why am I hungry an hour or two after eating?

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  • Chikipiwi
    Chikipiwi Posts: 117 Member
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    Increase you're fats, esp EFA's. You'll find a small amount will sort you out.


    Totally Off Subject - Is your significant other on MFP? If yes, could you share her username?Will like to take a look at her food diary and know what her routine is... She has an AMAZING figure! Thanks
  • JossFit
    JossFit Posts: 588 Member
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    Increase you're fats, esp EFA's. You'll find a small amount will sort you out.

    This ^^

    You said that you get adequate protein and fiber, but what about fats?
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    you can't "starve" yourself if you eat 1200 to 1500 calories a day. Starvation effects only kick in after 72 hours of not eating anything, and even at that point it is minimal. ...
    The effects of a diet too low in calories are very real. No one is talking starving as in you are about to keel over, we are talking about the body and the release of ghrelin in which the body attempts to make you eat more, and also the slow down down in metabolism in terms of the release of t3 being lowered.

    Thanks ^^this is what I meant. Not starving, like "shut down" mode. But as in TRULY HUNGRY because of not eating enough nutrients over an extended period to feed your expected activity. Anything less than about 1000 calories under your actual average TDEE seems counterproductive, in my experience and readings.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    you can't "starve" yourself if you eat 1200 to 1500 calories a day. Starvation effects only kick in after 72 hours of not eating anything, and even at that point it is minimal. ...
    The effects of a diet too low in calories are very real. No one is talking starving as in you are about to keel over, we are talking about the body and the release of ghrelin in which the body attempts to make you eat more, and also the slow down down in metabolism in terms of the release of t3 being lowered.

    Thanks ^^this is what I meant. Not starving, like "shut down" mode. But as in TRULY HUNGRY because of not eating enough nutrients over an extended period to feed your expected activity. Anything less than about 1000 calories under your actual average TDEE seems counterproductive, in my experience and readings.

    Ok - a lot of people on this site throw around "starvation mode" and do not really understand what true starvation mode really is ...just trying to clarify...
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    your body is telling you to eat more often - so do it. I eat every 2 hours and just plan out my calories.
  • Kashmir09
    Kashmir09 Posts: 45
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    errrm ... what's the definition of "hungry" and/or "starving" please? a craving? tummy rumbles? or actually feeling faint, dizzyness, seeing double? ... just asking ...
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
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    Increase you're fats, esp EFA's. You'll find a small amount will sort you out.

    Look at this man... he knows what he's talking about.

    OP - I used to be like you... no matter what I ate, I was hungry (and shaky!) 2 hours later, and obsessively thinking about what I was going to eat and when. I also felt like I wanted something sweet after every meal.

    For me, what worked was going low carb. Now I eat very filling meals mostly of veg and meat/seafood with healthy fats and can go for hours without eating, and no more glycemic swings. The fats add cals and help me stay full longer.

    Might not work for you, but it worked for me.
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    I like to save my calories to one big meal a day so I feel full and satified. You have to figure out what it is for you. I also like feeling empty so I have both feeling every single day. Eating every 2 hours does not work for me at all. Nor does counting calories because it makes me obsess about food. You have to find your own groove and do not let anyone else tell you anything different. It is about figuring out what works for you specifically.

    Hey nevergivesup! I am stunned to read your message because this is exactly how I feel - and I thought I was the only person in the world who felt this way (i.e. I love to feel empty AND I also love to feel full, but not the inbetween feeling) and so, like you, I hate the regime of eating every 2 to 4 hours. So, hey, we have something in common.
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    My body constantly tells me to drink alcohol, and smoke cigarettes, so I guess I should "listen to my body". The only thing I hear my body say is "PHHHHHFFFFFFTTTTT".

    Ignore Jerry. He's like a troll spoiling for a fight.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    errrm ... what's the definition of "hungry" and/or "starving" please? a craving? tummy rumbles? or actually feeling faint, dizzyness, seeing double? ... just asking ...

    To answer your question, I'm going to first copy/paste my list of things that happen with your body to tell you that you're "full" and don't need to eat.

    -The stretching of the stomach
    -The repetitive feeling of things going down the throat
    -The visual feedback of seeing a plate of food become an empty plate
    -The pleasure of familiar flavors on the tongue and smells in the nose
    -The hormone that gets released once food enters your duodenum and small intestine that gets sent to the brain to tell you to stop eating
    -The increase in blood glucose once the food enters the bloodstream (for some food, this actually starts in the mouth with an enzyme called amylase -- not all food has to get digested in the stomach or intestines to increase blood glucose)

