Hungry all the time

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Jo000
Jo000 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 40, F, and 160 lbs. I started using this site 2 weeks ago. It recommends 1300 cal/day and 1700 cal /day on my exercise days. Exercise is running about 40 min. I am starving all the time (feeling very hungry). Do I just need to give it more time? Do I need to pay attention to glycemic index( I'm not). Any advise on how to feel full?

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  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    if you set your weight loss to 2lb a week, reset it to 1lb a week. Slower weight loss is more sustainable in the long term.... it's not about how quickly you lose weight, it's about keeping it off for life, and if you're starving hungry all the time it won't be sustainable.

    If you've already set it to that, it may have miscalculated your calories, it's based on averages and not everyone is average. You could try calculating your calories another way, there's a thread called "in place of a road map" (actually several versions of it, the most recent ones are best) which explains an alternative way to calculate your calories, where you have one number for all your activity and exercise and you don't eat back exercise calories... if this way of calculating your calories gives you more calories overall, you could try eating the number it gives you and see if that fixes the hunger issue - if so then the cause was simply not eating enough.

    If you get a similar number from this method, then the number is probably right... you could try eating more protein and fibre, as this is more filling for fewer calories. Also wholegrain carbs are more filling than white carbs. Paying attention to GI may help stop you feeling hungry, because high GI foods tend to be less filling.

    If none of that works, maybe you have a faster metabolism, you can eat more calories than the calculators (MFP one or road map one) tell you, the trick is to find the highest number of calories you can eat, and still lose weight slowly and steadily. If you're eating more and still losing weight, then that's what you want. Some people will need to eat more than what the calculators say, because as I said they're based on averages and not everyone's average.
  • vet272
    vet272 Posts: 183
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    Can you change the settings so your weight loss per week isn't so high? That would give you more calories a day I think.
  • StheK
    StheK Posts: 443 Member
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    You might also want to look at what you're eating. I eat about 1450 calories a day, and I could easily eat it all at once with a pint of ice cream and then be starving for the rest of the day. But if I eat a lot of vegetables and lean proteins and healthy fats, I am just fine. Some days I don't even eat all my calories because I'm actually full. Other days I have a drink and make up for it, though. It evens out, but it works because most of the time, I'm eating the right foods for me.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
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    if you set your weight loss to 2lb a week, reset it to 1lb a week. Slower weight loss is more sustainable in the long term.... it's not about how quickly you lose weight, it's about keeping it off for life, and if you're starving hungry all the time it won't be sustainable.

    If you've already set it to that, it may have miscalculated your calories, it's based on averages and not everyone is average. You could try calculating your calories another way, there's a thread called "in place of a road map" (actually several versions of it, the most recent ones are best) which explains an alternative way to calculate your calories, where you have one number for all your activity and exercise and you don't eat back exercise calories... if this way of calculating your calories gives you more calories overall, you could try eating the number it gives you and see if that fixes the hunger issue - if so then the cause was simply not eating enough.

    If you get a similar number from this method, then the number is probably right... you could try eating more protein and fibre, as this is more filling for fewer calories. Also wholegrain carbs are more filling than white carbs. Paying attention to GI may help stop you feeling hungry, because high GI foods tend to be less filling.

    If none of that works, maybe you have a faster metabolism, you can eat more calories than the calculators (MFP one or road map one) tell you, the trick is to find the highest number of calories you can eat, and still lose weight slowly and steadily. If you're eating more and still losing weight, then that's what you want. Some people will need to eat more than what the calculators say, because as I said they're based on averages and not everyone's average.

    I'm not the OP but I have the same issue... constantly feeling like I am starving and it is belly-growling hunger!

    I just wanted to thank you for such a helpful post! :flowerforyou:
  • harphy
    harphy Posts: 290 Member
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    I've been hungry many times during first two, three weeks. Now my stomach is smaller and there are days I can hardly eat up my calories. Just hold on a little longer.
  • Jo000
    Jo000 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks everyone who as weighed in so far....I'm set at 1lb loss per week already
    . Most of my carbs are from fruits, cereal I eat with breakfast, or a bread product at lunch (pita or whole bread, 100% whole wheat). I'm usually a bit over on the protein # and slightly under on the other numbers. Most of the protein is usually in one meal. I think I'll try spreading the protein out through the day and making sure my cereal is at the right end of the GI spectrum. I will also *try* to get more sleep, since less sleep can stimulate appetite. It could be true that I naturally need more calories. Most of my life I think I had a very high metabolism with little body fat, but I felt that changed the lady few years.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    the default amount of protein that MFP sets is very low, you can definitely eat a lot more protein than it recommends. Depending on what exercise you do, some recommendations go up to 1g protien per lb bodyweight a day, so I weigh 135lb so I'd eat 135g protein......... you have to eat a LOT of protein, like 400-500g a day before there are any health issues.... so basically don't be afraid to eat a lot more protein than MFP recommends. The 1g per lb bodyweight thing is probably more than most people would need (if someone's lifting heavy weights and trying to gain lean mass it's a good target to try to hit), so if you can't manage that much you don't really need to, but in any case it's not a bad thing to be over on protein. If you eat more protein you'll end up eating fewer carbs and less fat, try to keep that balanced, i.e. not too much of one and too little of the other. And that should help you to feel more full as well.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I'm 40, F, and 160 lbs. I started using this site 2 weeks ago. It recommends 1300 cal/day and 1700 cal /day on my exercise days. Exercise is running about 40 min. I am starving all the time (feeling very hungry). Do I just need to give it more time? Do I need to pay attention to glycemic index( I'm not). Any advise on how to feel full?

