why am I always hungry?

upsidedownpear

Its been a week since I joined MFP and for the first time, started counting calories. About 6 years ago, I lost 40 lbs just by leading a very active life style and lots of sports (probably it was my age back then - 21). A couple of years ago, I lost about 20 lbs by exercising. I put on all this weight back in graduate school from series of events in my personal life and emotional eating. I think what that led to was increased apetite! I have realized that its impossible for me to lose weight now the way I earlier did - by exercising and not really counting calories.

I see a lot of people here that have only 1200 and 1300 calorie limit per day and still seem to say that they are full by the end of the day. I am hungry every two hours and barely making it to my daily goal. My diary is open to your comments. Is it habitual? will I get there eventually? do I need to condition my stomach to this eating? I am traveling for work this week and on a vacation next week. Please help!

TinaS88

It takes time for your stomach to get used to it.. I am over 6 weeks in and I am still hungry a lot of times :P I haven't checked your diary but I suggest eating stuff with lots of fiber so that you feel fuller longer

sophieshaped

I never found it easy and was hungry a lot.

Maybe check out low GI carbs though - you seem to have white versions of bread etc. Switch to brown and that might help you feel fuller.

dittiepe

Its been a week since I joined MFP and for the first time, started counting calories. About 6 years ago, I lost 40 lbs just by leading a very active life style and lots of sports (probably it was my age back then - 21). A couple of years ago, I lost about 20 lbs by exercising. I put on all this weight back in graduate school from series of events in my personal life and emotional eating. I think what that led to was increased apetite! I have realized that its impossible for me to lose weight now the way I earlier did - by exercising and not really counting calories.

I see a lot of people here that have only 1200 and 1300 calorie limit per day and still seem to say that they are full by the end of the day. I am hungry every two hours and barely making it to my daily goal. My diary is open to your comments. Is it habitual? will I get there eventually? do I need to condition my stomach to this eating? I am traveling for work this week and on a vacation next week. Please help!

You're eating a very carb-heavy diet. I suggest raising your protein to about 60grams per day and see if that helps with your hunger.

dosesr4winners20

I agree w tina fiber and protien will help you get through this period. Your carbs seem to be at a good level but for some people eating this much carbs makes hunger worse. I have to stay very low carb because other wise i'm hungry an hour later.

Are you drinking enough water? hunger sometimes is a sign or thrist.

Good luck and feel free to add me <33

Mcdonaldfitandfree

With the program that my husband and I are on,we are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours.
If you starve yourself, your body goes into starvation mode and makes you store fat, when you are not eating.
When you are hungry, eat. It will keep your metabolism up and by the end of the day you will be satisfied.
Make sure that what you eat, is low in carbs, high in protein and low in calories too.

Eating 3 times a day is not how we are supposed to eat.
Hope that helps.
Eat at least 3 meals and 3 snacks per day.

Hope that helps.






Taking Zeal for Life and loving it!!

jamie78

less carbs and more protein and fiber.. this will help you stay full.

time2runnn

One thing that may really help is try to get protein with every meal/snack. Aim for around 100 grams a day and see if your hunger doesn't feel a bit more in check.

meli_medina

Try adding a bit more protein and less carbs to each meal. Instead of the muffin in the morning, have a hard boiled egg or something like that. When you get enough protein and fiber, it takes your body longer to digest it, thus creating a full feeling for longer.

Good luck!

Paige1108

We're all different, so this is just what worked for me. I ate every 2 hours, no matter what, while I was in my "losing" phase. That way I never got so hungry I was willing to eat anything that wasn't still wiggling. Eventually I wasn't so hungry and have cut most of the "snacking" now that I'm in my maintenance phase.

Good luck on your journey and welcome to MFP.

KeyMasterOfGozer

I am noticing in your diary that you go over your fat grams per day, and your protein grams are pretty low comparatively to carbs and fat. Fat has 9 calories per gram, carbs have 5 calories per gram, and protein has 4 calories per gram. So if you have a high percentage of your calories be from fat, then that means you will be eating less food for the same number of calories. Carbs(except fiber) have the property that they will cause your insulin to spike in response to your blood sugar. That insulin spike will trigger a hunger response.

You will be fuller if you eat a higher percentage of protein and fiber in your diet assuming the same number of calories.

Articeluvsmemphis

From my experience. don't ever condition yourself to starving. If you're very active like I've become then you need to be eating more calories. more calories frightens me, but I try my best to eat ALOT of them. 1200 calories is just so unrealistic. the only days when i don't need a lot of food is when i haven't exercised in a while. and that hasn't happened for some time now. so i've already eaten like 600calories and it's only 11oclock and i'm hungry again. if you're hungry then eat. food is fuel, and i'm sure you're a smart woman and know that the best foods are your whole foods, and drinking plenty of water. good luck.

