. Toss the pork in the crockpot with a little seasoning and touch of water, wrap a couple sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and let it cook down. You can even through corn on the cob right on top of that just keep it in the husk so it doesn't turn to mush. After 6-8 hours you've got a great meal and more than enough food for a couple containers of leftovers for the rest of the week.

If you're running 15-20 miles a week then yes you definitely want to eat back some of those calories, I tend to be hungry the day after my runs so on those days I eat extra so balance it out over the week instead of the day, that might help a bit with your hungry feeling. I only eat back generally half my calorie burn.

opalsqueak007

HI there,

How about having a bit of prepared stuff in the fridge ready? Hard boiled eggs are great. Also Humous (easy to make your own) with some sticks of cucumber and carrot to go with it. In Autumn, make yourself some soup and it will only take a couple of minutes to heat up. Wholemeal bread instead of white bread. These things keep me fuller. I think it's all about preparation to stop you reaching for the junk food x

mrastaffordML

Listen to your body. Make sure you are not hungry out of bordem. Eat more foods rich in protein and in good fats. Some of my favorites are lunch meat, cheese, avocados and nuts.

meganjcallaghan

If you eat better, you can eat a larger quantity of foods for the same amount of calories. Protein will keep you full WAY longer than carbs....

^^ not necessarily. For some people like myself and at least one other person I've got on my friends list here, eating protein makes us absolutely ravenous, carbs keep us feeling satiated and full. I've tried having protein heavy breakfasts rather than carbs, like having eggs instead of cereal....on those days it's like I literally can't get my hands on enough food to stuff down my gullet. If I stick more to carbs, I'm hardly hungry all day. It all depends on the person. Try it, but there's no guarantee.

itsbasschick

eat part of your exercise calories back.

if you're that busy, buy canned protein shakes and you can drink one on your way somewhere in the car or whenever you get hungry. if you have a few minutes more, have a greek yogurt when you get hungry. either of these are fast and will give your body much more protein.

FitOldMomma

I've not read all the replies so forgive me if I'm repeating someone else's comment.

But, I wonder if you're getting enough sleep? You mentioned a new baby at home.

I remember all too well the loss of sleep or interrupted sleep when our kids were babies. If I don't get enough sleep I'm always way more hungry!

Congrats on your weight loss success.

Notreadytoquit

Can you make up a big batch of stew on the weekends for weekday dinners: crock pot of easiness no complicated recipe? Salad on the side can be as simple as a bag of pre washed salad mix and some cherry tomatoes.
Can you over the weekend make up five sandwiches and wrap 'em up to go, with a side of whatever pre-chopped veggies, etc that you want? Bananas, oranges, apples on the side.

I Make at least 1 huge batch of soup every week. Bottle it up in quart mason jars and stash in fridge. Use lots of vegetables ... maybe pasta or almost any grain and a good amount of protein. Just a bit of oil to saute onions & garlic so soup is low fat usually 100 calories or so / cup. Good after work snack when you come home ravenous.

Took me a lifetime to eliminate sugar ... use xylitol when I want sugar substitute. Low cal healthy sugar substitute.

Favorite snack is almond butter with Apple slices. Leave a jar in your desk. It's calorie dense ... but satisfying. Baby will love it when he's a bit older.

Fast food s barely food ... filled with fat, sugar, processed nutrient deficient ingredients pumped up with additives & chemicals for that oh so good flavor. Enough said. With a weight loss as impressive as yours make it a very rare treat.

I too am hungry a lot. I try to eat 5 or 6 small meals a day. Some days my diary tells me I'm not eating enough. Love those days when I can splurge.

Notreadytoquit

What a mess of a post. Obviously don't have quote thing down yet. Sorry.

samxowns

I Would Recommend Drinking Two Pints of Water It Will Greatly Suppress Your Appetite

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cicisiam

A big bowl of lentil veggie soup does it for me.

wampahoofus

The days are getting shorter! Our biology calls for fattening up for the winter. It will get worse before it gets better. Find some bulky, low calorie foods to fill your tummy. Make giant piles of roasted vegetables and fill that bellly and fool nature! :-)

MKEgal

What they said about eating healthy foods, so you can eat more & feel full longer.
Plus yes, increase protein & fiber intake.

should I be eating back exercise calories? I use a fitbit and routinely overachieve my steps by a good deal (17,000) steps per day and I run about 15-20 miles a week. I have my calories set on lightly active as well, if that helps. Also, could lack of quality sleep have an impact on my feeling hungry every day?

Yes, lack of sleep can affect weight (increase it). In fact, your question influenced me to do a blog post! See my next post in this thread.

From your description, you are not "lightly active".
If you want to lose weight you should not eat back exercise calories. (This is what my doctor & dietician told me.) First, most people underestimate what they eat. Second, most people & machines overestimate calories burned from exercise.
If you're really hungry at the end of the day, eat 1/3 to 1/2 of your exercise calories, once in a while.

I want to weigh 195

To get there, eat 1950 cal per day (total, ignore "net" or exercise). Again, this is what my doctor & dietician told me - 10x your healthy goal weight = calories to eat to get there.
For maintenance, slowly increase your calories until you're at about 15/lb. That's what Harvard Medical School says is needed to maintain weight if you're active about 30 min a day.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm
If you're gaining, cut back a bit. If you're losing, add a bit.