    These short term signals can all get messed up with our modern lifestyle and chemically-laden foods. All of these can be "tricked" in various ways, so we can ignore them. To me, true hunger like I mean is when you're not starving yourself every day, but you aren't giving your body quite enough calories every day to meet your minimum metabolic needs. After 3-7 days of too low calorie eating (again, I'm not talking about NO calories, just low calories), your hypothalumus senses the change in your blood chemistry from your body using stored fat for energy instead of glucose from the food you're eating. Then the hypothalumus starts ratcheting up all the hunger signals under its control whenever there is food available. It's different for each person. Your nasal capillaries dilate more when you sense food is cooking. Your mouth actually waters when you see someone eating food. You start chewing on things that aren't actually food, like pencil erasers. You crave odd things (not necessarily sweet/fat/etc. but lemons or dill or something like that). But you still have plenty of energy to move around. Then if you keep eating low calorie, eventually -- like after 2-3 weeks or so -- your hypothalumus accepts that food is scarce, and starts sending signals to you to stop moving. This is when your caloric needs start declining to meet your actual intake. You sleep more, you imperceptively fidget less. You have less energy and stop thinking about food so much. This is a normal physiological response to scarce food. In my mind, going into "long-term scarce food mode" where your caloric needs start to decline is counterproductive. Show your body there's food available. Eat. Just my opinion.
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
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    Increase you're fats, esp EFA's. You'll find a small amount will sort you out.

    Look at this man... he knows what he's talking about.

    OP - I used to be like you... no matter what I ate, I was hungry (and shaky!) 2 hours later, and obsessively thinking about what I was going to eat and when. I also felt like I wanted something sweet after every meal.

    For me, what worked was going low carb. Now I eat very filling meals mostly of veg and meat/seafood with healthy fats and can go for hours without eating, and no more glycemic swings. The fats add cals and help me stay full longer.

    Might not work for you, but it worked for me.

    ^^This.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
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    Increase you're fats, esp EFA's. You'll find a small amount will sort you out.

    Well I'd prefer to use the word "your" but apart from that, this.

    I did all sorts of messing around with protein trying to get past the fact that I was ALWAYS hungry. Then a few weeks back someone on here finally suggested that maybe it was FAT that I was short on. I wasn't purposely eating a low fat diet, but as a vegetarian I maybe wasn't getting quite as much fat as I needed.

    So I upped my fat (the perfect excuse to eat more avocado!) and that really has helped. I'm still hungry fairly often, I think I'm just a hungry person but increasing the fat made a difference. Try it.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    Eat more fiber like veggies and heck spread out your cals if need be :)
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    You've lost 17 pounds in 6 weeks, or about 3 pounds per week.

    You're hungry because, well, you're hungry.

    My recommendation is that you eat slightly more.


    (Or you can just hope that your metabolism eventually slows down enough to match the amount of calories you're eating. (Before the firestorm of angry responses, I'm not saying that it *will* inevitably happen, just that *if it did happen*, it would also resolve OP's immediate problem.))
  • cbteegardin
    cbteegardin Posts: 42 Member
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    Sounds to me like your calorie deficit is too high. If you lost 17 lbs in three weeks and (it wasn't mostly water), you need to increase your calories. Like others have suggested, adding a bit more fat to your diet might actually be good. Fat slows down the absorbtion of carbs and helps satiate hunger. Stay away from simple carbs or limit them as much as possible - they increase insulin production and promote storing of fat, depleting your blood sugar and stimulating a hunger response (if you are craving a Snickers bar at 4 PM every day, you're eating too much sugar).
    If your meals are a sensible size, being hungry every 2 hours or so is actually about right. Think sensible snacks (Texas Caviar or hummus and carrots or an apple)
  • desiv2
    desiv2 Posts: 651 Member
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    I was also this way, I upped my fats, cut the carbs/sugar... and VIOLA. I felt much fuller, and I lost more weight per week (probably by .6 of a lb) than I had been before (on average..)..


    So, listen to the other guy who told you to up your fats, it works, and no you wont have a heart attack from it.
  • The1iceQueen
    The1iceQueen Posts: 119
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    I like to save my calories to one big meal a day so I feel full and satisfied. You have to figure out what it is for you. I also like feeling empty so I have both feeling every single day. Eating every 2 hours does not work for me at all. Nor does counting calories because it makes me obsess about food. You have to find your own groove and do not let anyone else tell you anything different. It is about figuring out what works for you specifically.

    I'm kind of like that too, I don't ever eat breakfast. We never did when I was growing up, so I just got use to it I guess. I eat lunch and dinner and a dessert (which is usually a low carb dessert I make) after dinner. In the summer, a lot of times, I only eat once in the evening, must be the heat in the summer, because I'm never hungry until dinner in the summer. I am full after each meal and I never get the feeling I'm starving. Everyone's body is different indeed.
  • Embera
    Embera Posts: 291 Member
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    i didnt read them all but if you have lost weight and become more active you could have changed your needs so try adjusting your calorie goal to see if you really need more or not and if you so eat sonething small 100 or 200 cals but make it fillinf like a slice of bread not just sugar

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