Hungry days...ever have a day where you just don't feel full

Julem22

Yesterday I had one of those days. After a month of doing great and losing 6 pounds...yesterday I was starving and what started out as logging some high protien foods to feel satisfied got out of control into a small binge. Today is another day and Yes I am hungry again. I am just trying to pass the next hour until lunch...
Anyone else have this? How did you get through it? I was feeling satisfied with my food up until yesterday??

hannah_ryann

I'm into my 6th or 7th week of this and I know exactly how you feel!!

Basically Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday I was so hungry all day. I upped my calories to around 1770 and Tuesday I ate 2,100 calories (about my TDEE)!! Have a look through my diary if you wish. Yesterday, I packed my lunch for work but ate all of it and the snacks before 10 am.

I just chalked it up to not eating enough protien over the past few days. Today is much better (feeling more like I'm used to feeling) but when it first happened I had no idea what to make of it.

You're not alone! LOL

RandiLandCHANGED

All the time. When I am extra hungry it is generally for a good reason. Most of the time, I indulge. It usually balances out. If my period is anywhere near, that is what I usually blame.

jacksonpt

I learned a long time ago that I can't go by feeling full. I'm not sure if it's a mental thing (probably) or what, but if I waited until I was full, I'd almost never stop eating. And when I finally did I'd be so full I was uncomfortable bordering on making myself sick. Thats why I prelog much of the time... then it just comes down to having the discipline to stick to the plan.

littleblackcar

Yes.

Sometimes I'm just hungry.


I don't worry about it too much. I eat some more vegetables or, because it's often on cold days when I'm in a "comfort food" mood in general, an extra helping of hot cereal as a snack (the oat bran cereal I have now is 120 calories per serving; 6 g protein, 6 g fiber. Filling but not heavy).

sassafrascas

Yes! I will tell you what some people told me... eat but eat healthy things and drink plenty of water! Dont snack on junk! I find strawberries very filling and super yummy!

88meli88

When I´m hungry, I pay serious attention. It is a signal, biological and/or psychological. Check list:

1. Are you eating enough for your exercise level? Did you under-eat seriously for a day or too? Under-eating always leads to overeareating.
2. are you eating the right kinds of foods: lean proteins, green vegetables, healthy oils or too many empty calories.
3. Are you drinking water?
4. If pscychological, do you need a break for a meal or two? Do you have some cravings?

And finally, my magic meal for such days - ALWAYS works:
6 oz grilled slamon
1 cup or more of broccoli w garlic butter
1/2 cup of brown rice

Good luck. PS. I also felt hungry the past couple fo days, maybe the full moon

tj1376

Personally, there is a crazy B#$% in my head that is always yelling at me to eat more, you're still hungry. Someday I manage to tie her down and use pretty pink glow in the dark duct tape to shut her up, but she always gets loose and starts nagging me again. After hours, days and weeks of arguing in my head I have learned to just ignore her and eat what I know is healthy food and if I slip up and eat what the crazy woman wants I start the next day by tying her up again and start eating right again.

Im hoping one day she will find someone else to terrorize and I can find new and fun uses for my duct tape.

Catlady87

I have days like that, and then I have days where I'm just not hungry at all!
It's weird, but I'm finding that when I have high protein breakfasts I feel more hungry than if I have a carb based breakfast, whereas I always hear that protein s meant to keep you fuller for longer! I must be backwards!

khall86790

I get this sometimes, usually around my time of the month.
I think it's pretty normal and provided you are actually hungry, you should listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Also, make sure you are drinking 8-10 cups of water per day!

Julem22

Thanks Guys, all your responses helped. I think I have been exercising too much and not eating enough (around 1350-1388 cals per day). Usually when I have a Wayyy over day like yesterday I try to keep it low the next day, but today I am going to eat all my calories, not over and not under and hopefully it will resolve these hungry horrors!!

PosterGuy1

I only eat food that I know will make me full.

lepanto

Yep--I've been hungry for the last two days. I think I under-ate early in the week and then the weather turned to crap, and that turned on some cravings for comfort food. I went ahead and indulged a little (pizza) but didn't go over my intended caloric goal to the extent that it would completely throw off my weekly total. And I'm still in the process of figuring out what my daily intake should really be ( I started out low-ish and after reading through the forums here I have bumped it up once or twice--I enjoy eating and have no interest in a low calorie dietary goal so I'm trying to find how much I can eat and still meet the 'lose pound a week average' that I'm aiming for). I think it's ok to eat if you're hungry, just pay attention and try not to get derailed into an extended binge. You can also experiment with different foods and see if any of them help satisfy you better than others (protein or fat, etc). Good luck!

TdaniT

Personally, there is a crazy B#$% in my head that is always yelling at me to eat more, you're still hungry. Someday I manage to tie her down and use pretty pink glow in the dark duct tape to shut her up, but she always gets loose and starts nagging me again. After hours, days and weeks of arguing in my head I have learned to just ignore her and eat what I know is healthy food and if I slip up and eat what the crazy woman wants I start the next day by tying her up again and start eating right again.

Im hoping one day she will find someone else to terrorize and I can find new and fun uses for my duct tape.

This made me smile! I have the same little B#$% in my head and she just won't let up!

MinnieInMaine

Absolutely! For me, these hungry days are usually the day following a really hardcore workout or run and I chalk it up to that afterburn effect that's hard to track with an HRM. Hormonal fluctuations can bring on hunger too so pay attention to where you are in your cycle - ovulation and TOM usually include a couple hungry days.