    How tall are you and what is your goal weight? Depending on how much you have to lose 1 lb might be too much to shoot for.
  • Jo000
    Jo000 Posts: 6 Member
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    5'5 goal of 135lbs. But I am more in it to feel healthy than lose weight.
  • Jo000
    Jo000 Posts: 6 Member
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    After reading some other sections, I changed my settings from sedentary to lightly active. This is probably more accurate.
  • mlnick69
    mlnick69 Posts: 84
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    Replace some of your grains, pasta, beans and potatoes with green veggies. You can eat a lot more food this way since they are so low in calories. Watch which fruits you eat too as some are really high in calories.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    After reading some other sections, I changed my settings from sedentary to lightly active. This is probably more accurate.

    MFP's activity level is supposed to be job activity based, but I do think most people are at least lightly active.
  • janetdungan
    janetdungan Posts: 14 Member
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    eating 1300-1700 is too low especially if you are running. no wonder you are hungry. your body needs fuel to run in the first place. no worries, you'll burn it off. run before you eat breakfast 3-5 times a week. then eat according to your macros.

    macros are your protein, carb, and fat ratios. if you are running or lifting weights or both. eat more healthy carbs.
    your ratio should be 30-50-20 in that order. 30% protein etc..

    on rest days it should be 45-35-20 roughly. increase protein on rest days. dont need alot of carbs for energy when you arent working out those days.

    i think you got the low calories based on how much you wanted to lose in a short period of time. iff you want to lose rapidly. it will backfire. you'll feel like **** while you are dieting, you'll have a greater chance of quitting or if you lose it all, you have a great chance of gaining it all back and then some even.

    other risks include potassium deficiency. dont think eating more bananas will help. #1 they arent high in potassium as some other foods like apricots. #2 if you have this condition, it means you are eating too little. #3 it can cause your heart to stop, no matter what your weight or condition is.

    lose it the safe way to guarantee it stays off.

    safe rate is about 1-2 lbs a week.

    keep a diary log of food intake to tweak your progress and also a log of exercise to avoid boredome and plateaus.
  • Jo000
    Jo000 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've never dieted before just followed canada food guide more or less. I signed up a for this site several months ago then forgot about it. A health professional recommended I use it to monitor energy in vs energy out ( my dr recommended I lose the 30 lbs I put on) so I'm back to this site again. I don't remember how long I indicated I wanted to lose weight when I first signed up. I can't see where to find this info or how to change it. Does anyone know?
  • desert_mom
    desert_mom Posts: 91 Member
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    I'm almost 40, and started at 163 lbs 3 weeks ago. I'm also eating 1200 right now (I'll be increasing that as soon as I start heavy lifting in a few weeks), but I'm not hungry. I'm pretty sure it's because I keep my macros at 40% carbs (not grain-heavy), 30% protein and 30% fat. I also HAVE to have protein at every meal, otherwise I feel hungry shortly afterward. I'm eating a lot of vegetables, some fruit, a good serving of protein per meal and going light on the grains--usually just once per day. Protein is the key for me and not eating too many quick-digesting carbs, like grains. Even whole grains don't have the staying power that vegetables and fruits do, for me.

    ETA: Are you eating back your exercise calories? I eat about 1/2-3/4 of them back. I would be starving if I didn't do that.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I've never dieted before just followed canada food guide more or less. I signed up a for this site several months ago then forgot about it. A health professional recommended I use it to monitor energy in vs energy out ( my dr recommended I lose the 30 lbs I put on) so I'm back to this site again. I don't remember how long I indicated I wanted to lose weight when I first signed up. I can't see where to find this info or how to change it. Does anyone know?

    I think it's under My home>Settings>Update Diet/Fitness Profile.
  • Jo000
    Jo000 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks again everyone. I'm glad I asked and didn't keep on starving myself.

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