Here's where you can search for published research about medical issues.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

MKEgal

One of the easiest things you can do to help control your weight is sleep enough.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20921542
Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity
"Sleep curtailment [5.5 hours instead of 8.5] decreased the proportion of weight lost as fat by 55% and increased the loss of fat-free body mass by 60%"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24051052
Sleep patterns, diet quality and energy balance
"Short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and later bedtimes are all associated with increased food intake, poor diet quality, and excess body weight."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22372985
"self-reported sleep apnea, sleep dissatisfaction and low amounts of sleep are associated with a higher body mass index."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24892893
"A number of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental studies have found that insufficient sleep and possibly longer sleep are associated with obesity and related eating patterns."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23805261
"Chronic lack of sleep appears to be associated to higher BMI even in middle childhood"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21784678
"While shorter sleep duration consistently predicts subsequent weight gain in children, the relationship is not clear in adults."

As always, feel free to locate more research on your own on PubMed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-27-sleep-weight-control-690492

Arleigh7

I took a look at your food diary. You seem to be pretty consistently way under your calorie goal. Assuming you have your calories set correctly for maintenance, I would say you need to eat more! I suggest you try to meet your protein and fat goals each day. This will help greatly with hunger.

This Recommendation works for me. Good Fat (not trans fats in bread) and good quality Protein will help to keep you full longer. Stay away from sugar and high glycemic carbs and if your like me the cravings will decrease in 1 to 2 weeks. Good Luck!

Kevalicious99

I don't see anything terribly wrong. I do not do the MFP number thing ... but 2500 cal per day is pretty normal for a typical guy. If you are doing lots of exercise .. you could up that but otherwise I have no suggestions .. :blushing:

MKEgal

Do you realise the more sugar and processed foods you eat the more your body craves?

I would love to see studies that prove this, since i don't believe it at all.

Here's where you can search for published medical research on any topic:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

These seem to suggest that eating more carbs could be a good thing.

"the combination of a high-[carbohydrate] meal and aerobic exercise may effectively improve appetite control and body weight management."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22300359

"Evidence suggests that nutrient metabolism is (directly or indirectly) related to postingestive satiety. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient and has the greatest detectable effect on qualitative intake. Carbohydrates (CHOs) exert potent effects on satiety ... fat is the least readily metabolized macronutrient, and therefore, joule for joule, is less satiating than CHO or protein."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10422099


But this says the opposite - fat kills hunger better than simple sugars.
"higher satiating efficiency from high-fat preloads than from simple CHO preloads"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10444538
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/277/2/R337.long


Not finding anything about processed foods, one way or the other.

MKEgal

If you haven't seen the studies, then why don't you believe it?
Here you go: http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets/

Um, because smart people want proof?

I see some results and conclusions there but no studies!
Who were the studies conducted on, what did each person eat?
too many variable for me to buy that article.

It looks like the reference to each study gives the author, title, publishing info, how it was conducted, and its conclusions, plus it includes a link to where you can read more about it.

Only #9 & 11 seem to support the assertion that eating fewer carbs leads to lower hunger.
None of the other studies even mention hunger control.
But most of them say that eating lower carbs leads to more weight loss than eating lower fat.

MKEgal

Prior to this schedule I was eating fresh fruits and vegetables non-stop, but I don't really know how to incorporate them into this schedule. Any sort of advice is greatly appreciated.

Buy fruits, put them in your lunchbox, snack on them.
Buy veggies that can be snacks - celery, carrots, cucumber, summer squash. Any can be dipped in hummus for more protein & fat.
Raisins.
Nuts.
Dried soybeans.

For good, easy, tasty recipes: http://www.tasteofhome.com/
The popup menu under "recipes" (just hover over it) includes slow cooker, healthy, and if you click on "cooking styles" there's also "easy", "make ahead", "quick", "quick dinner".
Most of their recipes have nutritional information.

Taste of Home is also a magazine. They have several spinoffs, including Simple & Delicious, which regularly includes 30-minute meals.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/magazines

Byrdsong1920

The quality of the food can help keep you full and make sure you are eating enough. Often, once we lose we are scared to gain, so we deprive our body of nutrients it needs. The body is amazing...it heals itself...ur eye waters when something's in it...trust it. If ur hungry, eat! Try adding more veggies and carbs like grown rice, yams etc. and allow your favorite treats 1-2 per week.

Good luck, Shan

GertrudeHorse

There's nothing wrong with the amount of carbs you're eating unless you have a medical reason to avoid or limit carbs. My personal suggestion would be to eat more fat, and make sure you meet your target calories every day. Good luck!

MinMin97

I notice I am unusually hungry if I'm not sleeping well.
Added stress has the same effect.
I would suggest that you log and eat the reasonable amount of food, and you'll have to ignore the "hunger" beyond that.
I've used hoodia herb extract with success....if you don't mind a regimen, you can purchase that herb from vitamin shoppe, or wherever you shop. The key is to take it in between meals BEFORE you get hungry. If your hunger hormones get ahead of you, then you'll just have to wait until you are inbetween meals again, and take a dose of the herb.