I am ALWAYS hungry!!!!

bwoz11
bwoz11 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Alright so it seems every time I try to diet, I find myself so hungry that I could eat double. Im eating 1350 cal/day (if I dont exercise, if I do, its more). I eat plenty of "filling" foods i.e. fruits, veggies, etc. I drink a lot of water, and drink water when I am hungry/craving a snack. When it comes to mealtime, I eat slow and give time for my stomach to tell my brain it's full. But then about 2 hours later, I'm starving!!

For example, I ate a healthy lunch today.. I had grilled chicken breast, a pretty big apple, string cheese, and about 24 oz. of water. Yet two hours and another 24 oz of water later, I'm starving. What gives? What can I do to fix this?

BTW if it makes a difference, I just started dieting again. My previous two attempts failed (but I did do it for 2-3 months each time... so not a complete failure! :wink:)

Replies

  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    you could try increasing your calories a bit. how tall are you?

    what i found for me too is to not eat too many calories at once (think breakfast/lunch/dinner with a couple snacks). i usually have a large breakfast and then eat throughout the day. i plan everything so that it fits into my calorie goal, and if i want to have a larger lunch or dinner then i have fewer snacks. however when i leave myself room to eat breakfast, snack, snack, lunch, snack, snack, dinner; i'm a lot less hungry and a lot happier.
  • figomezzo
    figomezzo Posts: 29
    omg me too! I don't know what it is, but I am always hungry. I ate an asian chicken wrap about 2 hours ago that was enormous and I'm hungry again. I just don't get it.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Fruits and vegetables are just so so on being filling. Try munching on nuts or having half an apple with a half serving of peanut butter. Your snacks will have more calories, but they will also be more filling so that you aren't so hungry, don't want to break down and cry and don't end up bingeing.

    Make sure you aren't trying to fill up on "diet foods." Eat lots of proteins and don't be afraid to sautéed your veggies with a bit of oil.

    If you want concrete suggestions, you are going to have to make your diary public.

    As for the poster who had an asian chicken wrap, the sauce tends to have a lot of sugar, which can trigger your hunger.
  • bwoz11
    bwoz11 Posts: 13 Member
    It seems to me like apples are always filling me up. I can have one with water and I'm full... for the time being. I don't eat many "diet foods" I'm trying more of a portion control method because before I would always overeat.. I get my share of protein, although I can't eat nuts or peanut butter (allergic) so I can't get it that way. I do think more snacks would help, though. I'm trying to stay away from snacks because I always ate a lot before.. but again with the portion control, I think that would help. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Fruits and vegetables are just so so on being filling. Try munching on nuts or having half an apple with a half serving of peanut butter. Your snacks will have more calories, but they will also be more filling so that you aren't so hungry, don't want to break down and cry and don't end up bingeing.

    Make sure you aren't trying to fill up on "diet foods." Eat lots of proteins and don't be afraid to sautéed your veggies with a bit of oil.

    If you want concrete suggestions, you are going to have to make your diary public.

    As for the poster who had an asian chicken wrap, the sauce tends to have a lot of sugar, which can trigger your hunger.

    I have nothing more to say besides this^^^
  • bwoz11
    bwoz11 Posts: 13 Member
    I'm 5'2". I already had to up it from 1250.. I calculated it from my metabolism so I'm supposed to lose about 1 lb a week.
  • kevin3344
    kevin3344 Posts: 702 Member
    Remember, MFP is not a diet it is a way of life. So if you're feeling deprived, eventually you're going to quit. I know I would.

    First, you should calculate your total daily energy expenditure (you'll see TDEE a lot on the boards) and subtract 20% to lose weight. With exercise, you'll have enough calories so that you should not feel hungry. My sister-in-law initially had hers set at 1,200 calories and found it to be too restrictive. Eventually she settled on 1,500 calories a day and lost 17lbs in 3 months just by eating right and walking.

    Also, what happens a lot is people underestimate their exercise. Unless you have an HRM it's tough to know. I'm a runner so I've learned that it's about 100 cals per mile, so if I run 5 miles it's about 500 cals give or take. Once you get used to it you can gauge how much you burn (approx. of course) each time you work out, and as you mentioned that will give you extra calories.

    Hope that helps.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    Eat more food.

    Thats about the only way I know to not be hungry.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I have the same problem. It is unfortunate that you cant eat nuts of any sort...they have the healthy fats and are more filling. And i was going to suggest like granola bars or protien bars.. I would agree with those who suggest eating more snacks throughout the day..Are you close to/exceeding your 1350 calorie limit? You could try hard boiled eggs. Or veggies and hummus.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    How many grams of protein are you getting? I thought I was getting plenty of protein as well until I changed my macros. I was having similar issues...when I changed my macro settings to 40c/30p/30hf my hunger went away...that comes in at about 140g of protein for me which is pretty much in line with 1g per my lean body mass weight. You may want to dial it in at 50/25/25 and see how that goes. Protein is particularly important at a deficit as eating at a deficit also eats into your lean body mass as well as the fat...lots of protein will help to preserve that LBM...even more so when done in conjunction with weight lifting. LBM is very important when it comes to maintenance time as it helps you to burn more fat calories throughout the day, even when you're not lifting or exerting yourself.
  • mecgmecg
    mecgmecg Posts: 2
    It's your metabolism getting spooled up to high gear. Totally normal. Best way to combat this is to eat less food more often. Meaning fewer calories per feeding but feeding more often. That will keep you from feeling like you're starving and the added bonus of keeping your metabolism stoked.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    OK - don't laugh... one thing that reliably works for me is eating pork rinds. I get these Jalapeno ones from Julia's Southern Kitchen/Chef Piggytale. For 60 calories, they fill me up like nothing else and also turn my stomach a little, which helps. I have also been having Spirutein protein shakes. They also fill me up and mess up my belly a little.

