Helppppp! Soooo hungry all the time!!!!!

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yassy124
yassy124 Posts: 27 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone, I'm a 20 yo female, I'm 5'7 and weigh 160lbs. I hope to get to around 135-140. I've been restricting calories for abt 4 weeks now. I started with 1200 cals/day but decided to up my calories to 1350 cals 1-2 weeks ago. I usually end up eating around 1500 cals. Anyway, I started the 30 day shred 2 weeks ago and ever since I started I've been starving allllllllll the time! Before, when I was only doing cardio, I found my calorie limit easy to reach and maintain since I was eating healthy foods. Now, regardless of what I eat or how much I eat, I go to bed hungry! I'm not sure if this is due to a lack of protein (I was a vegetarian up until yesterday- now I'm starting to slowly add meat to my diet) or if this is even normal! I'm really worried about upping my calorie intake bc I've gained a few pounds in the past week after going over my daily limit for a few days...Can anyone who has experienced this share their experience and how they dealt with an increase in appetite?

I'd appreciate anybody's input! Thanks!!!
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Replies

  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
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    I believe when you are hungry all the time you need to eat better (more whole foods) and then see about more calories, because you probably need those too.

    I say you need more whole foods because they have fiber and that fills you up longer, and whole foods are loaded with nutrients. I say probably more calories, because you are exercising like a maniac and are not upping your calories.

    Your body is ripping itself up to build up the muscles you are earning with all that exercise. You have to eat more.

    Also, you are putting way to much faith in the scale. It only tells one part of the story. Eat well, check with this program and enter in your calorie expenditure, and eat according to the safe amount that is MFP.

    Adjust that as needed to work with what you have got going on.

    But you are not eating enough or you wouldn't be starving. Listen to your body. It is talking to you. Your body is right.
  • yassy124
    yassy124 Posts: 27 Member
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    @curlygirl513 Thanks for the advice!! Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I no longer do cardio, so the only exercise I'm getting every day is the ~30 min of the 30 day shred, aside from this, I'm pretty much sitting all day. According to my stats and info, my tdee is abt 1500 calories, which is what I end up eating... I think that's why I'm so hesitant to up my calories, bc that would take my intake above my tdee. I totally agree with your comment regarding whole foods though, I feel if I start to eat more whole, clean foods that should help keep me fuller longer and hopefully curb my appetite. Thanks for taking the time to respond!
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
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    I agree about eating clean and I'm not sure about the calories. I'm 223 lbs and I eat 1390 a day. So I don't think you'd need more than 1500. It could be cravings. Is your stomach actually growling and you're feeling depleted? Or are you hungry no matter what you eat? It took me a while to figure out the difference between hunger and cravings. In the beginning I had days where I was sooooo hungry and it didn't matter what I ate. I was still hungry. That's a craving! I was craving sugar I'm sure. Those days can be miserable but they pass and the cravings go away after the first 2 or 3 weeks. If you are truly hungry your stomach growls or you start feeling lightheaded or just depleted. Eating protein doest he trick. Hope that helps.
  • UseKnowledge
    UseKnowledge Posts: 13
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    Dietary fiber and protein. Helps a lot.

    I get most of my protein through protein supplements. Fiber from beans.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    eat
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    You are probably eating too many simple carbohydrates.

    Increase protein, fat, and fiber intake.
  • cuckoo_jenibeth
    cuckoo_jenibeth Posts: 1,434 Member
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    Ate you eating back any of your burned calories?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,022 Member
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    is your diary open?

