Help, constantly hungry

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elandralee
elandralee Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all, I am fairly new to MFP. I eat about 1200 calories a day, im 5'4 190 lbs, and I workout about 5-6 times a week. I eat back my exercise calories, but I'm constantly hungry. For example today for lunch I had a 4 oz chicken breast and 3.5 cups of mixed veggies and 3 hrs later I was starving. If you look at my diary you will see I mainly eat carbs. I cannot eat any type of nuts. I get my protien from chicken, turkey, whey powder, and greek yogurt. On the days I have gatorade its due to lightheadedness because of low electrolytes.Should I eat when I'm hungry regardless of what MFP says? Also, I have a fitbit flex so all of the walking around I do at work is accounted for. I am working on getting a hrm with chest strap for moreaccuracy.
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Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    Could you open your diary? I can't figure out how many calories you are eating without looking at it--1200 or 1200+ exercise calories. Off the top of my head I would say to eat more fat and, if you are only eating 1200 calories, more calories overall.
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    One thing that jumps out: replenishing electrolytes.

    Happens coconut water is really good for that.

    If the protein powder turns out to be an issue, how about beans instead? Delicious and you can make them from scratch. Cheap, too, which ought to make up for the extra cost of coconut water.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    Opening your diary would help us give better advice.

    If you're constantly hungry, maybe you aren't getting sufficient calories.

    Maybe you aren't getting enough protein. Try to get it into every meal and snack as it will help you feel full longer.

    If you're lightheaded, it's more likely that you just aren't getting enough calories or you're going to long between meals/snacks than that you have an electrolyte imbalance.
  • elandralee
    elandralee Posts: 11 Member
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    Woops, diary is now open
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    You have some of my major hunger causing foods: Breads, breakfast cereal, and sweet things like graham crackers. Those are exactly the foods that make me more hungry after I eat them.

    You might be different, but that's where I'd start. Trade those things out for more veggies, maybe beans.
  • FitMelody4Life
    FitMelody4Life Posts: 106 Member
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    Honestly I know you said you don't eat a lot of protein but trading some of your carb macros for protein would keep you feeling fuller long.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Looking at your diary, I don't think you're eating enough.

    Usually MFP + exercise comes out fairly close to TDEE - 20%, but not in your case on the days I saw. It's coming close only on the days you exercise, and then you're usually under target.

    Using Scooby's calculator (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/), picking 3-5 hrs of exercise per wk, you should be averaging somewhere around 2081 cals per day for TDEE - 20%.
  • AnthonyThrashD
    AnthonyThrashD Posts: 306
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    Your diary looks okay to me. On your next physical, you may want to tell your doctor about being always hungry, and have him/her run a thyroid hormone panel.

    best of luck
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Ditch the cereal and bars/biscuits for breakfast. I'd eat that and I'd be starving one hour later honestly. Replace them with some Greek yogurt, eggs, or meat. Overall you're just really eating too many carbs - breakfast biscuits plus bagel thin plus sandwich rolls plus graham crackers = a lot of not filling calories. A bit is fine, but pick two of those, and replace the others by more meat/veggies.

    I'd change your goals to 25% protein and try your best to reach those numbers - you'll feel naturally fuller with less carbs and more protein. You don't even have to eat nuts, heck I didn't eat much of those either for months, they are low protein anyway.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,610 Member
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    Your breakfasts are very high carb. I notice if I have more than 50g of carbs early in the day it sets me up to be hungry all day. I think it spikes my blood glucose, which causes an insulin spike that leaves my blood glucose too low a few hours later. This subsequent blood glucose dip makes me ravenous and induces renewed carb cravings.

    My appetitie is definitely easier to manage if I limit carbs to around 50g per sitting especially early in the day.

