Why am I always hungry???
figuu
Posts: 20
My maintenance calories usually say I should eat around 2000 calories a day, but I am STARVING an hour or 2 after every meal or snack. I try stay just a bit under 2000 since some sites say 1900-1700 to maintain. Is my metabolism faster than these sites are guessing? I'm 5'4, around 110lbs, 18 years old, I run/do other cardio 4-5 times a week and do weights/body weight exercises 3-5 times a week. Besides that I just lay around all day. I don't remember a time I have been fully satisfied! And yes, I'm drinking enough water.
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Replies
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Looking at your diary, I think it might be that some foods aren't very filling for the calories. mug cakes, ice cream, croissant, lots of high calorie bars.... Also lots of simple carbs, which aren't as filling for as long. Adding more high volume, low calorie, sating foods should help. I'm eating fewer calories than you, but I think I'm eating more food (if that makes sense!) You can look at my diary if you want
It is also possible that your calorie level is too low. But I think this is for sure part of it0 -
That makes a lot of sense! Haha mug cakes are actually made out of oats, bananas, cottage cheese, and eggs, but with the other things I see what you mean.Looking at your diary, I think it might be that some foods aren't very filling for the calories. mug cakes, ice cream, croissant, lots of high calorie bars.... Also lots of simple carbs, which aren't as filling for as long. Adding more high volume, low calorie, sating foods should help. I'm eating fewer calories than you, but I think I'm eating more food (if that makes sense!) You can look at my diary if you want
It is also possible that your calorie level is too low. But I think this is for sure part of it0 -
I usually just try to find near no calorie fillers to snack on throughout the day like cucumbers, carrots, soba noodles. Then I can always sate my need to snack without breaking my calorie goals!0
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Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight. My ideal weight is 112 and I already know I face a lifetime of hungry days to maintain 112. What works best for me is to save all my calories for one meal at the end of the day. That way, at least I can feel halfway-full once a day! Also, once I start eating I am hungry the rest of the day-- more so than if I wait to eat until late in the day. It's s trigger! AND, I find I am far less hungry if I make sure a good many of my calories come from fat. A 150-calorie tiny bag of chips is way more satisfying than a huge giant plate full of weeds!!:bigsmile:0
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I had a same calorie day yesterday, with too many empty carbs. I was hungry the whole time, so I learned my lesson (again for the 100th time). Protein is my friend.0
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Eat food with lots of fiber and protein, it will keep you full for longer.0
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Now that you are eating closer to maintenance, your body can really try to make some improvements from all that exercise.
How did you figure out maintenance calories with that much exercise - sounds like a very low estimate?
2000 is about average (and your height is, your weight is under) for a not very active woman - you are way more active.
If you really want to see improvement from the exercise, eat over 2000. Be aware that body improvement is usually water weight gain especially with cardio. But that is more LBM then, and increased metabolism yet again.
You'll be even hungrier.
Feed that workout.0 -
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!Now that you are eating closer to maintenance, your body can really try to make some improvements from all that exercise.
How did you figure out maintenance calories with that much exercise - sounds like a very low estimate?
2000 is about average (and your height is, your weight is under) for a not very active woman - you are way more active.
If you really want to see improvement from the exercise, eat over 2000. Be aware that body improvement is usually water weight gain especially with cardio. But that is more LBM then, and increased metabolism yet again.
You'll be even hungrier.
Feed that workout.
And this is the website I use to figure out how much I should eat using the Katch-McArdle formula: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/#mostaccuratecaloriecalculator
Adding that my bodyfat is around 15% bumped it up by a few..
In kind of scared to intuitively eat since I've grown up in a family that tracks food with numbers.0 -
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possibilities
-your cal goals too low. check your cal goal again with your current weight and honest activity level. it may have changed if you are working out more than when you first calculated it.
-your macros are off. check your macros in your food diary to make sure you are getting enough protein/fats/fiber...those are the most common culprits to leave you hungry if you aren't getting enough.
another way to test this? eat a piece of high fiber food when your hungry see if that satisfies you. next time eat a dice sized piece of cheese see if the munchies go away. another time eat a drumstick. if the fiber did it you need more fiber, if the cheese did it you need more fats, if the drumstick helped you need more protein.0 -
Recalculated everything: same.possibilities
-your cal goals too low. check your cal goal again with your current weight and honest activity level. it may have changed if you are working out more than when you first calculated it.
-your macros are off. check your macros in your food diary to make sure you are getting enough protein/fats/fiber...those are the most common culprits to leave you hungry if you aren't getting enough.
another way to test this? eat a piece of high fiber food when your hungry see if that satisfies you. next time eat a dice sized piece of cheese see if the munchies go away. another time eat a drumstick. if the fiber did it you need more fiber, if the cheese did it you need more fats, if the drumstick helped you need more protein.
I will try figure out the macros I need though!0 -
Just a few ideas . . . take them or leave them.
MFP recently put up an article stating that if you don't get enough sleep you will be hungrier than if you do get enough sleep.
Higher protein diet may fill you up more.
