Feeling hungry all the time....Help

Kimberly3013

I started on here 3 days ago. The second day I really started to watch my calorie intake and my exercising. Yesterday I felt hungry most of the day. I came really close to going over my calorie goal for the day and I was getting upset with myself. I have been trying at the same time to cut back on my coffee intake (I was drinking about 6 cups a day before). I am going to the store today to get some other kind of sweetener so that I can do away with the sugar.

I need to know, am I doing something wrong or is this a normal feeling? I even got to the point where I started to get the hunger headache. Is there something I can do to keep from feeling so hungry all the time?

jaz050465

I've just looked at your food diary. Not to put too fine a point on it- you're eating crap with little nutritional value. No wonder you're hungry. Think of the calories you wasted on sugar and how else you could of used that. You need to eat healthy, nutritious food and you will feel,so much better.

If you feel you need help to know what healthy eating means then let us know.

m_shuman

I looked at your diary, Hope you don't mind. You are very, very carb heavy with your diet. Try eating more protein, whole grains and veggies. It will make you feel full longer. Here is an example for breakfast have a bowl of oatmeal (whole grain carb) and an egg or greek yogurt with unsweet green tea todrink instead of coffee, chocolate milk and strawberry yogurt. Also I suggest figuring out your BMR (basal matabolic rate) and not eating fewer calories than that. Your BMR is the minimum caloric intake your body would need id you were in a coma. Here is a link to figure that out: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

ETA: Stevia is a great all natural sugar replacement

Kimberly3013

Thank you jaz...that is the reason I made my diary public. I can take constructive critisism. As a matter of fact I need it. What kind of things would you recommend as being more filling that are also healthy. I have been taking baby steps to get to eating right. For example: I used to eat white bread, I have changed to wheat. I used to not eat breakfast at all, I am trying to eat at least a yogurt. My portion sizes have gone down to about half of what I used to get. I have gone from drinking about 6 cups of coffee a day to about 2 cups. I will be changing my sugar to keeping that out of my diet all together.

Royalsbatwench

It looks like some of your choices are really high calorie counts. You can get a lot more for what your spending. Lean proteins and high fiber foods will keep you more full for longer. And stay hydrated.

jaz050465

Firstly I'd cut out the sugar. I use artificial sweetener but I know some people feel you shouldn't eat this. Also try not tomeatvprocessed foods but cook from basic ingredients so you arevnotveatingbloadsvof added fat/ salt/sugar.

Good ideas above. What about porridge with berries for breakfast, chicken/ tuna sald with rice/bread/ quinoa/ jacket potato for lunch. Tea of lean meat with lots of veg or salad again with rice/ quinoa/ sweet potato. Snack on fruit or nuts if you have the calories to do that. Don't forget to get calcium. I have aclotvof tea so use my milk firvthatb(I'm British).

Feel free to look at my diary - although I'm notbperfectvby any means. I'm also a vegetarian.

ChristinaR720

Like others have mentioned, protein is really important. Fish, chicken, black beans, and even peanut butter (in moderation - 1 tbsp goes a long way) are great sources of protein. Water helps a lot. Try to drink a minimum of 64 oz per day. It may be helpful to track your sodium intake as well. A lot of the processed foods contain a TON of sodium, which leads to water retention.

If you are a fan of bread (I eat bread pretty much every day), try Sara Lee's 45-calorie bread. The slices are a lot thinner, but I love being able to eat 2 slices and not feel as guilty.

Also, try to space your meals and snacks so you are eating every 2-3 hours. That should help with the hunger, as well.

eileenchristine

You are doing the right thing. There are several websites on how to eat healthy with great info on them. I have had to change my diet also. I knew how to eat healthy but I didn't. Some websites that offer great info are
care2.com
about.com
cleaneatingmag.com (yes its a magazine but great recipes for free)

I have discovered that I love sweet potatoes and beets. Haven't really done much with the beets so far but I can binge eat a whole jar of pickled beets for 80 calories. I keep em on hand when I just want to pig out. Found a great sweet potato recipe. Chunk up SP and bake with coconut oil (suppose to help you lose weight, dunno bout that but the taste was awesome) and ground cayenne, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Try to choose foods that are high in fiber and protein. I like steel cut oatmeal. I use soy milk or almond milk. Not big on alot of veggies cooked but I can eat them raw.

You are getting there. Good thing about keeping food diary is it helps me make better choices. I can look back on days I don't feel so good about and think, what could I have eaten instead of that?

Also if you can youtube on TV there are a ton of exercise videos. I can't do most of em, but I am getting stronger and working on it and the variety is amazing.

Enjoy your journey.

Namaste

Kimberly3013

Thank you everyone for all you feedback. It was a great help. I think I did better today with my food choices and I didn't feel hungry all day. I tried new things to cook today. I am not a big cook so anything that doesn't come in a box is a big step for me. In my family growing up the men cooked (dad and brothers). As my husband is in the kitchen making pancakes and bacon for the kids and him for dinner I ate my chicken and green beans. I didn't feel like I was missing out at all. I was under in my calories for the day and actually went over in protein. Thanks again for the help.

m_shuman

Thank you everyone for all you feedback. It was a great help. I think I did better today with my food choices and I didn't feel hungry all day. I tried new things to cook today. I am not a big cook so anything that doesn't come in a box is a big step for me. In my family growing up the men cooked (dad and brothers). As my husband is in the kitchen making pancakes and bacon for the kids and him for dinner I ate my chicken and green beans. I didn't feel like I was missing out at all. I was under in my calories for the day and actually went over in protein. Thanks again for the help.

I also want to note that MFP's macro setting for protein is super low especially if you are doing any sort of exercise or weight training. Here is an interesting article that talks about how mush you need and good sources for it. http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410520,00.html

jaz050465

It would be good if you could get your husband and kids into healthy eating too. This is not a 'diet'. It needs to be a life change. Not only will it be easier for you if they're not eating rubbish but will make them healthier and likely to live longer too.