STARVING!!! HELP!!!

melbel7680
melbel7680 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I am on the 1200cal diet and doing Insanity which I add about 400cal per 40minute workout. I am 5'5" and 155lbs right now. My main issue is (and always has been) that I always feel hungry. Any suggestions, tips, foods or helpful hints as to ways to feel full. I constantly drink water as well so forget that tip.
«1

Replies

  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Do you eat your exercise calories? If not, you should. If so, maybe 1200 is below your BMR.
  • djames92
    djames92 Posts: 990 Member
    ive had that problem true then i started chewing gum! whenever i get hungry i just chew a stick of gum and it seems to work for me
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I am on the 1200cal diet and doing Insanity which I add about 400cal per 40minute workout. I am 5'5" and 155lbs right now. My main issue is (and always has been) that I always feel hungry. Any suggestions, tips, foods or helpful hints as to ways to feel full. I constantly drink water as well so forget that tip.

    If you eat 1200 and subtract 400 that leaves your body only 800 calories net! You need more than 800 to survive so up your calories and you will still loose.
  • nursemomruns
    nursemomruns Posts: 7 Member
    WHAT are you eating? If I eat a bunch of refined carbs, I feel hungry all the time.
  • Ivey05131980
    Ivey05131980 Posts: 1,118 Member
    I've heard other people say the gum works...also, they little turkey bites, like turkey jerky are filling, not sure abt. the sodium, though.
  • spangey13
    spangey13 Posts: 294
    :smile:
    If you are able to make your diary public people might be able to give you a little more help. When I first started I found that I was constantly hungry.

    Maybe try a little protein bar, or a drink. Also I have found that a cup of tea does the trick for me. Nothing herbal or fancy, just a plain cup of tea.
  • deadmittens
    deadmittens Posts: 536 Member
    Break your meals up into smaller meals so you can eat more often. Example: have a breakfast of turkey bacon and an egg, then a fiber bar as a snack later in the morning. Keep each meal around 300 calories or so and eat a small snack in between each meal.

    Eat more often but eat less :)
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    I would suggest that being starving is your bodies way of telling you that you need to eat more. You are probably eatign below BMR which is not great for your body. If you keep it up too long you'll be tired and unhealthy and probably break in a big way by binging. I know it can be scary to up your daily calories but give it a go. Do it 100 calories at a time and see how you feel after a week or so. Other than that you could try eating more nutrient dense foods like veggies and lean protein which will help you feel fuller.
  • melbel7680
    melbel7680 Posts: 2
    I add the 400 cal so really I eat like 1600cal a day. I do low carb, and the carbs I do eat are whole grain, wheat or fruit. I have an egg turkey bacon or turkey sausage every morning, usually veggies and dressing or fruit for snacks, a salad with vinegarette dressing and a protien and veggie for dinner. I just never feel satisfied with anything I eat
  • an8e
    an8e Posts: 33 Member
    I find grazing on fruit during the day and then having a large serving of chicken and mashed sweet potato for dinner keeps me satisfied!
    And HEAPS of water!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    If you are hungry, you need to eat more. 1200 is not really meant for people who are already very close to a healthy weight, like you are.

    This site does a good job if you use it honestly and don't try to be too aggressive when setting your weight-loss Goal here. Keep this in mind when using the tools to set up your goals:

    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.

    So change your Goals to be less aggressive. If you are constantly hungry, you're doing it wrong. :flowerforyou:
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I'd recommend seeing a dietitian to figure out what your daily calorie needs really are. MFP just gives an estimate, which can easily be inaccurate.
  • gsusiam
    gsusiam Posts: 2
    How long have you been on this 1200 cal diet..?
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I'd recommend seeing a dietitian to figure out what your daily calorie needs really are. MFP just gives an estimate, which can easily be inaccurate.
    I would even use MFP calorie suggestions.

    This is a good read.

