Help bearing the hunger.
Dewymorning
Posts: 762 Member
Hello good people of MFP.
I need some helpful advice about hunger.
I usually eat around 1800 calories a day (at least on weekdays), and with my exercise routine this has resulted in slow weight loss.
I have been very happy on this amount of calories and have a pretty regular meal plan for my weekdays.
On Sunday I entered a 6.5km run/walk.
I ate a bigger breakfast then normal, and then after I finished they gave us a banana, and on my way home I ate a muesli bar.
When I got home I just ate all the food in sight.
Tried to eat a small dinner, but got hungry afterwards, and so ate fruit and cheese.
I estimate that I ate 2,100 calories, but I could be underestimating.
Monday I ate my normal breakfast, but I still felt hungry. I bought and ate a cookie on the way to work, but managed to eat under 1800 calories for the whole day.
Tuesday, I did not get hungry quite as soon, but I ended up eating the chocolate bar I usually save for the afternoon in the morning. Still managed to stay under 1800 calories.
Today, again felt hungry before lunch, so ate a chocolate yoghurt, went to the gym before eating lunch, was unable to keep up my intensity I usually do, ate lunch. Towards the end of the day I started feeling really hungry, and I just couldn't keep going until I walked home, so I popped into McDonalds and ate 1,000 calories.
I have eaten 2,200 calories, which should be just under maintanence for me.
I just can't bear this hunger all the time. How I am eating used to be fine for me.
I have been drinking lots of water.
My diary is only open to friends, but if you are nice I might add you as a friend. :P
If you have any questions feel free to ask them.
I just want to know what I should do to curb this hunger without too huge a detriment to my weight loss goals.
Thanks for reading.
I need some helpful advice about hunger.
I usually eat around 1800 calories a day (at least on weekdays), and with my exercise routine this has resulted in slow weight loss.
I have been very happy on this amount of calories and have a pretty regular meal plan for my weekdays.
On Sunday I entered a 6.5km run/walk.
I ate a bigger breakfast then normal, and then after I finished they gave us a banana, and on my way home I ate a muesli bar.
When I got home I just ate all the food in sight.
Tried to eat a small dinner, but got hungry afterwards, and so ate fruit and cheese.
I estimate that I ate 2,100 calories, but I could be underestimating.
Monday I ate my normal breakfast, but I still felt hungry. I bought and ate a cookie on the way to work, but managed to eat under 1800 calories for the whole day.
Tuesday, I did not get hungry quite as soon, but I ended up eating the chocolate bar I usually save for the afternoon in the morning. Still managed to stay under 1800 calories.
Today, again felt hungry before lunch, so ate a chocolate yoghurt, went to the gym before eating lunch, was unable to keep up my intensity I usually do, ate lunch. Towards the end of the day I started feeling really hungry, and I just couldn't keep going until I walked home, so I popped into McDonalds and ate 1,000 calories.
I have eaten 2,200 calories, which should be just under maintanence for me.
I just can't bear this hunger all the time. How I am eating used to be fine for me.
I have been drinking lots of water.
My diary is only open to friends, but if you are nice I might add you as a friend. :P
If you have any questions feel free to ask them.
I just want to know what I should do to curb this hunger without too huge a detriment to my weight loss goals.
Thanks for reading.
0
Replies
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Also, advice on what to do next time I have a big event like I had on Sunday is also welcome.0
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eating shortly after a run is helpful. There have been studies that show chocolate milk is great for recovery. Let yourself eat at maintenance after a race-for a few days until that nagging hunger goes away then back to limiting your calories.0
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I'm interested in hearing what people say... i am in the same boat!!0
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I'm in a similar boat with being lie "EAT ALL THE FUDS" after a big workout.
Have you tried limiting your sugar? When I go on big ice climbing trips and eat really sugary things (Chocolate protein bars, larabars, gummies) I get sugar cravings allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll week. I just crave sugar all the time and then I try eating other things to satisfy it but just end up eating too much.
So fill up on a big protein meal before your race on the weekends and then try to skip any gels or whatever runners eat.