    I would try experimenting with a breakfast that is more protein based. My typical breakfast of 300-400 kcal is low fat yoghurt with just a little cereal stirred in for crunch and flavour, with an egg and some vegetable sticks dipped in hummous and maybe some fruit.
  • fryebootgirl
    fryebootgirl Posts: 48 Member
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    You could also try dividing your calories more evenly throughout the day. It seems as if you are eating the bulk of your calories at breakfast, leaving little for the rest of the day when your calorie goal is in the lower range for the day. :)
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    Looking at your diary, I don't think you're eating enough.

    Usually MFP + exercise comes out fairly close to TDEE - 20%, but not in your case on the days I saw. It's coming close only on the days you exercise, and then you're usually under target.

    Using Scooby's calculator (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/), picking 3-5 hrs of exercise per wk, you should be averaging somewhere around 2081 cals per day for TDEE - 20%.

    This. I lost weight on 2400/day using this calculator. However, using this method, you would not eat back your exercise calories and you would eat the same amount each day regardless of whether you exercised or not. (As long as your exercise remained constant throughout the week.) This would also give you more room for protein and fats in your diet which would keep you feeling full longer. A good place to start with macros are 40% carbs and 30% each for fats and protein.

    I tried the 1200 thing for a while and I was starving, too. MFP is a great site and fabulous for recording your food, etc., but the best part is the community of people who have used it to find out what works for them as an individual and are willing to share that knowledge. The almost automatic 1200 calories it gives everyone isn't suitable for every single person. It will take some trial and error, but it's worth the effort to figure out what's best for your body. Best of luck!!

    Edit: Unless you have a medical condition that would require you to limit a particular macro, you don't need to reduce carbs (or fat either, like a lot of fad diets will have you do). I get over 225 g of carbs a day (about 1000 calories of yummy carbs), and it hasn't stalled my weight loss. Just make sure you're getting plenty of protein and fats as well.
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
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    Steady amounts of apple pie will help you bro
  • sarahrosheen
    sarahrosheen Posts: 82 Member
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    your calories seem very low, are you trying to lose more than 1 pound per week?
  • strassenkoenigin
    strassenkoenigin Posts: 259
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    Hi. I looked at your food diary and there is so much stuff in there which is addictive. I personally find that if I eat any baked goods I cannot stop eating and I am constantly hungry. So if you want to lose weight you have to eat differently. I do not think it is a very good idea that you eat the calories you spent exercising. This is your weight loss phase. You want this to be over as quickly as possible. I am much older than you , but I am the same height and when I was in my twenties I could drop; 10 pounds in 10 days without problem just by eating mostly protein, salad and vegetables without working out much. You do not look like you have to lose 50 pounds , but that is difficult to determine from this photo. Try to eat without bagels, chips, and any other processed food. Make an omelet only with eggs, vegetables, bacon or sausage. Snack on boiled eggs, turkey, vegetables and you will find that you are not so hungry.
    The way they grow flour and corn and soybean nowadays it is all genetically altered and addictive, you have to stay away from it.
  • elandralee
    elandralee Posts: 11 Member
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    You could also try dividing your calories more evenly throughout the day. It seems as if you are eating the bulk of your calories at breakfast, leaving little for the rest of the day when your calorie goal is in the lower range for the day. :)


    Thats what I do. My day starts at 1 am and gies to 8 pm so breakfast for me is a span from 1am to 8 am
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,041 Member
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    You could easily be eating 1700-1800 calories (or more) PLUS your exercise calories back and still be losing weight.
  • elandralee
    elandralee Posts: 11 Member
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    Do you all have any ideas for protien snacks that are not nuts?
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,610 Member
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    Do you all have any ideas for protien snacks that are not nuts?

    Beef jerky, hard boiled eggs, yoghurt, hummous, crab sticks, string cheese, cottage cheese.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Yeah, if I was eat that stuff I'd be freaking hungry all the time too.

    Any chance you can sub in some fats and protein instead of all of those pre-processed carbs? Eggs, sausage (Hillshire Farms makes a killer smoked turkey sausage), greek yogurt, chicken thighs, steak, avocados, salmon patties (Skinny Taste has an excellent recipe that I use for a snack). All of those will stick with you a lot longer than what you're eating.

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