Why am I always so hungry?

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Ok, I've been using MFP for about 9 months now. I've lost a decent amount of weight and I'm actually pretty happy with maintaining, I set my goal accordingly. I run most days of the week, and most always eat back my calories which I'm ok with. But I'm always soo incredibly hungry. I try to eat when I'm actually hungry and do have some off days when I eat a few candy bars instead of a good lunch but I don't understand why? Has anyone else had this problem? I work at a register about 4 hours a day and sit in my office for another 4. I understand on the days where I go for a decent length run that I may eat 3000 calories a day, and again I'm ok as long as I'm using them up but what about the days I don't run? If I still feel starving all the time I'll still eat 3000 calories. I'm a vegetarian but still eat pretty healthy, am I doing something wrong? Any insight on this would be appreciated!
My food diary is open to criticism, lol
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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    My first guess is not enough protein, but your diary is closed. I can't be much more helpful though... what fills me up is pretty much things you don't eat.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Your meals look okay but your snacks are fairly sugar and carb heavy. Try having more protein and a little more fat and cut the sugars a bit. I stopped eating sugary or sweet cereals for breakfast because I am hungry by 10am. I usually have an egg on a flat bread with tomato or spinach or cottage cheese with fresh fruit.
  • tegalicious
    tegalicious Posts: 629
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    I am the same way. I have always been that way my whole life. How much water do you drink? I just try to fill in the gaps with water. Especially when I have already had a huge meal but I am still hungry. I just drink water and say to myself that I am full. You could look into using TDEE instead of the mfp way. That way you would have the same amount of calories every day because you workout calorie burns are spread out over the week. iifym.com is a good website and also you could check out the Eat, Train, Progress group and the Eat More to Weigh Less group for more info on TDEE.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Ok, I've been using MFP for about 9 months now. I've lost a decent amount of weight and I'm actually pretty happy with maintaining, I set my goal accordingly. I run most days of the week, and most always eat back my calories which I'm ok with. But I'm always soo incredibly hungry. I try to eat when I'm actually hungry and do have some off days when I eat a few candy bars instead of a good lunch but I don't understand why?

    Sugar and carbs. While your log has some odd numbers in it - 300 grams of sugar in a day ? - your carb heavy diet will see your blood sugar swing high then low which gives the hunger.
  • venus_blue
    venus_blue Posts: 103 Member
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    Looks like you are eating a lot of carb/sugar heavy foods. That can cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash, which leaves you feeling hungry. Protein and fat give you a feeling of satiety and fullness for longer. Try adding more protein and some healthy fats to your snacks and meals as someone else suggested. Nut buttesr and avocado are good for healthy fats and some protein. This can help you cut back on the carbs naturally. Try to get a bit more fiber if you can, it will help with helping to keep you from feeling as hungry, too.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    Ok, I've been using MFP for about 9 months now. I've lost a decent amount of weight and I'm actually pretty happy with maintaining, I set my goal accordingly. I run most days of the week, and most always eat back my calories which I'm ok with. But I'm always soo incredibly hungry. I try to eat when I'm actually hungry and do have some off days when I eat a few candy bars instead of a good lunch but I don't understand why? Has anyone else had this problem? I work at a register about 4 hours a day and sit in my office for another 4. I understand on the days where I go for a decent length run that I may eat 3000 calories a day, and again I'm ok as long as I'm using them up but what about the days I don't run? If I still feel starving all the time I'll still eat 3000 calories. I'm a vegetarian but still eat pretty healthy, am I doing something wrong? Any insight on this would be appreciated!
    My food diary is open to criticism, lol

