When does the crazy hunger go away?

moPOETRYtion

Hey guys! I just started tracking calories on MFP about 5 days ago. I have a 1200 calorie a day goal. Even though I am doing a decent job staying within my calories, I am just so hungry all day long! I know I'm shocking my body into this because I definitely ate more than 1200 calories a day prior to this. How long was it before you didn't want to gnaw your own hand off from the hunger?

jrueckert

I think it depends on the person but to curb hunger, I drink water! Also, I would make sure that you're including enough protein in your meals/snacks. That helps too.

taso42_DELETED

1200 might be too low for you. That seems pretty extreme.

Angela4Health

It's different for everyone and for some people 1200 is just too low. I was extremely hungry for about the first week and a half. Before joining I'm sure I was consuming 2500+ calories a day!!!! To drop from that to 1200 is insane! The body needs time to adjust. Then I stayed at 1200 calories for about 6 weeks then had to increase to 1300 then to 1350 and that worked great. The beginning is the hardest but it does get easier. Make sure you're drinking at least 8 cups of water, but I would recommend more! As much as you can. Also eat foods high in protein and fiber, avoid sugary foods and simple carbs. Good luck!

LesmillsJunkie

I still strugle. I am hungry all the time!

smuehlbauer

It helps if you chose foods that keep you fuller longer (protein & fiber!), eat smaller meals more often.
Plan ahead.
Lot of water.

Michelemybelle

For me personally, it took about 2 weeks. Drinking water helped me. I am currently doing low carb, so I rarely get hungry, since I eat mostly protein.

smilingmakesyouhappy

Eating a big breakfast really helps! Hi fiber foods help fill you up more!

taranj21

i've been drinking alot of water.
i drink at least 6 16.9 oz water bottles a day
in the morning i
-do 30 day shred dvd
-drink a water with breakfast 7:30
-bottle of water and piece of fruit 10:30
-bottle of water with lunch 12:30
-bottle of water & yogurt 3:30 (sometimes a coffee too)
-dinner & bottle of water 6:30
-6 week 6 pack dvd and bottle of water 9:00

i would give it at least a week to get used to the new routine.

Ashleypeterson37

I was hungry for about 2 weeks (maybe a little less) before it started to subside. Now when I go out to eat, I can only eat half of what I used to before I'm full!

macantrell

Are you drinking water, that helps me. I don't know about you but when I started this journey, I didn't know was real hunger felt like. The first time my stomach growled and ached with hunger, I thought wow this is what being hungry feels like. Perhaps make notes what food are more filling and last longer. Like Oatmeal for me last longer than a light omlet. I also chew sugar free gum a lot too.

hanson22

Fiber, Fiber Fiber. You have to eat filling foods that are super low cal or it is literally impossible to keep this up. Also, learn to love hot beverages: tea, coffee, etc.
I make low cal smoothie drinks as well and drink water like a maniac.

If you can just stick with it, your stomach will eventually shrink and you won't be ravenous anymore all the time .
But it may take about a month to get to that point.
Good luck!

lynzyn

PROTEIN LADIES MORE PROTEIN IN YOUR DIETS girls....Meats, Nuts Shakes Bars ect....Drink water before your meals hang in there u can do it

Mixmode

It's a mental thing for me. Once I got past the fact I don't need to eat all the time, and didn't, it was hard. But with time I got over it and now I hardly think about food other than planned meal times rather than trying to stay full all day long.

Mom2rh

I think it depends on the type of food you are eating too...as well as how frequently. I think protein and healthy fats are slower to digest so keep you feeling satisfied longer. I try to eat lots of veggies and salads as the main part of my meals but make sure I am getting protein, complex carbohydrates and good fat. Also, drinking lots of water. And I eat throughout the day.

l3ugjuice

Took a couple of weeks for me. Incorporating more fiber helped a great deal, and keep in mind: some foods are just more 'filling' than others....so I also eat LOTS and LOTS of lettuce .

amelia_atlantic

Like what others are saying, you may need to increase your calories. Change from 2lbs a week to 1 lbs a week. Or, you can customize how many in the "Goals" tab. 1350 calories is a good starting point. It's easy to follow.

Definitely eat more protein! MFP is notorious for setting protein low. It's OKAY to go over! You'll feel full longer.
Low calorie options for protein:
Eggs
Greek Yogurt
Nuts
Whey Protein

duncanryan

Having started counting calories about a month ago, I think it took a couple weeks to where I wasn't hungry all the time and to where I wasn't having cravings for just about anything. Your body has to become accomodated to you taking in less calories. Also, use all the tips the people above have told you. Hang with it, good luck!

bcattoes

If I only ate 1200 calories a day I don't think the hunger would ever go away. Add some exercise so you can eat more and still lose. You'll feel and look better and most of all, not be hungry. I get an extra 500 - 700 calories a day from exercise and so I don't eat a whole lot less than I did before.

