Eating healthy but ALWAYS hungry

rawlsja
rawlsja Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
So, I've really been paying more attention to what I'm eating, and I try to fit a lot of protein into each meal but somehow, I still end up feeling starving after like, an hour. I drink water CONSTANTLY (I'm an actor so I'm downing water like it's part of my job.... because it helps me keep my job haha). I have a 24 oz bottle I re-fill probably 7 times a day. But, for example, last night at around 6:30 for dinner I had two scrambled eggs mixed with a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese, with chopped up mushrooms, a chopped up slice of pastrami, and one toasted bread slice with fig jam on it. It was delicious but I was hungry around an hour or two later. I was up til about 1:00 am and I had snacked on things like kale chips and banana chips and crackers because I was so hungry but I think I still went over my caloric intake.

So my main question I suppose is, how do you eat low calorie/health foods and keep yourself satisfied? Being hungry all the time also makes me think about food a lot and I don't like that either.

Replies

  • llposton
    llposton Posts: 2
    I feel your pain! This is my 2nd day of starting to eat healthy (again) & Trim Down. I have had loads of protein and some carbs from this morning but I am soo hungry and I have had about 10 cups of green tea to try and fill the hungriness. If you find a solution let me know! :D
  • Radmomdo91
    Radmomdo91 Posts: 184 Member
    Try having more fat , peanut butter is a good one
  • MsBetteDavis
    MsBetteDavis Posts: 118 Member
    How tall are you, what do you currently weigh and how many calories are you eating in a day? Maybe you're not eating enough which would negate the amount of protein that you're having.
  • sho3girl
    sho3girl Posts: 10,799 Member
    bump - for tips
  • Jennifer_Lynn_1982
    Jennifer_Lynn_1982 Posts: 567 Member
    I hear ya! I'm back on the wagon as of yesterday. Although I have been very consistent at logging my food, I know that something wasn't right because I wasn't losing much weight. So now I'm logging EVERYTHING... I started back yesterday eating 1400 calories (I'm 5'4.5", 31, 149 lbs) with 150 more calories since I exercised. Went to bed and was definitely still hungry! 99g of protein yesterday too...looking forward to seeing if anyone else has an answer.
  • Rhaynestorm
    Rhaynestorm Posts: 62 Member
    Have you recently cut your calorie intake? Sometimes it take a couple weeks for the always hungry feeling to go away after a change like that.

    Have you tried eating more vegetables? Most vegetables are pretty low on calories and they tend to fill me up for a long time.

    Are you trying to balance your macros? I find when I try to have a good balance in my macros then I tend not to feel as hungry right away.

    How many calories are you eating a day? Do you know what your TDEE is? You might not be eating enough. You could try increasing your calories by 100 a day each week (unless you plateau or start gaining weight, then stop or go back down).

    You'll have to try a few things. It's different for everyone so you have to find the right balance and what will work for you.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Definitely need more details as suggested.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Make sure you're eating enough for your size & activity level. A lot of people cut their intake too dramatically and then wonder why their body wants more. Make sure you're using at least a portion of your exercise calories and don't set your goals to 2 pounds a week unless you have the weight to sustain such a deficit.

    Fat, along with fiber and protein, has always helped me feel more satisfied after meals. Don't be afraid of fat. It is calorie dense, but it's also good for your health. You should make sure you're getting somewhere in the range of .3-.4 grams per pound of body weight.

    Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on small meals throughout the day and others want to gnaw their own arms off if they eat like that. Some people find that breakfast helps keep them fuller throughout the day and others find that it makes them hungrier all day. Some people do really well with only 1-2 large meals or eat only during certain hours of the day (check out Intermittent Fasting) and some like 3 square meals and still others prefer 6 smaller meals. Play around and find what works best for you.
  • rawlsja
    rawlsja Posts: 4
    I am 5'2 at 150 pounds (however I do have quite a bit of muscle that I have not measured). I do cardio for 30 minutes a day and according to the database on here I'm burning around 300 calories and I eat between 1600 and 1700 calories per day. Without exercise and based on my goals, I'm supposed to be eating around 1700 calories a day to lose a pound OR a half pound per week.
  • MsBetteDavis
    MsBetteDavis Posts: 118 Member
    It seems like you're eating enough for your body then, so I would recommend doing what diannethegeek suggested along with trying to hit your macros/fiddling around with them to find out what works for you. I think trying those things could be beneficial to you.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    For me complex carbs and fat will keep me fuller than protein.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I up my protein and natural fiber intake, I eat more often. and most importantly I make sure to get in my daily exercise so that I can eat more and still lose.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    More protein
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    For me complex carbs and fat will keep me fuller than protein.
    I need a balance of all three. For me, cutting carbs, even if I'm getting enough fat and protein, guarantees that I'll be hungry an hour after I eat.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,843 Member
    For me complex carbs and fat will keep me fuller than protein.
    I need a balance of all three. For me, cutting carbs, even if I'm getting enough fat and protein, guarantees that I'll be hungry an hour after I eat.

    Just goes to show how different people are. For me, high protein, moderate fat(is 50g moderate?) and low-moderate carbs keeps me satisfied on 1300/day.

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