Am I really always hungry? Or is this all in my head.

getting_fit86
getting_fit86 Posts: 128 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been like this since I was little. My mom used to complain about how much I would eat as a young girl. I remember going to the spaghetti factory with my dad when I was about 10 and eating a large bowl of soup for starter and a full rack of ribs, fries, and a cheesecake for dessert - the waiter couldn't believe how much I ate.

Through my high school years I ate all the time, probably every 2 hours and usually big meals (I remember having pizza for breakfast almost every single day....). If I had to go back and guess, I would say I was eating about 3000 calories a day if not more since most of what I ate was junk. I was also never big into exercise or athletics. Note that I have NEVER been overweight in my life. I have never been larger than a size 4 UNTIL now!

Now that I am getting a little older (almost 19) I can't eat like I used too. I find when I eat like my good old days (HAHA) I gain weight. I reached my highest weight not that long ago without changing my childhood eating habits. Now that I am excersizing almost every day, eating about 1500 calories I feel hungry ALL the time. Has my metabolism really changed this much? I am finding that in order to lose weight I have to be extremely diligent about what I eat which leaves me feeling starving. I don't know what to do. I need to lose another 12 pounds to get back down to my high school weight. I know I am not "fat" but I would feel better to be back in my old jeans.

Should I try eating more? Any tips? Suggestions etc. Thanks everyone!

Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    You probably stopped growing, but your metabolism probably hasn't dropped by 1500/day if you're still highly active.
  • Okeyboy
    Okeyboy Posts: 27 Member
    I would suggest eating the same amount of calories and spacing out your meals to 2.5 to 3 hour intervals six times a day.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Set MFP to lose half a pound a week. Set it to "lightly active" (because at your age I doubt you sit on the couch all day and do nothing), and then eat back your exercise calories. Note that some people say that MFP overestimates calories burned on exercise so you might want to experiment with eating half back, to where you are getting enough fuel.

    I can relate, I always ate a lot too without gaining, until I couldn't anymore.
  • sigsby
    sigsby Posts: 220 Member
    I am the type that is always hungry. What I do to keep my hunger at bay is.... I eat a lot of salads. Realy big salads with as little dressing as posssible. 90% of your meals should be veggies. If you get hungry for a snack eat popcorn. Eating popcorn doesn't have many calories and it compensates for hand to mouth. Sometimes the action alone is enough to satisfy your hunger. Be aware that you might be an emotional eater. I know I certainly am. Just some things to consider. I am by no means an expert.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    I went and looked through the past few weeks of your diary. At least half the time you are only netting 400-800 calories. The rest of the time you either aren't logged at all, or it's all over the map. You only ate around your goal for a few days total. No wonder you're hungry all the time. Try eating +/- 100 calories of your goal EVERY DAY for the next two weeks. Your "Remaining" field should be between 100 and -100. Be consistent.

    See how you feel then. If you're still hungry all the time, consider setting your goal weight loss per week to a lower amount (probably half a pound is better since you're close to your goal). That should get you some extra calories.
  • Mija2010
    Mija2010 Posts: 11
    I don't know if this will be helpful or not. The comments with reference to making sure you eat your net calories and smaller meals several time a day are very helpful.

    I looked at your diary and before I opened it I figured that I would find that you are not using very many healthy fats. And so it was. Healthy fats slow down digestion and also contribute to a sense of satisfaction and fullness, and can even help with eating less at a meal. I am particularly aware of this because I recently was diagnosed as hypoglycemic. I realized then that the feeling that I was starving all the time, even waking up hungry at night, was not a side effect of a medication. Once I got the diagnosis, I researched the best way to eat and not feel hungry (and in my case, shaky and weak). I found that there were two ways to address the problem, depending on whether the hypoglycemia meant you were a fast oxidizer or a slow oxidizer. Based on the information, I am a fast oxidizer and the best way to combat this is with healthy fats, which I had been avoiding for fear of gaining weight. So, instead of more protein or granola bars, etc., I began incorporating nut butters, avocado, and olives as part of my daily meals. I have to say that it has been very helpful. So, I eat small meals about every three hours, making sure that I have some kind of healthy fat at each meal. I track every bite of food I eat and have continued to successfully lose weight (10 pounds in two months, which is fast for me) without feeling like I am so hungry all the time.

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