H_Factor

I looked over some of your food logs. Its my opinion that you are not eating enough protein, and eating too many carbs...and the wrong carbs at that. Eating protein helps keep you fuller, longer. It helps keep the insulin response to carbs controlled...which keeps cravings under control. Also, when choosing carbs, try to choose carbs with lower glycemic index values (this would be berries, apples, pears, leafy veggies, etc.) Lower glycemic index values keep insulin response in check which keeps cravings in check (the whole insulin response thing is important to controlling cravings, even if you are not diabetic).

In addition, I recommend significantly reducing...or cutting out....anything with flour in it (i.e., bread) and pasta. That stuff turns to sugar and is stored as fat in your body QUICKLY.

I would also recommend preparing more of your own food with more natural options (fish, chicken, lean beef, veggies, fruits), and less processed options....although your ability to do this will depend on your lifestyle somewhat.

H_Factor

also, you're either not drinking water or not keeping track of it. drink your water. it helps...big time!

dmjackson25

I agree with the folks above- protien and fiber can certainly help. And water!! Lots of people under estimate the amount of water they actually drink. I ALWAY keep a cup of water around me- at work, at home, shopping, anywhere! I use what my fiance calls "grown up sippy cups"- those refillable ones that have straws and keep drinks cold!

Also try to eat either a meal or snack every 3 hours or so- I keep track of all my snacks, but if I find myself still hungry, I reach for celery or an apple or some carrots- they're great and won't mess up your total tracking (too much!)

Good luck, stick with it and Cheers!!!!

statia152

I agree with the others INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN. Take a look at my diary for a week, I should be getting more veggies, but I'm feeling pretty full. And lots of water, tea ... it helps fill the belly. Some fat is good, it will keep you fuller longer.

dandy_mandy

So many great ideas! Your diary looks delicious but lots of carbs and high calorie meals. I'd recommend increasing the protien and make sure you get lots of water and fiber, even if that means using a fiber supplement. Also, maybe add in some raw veggies or a salad with a meal or two each day to add more substance to the meal, without many calories. You seem to be doing a wonderful job logging your food, though . Keep up the great work!!

auntiebabs

I checked out your diary and looks to me like you've got way TOO MUCH SUGAR.
You can add one more category to what you track under SETTINGS. Really hard to stay within MFP sugar target, but you can probably do better than you are now. I think it will make you happier.

BOTH sugar and artificial sweeteners increase your appetite, so cutting back on them makes weight loss easier, because you are not hungry all the time.

If I have a DIET COKE, no way I can keep at 1200 cal.
More foods now than ever before have hidden sugars in them and are sold as "real foods"
If I'm going to eat the sugar I want a cookie, gosh darn it!

I've really been amazed at how much sugar I've found in "REAL FOOD" Food manufacturers add a lot of sugar under a lot of different unrecognizable names into products, because it's cheap and it increases your appetite, so you eat more.

(I picked up a lean cuisine one evening forgot to check the sugar went to enter it to find out it had 30g of sugar, now

A) I only get 25g a day,
my favorite cookies are 9g for 15 cookies. If I'm going to eat sugar I want to enjoy a treat!!!

Also watch out for yogurts there usually very high in sugar, by plain and add a little hershey syrup or jam or cukes & dill at least YOU will be controlling your intake.)

Nutrient Dense foods keep you full longer, while proteins and fats (happy fats... plant based) appear to pack a lot of calories for the quantity you get to eat. A small amount will keep you satisfied longer. So it may be a better balance for you .

weeziews

I never found it easy and was hungry a lot.

Maybe check out low GI carbs though - you seem to have white versions of bread etc. Switch to brown and that might help you feel fuller.

I agree with the above. You need high fiber (shoot for 3g or more per serving) and whole grains to fill you up and satisfy you longer. If you are hungry then eat, just make healthy choices. Try 6 small meals a day to keep your blood sugar level. Hunger will lead to eating too much at the next meal and going over your calories. Tweak it until it works.

CarolynB38

You could try increasing your protein intake. The amount of protein that MFP suggests is very low. Carbs tend to make you feel hungry again more quickly. Protein keeps you fuller for longer. Have you taken your activity level into account? If you have your activity level set wrong you may not be getting quite enough calories to keep you going. 100-200 calories can make all the difference if you are always hungry.