    In order to give constructive suggestions, people will need to see what you are actually doing.
  • charliecopley
    charliecopley Posts: 10
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    Eat fiber, fat, protein. Nix the carbs, fruits and grains. Make the bulk of what you eat plants, but make most of your calories come from omega-3 fats. Drink water. Eat three larger meals instead of five smaller ones. And by all means, drink a little tea and coffee. The caffeine may be slightly diuretic, but the caffeine is a natural mood booster and appetite suppressant.
  • yassy124
    yassy124 Posts: 27 Member
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    Thanks so much for all of your knowledgeable advice! I've added much more protein to my diet and now actually try to reach my daily fat and protein goals. This has helped me tremendously, and I've even noticed that on days when I'm hungrier, I usually ate more carbs throughout the day (even snacking on high carb foods -like bread- cause me to just eat more). Thanks again!
  • squishprincess
    squishprincess Posts: 371 Member
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    you probably do need more proteins and healthy fats. try adding avocado to things (watch the portion) and things like beans and nuts (i loveeee peanut butter) and fish like salmon or tuna on occasion. also eggs are good! you can even have a boiled egg for a snack. sometimes i get really hungry and down a few cups of hot teas or water and then wait a little while and if i'm still hungry it's a good idea to get some celery to munch on. also certain types of kettle corn are a good option for a light low calorie snack that has protein and fills you up. if you're still feeling constantly hungry it could be that you are over exerting yourself/not eating back your calories burned from cardio or that you may just be stressed or tired and not even realise it. your body can hold onto a lot of stress and do weird things to your hormones and appetite. stray from processed foods and eat more veggies and proteins and healthy fats.
  • Jypo
    Jypo Posts: 16 Member
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtDAnTLqTEM

    Good video, a few of the points covered in previous posts in the forum.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Make sure you are eating back your exercise calories. The number MFP gives you is already a deficit, when you exercise you create an even greater deficit.

    Also, consider upping your net calories if you can. Yes, it'll slow down your weight loss a bit, but it'll improve your overall quality of life and make you less likely to go off the rails.
  • reillycoulter
    reillycoulter Posts: 1
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    Pay attention to how much water you are drinking. drinking a big glass of chemically flavored water, ie. crystal light, or mio, can help a lot. It can hold you over until your next meal
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,657 Member
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    Your diary is not open.

    When I feel ravenous, it is usually due to one of the two causes. Not enough protein. Or too many carbs at a single sitting which causes my blood glucose to spike up then down. During the blood glucose dip a few hours later, I feel ravenous and am craving carbs. I like to keep my daily protein intake of protein a little over 100g and limit carbs to 50g per meal or sitting. This seems to makes my appetite more manageable.

    Currently my foot is in a cast, but I normally do cardio plus a few weight splits daily.
  • iMikky
    iMikky Posts: 30
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    Eating between 1400 and 2500 worked for me over the past week. I've lost what, 5 pounds? Eat. You just have to confuse your tummy so it doesn't beat you to the punch. By eating less than usual you're going to lose weight. Also by eating more than usual you're going to boost your metabolism. That workout you're doing is hard to me and I actually have the dvd. But instead of getting used to it I bought a treadmill from amazon ($287, free shipping) and now I walk an hour a day, 6-7 days a week at 2mph. It burns 216 calories and it makes me feel good. :drinker:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    which calculator are you using to get a TDEE of 1500? it seems very low. mine is around 2000 and you're taller and heavier than me...
  • AFWXDUDE
    AFWXDUDE Posts: 53 Member
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    2 issues i see with this. 1 is you are actually starving yourself in my opinion. the 12-1500 is what you need to maintain... when working out, its recommended that you eat back at least half the calories burned. The reason you are putting on weight is your body is in survival mode. You are constantly starving it so its taking everything you eat currently and converting it to fat to help sustain life longer. I recommend uping your intake a bit and eating more regularly. If you work out as much as you say, eating 15-1700 a day will still make you lose weight.
  • mimieon
    mimieon Posts: 182 Member
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    You calories seem too low for you height and weight

    I was at the same height and weight as you and losing consistently about 1 pound a week on 1500-1600 net calories (I have a deskjob and I ate back about 2/3 of the calories I burned in exercise according to my heartrate monitor). Why not just raise your caloriegoal to 1500 or 1600 for a while and see how you do?
  • BlackPup
    BlackPup Posts: 242 Member
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    You've only got 14 lb left to go so you have to take it more slowly. Set your goal to losing less per week and you'll have more calories to eat each day. Also make sure you have sufficient protein to maintain muscle mass.

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