Also, try making yourself eat a salad before a meal, I find that I think I'm hungry, then when I'm like "ok, if you're so hungry, eat a salad" then me is like "But I don't want salad" then I think "ok, if you don't a salad then you aren't hungry". Pack spinach AND a chocolate bar. Tell yourself you have to eat the spinach before you can have the chocolate. That might help.0 -
eating more fiber and protein in your meals and limiting sugars, fats and carbs will help you feel full longer. it is hard to give more detailed advice without really knowing what you eat but after a workout. plan for some protein and fiber lunch and an apple. beware of protein bars and stuff the are packed with sugars and carbs so that will not really do the trick. my diary is open. I eat alot0
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Definitely do not want to change eating habits long term. Sounds like you have countered it fairly well. The 6.5K may have stimulated your appetite a bit, and yes, that day you should have eaten a bit more. Keep your exercise level up and make sure you are getting good protein intake especially in the AM. Studies seem to show that protein intake early in the day helps stave off hunger.0
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First off, good for you to take on a 6.5k run. That's impressive! Don't feel bad for losing control after such a huge physical exertion. It sounds to me like those little "nibbles" opened up the flood gates. When you feel hungry, it's your body telling you something...so don't ignore the signals. I'm new to all this but I've discovered that eating every 2-3 hours is what keeps me from feeling deprived and hungry. Also, find foods that fill you up. For me, it's homemade soups, salads with a bit of cheese or real bacon (gives me that much-needed fat fix), air-popped popcorn, veggie sticks with low-fat/low-cal dip, etc. Any one of those work well for me as one of my mini-meals.0
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Do you think it might be a good idea to eat at maintanence for a couple of days and then slowly cut down until I am back to my 1800 calories a day?0
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Eating carbs will give you an insulin spike. Your body will shortly after want more carbs, the cycle goes on. Eat more protein, have a protein drink after the run and reduce the carbs. I am allowed 1900 calories per day to loose and I train six days per week. I eat an average of 70g of carbs per day and function perfectly and am not hungry; some days I find it hard to fit in all the food.
http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/18362/eating-make-hungry/0 -
Well done on the run.
From a quick read through - I would suggest that instead of the sugary snacks - aim for something protein based instead.
As has been mentioned already, the sugar spikes insulin levels, which then crash - making you feel hungry quite dramatically.
Post run a banana is fine. But when you get home try and eat some eggs or greek yogurt - something with protein in.
I run a few times a week - about the same distance you did - and actually find that I don't want to eat straight after. So I make up a protein shake (with water) and gulp that down when I get home. It supplies my muscles with protein, without making me want to puke
Once you cut back on the sugar you will find that your appetite should get back to normal levels.0 -
Same happened to me when I increased my kms dramatically, then adjusted back to normal appetite levels.
Increase your protein up, eat more after you exercise (I run then eat my lunch..), add oats for low GI breakfast.
On days you do more km ie a long run day eat more- underdoing it on a long run day bites me on the bum for the following 2 days..0 -
+1 for protein.
I find scrambled eggs (no butter) or 0% fat greek yoghurt with a banana chopped up a great filler snack within 15 mins of finishing exercise.
Nothing new in this idea but I found it v helpful - soups. Of course, tastes vary a lot but I am a hungry and very active fella and I find this one fills me up for HOURS.http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/333614/red-lentil-chickpea-and-chilli-soup0 -
Up your protein, and maybe try and reduce your sugar............... I SOOOOO NEED TO DO THIS TOO!!!0
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There is nothing wrong with this, body likes to overact from time to time. I keep my calorie range pretty wide (1200-maintenance) and on "hungry days" I just eat maintenance until my hormones are stable again. For me it usually ranges between a day and a week. If you are not trying to keep your weight at a certain level for competition purposes, it's safe to overindulge every once in a while.
My usual strategies on hungry days to avoid going over maintenance:
1- Soup, LOTS of it. Broth based vegetable soup is usually very low cal for huge amounts (go for blended, it keeps longer in your stomach)
2- Oatmeal
3- Apples
4- Lean protein
5- Unshelled low quality (read: mostly empty or with a big shell to kernel ratio) sunflower or pumpkin seeds - you could spend over an hour eating what would amount to 1/4 cup kernels.
6- If all fails, egg whites - I have a mild allergy to egg whites, so they give me a bit of an upset stomach. Not enough to make me sick but enough to make me not want to eat anything for a few hours.0 -
If you are hungry after a training session, its your body telling you something.
