so hungry... suggestions?

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LauraFouhse
LauraFouhse Posts: 115
in Food and Nutrition
5'6" and 140lb
Eating usually between 1800-2000 calories per day in maintenance

I am HUNGRY all the time (but especially in the morning).
I am drinking lots of water so not dehydrated.
I eat a solid breakfast each morning around 6:30 and by 7 my stomach is already rumbling.

I am very active. Gym (strength training) 3x per week with trainer. Swim 2x per week, run 2 or 3x per week, bike or walk everywhere I go.

Looking for suggestions/feedback.
My diary is open.

Thanks.

Replies

  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    You're consuming way more protein than you need, yet you're doing it through shakes. I personally don't find shakes all that filling (or, more generally, drinking my calories is rarely more filling than eating them) and they're only really useful for days when you're low on protein and don't feel like slamming down yet another chicken breast. I'd nix the shakes since you're way over on your protein needs to begin with and replace them with food.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Eat more? I went back into your diary a few days and for the most part, you're not even touching your earned exercise calories. While it's true that many times these are estimates, I would plan on eating back at least half of them in order to make sure you're properly fueling your activities. I didn't really look at your macros closely but generally more protein, healthy fats and fiber can help you feel full longer as well. Protein powder doesn't always have the same effect though IMHO so try eating more high protein foods in like greek yogurt, cottage cheese, lean meats, etc.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    You are usually not eating back any of your workout calories. Your body is screaming for food. When I have an evening workout and don't eat a post workout snack, I wake up ravenous. Try eating back about 1/2 of your workout calories.
  • QueenOSpades
    QueenOSpades Posts: 171 Member
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    Make sure you also have a good multi vitamin
  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
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    Hey Laura. I agree about the shakes. I would try some Greek yogurt for protein. And on your high cardio and lifting days, you might just need to eat more. If your burn numbers are on target, I would try to stay within 300 or 400 calories of your goal.

    Way back when I was doing the 5-2 fasting thing, I learned to live on 600 calories on my two fasting days a week. What worked for me was lots of frozen stir-fry veggies. They will fill you up without many calories. I just nuke them with a dash of salt and black pepper.

    Good luck.

    Larro
  • cpiraino
    cpiraino Posts: 1
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    Hey there! This may be a somewhat unpopular suggestion... but I think you should up your fat intake. You're a really active person and I noticed that you have a good amount of carbs coming in, which I believe someone at your activity level can utilize very well, but a pretty small amount of fat. Fat will keep you satisfied 10x more than carbs or even protein. You look like you have some calories to spare so maybe add in some avocados and bacon!
  • skjones0323
    skjones0323 Posts: 53 Member
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    More fiber through vegetables and legumes? Those can also help fill you up. Even a fiber supplement might help if you track you fiber intake and see that you need more.
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
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    thanks everyone...

    RE protein. I know I'm consuming alot of protein but I thought that was necessary to build muscle (one of my goals). I am lifting weights 3x per week. Also, I don't really like the protein shakes so usually toss the powder in with greek yogurt and berries to get an added protein boost. AND... I chose protein powder cuz I was having a terrible time getting enough protein. I can't eat cheese. For meats normally only eat chicken and fish and a girl can only eat so much of it. I could eat more eggs. But other than that... what are good sources of lower fat protein that I could easily toss in for a snack?

    I feel so anxious about increase my daily calories but I guess that is part of the problem. Worried about undoing all the hard work. I often burn between 500-1000 calories a day in exercise... sometimes more. If I add half that back.... seems like alot of food. I'm still pondering whether I want to lose another 5lbs or so (although am more focused on body fat % right now... trying to get to 19% from 23%).

    Not the first time I've heard that I should increase my fat. haha... why is that so hard to do? I have a fat phobia I think. I understand the theory that fat doesn't make you fat... but it's hard to make the transition.

