Always hungry

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gayleminney
gayleminney Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys, i only joined last week, its a bit of a struggle finding the right food to fill me up. will it get easier or will i feel hungry all the time, i have been eating fruit and melba toast as snacks but still not enough.
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Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Make your diary public for concrete suggestions.

    In the meantime, have nuts or cheese with your fruit - it will help you feel more full than Melba toast, which has little nutritional value.
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    Your diary is closed so we can't see what you're actually eating, but some general thoughts:

    First, make sure you're eating enough. If you are set to 2 lbs/week, change it to no higher than 1.5, you don't weigh 200+ lbs. If you are exercising, make sure to eat back at least some of those calories.

    If that's all good, you might want to try changing your macros - fat/protein make you feel fuller, carbs... tend not to. Different people are happier on different ratios, but 40C/30F/30P works for me. (I think MFP's default is something like 65/20/15?) A spoon of peanut butter is more filling than a banana, and has about the same calories. (A spoonful of peanut butter ON a banana would be even better, and tastier too.)
  • slim_photographer
    slim_photographer Posts: 310 Member
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    if you're hungry, eat then.

    1 oz almonds = 170 cals
    orange = 80 cals
    greek yogurt = 80 cals
    banana = 80 cals
    protein shake scoop = 150 cals
    etc.
  • m4ttcheek
    m4ttcheek Posts: 229 Member
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    It gets easier. You just need to wait for your body to adapt.

    In the mean time coffee helps with hunger pangs.
  • 5n0wbal1
    5n0wbal1 Posts: 429 Member
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    Yeah...fruit and toast aren't very filling. Things like yogurt and nuts, however, are. Proteins help a lot. Although fruits and veggies are a good thing, if you're looking to use them to satisfy hunger, they won't help you.

    Example: My husband can't eat cereal in the morning. It's like an appetizer to him; it whets his appetite for more food, and he's hungry again thirty minutes later. Even eating the whole box doesn't help (wouldn't advise that for you, certainly, or for anyone on here). Eggs, bacon, and toast are pretty much his standby breakfast, and sometimes, I'll make a big batch of sausage biscuits for him to warm up when I don't feel like cooking.
  • reztib
    reztib Posts: 151 Member
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    It's hard to know without knowing what you're eating now but one rule is that if you are eating more food with more protein.
  • NPAdamsPope
    NPAdamsPope Posts: 9
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    Definitely include plenty of protein: nuts, low fat cheese, lean mean. Protein helps a lot.
  • springs47
    springs47 Posts: 82 Member
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    I've found that eating smaller meals and snacks throughout the day really help me. During the day, I don't go more than 3-4 hours without eating at least a little something. If I'm still hungry after my snack, I just tell myself that if I wait a little while longer, I'll be able to eat something else.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    1) Make sure you are, in fact, eating enough. Some people with less to lose should not be aiming for 2 lbs/week.

    2) Eat protein at every meal and snack. If your snack is fruit and melba toast, add a hard boiled egg, a cheese string or a half ounce of almonds.

    3) Eat fat. Fat helps you feel full longer.

    4) Eat fiber. Highest fiber breads, grains and veggies that you can. Fiber also helps you feel full longer.

    5) For best results, combine protein, fat and fiber foods at every meal and snack.

    6) For even better results, stay away from most fast foods, which contain very little protein and very little fiber but take up a butt-load of your calorie allowance in a day. Also stay away from sugar-free/fat-free/light/diet/100-calorie/non-foods.

    Eat real food.
  • JeneticTraining
    JeneticTraining Posts: 663 Member
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    Gets easier.

    Distract yourself :)
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
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    Stay away from sugars and artificial sweetners. I have noticed that when I eat sweet foods, even if they are low calorie, I am constantly hungry. Go for higher fat and protein foods early in the day (breakfast or brunch) and then stick to lower cal foods in the evening.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    One piece of advice I kept from a nutrionist I knew.

    It's ok to go to bed hungry.

    She believed we've been conditioned for weakness, and that many people cannot emotionally handle the duress of going to bed hungry.

    That's why I fast every once in a while, it gives you perspective.
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
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    If you are in fact eating enough, it may take time to psychologically adjust to eating in moderation. You may not actually be hungry but just want to eat something. I am pretty sure I can talk myself into being hungry if I see something I want to eat. Drink a glass of water or hot tea, busy yourself, chew gum, and if in 20-30 mins your tummy is growling have a snack. Otherwise it may have just been a craving. It's ok to go over if you are actually hungry and are eating healthy foods. There is a bit of an adjustment period when starting out.
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
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    Also make sure you're drinking enough. Sometimes your body doesn't know how to signal thirst anymore if you've consistently ignored it, so will mask thirst as hunger. I agree with the other suggestions about changing what you're eating, but often if I'm hungry (and I know I have eaten "enough") I'll have a big glass of water and wait 30 minutes. If I'm still hungry then I eat. Often I am not.
  • sleepingtodream
    sleepingtodream Posts: 304 Member
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    Keep hydrated (water preferrably), eat foods high in protein and fiber to keep you full longer:) I'm trying to eat more protein earlier in the day to keep fueled longer.


    Good luck!
  • anaduffy
    anaduffy Posts: 74
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    Also try drinking a glass of water before and after you eat you could just be thirsty the brain can't tell the difference
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    Your body does adapt, hunger doesn't necessarily mean you need to eat. We have plenty of stored energy in our body. Our body knows when we normally eat and hormones follow our eating patterns, so as you progress it gets easier. In the meantime focus on getting high protein and fiber into every meal. That will help you with your hunger now.
  • sandy0480
    sandy0480 Posts: 7 Member
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    I was the same as you when I started using calorie defecits and that never really changed until about two months ago when I started Intermittent fasting.

    If you mean that you are always hungry you need to confirm that you are.

    What fasting allowed me to do was really look at my hunger and differentiate it from when I was mentally hungry or physically hungry. i.e. when I acually needed to eat (i.e. physical hunger) or when I simply wanted to eat (mental).

    Within two days I realised that just because my stomach was grumbling didn't mean necessarily that I needed to eat or that I was "starving" I had a glass of water and that was it.

    Yes there are foods that keep you fuller for longer but really you should only eat when need to.

    My relationshiop with food has changed completely since I started an 16 hour fasting phase. Yes I still have the off day when I binge out but ultimately I am far more in control of my diet as I know when to eat and when not to eat.

    Of course this is not for everyone and I would speak to a professional first but I thought I would put IF out there for you to consider.
  • sunshyncatra
    sunshyncatra Posts: 598 Member
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    Make sure you are eating enough. If you are, try snacking on protein and veggies. If I am really hungry, protein like greek yogurt or string cheese fills me up. If I just need something to take the edge off or have the munchies, low calorie veggies do the trick. I make sandwich bags filled with celery and cucumber slices for this purpose.

    It took me a few weeks to get used to the hungry feeling, because I hadn't been allowing myself to get hungry before. Some hunger is okay.
  • Smackemdanno
    Smackemdanno Posts: 83 Member
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    When I did a pile of cardio I was hungry. When I lift weights for some reason I don't get as hungry. Maybe try to lift at least one or two of your days per week in stead of cardio 6 days a week and see if that helps. Make sure you are eating enough. I eat 2600 calories but I am an overweight guy. My wife is a thin gal who is supposed to eat no less than 1317 and no more than 1810. She eats approximately 1400-1600 calories per day. If she eats 1800 calories one day she isn't going to gain weight especially with exercise. It does get easier. Soon you will have the problem of not be hungry enough to eat all of your requisite calories.

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