A few things to note:
The hierarchy of glucose priority is the following:
The brain
The liver
Then insulin with the help of mTOR will decide what tissues get the remainder--->muscle or fat.
If you are completing a training session, chances are you've depleted the glycogen in your system and its crying out for fuel.
This is the perfect time to spike carbs with healthy proteins.
The health and fitness world calls this bracketing.
Preworkout you have a small carb/protein meal.
Post workout you can have apps 60g (some people do well with 100g) carbs with protein.
Dinner is well balanced.
Keep in mind also that if you are hydrating correctly, every gram of carb will carry 2-4g water with it into the muscle.
Those feelings of hunger, don't ignore them!
Also it's my experience as a trainer that eating at or above calculated TDEE on training days shows better results than eating below on a fat loss diet plan.There is nothing wrong with this, body likes to overact from time to time. I keep my calorie range pretty wide (1200-maintenance) and on "hungry days" I just eat maintenance until my hormones are stable again. For me it usually ranges between a day and a week. If you are not trying to keep your weight at a certain level for competition purposes, it's safe to overindulge every once in a while.
My usual strategies on hungry days to avoid going over maintenance:
1- Soup, LOTS of it. It's usually very low cal for huge amounts (go for blended, it keeps longer in your stomach)
2- Oatmeal
3- Apples
4- Lean protein
5- Unshelled low quality (read: mostly empty or with a big shell to kernel ratio) sunflower or pumpkin seeds - you could spend over an hour eating what would amount to 1/4 cup kernels.
6- If all fails, egg whites - I have a mild allergy to egg whites, so they give me a bit of an upset stomach. Not enough to make me sick but enough to make me not want to eat anything for a few hours.
Following this advice will have you losing muscle mass in no time.
Soups are mostly salt licks.
Oatmeal is great.
apples are okay depending on your goal.
Lean protein yes yes yes.
Low quality nuts and seeds?????????????
amusedmonkey, swap out the soup for a salad (homemade)
Swap out the low quality nuts for organic walnuts or almonds for their MUFA content.
The Walnut IMO should be a medicinal food because of its benefits.
Full eggs! Nothing wrong with the good cholesterol and fat found in full eggs.
hope that helps.0 -
amusedmonkey, swap out the soup for a salad (homemade)
Swap out the low quality nuts for organic walnuts or almonds for their MUFA content.
The Walnut IMO should be a medicinal food because of its benefits.
Full eggs! Nothing wrong with the good cholesterol and fat found in full eggs.
hope that helps.
I was sharing my experience. I usually make a big pot of soup for my hungry days. Home made of course. It's basically like eating vegetables + drinking lots of water except when they're blended the water lasts longer in the stomach giving the veggies more volume. My muscle mass hasn't suffered in any way.
As for the organic nuts, I respect your views on organic produce, but I have my own. I was simply sharing what has been working for me. It' easy to find organically grown seeds with a high shell to kernel ration if that's a concern. When you are trying to stop feeling hungry a handful of walnuts looks like a tiny amount for the calories. A few seconds and they're gone. During normal days when your hunger levels are fine, of course nuts are some of the best quick snacks.
Again, since I was sharing a personal experience, I have nothing against whole eggs. I simply mentioned egg whites because eating them on their own makes me slightly uncomfortable. A word of caution, though. I'm in no way advocating killing yourself or making yourself sick with food you are allergic to.0 -
See you are missing the point.
You write as if food is simply volume.
I see food a nutrients, amino acids, individual macronutrients...
For instance you could eat 4 apples ingesting 30-40g fructose and be hungry an hour later.
Or
You could eat 1/4 cup walnuts getting...
113% omega Fatty acids
53% copper
51% manganese
19% biotin
Anyway....
The body sends out hunger hormones when 1) energy balance is too low or 2) nutrients are too low.
Being full on volume is different than having proper nutrition and not being hungry.
People eat napkins to not be hungry but its not very healthy.0 -
Love this! Will have to try it!Also, try making yourself eat a salad before a meal, I find that I think I'm hungry, then when I'm like "ok, if you're so hungry, eat a salad" then me is like "But I don't want salad" then I think "ok, if you don't a salad then you aren't hungry". Pack spinach AND a chocolate bar. Tell yourself you have to eat the spinach before you can have the chocolate. That might help.0 -
Do you think it might be a good idea to eat at maintanence for a couple of days and then slowly cut down until I am back to my 1800 calories a day?
