Hunger pangs

I am planning my meals on a weekly basis, always have healthy snacks with me at work. I have no junk or bad carbs in the house to snack on. I do not eat meat, but am getting adequate protein according to my macros. I just had to have my dinner in 3 phases to spread it out so I'm not hungry at 8pm. I have done a complete about face with my food, I've never eaten this healthy in my life and I am hungry every 2 hours. I hope it's just a phase, because it's very hard to deal with. *** And to to poster who commented about chronic pain..I think I know what you are trying to say... I"ve had chronic back pain for 10 years, and I have learned to fight through it or get to a point where I barely notice it. I guess it may happen with this too, but it's a new feeling for me, I don't remember the last time I felt truly hungry before this. But I thought that a healthy diet shouldn't make you feel hungry.

Maybe try some tea with almond milk between meals? Also almonds just as a snack, a small handful....10 or so of them has helped me if I get in the situation where I feel this way. Like right before bed, if I end up with those hunger pains (rare, but it happens) almonds help. It's awful trying to sleep that way.

I am planning my meals on a weekly basis, always have healthy snacks with me at work. I have no junk or bad carbs in the house to snack on. I do not eat meat, but am getting adequate protein according to my macros. I just had to have my dinner in 3 phases to spread it out so I'm not hungry at 8pm. I have done a complete about face with my food, I've never eaten this healthy in my life and I am hungry every 2 hours. I hope it's just a phase, because it's very hard to deal with. *** And to to poster who commented about chronic pain..I think I know what you are trying to say... I"ve had chronic back pain for 10 years, and I have learned to fight through it or get to a point where I barely notice it. I guess it may happen with this too, but it's a new feeling for me, I don't remember the last time I felt truly hungry before this. But I thought that a healthy diet shouldn't make you feel hungry.

Maybe try some tea with almond milk between meals? Also almonds just as a snack, a small handful....10 or so of them has helped me if I get in the situation where I feel this way. Like right before bed, if I end up with those hunger pains (rare, but it happens) almonds help. It's awful trying to sleep that way.

Thanks for the advice. I have an intolerance to almonds though. I had some hazelnuts this morning which helped a bit. I have to watch myself with nuts since they are high in calories. I'm at goal for today and still hungry, had some raw veggies but that didn't help. I'm really hoping this will pass.

I feel your pain young lady. I am an emergency communications operator for a Level I Trauma Hospital in Kansas and we are connected to the emergency room. Nurse's celebrate EVERYTHING. Bonnie got pregnant---someone bake a cake, Judy got engaged----someone make a pot of chili, there's a blade of grass growing in the parking lot---SOMEONE GRILL A BUFFALO!!! I deal with this kind of stuff at least once a week.
WATER WATER WATER is your best friend. Also keep some good snacks around. I love having cups of sugar-free Jello and sugar-free pudding in the fridge and plenty of fruit. You can do this. Just keep your eye on the prize and keep pushing. U CAN DO THIS!!!

My tip is a little bit counter-culture for MFP. I suggest you consider not exercising during the first month or two of a weight loss program, just diet and be a couch potato. Yes, exercising can help retain a bit more lean mass and burn some extra calories, but study after study shows that exercise really intensifies hunger to the point that many people cannot lose weight by exercise alone or will even gain weight due the increased hunger. Moreover, that tendency to maintain or increase meal size with exercise means your stomach's stretch receptor's and associated hunger feedback system (leptin etc) do not readjust to accept smaller portions as satiating. I suspect this stomach retraining process may be particularly defeated when someone starts their weight loss program right off with intensive exercise and follows the 'eat back your calories' strategy that is heavily promoted on MFC.

It's not that I don't think that exercise and eating back calories should come into play at some point in a weight loss program, but my own experience and readings suggest they might best come into play AFTER a person gets some control on portion sizing and acclimates a bit to just having a daily calorie deficit. In my case that strategy worked amazingly and drastically reduced the early diet pangs. After a couple months I started in with some low intensity exercise and have been ramping it up with some eating back of calories in the form of in-between-meal snacks. That is simply because my stomach is now retrained to smaller portions and it would not be good to undo that. As it turns out it is now actually uncomfortable if I do try to eat amounts in one sitting that used to be common for me. I almost never feel a desire to go back for seconds. I consider that a big success for my ability to maintain my weight loss.

