Hungry ALL the time while eating recommended calories

p_s1984
p_s1984 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 11 pounds so far, but I find that I am hungry most of the day even though I eat throughout the day. I tell my friends if I am not eating, I am thinking of food or looking at pictures of food. Is this normal? I am eating my recommended 1,200 calories and I am eating within my fat/carb/protein recommendation. Please tell me if I am doing something wrong or if this is normal :) I should add I try to work out 3-4 times a week and I try not to eat back my workout calories for the day and if I do I only try to eat back half. And I DO NOT use the MFP fitness calorie count, I go with my elliptical and treadmill says.

Replies

  • Frau112
    Frau112 Posts: 3
    1200 is enough for a child, not enough for an adult who also exercises. eat more, you'll be less hungry and providing your body with sufficient nutrients/energy
  • xLittleMissVixenx
    xLittleMissVixenx Posts: 62
    I started on 1200 calories, managed for a couple of weeks but longer than that I don't think it's sustainable for an adult female. A few weeks ago I upped my calories to 1370 and it's made all the difference, so if I were you I'd try and eat an extra 100-200 calories a day. You'll feel much better and still lose weight.
  • susie3g
    susie3g Posts: 267
    following...
  • writemusic4him
    writemusic4him Posts: 312 Member
    I have mine around 1400 a day and that has helped. They say protein & fiber help keep you fuller longer. And I have just happened to find certain things I eat that keep me fuller longer than others. Eggs for breakfast keep me fuller longer than a bowl of cereal. That kind of a thing.
  • nogoldilocs
    nogoldilocs Posts: 87 Member
    Can't see your food diary so I have no idea what you are eating but in addition to eating back all/most of your exercise calories, I would recommend looking at your protein and fat intake. Those are the areas where what you eat can make a difference in how satisfied you feel. Also if you are depriving yourself of certain foods, you may find yourself obsessing over/craving those. If you are willing to open your food diary, more answers may be found there.
  • p_s1984
    p_s1984 Posts: 30 Member
    I'll make my food diary public so that it can be seen. :) Thanks for the input. I am following the recommended calorie intake by MFP, but I am sure I need to intake more of something. I'm pretty sure you'll see I need to find more protein sources. I have thought about buying protein powder, but was not sure which one to buy or if it was necessary at this point. For fiber I try to eat veggies and I bought the really yummy Ezequiel bread. Also, I think I might need to lessen my fat intake ( yesterday I was having a craving soooo I had ice cream) Anyways, I really appreciate the input everyone :)
  • xythian
    xythian Posts: 4
    1200 calories is pretty much bare minimum for normal biological functions for a women. You should definitely consider bumping up calories even if that means slower weight loss. In the long run it'll pay off as you'll be more likely to stick with the diet and not binge out/quit.

    Also, you might try increasing your protein, fiber, and water intake. All of these can help you feel full longer.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I try not to eat back my workout calories for the day

    I'd start by eating back those exercise cals. That's the way MFP was designed - your daily goal has you a deficit before exercise - you could all 1200 (and probably more, as others have said, 1200 is bare minimum) every day, do zero exercise and you'll lose weight. Burning off more cals through exercise and then not eating them back leaves you with a cavernous deficit - no bueno. :noway: Not to mention it leaves you hungry, and eventually can lead to exhaustion, grouchiness, binge eating, and a complete burnout from exercise and eating right.

    Food is fuel! Can't push your body through tough workouts and then give it minimal fuel, and expect it to continue to perform.

    Can't see anything in your profile, so no clue how much you have to lose, but if you have less than 50lbs to lose, and you set your weekly loss goal to 2 lbs a week, go change it to 1/2 or 1 lb - you'll get a higher calorie goal, you'll still be in a calorie deficit and you'll lose weight, but at a much better and more sustainable rate.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Find the maximum number of calories at which you lose weight—not the minimum. Eat back more of your exercise calories or slow your goal.