Here's how I usuall handle it:
1) have you had enough water? Sometimes the body mixes up hunger and thirst signals. I used to always hate when my mother told me to drink water when I said I wanted a snack but turns out she actually had a point with that one, she just never explained it to me in a way that made sense. Anyway, try drinking some water and give it a half hour or so and see how you feel

2) are you really hungry or just bored? ON the weekends especially, boredom (usually in the form of procrastination) is a killer for me. If bored, find something that will help...read a book, go for a walk, call a friend, play a game, crafts, hobbies, etc. If at work or in the car, find something interesting to listen to so you're not bored. I love listening to audiobooks during my commute, it really helps the time fly and I get to catch up on popular series and classics that I might normally miss out on.

3) keep healthy snacks handy at all times - almonds, 100 cal bags of popcorn, fruit, veg, boiled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, protein bars/powder, etc. so that when you really are hungry, you have good options to turn to.

carrieous

my hunger increases right before my period so for those 24 or so hours i give in. Otherwise, i do not need to feel "full" to be "satisfied"

julesxo

Yup I sure do. Usually I am bored though, so I try to stay busy and make sure I drink lots of water and see if that helps.

wolfchild59

Hollow Days. Yup, they're a certainty of life.

I get them when I work out, I get them when I'm not working out, I get them when I'm on lower calories, I get them when I'm on higher calories. My husband gets them, my friends get them, and I even stole the name for them from a book that the main character talked about them. (I used to call them Bottomless Pit Days)

I know for certain that I will have at least one every 28 days, it's always happens exactly one week prior to TOM. Those I plan for. I pack lots of veggies as snacks and make my meals lower cal but filling. Basically I plan it so that I can eat all day long but stay within my calories.

The ones that come from out of nowhere though, those are the ones that throw me. I usually try to rustle up a few additional snacks to eat during the day and will adjust my dinner to fewer calories, if needed. And I tend to drink extra water on those days.

And yes, there have been a couple that I've just given in to. The problem with a Hollow Day though is that usually, even after you've indulged, you end up still feeling hungry, because that's just the kind of day it is. I wish I could find some sort of scientific explanation for it, but on a true Hollow Day, it literally feels like never have enough food in my stomach, no matter how much I eat or drink. They suck so hard. But, strength, determination, and willpower are going to be your three strongest tools when they blindside you.

zac6

you may have tried this but drink water, hot tea... When i look back over the days ive been the most successful it has b een when i drink water between meals and try to eat something 100-200 calories every 3hrs. Obviously this means meals have to be low calories but i can control my hunger better if i dont get too ravinous

RobinC37

I find that on days when I can't stop eating, it isnt actual hunger, it's my body lacking and craving some nutrient, be it fat, iron, potassium. As soon as I hit on what I was lacking, I stop feeling the need to eat.

trishmce

I learned a long time ago that I can't go by feeling full. I'm not sure if it's a mental thing (probably) or what, but if I waited until I was full, I'd almost never stop eating. And when I finally did I'd be so full I was uncomfortable bordering on making myself sick. Thats why I prelog much of the time... then it just comes down to having the discipline to stick to the plan.

I prelog as well. If i do get the hungry horrors I try to eat protein

Dwell4Design

When I´m hungry, I pay serious attention. It is a signal, biological and/or psychological. Check list:

1. Are you eating enough for your exercise level? Did you under-eat seriously for a day or too? Under-eating always leads to overeareating.
2. are you eating the right kinds of foods: lean proteins, green vegetables, healthy oils or too many empty calories.
3. Are you drinking water?
4. If psychological, do you need a break for a meal or two? Do you have some cravings?


I believe the above is true. Also, are you getting enough sleep? I found that if I don't have a restful sleep my body is craving energy, which I interpret as hunger. Also, I find that eating a small amount of lean protein (chicken, fish, almonds, etc.) every 4 hours helps significantly.

thirstyflea

Great topic, seems we all have those days!! I thankfully don't have them too often, but when I do, I either give in a little, find something else to do, go to bed, or have a protein shake.

hannah_ryann

When I had my first "hollow day" (LOVE THAT!) I went to bed at 6:30 p.m. Yep, I slept for 11 hours that night. I didn't want to stay awake dealing with the hunger I was feeling. Today is a much better day for me but I had 3 hollow days in a row. I gave in Tuesday, the first day I ate to my TDEE since starting this lifestyle in early January. Yesterday was a little better and today I'm back to the "normal" I was used to. Just deal with it in the way that's physically and mentally most healthy for you. Do you need to ignore it? Some days. Do you need to eat lots of little healthy snacks and stay at your calorie goal? some days. Do you need to give in and eat above your calorie goal? Some days.

But no matter what you do, this is a lifestyle transformation and while getting healthy, LIFE happens and you have to deal with i the best way you can.

JennDoesKeto

i always have found that when i have days like this and am craving something particular i give in just for a bit not over indulge but if i want it i have it. its my body telling me i need to have it and i respect my body. for me this is a lifestyle change so i know i will be doing this for a long time to come.

i also drink alot of hot herbal tea and water throughout the day and keep sugar free gum on hand if i have problems

caribear1984

I used to feel like this almost every day. Now I rarely have them. For me, it is the day of or day after I eat too much white starchy food (like pasta or bread) or sugary junk. Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing low-carb by any means, but those foods just don't make my body happy. I also completely agree with the lists above, very important to make sure it's not because you are lacking nutritionally.