    I m not surprised that you are hungry and wonder if you are still losing and how much water you are retaining . You eat too much processed sweets, mostly consisting of cereal or flour ( Cocoa Crispies bars, Nut Clusters , pizza etc ),, snack & chocolate bars. Yesterday you ate 1100 of them and the day before 1500 and that is more or less how you eat in general. And while salt is no longer the evil we thought it was, eating as much as 5000 mg over what you should has definitely an influence on how your body works..
    During the last week you had only one day when you were within your calories, but on other days you went over by as much as 500-over 2000 calories without eating anything that could remotely be called " a meal " ( good protein, more vegetables, a variety of foods in general ).
    Eating more than you should for weight loss is of course your decision, but eating so much nutritionally poor food like cereal and sugar....is not good to keep your hunger in check and for any kind of serious exercise, which btw you don't seem to log.
    I am not advocating that you eat clean, but to not be hungry while eating all those calories you need to up your protein, or at least eat at the levels you chose ( you are usually under....sometimes by as much as 70% ) and also ingest more beneficial fat.
    I am willing to bet that that will make a big difference.
  • cinnabear22
    cinnabear22 Posts: 32 Member
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    I've noticed most days MFP says I need as much as 120 grams of protein a day, which seems like a lot to me. I eat lots of Greek yogurt and veggie burgers which are both high in protein. I don't seem to ever seem to meet that goal. I know when I run I need more protein but that seems like an unobtainable Goal. I guess I should work on that. Most of the time I eat "ok" during the day and my snacks are me not being able to go to sleep because my tummy is rumbling, I even wake up in the middle of the night hungry. I try to tell myself it's all in my head but after I stay awake for an hour feeling hungry I just go eat a bowl of cereal. I have been logging all my runs, and some nutrients I'm always low on, fat and cholesterol, others like fiber, iron, and calcium I'm always over on.
    I will try some of the vegetarian forums and also looking up my tdee? Thank you all for your responses, it definitely gives me something to think about!
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    I've noticed most days MFP says I need as much as 120 grams of protein a day, which seems like a lot to me. I eat lots of Greek yogurt and veggie burgers which are both high in protein. I don't seem to ever seem to meet that goal. I know when I run I need more protein but that seems like an unobtainable Goal. I guess I should work on that. Most of the time I eat "ok" during the day and my snacks are me not being able to go to sleep because my tummy is rumbling, I even wake up in the middle of the night hungry. I try to tell myself it's all in my head but after I stay awake for an hour feeling hungry I just go eat a bowl of cereal. I have been logging all my runs, and some nutrients I'm always low on, fat and cholesterol, others like fiber, iron, and calcium I'm always over on.
    I will try some of the vegetarian forums and also looking up my tdee? Thank you all for your responses, it definitely gives me something to think about!
    Most folks find that MFP's baseline protein recommendations are pretty low, compared to typical recommendations from other sources. Also, note that fat content in food is strongly associated with its satiety, so that being 'always low on' fat is probably a direct cause for why you're feeling hungry.
  • FailVibe
    FailVibe Posts: 9
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    IGNORE EVERYONE WHO SAYS YOU EAT THE WRONG THINGS OR EAT TO MUCH AND LISTEN UP:
    Congratulations, you're one of the few people in the world with a proper working metabolism!


    Don't fear the food. If you're not gaining weight while eating the amount you do now, then there's no reason for you to be afraid of eating a little more.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    I don't know about eating 3000 calories and still being hungry, but if you wake up hungry at night feel free to grab a snack or eat before bed or whatever. No need to tell yourself that hunger is in your mind. If you're hungry, eat! But I do agree you need to work on finding foods that are more satisfying for you. It can be a very personal journey. A lot of things people say should make me satisfied don't always work. For example , for breakfast some have Greek yogurt, etc, but generally speaking if I have any liquidy foods for breakfast my tummy is grumbling within an hour. Sausage and eggs on the other hand, I'm good for three. In fact I had to stop buying Greek yogurt and some other foods altogether because while they were an excellent source of X nutrient, they just couldn't keep me satisfied for long, so I have to classify them as a treat and only get them when I want one.

    It can be WORK to figure out good nutrition and also what keeps you satisfied longer. But being the lean mean athlete that you are, I know you can do it. Good luck!!
  • cinnabear22
    cinnabear22 Posts: 32 Member
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    Lol, no I'm not gaining weight. I've been maintaining for at least a few months which is what I want, I'm just worried about eating so much. Obviously my weight, measurements are the same but I'm a little worried about gaining again. If I'm doing something wrong, I was just trying to understand it. Puerile at work make Finn of me for eating so much, settings how I used to be 200+ pounds, I'm still self conscious about it. I did look at my sodium intake which is VERY high, I didn't realize foods had so much Sodium in them.. That's one thing I haven't looked at. Thank you for your kind words! :)
  • cinnabear22
    cinnabear22 Posts: 32 Member
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    Also, I take multi vitamins daily and drink about 4 gallons of water a day. (seriously) I'm like a never ending put when it comes to water.
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
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    IGNORE EVERYONE WHO SAYS YOU EAT THE WRONG THINGS OR EAT TO MUCH AND LISTEN UP:
    Congratulations, you're one of the few people in the world with a proper working metabolism!