This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Listen to your body. If you're truly hungry, you need to eat something. Just make good choices.
Trying to withstand hunger is a recipe for failure. Hunger is a survival drive in humans. You will be miserable if you try to ignore it. You gotta work with it, not against it. Eat at maintenance for a couple of days, than at maintenance-100 for a day, then m-200 and so on, til you're happy again at 1800. Good luck!0 -
If you are hungry after a training session, its your body telling you something.
A few things to note:
The hierarchy of glucose priority is the following:
The brain
The liver
Then insulin with the help of mTOR will decide what tissues get the remainder--->muscle or fat.
If you are completing a training session, chances are you've depleted the glycogen in your system and its crying out for fuel.
This is the perfect time to spike carbs with healthy proteins.
The health and fitness world calls this bracketing.
Preworkout you have a small carb/protein meal.
Post workout you can have apps 60g (some people do well with 100g) carbs with protein.
Dinner is well balanced.
Keep in mind also that if you are hydrating correctly, every gram of carb will carry 2-4g water with it into the muscle.
Those feelings of hunger, don't ignore them!
Also it's my experience as a trainer that eating at or above calculated TDEE on training days shows better results than eating below on a fat loss diet plan.There is nothing wrong with this, body likes to overact from time to time. I keep my calorie range pretty wide (1200-maintenance) and on "hungry days" I just eat maintenance until my hormones are stable again. For me it usually ranges between a day and a week. If you are not trying to keep your weight at a certain level for competition purposes, it's safe to overindulge every once in a while.
My usual strategies on hungry days to avoid going over maintenance:
1- Soup, LOTS of it. It's usually very low cal for huge amounts (go for blended, it keeps longer in your stomach)
2- Oatmeal
3- Apples
4- Lean protein
5- Unshelled low quality (read: mostly empty or with a big shell to kernel ratio) sunflower or pumpkin seeds - you could spend over an hour eating what would amount to 1/4 cup kernels.
6- If all fails, egg whites - I have a mild allergy to egg whites, so they give me a bit of an upset stomach. Not enough to make me sick but enough to make me not want to eat anything for a few hours.
Following this advice will have you losing muscle mass in no time.
Soups are mostly salt licks.
Oatmeal is great.
apples are okay depending on your goal.
Lean protein yes yes yes.
Low quality nuts and seeds?????????????
amusedmonkey, swap out the soup for a salad (homemade)
Swap out the low quality nuts for organic walnuts or almonds for their MUFA content.
The Walnut IMO should be a medicinal food because of its benefits.
Full eggs! Nothing wrong with the good cholesterol and fat found in full eggs.
hope that helps.
Thank you, this sounds like sound advice.
An update: I decided to plan to eat at my TDEE today and I have had no problem with feeling hungry. Yay, my sanity is back.
Will do the same tomorrow and then slowly cut down my calories until I am back where I wanted to be.
Also, even after eating McD yesterday this morning's weight was my lowest it has been since I started tracking my weight.0 -
Do you think it might be a good idea to eat at maintanence for a couple of days and then slowly cut down until I am back to my 1800 calories a day?
This is exactly what I was going to suggest. Listen to your body. If you're truly hungry, you need to eat something. Just make good choices.
Trying to withstand hunger is a recipe for failure. Hunger is a survival drive in humans. You will be miserable if you try to ignore it. You gotta work with it, not against it. Eat at maintenance for a couple of days, than at maintenance-100 for a day, then m-200 and so on, til you're happy again at 1800. Good luck!
Thanks, and yeah, it was intense huger too, hence why I was diving for the closest food I could find. I think planning to eat more for a couple of days will lead me to make healthier choices, instead of fueling up with on sugar. Not that sugar is all bad, it is rather delicious.
Today I ate a sandwich with chicken, avocado, lettuce and pineapple for lunch. Nom nom nom, and no hunger as I walked home from work. Just starting to feel hungry again now, so will eat the leftovers I was going to eat yesterday now.0 -
When I first started MFP. I was hungry most of the time too. Drinking 2 large glasses of water about 20 - 30 minutes before eating, seemed to help make me feel full. I've been in maintenance for about a year and a half, and I still do this. I don't know if it's psychological or not, but it works for me. It certainly won't hurt to try it.0
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