    Use MFP's protein & fiber goals as a minimum. They'll keep you full longer. Eat "healthy" 80% of the time, and fit yummy, portion-controlled treats into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to bingeing.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • austinsneeze
    austinsneeze Posts: 220 Member
    I am too... and I've noticed I don't lose much weight if I'm not hungry :/
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
    This has been my reality too. But, I recently noticed that I was exceeding my sugars even when within my calories. I've been focussed on reducing my sugars and the hunger is WAY better. Although my previous breakfast was really healthy in some ways, when I replaced my whole grain english muffin, pb, and fruit with 2 poached eggs, veggies, and cheese, I could skip my morning snack and not be hungry. That was a BIG epiphany for me. So, maybe try to increase protein and cut down on sugar?

    Some good protein ideas: Nuts, cheese, eggs, pb, almond butter, and anything chickpeas - including hummous.

    More power to you!
  • mrslcoop
    mrslcoop Posts: 317 Member
    Good advice already said about upping your calories. You should also try upping your protein intake to 1 gram per pound of LBM (lean body mass) at a minimum. You can change the MFP setting yourself to better set your macro goals. Protein will keep you fuller longer and helps reduce the amount of LBM you lose when you lose weight. I eat (or try to... sometimes it's hard, especially on the weekends) 100 grams of protein/day. Feel free to look at my diary for protein ideas.
  • p_s1984
    p_s1984 Posts: 30 Member
    Wow. Funny thing is that I have been suspecting it was my protein intake that was affecting my "hunger pangs". I remember eating an Oikos Greek yogurt one morning ( 12 g of protein!) for breakfast and I did not feel like I was running on empty all morning. You guys are a wealth of knowledge. I will definitely be finding ways to increase my protein and decrease my sugar intake ;) And today I am trying to eat back all of my exercise calories :)
  • technospice
    technospice Posts: 12 Member
    I have been watching what I eat a long, long time and have found I cannot lose weight at anything more than a 1200 calorie diet regardless what I compose it of nor how much I work out. I don't know why, nor do I particularly care. In the words of Lewis Black, we are all beautiful #$%ing snowflakes." 1300-1800 calories and I will gain to and then plateau @ ~ 160 lbs, anything over that and I'll slowly gain weight to and then plateau at 170 lbs.

    The #1 thing you can do to kill cravings is fix your blood sugar fluctuations. Blood sugar is the thing that makes you crave delicious sugary things and kills your ability to focus on anything but food. I have a -really- bad time with cravings regularly. The only thing I've found that fixes that problem is to go on a very low carb diet for 3-5 days. Usually by day 2 or 3 I'm already starting to lose those donut cravings. After that you have to reintegrate carbs slowly to find your optimal number. The downside is if you splurge and go crazy for a few days you can throw yourself right back into those wild blood sugar fluctuations and then you're out of control again.

    I presume I must have a really slow metabolism or something. I'm just shy of diabetic (everyone in my family is), asthmatic (exercise induced as well), and have a very sedentary lifestyle (school, tech jobs). All of those are metabolism mutilators. In that kind of scenario, all I can do is kill the sugar/carbs.
  • p_s1984
    p_s1984 Posts: 30 Member
    I think I might be like you . I am at a 97 for my blood glucose level so I REALLY need to watch my sugar intake. I am hoping that eating more helps, if not, I am sticking to 1200 calories ( including my exercise calories). I overdid it today, but I always do on the weekends :/ I eat cottage doubles for breakfast and I am assuming the sugar is affecting my blood sugar in the morning and then I feel hungry for the rest of the day . Very interesting :)
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Wow. Funny thing is that I have been suspecting it was my protein intake that was affecting my "hunger pangs". I remember eating an Oikos Greek yogurt one morning ( 12 g of protein!) for breakfast and I did not feel like I was running on empty all morning. You guys are a wealth of knowledge. I will definitely be finding ways to increase my protein and decrease my sugar intake ;) And today I am trying to eat back all of my exercise calories :)
    Yay! I'm so glad you found something that helps you feel better.

    Everybody's different, and weight loss takes a whole lot of trial & error to find what works for you. You can't know the maximum number of calories at which you lose weight until you try. (And won't you be happy if it works?!)

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