taso42_DELETED

Just a reminder. 1200 calories is a bare minimum calorie requirement for females. It's not the number everybody should automatically shoot for. To draw an analogy, some states have a law where the the landlord of an apartment must ensure that the apartment can be heated to at least 45F in the winter. That's a bare minimum, not a guideline for how warm to keep an apartment.

evenidomhnaill

It will take awhile for you stomach to shrink in size also you might be mistaking hunger for thirst.
I would increase water intake if you drink a lot of tea or coffee you will need to drink more.
I would eat little and often with protein for each meal and fill up on veggies. I would also suggest making a big pot of low cal soup with veggies and eat it in between meals if you feel hungry. If this doesnt work I would up your calories a bit

karamille

Are you posting your activity and eating some of your burned calories? If you don't want to mess with that, click on tools and click on BMR, which is how many calories your body needs to exist if you did nothing all day long but sit in one place like a slug. Mine is 1500. If I eat 1500 and just go about my daily life of chasing my kids, cleaning, evening walks, I lose about 1.5 lbs a week. Using the BMR is a better way to go if you aren't logging calories burned and eating back some of your burned calories. .

skinnyrache

I just started a few days ago as well and am trying to stay within the 1200 calorie range. It's tough! I never considered myself to eat terribly before- I always ate lots of fruits and veggies and tried to avoid the obviously bad stuff, but I'm realizing now that I have a lot of changes to make, especially in my portion sizes. I find it has been a very mental thing for me, so I've had to relearn how I think about food.

A couple things that seem to be helping (as others have said, too): lots of water, and avoid excess sugar! I've found that if I start indulging in sugary things my hunger spikes and then I start getting the hunger headaches and that awful shaky feeling. By choosing healthy protein options and staying away from the sugar I've managed to feel a little more normal. It's been great to hear what others have said too. Good luck!

graysmom2005

For me, exercise. It gives me an hour where I'm no where near the pantry. LOL! Also, it gives you more wiggle room, and it is a natural appetite suppressant for an hour or so afterwards. Going and walking on the treadmill etc was always a recipe for failure. It wasn't until I started taking group exercise classes like Spinning that it really clicked. The rest was history. :-)

erisfreenici

What I did when I first started was log for 1 week eating at the same level I was to figure out what my "baseline" calories were and where I was wasting them. Then for the next 2 weeks, I cut out one thing that I had regularly that sabotaged my caloric intake. It resulted in me cutting between 250 calories at a time from my diet per day. The next week, I cut about 250 more calories until I got down to where MFP wanted me to be for 1 lb per week weight loss. Actually, I believe I was using the LoseIt app or maybe Daily Burn at the time. I stopped eating out, stopped drinking pop, stopped having cupcakes for my 3PM snack. I started going grocery shopping more frequently buying fruits and veggies. I slice strawberries, make watermelon balls, and have it all ready for the week so that I can snack on healthy foods rather than

All the other times I've changed diet for weight loss, I would be ravenously hungry and it led to binging. The taper down method was much more effective.

moPOETRYtion

Wow, thank you all so much for the great advice! I will stick to 1200 for another week or so, and bump it up if I still feel this way. I am planning on adding some exercise as well, which will buy me a few more calories.

perceptualobfuscator

When I first started the site, I tried to do a one pound loss per week and went with 1200 calories. I couldn't hack it - I was grumpy and headachey all the time. All I could think about was food, and when I actually ate, I was so hungry I could barely taste it. I was shaking and lightheaded and couldn't concentrate on anything. It was horrible.

I realized that even if I did lose a pound a week, it wasn't worth it to feel that way. So I cut back to half a pound per week. It's slow going, and sometimes I feel discouraged, but it's better than feeling that way. I still get hungry, but not nearly to the same degree.

And that's how I dealt with crazy hunger. Most likely that isn't what you meant, but if it is, I recommend cutting back on your weight loss per week and adding more calories.

And I second the suggestion to drink more water. Sometimes our bodies can mistake feeling thirsty for feeling hungry, especially if you're not getting enough water to begin with. Even if that's not the case, it helps you feel fuller.

I would also recommend having several small snacks throughout the day if your hunger is distracting you. We all want to lose weight, but there's no point in letting your hunger monopolize your thoughts!! Everyone has a life outside of weight loss. Just having some baby carrots, an apple or a granola bar throughout the day can help you feel less hungry.

chevy88grl

You might be surprised to learn that 1200 calories isn't enough food for your body. The extreme hunger ended within a week or so for me - because I was eating foods that kept me fuller, longer.

I say - if you keep going another week VERY hungry - perhaps try raising your calories for a couple weeks. Sometimes extreme hunger is our body's way of saying "HEY! This isn't enough!".

sherrilcox

I was crazy hungry for the first week or so. Start adding in greek yogurt or some other high protein/fiber snacks. It definitely helps keep you full! Good luck!

Rikki444

Well, that is a loaded question. There’s so many factors to consider. The first two weeks are the worst. It should get better after that. There’s a long list of scientific reason for that, but this is what I found:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

moPOETRYtion

Great advice! I will also make sure to up my water too!