    Don't fear the food. If you're not gaining weight while eating the amount you do now, then there's no reason for you to be afraid of eating a little more.
    IGNORE THIS PERSON WHO THINKS A GOOD METABOLISM MEANS YOU CAN FEED YOUR BODY GARBAGE.

    Since weight doesnt seem to be an issue for you I wouldnt be sooo concerned with your calories, but the food choices that you are making for your body are quite poor. This is the only body you will get, you need to feed it right.

    I'm a vegetarian and I get a healthy ammount of protein a day. I eat a looot of eggs, nut, quinoa, greek yogurt, beans, leafy greens, and soy. I eat verry little processed foods. Honestly, if it comes in a cardboard box, and you cant understand all the ingredients listed, then you shouldnt be feeding it to yourself.

    So I eat my basic 3 meals a day but slightly smaller portions and then I carry healthy snacks with me for the rest of my calories. Keeping pre portioned baggies of nuts, or mixed veggies, or a yogurt at your workplace will give you those snacks you need when you're feeling hungry and will help you be less tempted to eat the junk food. These days I cant eat a lot ot one time if I even tried, my stomach has just shrunk too much.

    Just say to yourself whenever youre about to eat something "will this do my body good?" and not be so concerned about calorie intake.
  • cinnabear22
    cinnabear22 Posts: 32 Member
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    I don't want to loose weight right now, but I delicately donwant to gain any. I just want to be the healthiest I can be, and somethings up if I'm always hungry. I just went grocery shopping and bought mainly unprocessed Foods that I can make myself, I'll try that for awhile and see if it helps. Can to much sodium hurt you if you drink plenty of water? Does it flush it out?
  • cinnabear22
    cinnabear22 Posts: 32 Member
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    My spell checker is not my friend today :/
  • JoJo__Fit
    JoJo__Fit Posts: 258 Member
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    you need more protein!

    Throw in some greek yogurt with your fruit or some hard boiled eggs with veggies, grilled chicken with sweet baked potato and veggies. Just try to eat more complex carbs, it keeps you full longer. Have your simply carbs if you like but eat more complex to balance it out and you will see the difference.

    I eat whatever I want, cookies, chips, ice cream you name it I eat it, However I try to eat more complex carbs but when I have that craving of chips I'll have a small serving. But usually when I eat more of my complex carbs I don't crave the good stuff :) Hope that helps
  • scrumdidlly
    scrumdidlly Posts: 17 Member
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    If you need veggie protein you could try protein shakes (ask the sales people which ones are veg). If you want to stick to proper foods there's peanut butter and most types of beans.
  • angel_of_harmony
    angel_of_harmony Posts: 188 Member
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    I would like to start out by asking a few questions:

    How many glasses of water are you drinking each day?

    Do you eat at the same time each day or does it vary?

    How long do you wait between meals/snacks?

    You are getting plenty of protein so that should not be the problem, make sure to monitor this especially before you work out.

    Also, make sure you are focusing on eating healthy fats such as almonds, coconut oil, and avocados.

    Have you had your blood glucose checked? If not, do you ever get symptoms such as dizzy spells, ringing in the ears, see "stars", heart palpitations, etc when you go too long between meals or perhaps eat something very high in carbs or sugar?
    I see that you eat a very high carb diet; make sure the food you are eating is low on the glycemic index to avoid blood sugar spikes. When the blood sugar rises it causes your body to produce more insulin and your body will need more food to balance out these sugar levels.

    Good luck and remember that if you suspect this problem is health related to see your family doctor. :)
  • melnorwich
    melnorwich Posts: 60 Member
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    4 gallons of water is about 18 litres. Are you really, really drinking this much? I thought that most people drink about 2-4 litres. I have no medical training at all, but if you are feeling excessively thirsty and relying on sugar and high GI carbs, then it might be worth seeing your doctor for a diabetes test.