    Great suggestions.
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
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    More fiber through vegetables and legumes? Those can also help fill you up. Even a fiber supplement might help if you track you fiber intake and see that you need more.
    Thanks so much for the suggestion. I am already eating vast quantities of veggies (so much so that I turned orange from too much beta carotene... true story). Veggies do fill me up but they don't hold the hunger off for very long.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Eat more of your calories, drink less of them. :wink:

    Also carbs will drive your appetite.....
  • catcalledjinx
    catcalledjinx Posts: 85
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    I believe that it has been scientifically proven that soup is more filling than a plate full of the same ingredients eaten separately!
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    You need sufficient protein for optimal muscle building, but going beyond that amount in protein is not going to cause additional gains. What's optimal is generally 0.8g-1.2g per pound of lean body mass. Assuming you're very lean at 140 lbs (15% body fat) and have 120 lbs of LBM, that's 96-144g of protein per day. Within the past week, you've been as high as 220g+ on your protein macro - there's simply no need to be chugging all those whey shakes.
  • LinaJ50
    LinaJ50 Posts: 1
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    try oatmeal. It is very filing and a high source of fibre.
  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
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    I have added soynuts and roasted pumpkin seeds to my breakfast mix the last couple of weeks. Also eat them with yogurt as a snack. They are a good source of fat and protein.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    Harvard recently did a study on protein, in it they found that double the U.S. RDA yielded great benefit in muscle growth, but going above that yielded very little additional benefit (they went up to 3x RDA). This would equate to less than the customary rule of thumb prescribed in the lifting community, but ...science. Sorry, I can't offer a link as I heard this on the radio (NPR), but I'm sure it can be found with a search.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Harvard recently did a study on protein, in it they found that double the U.S. RDA yielded great benefit in muscle growth, but going above that yielded very little additional benefit (they went up to 3x RDA). This would equate to less than the customary rule of thumb prescribed in the lifting community, but ...science. Sorry, I can't offer a link as I heard this on the radio (NPR), but I'm sure it can be found with a search.

    I do agree many people overdo it on their protein intake and there are a lot of broscience protein recommendations floating around which have natty people eating/supplementing way more protein than they need. There are lots of studies on this topic, which is why I provided a range. Honestly the RDA is very low, in part because it's not aimed at muscle growth but more of an overall target/minimum you should aim for. It's not shocking that your body does better with additional protein consumption than the RDA when you're constantly breaking down your muscles through resistance training, as your body needs those additional amino acids for the repairs.
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    Hey there! This may be a somewhat unpopular suggestion... but I think you should up your fat intake. You're a really active person and I noticed that you have a good amount of carbs coming in, which I believe someone at your activity level can utilize very well, but a pretty small amount of fat. Fat will keep you satisfied 10x more than carbs or even protein. You look like you have some calories to spare so maybe add in some avocados and bacon!

    ^^^This.^^^

    You're eating a very good diet overall, lots of vegetables, a reasonable amount of low-sugar fruit, very few empty calories. Since it's leaving you hungry, though, try adding more fat and dropping some of the protein supplements. I'm seeing 2-3 servings of protein powder a day, sometimes 4, on top of boneless, skinless chicken breast or water-packed tuna. Try adding an egg (the whole egg, not just the white) and/or a piece or two of bacon (NOT low-fat turkey bacon) at breakfast, eating more fatty fish, chicken thighs instead of just breasts, avocado, more nuts and seeds, use more coconut oil and olive oil, full-fat yogurt instead of fat-free.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    RE protein. I know I'm consuming alot of protein but I thought that was necessary to build muscle (one of my goals).

    You need to eat at a surplus to build muscle. You're not building any muscle eating so little. Heck you might be burning it instead.
  • LauraFouhse
    LauraFouhse Posts: 115
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    okay... think I'm hearing that

    1. I need to decrease protein shakes
    2. I need to increase calories overall
    3. I need to increase fat (this, while terrifying, makes me very happy... I LOVE avocados)

    It's just so hard to wrap my brain around the idea that eating more won't make me fat again. I've been a yo-yo dieter most of my life. This time has been different in that I have lost weight at a slow/reasonable rate... I've been working hard at building muscle and have become overall more active.

    I understand that restricting too much is as bad as over eating... just hard to live it.

    I know that if I continue to be this hungry all the time for much longer that I am going to end up in the middle of a massive binge.

    Thanks everyone.

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