Always feel hungry

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ElphabaWeasley
ElphabaWeasley Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So this is my second week with MFP after a hiatus that was just too long. I'm 5 feet tall weigh 168 and am lightly active. MFP has me at 1480 calories a day and I eat back exercise calories. My only concern is I always feel hungry, and not like oh it's snack time hungry but like stomach painfully growling embarrassingly loud hungry. I eat snacks throughout the day and almost always make it to 1480 (sometimes going over). Is this just my body adjusting or should I be eating more? Once my body gets used to sustaining itself on 1480 calories will the growling subside? I just want to know if this is normal or if anyone else has had this experience. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • sunshine1082
    sunshine1082 Posts: 85 Member
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    Hello!

    I just glanced through a couple of the days you logged in your food diary. You probably don't need to up your calories, but to combat your hunger, you may want to add some more protein to your diet. Basically, replace some of the carbs you've been eating with protein. Nothing at all wrong with carbs (I love me some carbs... I'm Italian-American, and no one is taking my pasta from me), but protein could help you feel satiated for a longer period of time. Fiber also helps you feel full, so make sure you're getting enough fiber in your diet.
  • Rosieannaxo
    Rosieannaxo Posts: 129
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    For me, it definitely took few weeks for my body to adjust. MFP has me at 1250 calories a day. At first, I was hungry ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL the time! But your stomach will soon shrink and the amount you eat will soon fulfill your hunger. Also, it may be the foods you're eating? For me, veggies and fruits are my go to snacks because they're low in calories and the quantity is big:) Experimentation with your food is what it's all about I think! Just try to find foods that are low in calories but big on quantity, such as shirataki noodles :D yummmm lol
  • zensugi
    zensugi Posts: 76
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    Looking at your diary there are very few fruits and vegetables or other big volume, low energy food. IMO there is also too much fast food, which provides quick taste but not necessarily filling. You could try dropping part of your fast food and replacing it with fruits and vegetables (particularly as snacks) and then you'll probably be able to reduce the calorie content of your dinner, which seems too big for me.

    You can have a look at my diary, as I have a very similar target and also eat back my exercise calories.
  • ElphabaWeasley
    ElphabaWeasley Posts: 47 Member
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    Thanks for the advice guys! I definitely need to up it on the protein and the fruits and veggies.
  • Fivepts
    Fivepts Posts: 517 Member
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    Thanks for sharing your food diary. It hard to eat healthy alone, I understand. I agree with the other posters though I'm just getting started myself. Seems like we both need to up the fruits, veggies, and lean meat to feel less hungry. I'm finding that sugary, fried, foods that are low in nutrition leave me feeling extremely hungry while I feel "stuffed" if I eat lots of veggies. Shopping in the edges of the grocery store and avoiding processed food help a lot.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    Protein and fats are WAY more satisfying than carbs, that's for sure. You don't have to go all Atkins or anything, but keeping boiled eggs on hand for quick snacks is a good idea, or some other protein-rich food. The fiber suggestion is good too, and it'll keep you regular, which is a very good thing. :wink:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I agree also, you shouldn't be starving on 1480 plus exercise calories. You need to make better choices. Ditch the juice, pop tarts, cheese, and other high calorie foods that have almost no protein. Increase your protein goal, eat less carbs and processed foods, they won't make you as full.
  • ElphabaWeasley
    ElphabaWeasley Posts: 47 Member
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    So today I went out of my way to make sure I got more protein and I had tons of veggies and I didn't feel very hungry at all! thank you all for the great ideas and advice! and believe me, I hate poptarts the only time I eat them is if I have no time for anything else. But today I had a boiled egg and english muffin w/ peanut butter and some orange juice and was full all the way up until lunch. Then I had my sandwhich and carrots and cucumber and was full until the meeting where I got pizza for supper which I know isn't the best but I was still under. Worked out a bit and now I'm eating some mac 'n cheese (which is surprising high in protein) and then i'll be at my calorie goal and hopefully stay full. Thank you all so much.
  • mssierra2u
    mssierra2u Posts: 86 Member
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    One of my tools is fiber choice tablets. They really help me when I'm having one of those ravenous days.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    As long as you're under your calorie goal, pizza is fine, especially if you had nutritious food with other meals. I find that when I'm dieting, treating myself to favorite foods, while staying within my calorie goal, helps a lot. :drinker:

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