As a general guide it is a good idea for fat intake to be set at the default 30% that MFP suggests but protein really needs to be higher than 20%, some people say it needs to be around 30% and carbs at only 40%.

Another thing is to replace white breads and pasta with wholemeal varieties as they keep you fuller for longer and take longer for your body to break down. They should also reduce the blood sugar spikes and dips that might also be making you feel hungry.

Last of all, remember to drink plenty of water. It really does help. You will get used to it. Stick with it :happy:

dyannek

I was the same way as you were. I was in a 1200 calorie per day and was constantly hungry. I then started seeing a nutritionist since I didn't understand why since I only have to lose six pounds to go back into my tri workouts after injury. I cam to find out that I was not considering a food temple and what I should be eating at every meal plus I wasn't eating enough due to the types of exercising I was doing. Take a look at the types of excercises and also what you are eating at every meal - it should always be a dairy (calcium), protein, vegetable/ fruit, complex carb, & fat. I hope this works out for you and make sure you eat enough because I noticed I was not losing any weight because I wasnt' eating enough.

calimari

It did take me a few weeks of exercising a lot to gain more calories so I could eat more before eventually I realized i was full without eating all of my exercise calories, and sometimes full on days w/ no exercise, and eating no extra calories.

That said, I looked at about a week of your diary & it does seem very carb-heavy/ protein low. Are you a vegetarian? If you don't eat meat, you need to find other foods that are higher in protein to help keep you full.

McWilkie

Try bumping up your protein and fiber and decreasing refined sugar. When it comes to carbs complex carbohydrates will leave you feeling satisfied longer. Check out the website Body For Life for a great list of lean proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats. It has really helped me in making healthier choices. Feel free to add me for extra support

Angie80281

Some people say you adjust to it after a while. Personally, I've been on MFP for almost 6 months now, and I still feel like I could wreak havoc on an all-you-can-eat buffet at any given moment. I 've tried eating high-protein foods and drinking water to curb my hunger, but it doesn't help. Hopefully you'll be one of thoe ones that adjust to it as time goes on. If not, you're going to have to learn willpower (I know, it sucks). Find something else to do to take your mind off the hunger, or use a 0-cal or low-cal drink mix to help taste cravings.

Also, make the most of the calories you have available. A decent-sized bowl of strawberries will cost you about 50 calories, while a serving of potato chips will cost you about 150, and the strawberries are more filling. I was watching Hungry Girl on Food Network the other day and she showed some pretty interesting calorie comparisons like that. They may be on the website if you want to check it out. My final piece of advice would be to treat yourself on occasion so you don't go crazy and binge. I have one or two unhealthy snacks a night (chips, cookies, etc.) but I limit myself to the serving size on the package, or less. If you don't want to do that every day, try once a week or so. Knowing that you aren't being totally deprived will usually keep you from munching down on a whole bag of chips or a dozen cookies. Feel free to friend me if you'd like. Good luck!

bogoli

With the program that my husband and I are on,we are supposed to eat every 2-3 hours.
If you starve yourself, your body goes into starvation mode and makes you store fat, when you are not eating.
When you are hungry, eat. It will keep your metabolism up and by the end of the day you will be satisfied.
Make sure that what you eat, is low in carbs, high in protein and low in calories too.

Eating 3 times a day is not how we are supposed to eat.
Hope that helps.
Eat at least 3 meals and 3 snacks per day.

Hope that helps.

Starvation mode only kicks in after 72 hours of eating below your BMR. I do intermittent fasting three times a week, meaning I don't eat after dinner on Sunday until a late, light dinner on Monday. Same goes for Wednesday and Friday. On fasting days, I'll drink water, green tea, and sometimes black coffee, and eat about 500 calories for dinner. On non fasting days, I'll eat about 1600 calories, and generally not worry about what I eat. I've lost 13 pounds since I started this, 10 of which I used MFP with.
What it comes down to is making sure your calories in are less than your calories out. If you feel like you need to eat more, work out to make up the difference!
Good luck to you!

snickerpants

I found that cheese and deli meat keep me fuller than bread and other stuff. The protein is more complex and harder to digest than simple carbohydrates.

That said, yes, I am hungry often. It took me a while to learn how to ignore it. I chew gum, drink water or get up and walk around. I've been using this website since February and I'm not nearly so hungry all the time anymore. I think I just had to learn how not to want to eat all the time (If that's even a viable sentence? Sorry for the grammatical confusion)

I would suggest that if you are having a hard time with hunger (as I did) try to work more exercise into your day, even just walking. That gave me an extra 200-400 calories a day to safely snack. And when you do snack, I recommend carrots and hummus, apples, cheese and deli meat. The carrots and hummus especially because your jaw gets tired after the second carrot.