    One trick I do sometimes is just eat huge portions of some kind of low calorie vegetable. Half a head of iceberg lettuce with fat-free ranch and bacon bits, a big pile of steamed cabbage with soy sauce, absurd portions of mashed cauliflower.
  • sardesc
    sardesc Posts: 34 Member
    I'm 5'1 and I usually net 1400 with exercise so I also have to watch out for snacks. When I get hungry soon after I've eaten, it's usually boredom. I snack on almonds, veggies or protein shakes. Mmmm...I forgot about apple slices with peanut butter. I used to give that to my son when he was a toddler for snack.
  • mperales00
    mperales00 Posts: 15
    Apples may make you feel full due to their fiber content. Maybe try foods high in fiber and protein (like beans), and healthy complex carbs (like oatmeal) that take longer to digest - which will make you feel full for longer periods of time.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Snacks don't have to be the typical snacky things though. I usually pack the following for snacks that I eat mid morning and mid afternoon: greek yogurt, banana, protein bar, almonds, 1 cup cooked steel cut oats.

    I'm wondering what you're having for breakfast too. I know some folks say "you don't need to eat breakfast to lose weight" but to me it's like the whole starvation mode myth. There is some creditibility to it, at least for certain people, it's just not always explained well Anyway...I used to skip breakfast all the time because I figured one less meal would help me lose the weight but in fact it had the opposite effect. I'd eat a fairly reasonable lunch and it was like that totally triggered my hunger so then I'd be hungry and snacking on crap all afternoon. Once I started getting into a routine of grazing throught the day I was able to keep my hunger and cravings in check.
  • newmrswood
    newmrswood Posts: 167 Member
    The more weight I lost the more often I would get hungry. I eat when I'm hungry, I try to stick to healthy food but it doesn't always work. If I'm craving something I'll eat, but only so much of it. Listen to your body but remember to keep portions in mind.
  • 6550mom
    6550mom Posts: 206 Member
    Maybe you would do better with 5 or 6 small but balanced 'mini-meals' per day (a little more food with snacks, a little less at meals to keep cals the same, but make sure there is some fat and protein in the snacks as well). I know people who do this just to keep the hunger from ever catching up with them. Of course, a couple of them are very preachy about how this is the "right" way to eat. And for them, it probably is. Have you tried that?
  • dossas
    dossas Posts: 6
    Instead of just chicken breast, cheese, apple and water, why not make a big salad with leafy greens, celery, red peppers, etc. You can cut up the chicken, cheese and apple into the salad. The fibrous veggies will help you feel full without adding much for calories. If you have some room to spare with your calories, you can make your own salad dressing with xtra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (maybe some italian herb seasoning for more flavor).
  • carolinedoring
    carolinedoring Posts: 1
    First of all: most of the times it's boredom that makes hungry so if you keep busy you won't notice your cravings, I promise. I know that between the week that's easier to do ; I personnally tend to eat much more on week-ends..
    Here is my trick : whenever you feel hungry (but not the real hunger, I mean the craving) do 50 sit-ups, push ups or 2 min of plank pose.. whatever you feel like and I swear it takes your craving away in no time.
    Secondly, oat bran in fat free sugarfree yoghurt is very filling. You could use its as dessert because I wont leave you with the urge for eating more like sugar does.

    I hope this helped!

    Have a good day xx
  • denezy
    denezy Posts: 573 Member
    If you would like some serious suggestions, you should open your food diary. Lots of smart people around here can comment and offer some help.

    First off, you should eat more protein.
  • TNR32
    TNR32 Posts: 110 Member
    It's your metabolism getting spooled up to high gear. Totally normal. Best way to combat this is to eat less food more often. Meaning fewer calories per feeding but feeding more often. That will keep you from feeling like you're starving and the added bonus of keeping your metabolism stoked.


    This^^^
  • bwoz11
    bwoz11 Posts: 13 Member
    A lot of comments so I won't reply to each one haha. I am not a salad fan at all.... but I might have to start being one, lol. As for protein, Id say I get between 50-100g a day. I do eat breakfast, usually some fruit, a granola bar, yogurt, eggs, waffles, juice (not all of that at once usually 2 of them). I know its really not boredom because Im always busy w/ school, work, etc. my stomach is actually growling, not like its just digesting either haha its really because Im hungry.

    Thanks everyone for the suggestions... More protein, maybe try complex carbs, more snacks and/or smaller more frequent meals. Again thanks!!
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    Eat more protein

    Oops, sorry, just read the end of your post. Never mind.
  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
    Maybe try adding more healthy fats into your diet like avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil... helps keep me fuller longer anyways.

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