Add even more water to fill you up.
I drink an IdealShape meal replacement shake twice daily--packed full of daily requirements and low calories (110-120 calories per shake), plus Slendesta, a hunger appeaser and lots of energy. Because it's low calorie I can eat more and stay in range. It's really working for me (kind of expensive)--it works out in the end because I'm buying less food.
Eat 5-6 small meals per day, not 3 big ones.
Based on your exercise, you may be able to add more calories.
Stay away from sugar and simple carbs.
Good luck. I hate being hungry. It makes me feel like I will eventually fail.0 -
sorry if someone asked already or you answered but:
Do you eat all your exercise calories back?
I get too hungry to do my diet unless I work out for an hour a day then eat all of the exercise calories back.0 -
Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight. My ideal weight is 112 and I already know I face a lifetime of hungry days to maintain 112. What works best for me is to save all my calories for one meal at the end of the day. That way, at least I can feel halfway-full once a day! Also, once I start eating I am hungry the rest of the day-- more so than if I wait to eat until late in the day. It's s trigger! AND, I find I am far less hungry if I make sure a good many of my calories come from fat. A 150-calorie tiny bag of chips is way more satisfying than a huge giant plate full of weeds!!:bigsmile:
have the same issue being 4'11" ... only 1200 calories allowed .. this week I;'m using the sleeping defence - putting myself to bed super early to avoid the kitchen0 -
That's really not true.Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight.0 -
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
And this is the website I use to figure out how much I should eat using the Katch-McArdle formula: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/#mostaccuratecaloriecalculator
Adding that my bodyfat is around 15% bumped it up by a few..
In kind of scared to intuitively eat since I've grown up in a family that tracks food with numbers.
Good, but what activity level did you select?
Because this -
"I run/do other cardio 4-5 times a week and do weights/body weight exercises 3-5 times a week."
Is NOT Moderately Active, unless your cardio is 30 min and really easy, and the weights is 15-30 min only.
Then that would be accurate:
weekly 4.5 x 30 min = 135 min
weekly 4 x 22 min = 88 min
223 min = almost 4 hrs
But if your cardio is 1 hr each time, you just went to top of Moderately Active. Your weight workouts would push you in to Very Active.
Be honest with yourself for hours a week it asks for. No need shooting your body in the metabolism trying to underestimate.
To the macros question.
Are these meals that leave you hungry so soon afterwards mainly carbs, or a good mix of C - P - F? If not a mix, try it.
And do you eat the carbs first or last? Might try last if a good mix.
Even do bagel test? Maybe you know what would happen already.
Eat a bagel for breakfast, or any other time that is 3-4 hrs after last meal.
Do you get tired in 1-2 hrs, perhaps getting spike of energy first (maybe not though).
If you do, may have some insulin over-reaction going on, which then leads to low blood sugar, making you hungry when you shouldn't be.0 -
I'm 5"3 1/2 and I'm not always hungry at all and I maintain a healthy weight. High protein, high fibre. Less simple carbohydrate. That's probably all it is0
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this might sound odd and dosnt pertain to you but on tv i was watching a show on acondroplastic dwarves and this woman said that they have normal sized stomachs but small bodies so they are either always hungry or become obese.0
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No, I don't eat them back because my calculated TDEE should already include my exercise..sorry if someone asked already or you answered but:
Do you eat all your exercise calories back?
I get too hungry to do my diet unless I work out for an hour a day then eat all of the exercise calories back.0 -
The cardio would either be 30 minutes of strenuous effort or around an hour of moderate effort. What made me not put the 5-6 hours was that I thought cardio was considered strenuous and weight lifting was not since I'm not exactly breathing heavy.Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
And this is the website I use to figure out how much I should eat using the Katch-McArdle formula: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/#mostaccuratecaloriecalculator
Adding that my bodyfat is around 15% bumped it up by a few..
In kind of scared to intuitively eat since I've grown up in a family that tracks food with numbers.
Good, but what activity level did you select?
Because this -
"I run/do other cardio 4-5 times a week and do weights/body weight exercises 3-5 times a week."
Is NOT Moderately Active, unless your cardio is 30 min and really easy, and the weights is 15-30 min only.
Then that would be accurate:
weekly 4.5 x 30 min = 135 min
weekly 4 x 22 min = 88 min
223 min = almost 4 hrs
But if your cardio is 1 hr each time, you just went to top of Moderately Active. Your weight workouts would push you in to Very Active.
Be honest with yourself for hours a week it asks for. No need shooting your body in the metabolism trying to underestimate.
To the macros question.
Are these meals that leave you hungry so soon afterwards mainly carbs, or a good mix of C - P - F? If not a mix, try it.
And do you eat the carbs first or last? Might try last if a good mix.
Even do bagel test? Maybe you know what would happen already.
Eat a bagel for breakfast, or any other time that is 3-4 hrs after last meal.
Do you get tired in 1-2 hrs, perhaps getting spike of energy first (maybe not though).
