Why am I still hungry?!

BaronessaAndrinaMastrantonio

Sounds like you're a carb lover like me. Fruit and a brownie at the same meal and the wheat in a bagel thin along with a high glycemic banana at breakfast would only make me a slave to cravings all day long. Even though conventional wisdom may suggest that eating our carbs early in the day is better so that we have time to metabolize the calories, I have found this to be counter productive. Refined carbs like wheat and flour products DO NOT give me energy either! They make me tired and sluggish.

On the contrary, if I eat only protein and fruit for my meals and snacks up to and including dinner, I do not have any cravings or "hunger" for sweets, starches, or any type of junk food, fast food, or processed foods, and I am able to keep the weight loss moving. For my evening snack, I will sometimes treat myself to 200 calories of whatever I want---cookies, dark chocolate, ice cream, etc. If I don't need that extra snack, I will just skip it, or I will have a healthier snack like a Pure Protein Bar or another piece of fresh fruit with some plain Greek non-fat yogurt. That way, I have something to look forward to every night which keeps me on track and free from feelings of "deprivation". At that end of my day I am so tired that I don't have to worry about cravings or hunger anymore-I'll be going to bed soon enough.

Kelly_Runs_NC

Try uping your protein and lowering the carbs...that should help.

lasmit4477

You should consume more protein in your diet and maybe increase your fiber intake as well. Also, you shouldn't deprive yourself of certain foods you enjoy. That could set you up for heartache! Try oatmeal in the mornings along with fruit and maybe some egg whites instead of the bagel thin. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and that it is indeed hunger that you are experiencing, not thirst.

Also, I hate to say it, but when adjusting to a new lifestyle and eating habit, you are going to be hungry sometimes and it is something you will have to just deal with.

lh1626

Replace your bagel with protein....I find when I start the day off with protein and carbs, I am okay. However.....if I have only carbs.....especially things like bagels.......I am starving the rest of the day. Try Greek Yogurt and bagel.....or eggs and bagel....banana and peanut butter on toast......just add protein and that may help start your day off right.

714rah714

If you crave something, it usually means there is something lacking in your diet, but since your food diary is not public there is no way of knowing

cwolfman13

Your diary is not open, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you probably have a pretty carb heavy diet...I was the same way when I started out and thought I needed to eat a crap load of fruits and vegetables to lose the weight. I would suggest manually re-setting your macro goals to help you out here...you might want to start with a 50/25/25...carbs/protein/healthy fats respectively and see if that helps.

A carb heavy diet is going to leave you hungry, even if those carbs are coming from nutritious sources like fruits and vegetables. They are important, but equally...and probably more important is to get plenty of lean protein and healthy fats in your diet; these will keep you feeling fuller longer. I usually eat 5 smaller meals per day and each one of those meals/snacks has a protein source and some healthy fats. I still eat my fruits and veg, but I eat them with a protein.

You may also be at a larger deficit than you really need to be, particularly if you are set up as sedintary but are exercising and not eating those calories back. You should, at minimum, eat (net calories) to your BMR. Your BMR calorie goal is what is necessary for basic bodily functions and organ function.

pamperedlinny

I have been at this for a while and still have this problem.

First, snacking on high protein and high fiber snacks works for me. It takes longer to break down in your body and that is what makes you feel fuller longer. I eat a lot of veggies with light homemade dip or jerky for snacks. Also, yogurt, nuts, reduced fat cheese sticks or high fiber cereal seem to work for me.

Second, eat more often. I tend to have some sort of small snack every 2 or 3 hours. It means I eat a lot but I rarely get that starving feeling anymore. And when I miss my snack I can tell because by hour 3 to 4 I start feeling like I could eat a whole buffet alone.

Third, coffee or tea work really well for satisfying my cravings. If I really want something a bit sweet I'll make hot tea with sweet & low or I'll make a coffee and add some sugar free syrups to them (like Torani or Da Vinci syrups).

lwagnitz

It's hard to say without seeing your diary.

I would try eating more fiber in the morning, or more protein.

donyellemoniquex3

Bumping.

LightersUp

This!!! Earlier today I ate 2 huge bowls of soup along with 2 slim fast shakes all at the same time! I ate all of that at 3pm, then around 8pm, I started getting hungry/having cravings, so I just ignored it and kept drinking water. I should've separated those meals but I couldn't help it, I'm a huge binge eater. I got home and weighed myself thinking I gained weight but I'm still the same (thank god!) maybe because I was standing and walking all day. Plus I did a 30 minute cardio workout before all of that, so I'm not sure.

charlisobel

I am also a fan of having two lunches- I have two breaks at work and I have a proper meal in both, albeit in a smaller portion.

TheAwkwardOne1

A dietician once told me to try snacking on vegetables because there are a lot less calories in them than junk food... also more filling

acpgee

Sorry I haven't read the entire thread. I think it is the brownie. I notice whenever I eat more than 50g of carbs at a single sitting my blood glucose spikes, causing an insulin spike, causing a blood glucose dip a few hours later. The subsequent low blood glucose makes me ravenous and crave carbs.

Here's a link to some scientific evidence about high carb breakfasts induce more hunger a few hours later.

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314002049

mockchoc

Sorry I haven't read the entire thread. I think it is the brownie. I notice whenever I eat more than 50g of carbs at a single sitting my blood glucose spikes, causing an insulin spike, causing a blood glucose dip a few hours later. The subsequent low blood glucose makes me ravenous and crave carbs.

Here's a link to some scientific evidence about high carb breakfasts induce more hunger a few hours later.

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314002049

Me too.