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981
  • GoldenShah
    GoldenShah Posts: 10 Member
    Hi there, when I first went on diet I found it helped increasing the protein in my diet. I ordered some chocolate protein bars from Natures best and ate half a bar mid-morning and half a bar mid-afternoon, and that helped keep the hunger pangs away! Otherwise you could make yourself a smoothie with some protein powder added and it should keep you full right through till midday! Just remember to increase your fluid intake. Best of luck!!
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
    Try eating good quality carbs + good quality protein + lots of fruits and/or veggies at each and every meal.
    There are really only 2 possibilities, your body needs more calories, or the calories you are eating aren't substantial enough to keep you satisfied,
    its like this - if you aren't eating good quality REAL food, your done for.

    Would you feel full if you drank only pepsi all day long?
    sure you'd hit your calorie mark, but you sure would be starvin' like marvin' ...

    hope this puts things into perspective:)
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    If you are up for it, I really recommend increasing your intake. At 1200 calories you must be in a pretty large deficit already.
  • amylahminute
    amylahminute Posts: 613 Member
    There's a pretty active group here on MFP that has had good success with eating higher calories while continuing to lose weight.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • kayraven
    kayraven Posts: 7
    Well as I see you're doing high-protein. What might be good is to eat more frequently with smaller portions (but keep the same amount of cals).
    You might want to find what keeps you full better - carbs or protein. Good carbs to give a go - sweet potatoes.
    And there's always the option of snacking on apples or celery - it keeps you full, but has little calories.

    My personal favorite trick is plain high-protein low-fat yogurt (if you'd be able to find kefir or ayran - you're good to go).
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    eat?
  • slyeyes777
    slyeyes777 Posts: 1 Member
    hey kate .. im new to this and i had no idea u needd to replace the cals u burn with work outs .. but is nighttime a good time to eat u think cuz i dont work out till late sometimes and its seems like i wouldnt be good to eat so late ... what u all think?
  • aubsgg
    aubsgg Posts: 301 Member
    Sounds like you might need to increase your healthy fats, Avocados and nuts are good. Fat and fiber will make you feel full longer. A small increase in calories might help too. Every time my weight stalls I up the calories and a couple of pounds fall off.
  • jordan27son
    jordan27son Posts: 2
    Hello! one of the best things to do is eat every 2 to 3 hrs. no matter what it is that youre eating. this helps so that u dnt always feel like youre starving. good luck!
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
    im also struggling , try calorie cycling .... like i hit around 2000-3000cals on a leg day during a cut and 1200cals on a non-workout day and 1400-1600 every other day
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    If you feel like you're starving you probably are.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Yeah, check out the roadmap. Think your BMR is closer to 1500, so you don't need to be eating less than that regardless. And refined carbs, even whole wheat ones, still make you hungry a few hours later.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    hey kate .. im new to this and i had no idea u needd to replace the cals u burn with work outs .. but is nighttime a good time to eat u think cuz i dont work out till late sometimes and its seems like i wouldnt be good to eat so late ... what u all think?

    It doesn't matter when you eat and workout. Just need to make sure your body has enough calories for fuel. Besides, that way if you eat "too many" calories, you will be encouraged to work out to work off those extra calories.

    Not everyone eats the exercise calories, but MFP wants you to--that's why they add them in to your total for the day. The hungrier and less well-fed you are, the harder it is to stick to your plan. If all you want is quick weight loss, then might not want to eat them all, but if this is a lifestyle change, better to find a plan you can stick to, and that includes not being hungry all the time.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    What is your fat intake like? Increasing fat on lower carb ratios tends to help satiety.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    If you genuinely are hungry and it's not just thirst you need to eat. Your body is trying to tell you it needs more food. Listen to it.
  • juleszephyr
    juleszephyr Posts: 442 Member
    A few tips...
    1. Make up some almost cal free veggie soup and keep in the fridge, have a bowl when you feel hungry between meals if you need, it helps with water intake and keeps you feeling full.
    2. Eat back some of your exercise cals, try to aim for 1200 net
    3. Maybe plan in to split up your meals into more smaller meals so never more than 3-4 hrs between food.
    4. Drink plenty of everything (except alcohol and carbonated drinks).
    Keep going and good luck!!
    Jules xx

Categories