Interestingly, my wife and I started our diets at the same time and she started right in with the exercise and eating back calories because she liked not having to reduce portions or daily intake as much. I was initially overloaded at work and didn't have time for the gym and so I just dieted to the same total calorie deficit goal as her. As it now stands I have been able to maintain my diet and she has ended up starting and stopping repeatedly. I have lost about 4 times what she has and it is now a family joke that it's not fair to compare her to me because I don't need food anymore. Obviously I do, but just much less in a given sitting and I attribute this to holding off on the hunger-intensifying effects of exercise early on to allow my hunger satiation system a chance to reset.

My tip is a little bit counter-culture for MFP. I suggest you consider not exercising during the first month or two of a weight loss program, just diet and be a couch potato. Yes, exercising can help retain a bit more lean mass and burn some extra calories, but study after study shows that exercise really intensifies hunger to the point that many people cannot lose weight by exercise alone or will even gain weight due the increased hunger. Moreover, that tendency to maintain or increase meal size with exercise means your stomach's stretch receptor's and associated hunger feedback system (leptin etc) do not readjust to accept smaller portions as satiating. I suspect this stomach retraining process may be particularly defeated when someone starts their weight loss program right off with intensive exercise and follows the 'eat back your calories' strategy that is heavily promoted on MFC.

It's not that I don't think that exercise and eating back calories should come into play at some point in a weight loss program, but my own experience and readings suggest they might best come into play AFTER a person gets some control on portion sizing and acclimates a bit to just having a daily calorie deficit. In my case that strategy worked amazingly and drastically reduced the early diet pangs. After a couple months I started in with some low intensity exercise and have been ramping it up with some eating back of calories in the form of in-between-meal snacks. That is simply because my stomach is now retrained to smaller portions and it would not be good to undo that. As it turns out it is now actually uncomfortable if I do try to eat amounts in one sitting that used to be common for me. I almost never feel a desire to go back for seconds. I consider that a big success for my ability to maintain my weight loss.

Interestingly, my wife and I started our diets at the same time and she started right in with the exercise and eating back calories because she liked not having to reduce portions or daily intake as much. I was initially overloaded at work and didn't have time for the gym and so I just dieted to the same total calorie deficit goal as her. As it now stands I have been able to maintain my diet and she has ended up starting and stopping repeatedly. I have lost about 4 times what she has and it is now a family joke that it's not fair to compare her to me because I don't need food anymore. Obviously I do, but just much less in a given sitting and I attribute this to holding off on the hunger-intensifying effects of exercise early on to allow my hunger satiation system a chance to reset.

I looked back at your food diary (for the 2 days logged) and noticed 2 things.

First of all, you are choosing calorie dense things for foods you do eat. Try shifting to foods with fewer calories. Fruits and vegetables are a good start (if you can't steam them, maybe eat them raw with a bit of ranch dip or something). Soups are a great option, just be aware of the sodium if you go with the canned ones instead of making your own. Try oatmeal or cracked wheat for breakfast, or even cold cereal with skim milk or almond milk (watch the serving size). Fruit, yogurt or cottage cheese, and a protein (eggs, meat, beans, etc) make a filling lunch for not too many calories. Avoid drinking your calories - go for water instead. A few small changes at a time can help you create an eating habit that will keep you satisfied while staying within a reasonable calorie limit.

The other thing I notice is that you are way under calories. It looks like you are trying to stay at the 1400, but you are doing some significant exercise. I would suggest allowing yourself to eat back some of those exercise calories (probably not all, since MFP tends to over-estimate, but maybe half or even 1/3). MFP calculates a deficit BEFORE exercise, so when you work out, you are at a bigger deficit. You may think, 'great, I'll lose weight faster' … but as you can see, it leaves you feeling miserable and hungry. Faster isn't always better. Remember, food is fuel, and if you're doing a lot of activity, you need to fuel that.

Hope this helps :flowerforyou: