If you're hungry, but don't have enough calories

I like to eat egg beaters if I'm looking for something to fill me up. You can have a lot for not a whole lot of calories.

I think it would be ok to eat something. Perhaps a piece of fruit or something low cal.

I usually drink a bottle of water and see if it goes away. BUT...last night I was still hungry after dinner but wanted to stay under my calories so I ate a 100 calorie bag of popcorn and it was surprisingly satisfying! It had about 5g of fiber so I couldn't say no.

The way I look at it is this...if I end up starving myself, I'm not going to be able to maintain a life style doing this. I try to plan and pick food that will fill me up throughout the day, however, there are those times where at the end of it all, I don't have many calories, if any, left and I'm still "starving." In cases like that, I eat. I try to find something that's low cal but filling. If I end up depriving myself then I'm more likely to give in and stuff my face. I like to keep "just in case" food handy where I can grab a quick snack and get filled up and not have to go hunting for something that I will end up regretting later.

If I'm still hungry at the end of the day, I usually drink 1-2 big cold glasses of water and sit on that for awhile to see if maybe I was just thirsty. But if you're still starving, you could crack open a can of green beans or cook up some broccoli or carrots- I feel like veggies you can eat the hell out of (especially green beans) and never have anything to worry about calorie-wise. They still might make you go over calories, but only by 10-20 calories, and they are still super healthy and can give you extra nutrients that you may have missed in your diet that day. It's always better to eat a little when you're for real hungry than to starve yourself, feel like crap, and then eventually binge on something ridiculous later. That's what happens to me if I don't eat when I'm for real hungry. Plus- maybe you did more that day exercise-wise than you thought you did and that's why your body is still hungry. You may have a faster metabolism than you thought at first and you may just need to eat a slightly higher calorie amount to lose weight anyway. You won't lose anything if your body things it's starving.

Consider upping your calories. 1250 is pretty low in general. I mean it can work for some, but I don't know if eating that little bit of calories is required. Search "in place of a road map", the ever quoted thread on here. It is really helpful and makes a ton of sense. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. (not implying that you are). I just mean that you don't have to restrict so much.

What is your height, weight, and body fat %? I see that you are 19 y.o.

^^This

A young active man (or woman, I just looked at your profile) should be able to go over 1250 calories. Eat some protein when you're hungry.

Based on the fact that your calorie goal is at 1250 and you only have 11 ish lbs to lose, I am assuming you are over extending your per week weight loss goal. With that little to lose, set your account to 1/2lb per week (as shown below). The closer to a normal weight, the more you need to eat otherwise you will increase the chances of your body catabolizing your lean body mass for energy. Once you are done exams, if you are exercising 5-6 days a week, I can guarantee you that you can eat 1700+ calories and still lose weight, unless you have a metabolic issue.


If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

The way I look at it is this...if I end up starving myself, I'm not going to be able to maintain a life style doing this. I try to plan and pick food that will fill me up throughout the day, however, there are those times where at the end of it all, I don't have many calories, if any, left and I'm still "starving." In cases like that, I eat. I try to find something that's low cal but filling. If I end up depriving myself then I'm more likely to give in and stuff my face. I like to keep "just in case" food handy where I can grab a quick snack and get filled up and not have to go hunting for something that I will end up regretting later.

This is some of the best advice I've seen on these forums. As the saying - pertaining to the question of what the best diet/exercise program is - goes, "the one you'll stick to."

In addition, your stomach rumbling is your body's way of telling you it needs something. As others have mentioned, keep something relatively low-cal around, if necessary. It may be carrot sticks or celery or something similar. Whatever it is, eat a little bit and drink a glass of water. Wait 10-15 minutes and see if your hunger goes away.