What about hunger?

LoggingForLife
LoggingForLife Posts: 504 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So we know calories in vs. calories out, BMR, TDEE, macronutrients....and on and on. On paper we know what our body needs. But if I am giving my body everything it needs, why am I extreemly hungry at times? Not just emotional hunger....stomach growling, low blood sugar, cranky as hell. What role does hunger play in this weight loss journey? Do we just ignore physical hunger? If I eat more when I'm hungry, I go way over my "magic number" of calories. Thoughts anyone?
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Replies

  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    If you are hungry all of the time that is your body talking to you..... you are not eating enough.... :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    More protein and fiber. Stay away from processed stuff like crackers and chips. If you are hungry after cleaning up your diet and eating sufficient protein, you may be undereating: you may have your goals set too aggressively. I'm never hungry on 1500 a day.
  • livi_cowgirl
    livi_cowgirl Posts: 198 Member
    bump
  • kfhoffman12
    kfhoffman12 Posts: 67
    ughhh i know this all too well! When i was thinner i literally used to eat like a horse and now that i am watching my calories and what I eat, i am ALWAYS starving. I never have that 'full' feeling and it's very hard to avoid snacking! I'd like to know as well! :)
  • cainie19
    cainie19 Posts: 126
    sorry to sound patronising or cliché but drinking more water throughout your day, before and after meals etc, can really quell stomach pangs :)
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    Eat more, but also look at what youre eating throughout the day. You might be eating the right amount of calories, but they could be empty calories.

    I find that fat and protein make me feel full the longest.
  • mochaphobic
    mochaphobic Posts: 92 Member
    The first weeks (3 maybe 4) I had the same thing and if I adjusted my calories I wouldn't lose a thing so it wasn't that I was eating too many calories. I did realize I was way over eating prior and my body took a long time to adjust. So when you have a low blood sugar episode, what are you eating to bring it back up vs. what you eat normally?
  • BruteSquad
    BruteSquad Posts: 373 Member
    There is so much you haven't said. But if your blood sugar has dropped, you need food.

    What is "way over"? And what is the magic number? Are you calculating in exercise and eating the calories back?

    Also, if you are following the recommended macros....I would suggest changing them to Protein 40% Carbs 35% and Fat 25%. Since I upped my protein, I am rarely hungry. There is a whole science thing to it, but I don't really care about that part of it. I just don't get hungry.
  • sammi402
    sammi402 Posts: 232 Member
    If you're hungry, eat something (friut, yogurt, whatever) and drink some water. Wait 20 min and see if you are still hungry. If you are, eat something.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    I dont eat for that "full feeling" if I feel full I overate I eat till im no longer hungry. I used to eat what ever till I was full then I got fat. And I still get hungry sometimes but when I do I try to get busy doing other things my hardest time still is at night and I think that is boredom more than hungry Im working on that.
  • kristendaae1227
    kristendaae1227 Posts: 27
    I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    I feel like there are so many "diet" foods that are just not very filling. If I don't get a good amount of protein (like at minimum 20) with each meal, I get very hungry, but I see a lot of people try to reduce their caloric and fat intake and eat rice cakes and regular yogurt. All of that is fine and good, but add some peanut butter, or some nuts or even, dare I say, (and vegetarians cover your eyes) some actual meat! I ate bacon this morning and I will again at lunch time!
  • Reeny1_8
    Reeny1_8 Posts: 277
    Bump
  • akrnrunner
    akrnrunner Posts: 117 Member
    I pay attention to what my body is telling me. If its growling at me then I feed it. I find peanut butter extremely filling if I need a quick snack. I realize most is high in sugar but it works for me and my sweet tooth!
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    If you are having a blood sugar crash, you may have gone too long without food or you may have eaten something that spiked your insulin levels. To stop that from happening, I can't go more than 4 hours without food and I cannot have certain sugary/processed carb foods. Pancake syrup (liquid sugar) spikes my insulin, for example, and I get sweaty, shaky, and ravenous within 2 hours of eating it. That is due to metabolic/insulin irregularities in my body. Review what you are eating prior to such incidents so you can avoid them. If I go more than 4 hours without food, I get so hungry that I grab the first thing and eat way more than I need. So I plan snacks to help me avoid getting into such a situation.
  • msudaisy28
    msudaisy28 Posts: 267 Member
    I took a quick peek at your diary and on the days that you are logging it looks like you are pretty far under on your protein. I would try to up protein and fiber to keep yourself full longer. Also, there were a fair number of granola bars or similar type snacks. Could you swap those out for fresh fruit or veggies? You could probably get two snacks for the same calories as one granola bar if you picked low cal produce (apples, carrots, pears, berries, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, etc).
  • Shamrock_me
    Shamrock_me Posts: 161
    I haven't the foggiest. I am not a nutritionist. I am not even a diet person. But sometimes for no apparent reason I want to eat everything in the fridge. Shockingly I will go over my calories and as long as I remain active it doesn't heap on any weight. In fact usually I drop a little.

    Everyone is so crazy about boosting their metabolism like its this straight level line but I think mine is more like a stock report. Sometimes I am bouncing off the walls can't sit still and it aint the coffee. I just try to listen to what it is telling me and add in some extra GOOD calories like a really sweet gala apple, a navel orange, cinnamon cereal.. etc etc. Or a pint of frozen yogurt. Protein meal bar with chocolate. It hasn't hurt my progress at all so far to indulge a little, just walk it off later.

    I'm NEVER regularly hungry. Just off an on maybe one day a week ravenous and then I balance out. If I really lose my mind and scarf a whole pizza - I just do the work out the next day & eat extra apples.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.

