CONSTANTLY hungry!

fstender

try eating just protein.... The protien bars that are availabale are packed with lots of protein but also come with sugar..which is possibly causing your problem. I would just try different sources for protein snacks....like cottage cheese and wheat thins, or a cheese stick. When buying a protein bar try to watch the sugar content and stay under 25grahms.

Good luck!

ak_in_ak

I would suggest upping your carbs in the morning and limiting them in the afternoon. For breakfast I usually aime for 400 calories and have an egg on a bagel thin with as much lettuce as I can fit and eat a serving of fruit when I first get to work. I know the Special K protein shakes are tempting but I honestly do not think they are worth the calories or money. I would suggest a low cal protein shake with some unsweetend almond milk. One of my favorite snacks at my desk is baby carrots and dip. I make dip our of light sour cream and powdered ranch, low carb and filling!

Jellyphant

I had two hard boiled eggs for breakfast with a 200ml glass of ice cold semi-skimmed milk at 7am. I wasn't hungry until about 12.30pm and usually I am STARVING by 10am when I eat my old breakfast of cereal at 8.30am.

I think that shakes are useless, they don't fill me up. Also eat some fruit and veggies as snacks to fill you up on the go.

Hope this helps!

I'm the EXACT same way! I always eat myt breakfast around you do, and am hungry a few hours later! I'll give hard boiled eggs a try as well!

Jellyphant

Sooo many great ideas, thanks guys!! I can't wait to try these ideas out tomorrow!

Lifelearner

Each person is different, starting with the three basic body types. The previous suggestions are sound and have worked for that particular individual, but in following them you have a 2 in 3 chance of failure because they have a different body type.

To acquire a perfect understanding of what YOUR body needs, read Tom Venuto's book, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle." You can order it online in hardcover or downloadable ebook. I use a printed copy of the ebook because it gives me more room to take notes as I continue to learn what works best for me (our bodies change over time and so our approach must be tweaked).

You will quickly develop a plan that works for YOU. It will no doubt include some of the suggestions you've received, but your goal is to find the solution NOW that produces your desired results. You can mix and match what others have shared, but trial and error can take a long time, and many people will give up before figuring it out.

I eat six meals a day and I'm NEVER hungry. In fact, I sometimes have to eat meal six through discipline, because I feel fully satisfied all the time. Eating 5 or 6 meals will also keep your metabolism stoked, so you burn more calories throughout the entire day.

One of the biggest tips I can give you is to plan your meals for the week, then execute the plan on a daily basis. Know what you are going to eat and when - ahead of time. Then track the results by taking notes; you can make adjustments as you go, and will quickly have a plan that works perfect for you. On those days that life gets in the way and alters your approach, you have a plan you can go right back to and stay on track toward your goals.

As you'll read in Tom's book, throw out the BMI charts because they are general - for the population at large - and not specific enough for you and your body type. Measuring your body fat% properly is what you want to do, and work on that number instead of weight.

You WILL be successful if you establish a customized approach, and it doesn't take long to do!

Melissamarielove

When hunger hits and you still have a while before you eat, try chewing a piece of gum and drinking a glass of water. That helps me a LOT! Good luck.

susanswan

Personally what worked for me was eating HIgh fiber foods: whole wheat products, whole grain products: brown rice, old fashioned oatmeal, Triscuit crackers, ryvita crackers, La tortilla factory high fiber tortillas, etc. I got rid of simple processed carbs such as white flour, white rice, enriched pasta, and sugar of all types and I could not believe that my cravings went away as promised. It took about a week, but I no longer crave sweets/junk. Would I like to eat them? yes. Do I eat them? rarely. Also water helps, but what I really found that helps me is making myself a soy latte. I found Soy milk with zero additives at Trader Joes and use decaf coffee. The thickness of the soy milk for some reason makes me feel fuller than nonfat milk. I suppose it might be the small amounts of fat inherent in soy, but it works for me! I hope decaf isn't bad for me, but it gets me through! Eat more real food - carrots, fresh fruit, salad greens instead of processed convenience foods. Even dried fruit or 12 almonds and my latte do it for me and are easily carried around in your purse. Good luck!

sincereme

I agree. In the past Ive found that those cereal bars and Protein bars, shakes tend to send me into a "starving" feeling within a couple of hours or less. All the sugar does craziness to me especially since I am Insulin Resistant. I always found myself wanting to eat more and even feeling shaky when I didnt eat right then and there. Ever since I've replace those kinds of snacks with veggies, fruits and other types of snacks, I don't find myself in starvation mode, shaky or even feeling sick.

I usually have almonds with 1/2 a fruit, cheese and fruit, hummus and veggies, egg, etc and I find these keep me feeling fuller longer.

Have you checked the sugar amounts in special K and the luna bars?

Sugar and Sugar substitutes make you crave more sugar, or more food. Instead of a luna bar for protein try some greek yogurt or a cheese stick or a boiled egg or two, less processed sugar. And it will be hard for you to eat too much protein unless you are used to eating tons of protein. 1 cup of FAGE plain greek yogurt has 23 grams of protein. I can barely eat 1/2 cup of greek yogurt. Pair that with some whole wheat LOW sugar cereal and you are good to go...

Sugar will be a huge factor of hunger. and if you are newer to dieting, your body is still used to sugar, so you are going to have those cravings until you wein your body off of the massive amounts of sugar you were eating before..

it gets tons easier.. just keep with it.

Lifelearner

I just looked at some of your diary entries, and the carb/protein/fat balance of your diet is going to be part of the problem/solution. You are running 60-70% carbs, and for your stated goals, a 40/30/30 ratio is much better.

The quick way to get the ratios is add the total grams for the day, then divide the carb or protein or fat grams by this total number. Another program I've used in the past, FitDay, automatically calculates this for you and displays a pie chart. It is the biggest thing missing from MyFitnessPal in my opinion.

Carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram, and fat has 9 calories. Simply put, your calories from carbs and your calories from protein should be much closer. Now, it is much easier to eat carb calories than protein calories, and that's where the planning I mentioned in my earlier reply will pay off. You will have to work at getting more protein into your diet.

For example, cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein and lower in carbs. It comes in at 22/55/22 (remember, it is always stated carb/protein/fat when talking ratios). By replacing a high carb snack or meal component with cottage cheese, you will significantly impact the ratio for the whole day.

Many people will add some fruit (fresh, not canned) to their cottage cheese to satisfy the taste buds. Fish and chicken (baked, not fried or battered) is another excellent source of protein. Chicken is particularly versatile and can be eaten by itself, on a salad, and a variety of other ways.

Do a search on other high protein foods to get additional ideas, and incorporate them into your meal plan.