I wish you luck! Remember to keep posting if you find you are struggling with it. Support is free and plentiful around here.

nawlinsned

Your diet is mostly carbs. It needs to be mostly protein. If you work on insulin resistance then you know that your insulin level increases when you eat more carbs. And your blood chemistry once you've eaten those carbs makes you hungry once you've digested the food because your insulin level stays high. You're also making the mistake of assuming that because you're eating fruits as snacks, they're automatically healthy for you. They CAN be, but not when you're downing 200-300g of carbs a day. Even if you eliminate dietary fiber, you're still eating over a cup of sugar.

I eat nothing but meat, veggies, fruits, eggs, cheese, and cream. I've dropped 71 pounds since May 30. I used to consume about 5-6000 calories a day, with about 1400 or so coming from soda. Within a month I was able to cut out all breads and pasta, eliminate my soda and sweets cravings, and start eating healthy. I grill food or cook it twice a week, and that's what I eat.

I had two boiled eggs for breakfast, going to have 3 chicken drumsticks with asparagus, peppers, and mushrooms for lunch, and some fish with white asparagus and some halloumi with toom over tomatoes for supper. About 1500 calories for the day, and I won't ever be hungry. In fact, I usually have to force myself to get to 1500... usually by drinking something with cream or eating a few extra string cheeses.

You can do it too. You say you're a scientist, so do some research. Figure out what foods you enjoy that are less calorie/carb dense, but will satisfy you.

msiamjan

my favorite cookies are 9g for 15 cookies. If I'm going to eat sugar I want to enjoy a treat!!!

What cookies are those??? I want to check 'em out!

ATT949

Per other posters, check your protein levels.

When I was losing weight (December 2010 through June 2011) I disregarded MFP's 50/25/25 ratios for carbs/fat/protein. I went with 50% protein and 25/25. I had a diet of 800 to 1000 net calories and exercised three times a week on an elliptical.

It took me seven months to lose 95 pounds but I only felt hungry three times in those seven months.

Since then, I've take up running (half-marathon in 12 days - hoaah!) and I've upped my calories from 1240 to 1750. Based on recommendations from Runners World, I've swapped my mix to 50% carbs and…guess what? I get hungry now!

And, heh, it's only 0941 but I'm feeling like it's time for my 1030 snack!

Coffee, more coffee!

:-)

kierra28

Hi I joined recently too as you already know...I will share few things that seem to be helping me out:
1) starting my day with 1 glass of water
2) 15-30 mins later a glass of green tea (warm water and green tea dip with half lemon juice)...on the days I skip green tea I feel I am having more cravings than the ones on which I did drink it.
3) I am trying to include either a raw cucumber, tomato, carrot (carrots are dense in fiber and help a lot to fill tummy up). I dash them with some lemon juice and I am refraining from adding salt on salads now to keep it in check. I usually slice them up really thin so i have to work(chew) more and longer to eat them up. If I have sprouted beans or cottage cheese at hand I throw in a hand full *edit 2 tbsps or so * (in this case I chop them up in small pieces and shred the cottage cheese over them for some different texture) I am trying to play around with the way i chop/slice them and plate them up just to make it fun to eat and have something different texture wise. Today I ate carrots and cucumber sliced up separately and 2 tbsp pomegranate over cubed cottage cheese. I substitute 1 roti (i usually ate 2 per meal) with these salads. They are helping me keep full.
4) I try to have yogurt rather than milk. I take say 1/2 cup yogurt and smooth it out with another 1/3 to 1/2 cup water. There you go...It will be more full filling.
5) I am noticing the less carbs I eat the less craving I feel.
6) Drinking a glass of water say 10 mins before your meal also helps.
7) Try not to eat while watching TV , comp or reading a book as brain gets slow to register that you have eaten and there will be more craving still.

Don't give up and hang in there! I totally understand the part about emotional eating. Make your self aware that you are in control and let no emotional triggers take it away from you. (I know easier said than done...but we have to toughen up some or the other day if we want to turn our lives around )

auntiebabs

my favorite cookies are 9g for 15 cookies. If I'm going to eat sugar I want to enjoy a treat!!!

What cookies are those??? I want to check 'em out!

Trader Joe's Chocolatey Cats, Cookies for People.
They are more about the chocolate than about the sugar.
The Ginger Cats are also awesome