    :noway: That is NOT recommended !
  • SavCal71
    SavCal71 Posts: 350 Member
    If you're hungry, eat. But make what you eat a healthy choice. Usually a combination of protein and carbs works well.
  • kristendaae1227
    kristendaae1227 Posts: 27
    I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.

    :noway: That is NOT recommended !

    Maybe not, but before I joined MFP I lost 20lbs in about 2 months by reducing my daily caloric intake and exercising more. So hey, if it's working for me I personally don't care if it's recommended or not. Sorry to be so blunt about it.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.

    :noway: That is NOT recommended !



    Maybe not, but before I joined MFP I lost 20lbs in about 2 months by reducing my daily caloric intake and exercising more. So hey, if it's working for me I personally don't care if it's recommended or not. Sorry to be so blunt about it.

    Do you plan on eating and living like that the rest of your life ? Otherwise you will have that 20 lbs to lose again in 6 months. And you didn't just lose 20 lbs, you lost probably 10lbs of muscle and 10lbs of fat, so you are heading towards a really skinny flabby body....
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.

    :noway: That is NOT recommended !

    Maybe not, but before I joined MFP I lost 20lbs in about 2 months by reducing my daily caloric intake and exercising more. So hey, if it's working for me I personally don't care if it's recommended or not. Sorry to be so blunt about it.

    Sorry to be blunt back,. but: you will STALL. I will personally guarantee it. You will start having less and less energy to work out, if you go out for a speghetti dinner you will gain 5 lbs the next day. If you keep at this low of a caloric intake, soon your hair and your nails will start to weaken. We have all seen the stories before. When that happens, come to the group Eat More, Weigh Less. We will be waiting.
  • kristendaae1227
    kristendaae1227 Posts: 27
    I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.

    :noway: That is NOT recommended !



    Maybe not, but before I joined MFP I lost 20lbs in about 2 months by reducing my daily caloric intake and exercising more. So hey, if it's working for me I personally don't care if it's recommended or not. Sorry to be so blunt about it.

    Do you plan on eating and living like that the rest of your life ? Otherwise you will have that 20 lbs to lose again in 6 months. And you didn't just lose 20 lbs, you lost probably 10lbs of muscle and 10lbs of fat, so you are heading towards a really skinny flabby body....


    "And you didn't just lose 20 lbs, you lost probably 10lbs of muscle and 10lbs of fat" Right...so I lost 20lbs either way you look at it. So if I'm heading towards a skinny, flabby body that's why I can still lift more than I did three months ago? I have my way of doing things, and you have yours. What works for you, may not work for me.
  • kristendaae1227
    kristendaae1227 Posts: 27
    @Chrisb: Who doesn't stall when they are losing weight? I have hit a snag but instead of allowing myself to eat more, I workout harder. Ya'll act like I'm eating 200 cals per day. I've limited myself to 300 less than the recommended amount. It's not life threatening. Chiiiiiilll

    Edit: Instead of commenting back on forth on a message board, message me personally instead and I'll be glad to share with you why I only allow 900 cals a day.
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
    @Chrisb: Who doesn't stall when they are losing weight? I have hit a snag but instead of allowing myself to eat more, I workout harder. Ya'll act like I'm eating 200 cals per day. I've limited myself to 300 less than the recommended amount. It's not life threatening. Chiiiiiilll

    Edit: Instead of commenting back on forth on a message board, message me personally instead and I'll be glad to share with you why I only allow 900 cals a day.
    Personally, I don't care why you are doing it, or whether or not you follow my advice. I am only telling you that you are destroying your body, but...its yours. So have at it.
  • kristendaae1227
    kristendaae1227 Posts: 27
    @Chrisb: Who doesn't stall when they are losing weight? I have hit a snag but instead of allowing myself to eat more, I workout harder. Ya'll act like I'm eating 200 cals per day. I've limited myself to 300 less than the recommended amount. It's not life threatening. Chiiiiiilll

    Edit: Instead of commenting back on forth on a message board, message me personally instead and I'll be glad to share with you why I only allow 900 cals a day.
    Personally, I don't care why you are doing it, or whether or not you follow my advice. I am only telling you that you are destroying your body, but...its yours. So have at it.

    Obviously you care enough to continue commenting.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    People who are eating fewer calories than usual are sometimes hungry. That's the deal if you want to lose weight. But hunger pangs are not unbearable.


    First, try the dietary suggestions to feel more full (more protein, fiber, water). Next, try reading a book like Fast-5 (available for free download online), which talks about talks about different kinds of hunger. and how to get through them. Or look into something like Mindfulness Meditation, which teaches people how to cope with unpleasant feelings in the present moment.
  • MrsAlcalde
    MrsAlcalde Posts: 261 Member
    I go through this, I drink tons of unsweetened tea and normally the liquid will quell the hunger pangs. Also, I eat every couple of hours (ex: Coffe and granola bar-wait an hour- yogurt and tea-another hour, tea and trail mix- another hour tea and fruit.....)
  • kristendaae1227
    kristendaae1227 Posts: 27
    @mf: Thanks for the fast-5, I'm reading it now.
  • MJ7910
    MJ7910 Posts: 1,280 Member
    i get hungry at times too. but i've figured out that i am not sure what real hunger is. what i do is try to drink something when i feel that way. i wait about 20 minutes. if i am still feeling hungry, then i will grab something higher protein and reevaluate in a little bit. sometimes what happens when i feel hungry is i will eat too much thinking that i need a lot more when really just a little more will do. i also agree to have protein high, even higher than what MFP recommends because they have it on the low side, and just try and listen to your body within reason. try eating somethign small but filling, wait, and see what your body is telling you.

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