Hungry!

StrawberryThief

I'm really struggling with feeling hungry - do you have any advice? I'm aiming for 1,300 calories a day which is quite a drop for me and as a result I'm definitely feeling the hunger. I'm not utterly starving or anything, and am snacking on fruit and Ryvita and that sort of thing, but I'm just not used to it. Do you think it will ease off when my body realises it won't be getting as much food? Do you find you get hungry?

SteveCabral94

Thats low calories but if your feeling hungry then thats your body telling you to eat. Eat every 3hrs besides the main meals your.interval snacks should be healthy. If you eat often your body will be scheduled if you dont eat and feel hungry then you are depriving your body then it will store what you have and it turns to fat.

Akimajuktuq

If I snacked on fruit and Ryvita, I would be battling hunger too.

1. Eat enough (1300 may, or may not be, too low for you).
2. Eat enough fat and protein especially.

The only way that I was able to resolve my battles with hunger, craving, binging and a whole whack of other health problems, was to change how I eat. Not everyone has to do what I did, but for me it was necessary. My macros are 65 fat, 25 protein, and 10 carbs. I now eat a lower volume of food that is more calorie rich. Sounds counter-intuitive but it works for me and many other people that I know.

Edit: I don't have to eat every few hours or on any schedule. I can go long periods of time without needing to eat. Now that I know what real hunger feels like, when I get that signal, I eat.

lesliep107

Just in case you haven't gotten the general gist of things...eat!!!

We all know that we can only be hungry for so long until a binge will hit.

Eat a little more now, so that later you won't have to regret the crazy binge you just went on.

Rum_Runner

I'm not sure how tall you are, but 1300 calories seems far too low!! Of course your body is hungry. You need to listen to your body and when your hungry (and on 1300 calories a day) you should feed it. Feed it with healthy filling things like: eggs, peanut butter sandwich, protein bars, fruit, string cheese and such.

If you really must stay at 1300 calories - drink drinking more water and /or chew some gum.

JesterMFP

According to your profile, you're a small UK size 12, so I'm guessing you're already a healthy weight. With not much to lose, you should be aiming to lose about 0.5 lb a week, so if you are set to lose more on MFP, that's a good place to start. Larger calorie deficits aren't that healthy or sustainable when you have so little to lose. Your body is just not going to let go of fat as quickly as someone who is obese. Consistently consuming way under your body's daily needs means that you will end up losing more muscle mass than is necessary or (for most people) desirable.

Do you do any exercise? When I first started on MFP on 1200 calories (how misguided I was...) exercise was very important to allow me more calories to consume.

If all else fails, try and change the types of foods you are eating a bit in order to feel more full. It doesn't look like you're getting much protein. Protein will make you feel full for longer, and so will getting plenty of fibre.

Weight loss in general is never that easy, but you don't have to feel hungry all the time. I suspect you may need to just eat more.

ETA: Oh, and if your hunger "eases off" because you body is used to not getting enough food - that's really not a good sign. Give your body more fuel before it decides to stop sending hunger signals to your brain.

JeffinRaleigh

According to your profile, you're a small UK size 12, so I'm guessing you're already a healthy weight. With not much to lose, you should be aiming to lose about 0.5 lb a week, so if you are set to lose more on MFP, that's a good place to start. Larger calorie deficits aren't that healthy or sustainable when you have so little to lose. Your body is just not going to let go of fat as quickly as someone who is obese. Consistently consuming way under your body's daily needs means that you will end up losing more muscle mass than is necessary or (for most people) desirable.

Do you do any exercise? When I first started on MFP on 1200 calories (how misguided I was...) exercise was very important to allow me more calories to consume.

If all else fails, try and change the types of foods you are eating a bit in order to feel more full. It doesn't look like you're getting much protein. Protein will make you feel full for longer, and so will getting plenty of fibre.

Weight loss in general is never that easy, but you don't have to feel hungry all the time. I suspect you may need to just eat more.

ETA: Oh, and if your hunger "eases off" because you body is used to not getting enough food - that's really not a good sign. Give your body more fuel before it decides to stop sending hunger signals to your brain.

I agree - more protein, more bulky foods (salads, non-starchy carbs), and take it slow and easy. No need to lose a lot of weight all at once.

StrawberryThief

Thanks so much all; this has really helped!

StrawberryThief

Also, as you may have guessed, I have no idea what I'm doing. This website told me to aim for a pound a week and eat 1,300 calories per day. I think I'll drop it to half a pound a week and up my calories (and protein intake) accordingly, especially on gym days.

Any other hints for someone who ain't got no clue are always welcome!

Thanks again!

Akimajuktuq

According to your profile, you're a small UK size 12, so I'm guessing you're already a healthy weight. With not much to lose, you should be aiming to lose about 0.5 lb a week, so if you are set to lose more on MFP, that's a good place to start. Larger calorie deficits aren't that healthy or sustainable when you have so little to lose. Your body is just not going to let go of fat as quickly as someone who is obese. Consistently consuming way under your body's daily needs means that you will end up losing more muscle mass than is necessary or (for most people) desirable.

Do you do any exercise? When I first started on MFP on 1200 calories (how misguided I was...) exercise was very important to allow me more calories to consume.

If all else fails, try and change the types of foods you are eating a bit in order to feel more full. It doesn't look like you're getting much protein. Protein will make you feel full for longer, and so will getting plenty of fibre.

Weight loss in general is never that easy, but you don't have to feel hungry all the time. I suspect you may need to just eat more.

ETA: Oh, and if your hunger "eases off" because you body is used to not getting enough food - that's really not a good sign. Give your body more fuel before it decides to stop sending hunger signals to your brain.

I agree - more protein, more bulky foods (salads, non-starchy carbs), and take it slow and easy. No need to lose a lot of weight all at once.

I mostly agree with the above, but while you increase your protein, don't forget the healthy fats. Then you don't need to fill up on "bulky" foods. Without adequate fat, satiety can be hard to achieve, speaking from experience (yup, did the low fat dieting for years - does NOT work for sustainable weight loss or good health). Salads are great, of course, but they don't have to be huge if one is eating enough protein and fat.

Edit: Whoa!! A pound a week? Too aggressive for the size you are already. MFP suggests 1 pound as a maximum (with 0.5 recommended) from what I saw. Except for those over 200. They know that lots of us crazy nuts will try to set our goals to lose 5 pounds per week, so the minimum MFP calorie goal is set at 1200, and most of us should eat more than that. There's lots of 200+ people eating below 1200 and battling hunger... will they win that battle long term??? I never did.