Always hungry

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ladyzerlina
ladyzerlina Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
I seem to be always hungry, no matter how much I eat- there was one day I even went 600cal over goal (pizza party, not typical) and I came home still hungry.I tried eating some spinach pasta the last couple of days hoping that would be more filling, but in half an hour I was hungry again. This morning I made an egg white scramble, got to work and was already hungry. I bought an egg white wrap from Starbucks, and guess what...I still feel incredibly hungry. Doesn't seem to be a protein problem since both those things had eggs and cheese.

For context, I am 5'3", fluctuate between 110-114lbs, and am a pescetarian. MFP tells me to net about 1200 calories a day, but I upped it to net 1309 because a lot of calculators were saying that 1200 is below my BMR ( and I found if I net over 1309 I seem to gain weight). I've stayed at the same weight for several months now, not losing or gaining.

My workouts are not too crazy- on gym days they consist of stationary rowing, and strength training. I also dance about five times a week (hip hop, ballet, ballet strength training (cardio and strength endurance drills), barre, jazz, and house). According to MFP dance doesn't seem to burn very much so it shouldn't be too draining. I even try to be a bit generous since there's some standing around in class (if it's a 1.5 hour class, I log 1.25). I carry a water bottle around and drink from it religiously.

Any advice?

Replies

  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    You're eating a very low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, and could also use more protein. Add more healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, butter) to your veggies, and cut way back on the pasta and cereal. Full-fat cheese and yogurt instead of fat-free or reduced-fat. Whole eggs, not just the whites.

    ETA: Just saw your edit. More fatty fish, too.
  • ladyzerlina
    ladyzerlina Posts: 24
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    Thanks...I suppose I could use more fat in my diet, but I don't have a high-carb diet. I'm eating high-carb right now because I'm house sitting at my parents' so I don't have as much access to the things I normally eat (no car, and they're in the suburbs, so I'm stuck with whatever's in the fridge). I don't even keep cereal or bread in my apartment at all, and usually only eat 1cup of rice per day for carbs (excluding frujit). When I'm actually at home my diet hits the macros pretty well, but I still have the same problem.
  • Docpremie
    Docpremie Posts: 228 Member
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    Eat more protein! You're quite small (i.e slender), so you could have a lower protein goal then most women, but would still shoot for at least 80-90 grams/day. MFP is notorious for setting a very low protein goal. Protein fills you & up & keeps you full! More fats too!
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    You may not "usually" eat high-carb, but right now you are...and you're always hungry. Is the hunger a problem when you're at your own home?

    Your macros are set at 55/30/15, but sampling random days in January, it looks like you're eating 60/25/15. Three hundred grams of carbs one day, with 40% of it coming from five Kashi bars--that's high by anyone's standards, unless you run marathons or ride centuries.

    Fat will help you absorb the vitamins from the veggies. Trading out some of the grains for fat and protein should help with satiety and keeping muscle. Maybe try setting your macros at 50/30/20 or 40/30/30, once you're done house-sitting.
  • ciki90
    ciki90 Posts: 51 Member
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    How much more weight are you trying to lose? At 5'3 and ~110-114lbs you're at a healthy weight. Losing 5lbs or more would put you in the underweight category. If you are unhappy with the way your body looks, it is probably not because you need to lose weight. I suggest that you try to up your calories and lift weights so that you can gain muscle to improve overall body composition. When increasing your calories you should focus on getting 1g protein per lb of LEAN body mass, and .4g of fat per lb of body weight. Also make sure to include plenty of fiber, and drink plenty of water.
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    When increasing your calories you should focus on getting 1g protein per lb of LEAN body mass, and .4g of fat per lb of body weight.

    I've heard the various protein recommendations, but not the 0.4g of fat per lb. Where did you find that?
  • ladyzerlina
    ladyzerlina Posts: 24
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    Yes that was a specific day that I bought some kashi bars, and I think that's happened once or twice, but it's not my usual diet, just when I'm incredibly broke and they're on sale, since it means I can feed myself for $3. I decided not to buy them anymore, though, and get bags of apples or things instead. I do still have the problem at home, even when my protein levels are very high and my carbs are low. I've noticed actually when I don't eat up to 55% carbs it's even worse. Going to try changing my macros tomorrow and see if that works...I've tried it once before and it actually made the problem worse. Any suggestions for fat sources that aren't so calorie dense? I just find if I'm low on fats for the day, my go-to is to eat 15g of peanut butter, but this packs 100 calories and is not that filling. I've thought of eating more salmon, but I find that's so dense, too, that I can't eat much else for the rest of the day.

    Ciki90, I do do strength training already (I use the row machine at maximum resistance, and also lift in my ballet strength training classes (small weights, but held for a long time, with lots of motion to the point where our muscles feel like they're dying), as well as the occasional body pump (going to start going more once I am less busy because I miss barbell stuff). To be clear, as well, most hiphop and jazz classes include push-ups, planks, and different kinds of floor ab exercises. I don't want to lose too much weight, and I think saying I don't like the way my body looks is inaccurate, but I work in the entertainment industry, so unfortunately I need to maintain a fairly low BMI to continue working. Any suggestions on other strength training exercises I can incorporate?


    EDIT: Just changed carbs to 50%, and also dropped sodium by 500mg to see if that helps.

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