If you do, may have some insulin over-reaction going on, which then leads to low blood sugar, making you hungry when you shouldn't be.
Yes, that's what I was worried about, hurting my metabolism!
And nope to the bagel test, thank god.
I'll watch my macros more and boost my calorie intake to 2200 for a few weeks and see how that goes since I wouldn't mind if I gained a few anyways haha.0 -
I think stomach size is indeed related to hunger. I am a normal-sizd person, but I must have a giant stomach! People twice my size always can't believe how much I eat in one meal (when not dieting). Probably three times as much as an average person eats!0
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S.A.M.E.I think stomach size is indeed related to hunger. I am a normal-sizd person, but I must have a giant stomach! People twice my size always can't believe how much I eat in one meal (when not dieting). Probably three times as much as an average person eats!0 -
S.A.M.E.I think stomach size is indeed related to hunger. I am a normal-sizd person, but I must have a giant stomach! People twice my size always can't believe how much I eat in one meal (when not dieting). Probably three times as much as an average person eats!
So shrink your stomach a bit. Remember it takes 20 minutes for food to register sometimes.
Also, you're going to need less calories to maintain less mass, so that hunger is head or rushing food hunger.
Important to eat fats, protein and a bit more bulk in veg0 -
Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight. My ideal weight is 112 and I already know I face a lifetime of hungry days to maintain 112. What works best for me is to save all my calories for one meal at the end of the day. That way, at least I can feel halfway-full once a day! Also, once I start eating I am hungry the rest of the day-- more so than if I wait to eat until late in the day. It's s trigger! AND, I find I am far less hungry if I make sure a good many of my calories come from fat. A 150-calorie tiny bag of chips is way more satisfying than a huge giant plate full of weeds!!:bigsmile:
have the same issue being 4'11" ... only 1200 calories allowed .. this week I;'m using the sleeping defence - putting myself to bed super early to avoid the kitchen
I'm also 4ft11
I used to think I could ONLY have 1200 calories a day back when I thought low-calorie/low-fat was the only way to lose weight. I felt restricted and hangry all the time.
Now I eat around 1400-1500 calories a day (give or take a few hundred) and all of those calories come from whole foods.
I eat: organic/grass fed meat, lots of organic vegetables, some fruit -mainly berries, nuts & plenty of good fats (yes, that includes butter!)
I don't eat: sugary/artificially sweetened beverages, processed junk food, refined/processed oils or anything labelled low-fat/diet.
I'm eating more, losing weight and I look and feel healthier than ever before 0 -
Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight. My ideal weight is 112 and I already know I face a lifetime of hungry days to maintain 112. What works best for me is to save all my calories for one meal at the end of the day. That way, at least I can feel halfway-full once a day! Also, once I start eating I am hungry the rest of the day-- more so than if I wait to eat until late in the day. It's s trigger! AND, I find I am far less hungry if I make sure a good many of my calories come from fat. A 150-calorie tiny bag of chips is way more satisfying than a huge giant plate full of weeds!!:bigsmile:
I don't find this to be true. Granted my ideal weight is 125, but I never go hungry and I maintain on around 2000 calories.. You don't have to eat 700 calories per day. And if you do, you need to see a doctor because something is wrong.0 -
Life is unfair. You, me, and nearly everyone else who is our height-- I am 5' 3 1/2"-- has to feel hungry all the time in order to reach, and to maintain, our ideal weight. My ideal weight is 112 and I already know I face a lifetime of hungry days to maintain 112. What works best for me is to save all my calories for one meal at the end of the day. That way, at least I can feel halfway-full once a day! Also, once I start eating I am hungry the rest of the day-- more so than if I wait to eat until late in the day. It's s trigger! AND, I find I am far less hungry if I make sure a good many of my calories come from fat. A 150-calorie tiny bag of chips is way more satisfying than a huge giant plate full of weeds!!:bigsmile:
are you exercising and not eating back calories?
have the same issue being 4'11" ... only 1200 calories allowed .. this week I;'m using the sleeping defence - putting myself to bed super early to avoid the kitchen
I'm also 4ft11
I used to think I could ONLY have 1200 calories a day back when I thought low-calorie/low-fat was the only way to lose weight. I felt restricted and hangry all the time.
Now I eat around 1400-1500 calories a day (give or take a few hundred) and all of those calories come from whole foods.
I eat: organic/grass fed meat, lots of organic vegetables, some fruit -mainly berries, nuts & plenty of good fats (yes, that includes butter!)
I don't eat: sugary/artificially sweetened beverages, processed junk food, refined/processed oils or anything labelled low-fat/diet.
I'm eating more, losing weight and I look and feel healthier than ever before
are you exercising and eating back your calories?0 -
Are you eating enough protein? Aim for at least 20g of protein during each meal.0
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Not getting the proper nutrients makes me feel hungry, even if I am consuming enough calories. When I make sure that I am eating lots of veggies, fruit, nuts and protein then I tend to feel very satisfied. I can eat twice as many simple carbs and feel starving. Maybe you are "hungry" for more nutrients not more food.0
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