Hungry all the time!

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Cpollard6608
Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So I have been maintaining weight well for the past three or four months with some swings upward and downward, but recently I am hungry all the time. I am very hesitant to give into my hunger as I am afraid of gaining back the weight I have lost, but I cannot seem to get full from my meals. I must also add that I drink about a gallon of water per day, and I am not really a clean eater and haven't been lately due to working full time and coaching high school football, in addition to having a 2 month old at home. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can stop feeling so dang hungry?
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Replies

  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
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    If you eat better, you can eat a larger quantity of foods for the same amount of calories. Protein will keep you full WAY longer than carbs..you said you're not a clean eater.

    Try chicken, peanut butter, cottage cheeses, greek yogurts. They are good proteins/fats that can help you feel full longer.
  • Anniebotnen
    Anniebotnen Posts: 332 Member
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    I took a look at your food diary. You seem to be pretty consistently way under your calorie goal. Assuming you have your calories set correctly for maintenance, I would say you need to eat more! I suggest you try to meet your protein and fat goals each day. This will help greatly with hunger.
  • Cpollard6608
    Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
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    I know that this is a point of contention here, but should I be eating back exercise calories? I use a fitbit and routinely overachieve my steps by a good deal (17,000) steps per day and I run about 15-20 miles a week. I have my calories set on lightly active as well, if that helps. Also, could lack of quality sleep have an impact on my feeling hungry every day?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You are WAY under everyday, eat more!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    I'm all for eating anything in moderation. I'll happily eat ice cream etc but your diary is full of fast foods, tv dinners, ice cream, Margaretta's a severe werthers original addiction. I have nothing against these foods but they are less likely to fill or sustain you. If you start hitting more fresh food vegetables, meats etc. home prepared meals some fruit you will far more likely be satisfied food wise.
  • Cpollard6608
    Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
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    Also, I should note that I will see a jump in weight on days that I eat my full maintenance, but is that mainly water? For example I want to weigh 195, and days that I eat the full allotment of calories I will see my weight jump as high as 203, depending upon what I eat. So then I feel inclined to restrict calories to return to 195.
  • aisherrasher
    aisherrasher Posts: 3
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    Wow that's a huge amount of carbs a day sugars and undereating of calories. I'd be ravenous if I ate what you do. Do you realise the more sugar and processed foods you eat the more your body craves? Do you eat any fresh vegetables?
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    look at what you're eating and then change it. I have found when this has happened to me…when i looked back at what I was eating and then changed it to something with more protien or fiber the hunger was gone.

    For me, it was something as simple as a 45 calorie bread I was eating with my eggs for breakfast. When i switched to a high fiber 100 caloire english muffin. The hunger went totally away. It was the bread spiking my insulin causing the hunger.
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
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    First off, lol at carbs making you hungry or sugar... It's the processed stuff that's the issue, cut down on the processed junk, eat whole foods and healthy meals and you'll be fine :)

    Your body actually needs glucose to run... It's not a bad thing, but he processed items don't satiate you for long, they aren't nutritionally good for your body...
  • Cpollard6608
    Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
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    I try to eat as much as possible, but given my schedule as of late, I haven't been able to. For example, I wake up with my son at 2:30 for a feeding, then back up at 5:40 to run and get ready for work. I teach, so my planning time is 8:15-8:45 during which I am not hungry so i don't eat. My lunch time is 1:20-1:45 and then I leave school at 4:00 to go to football practice until 7:30-8:00. By the time I get home, I have about 30 minutes or so to eat before I help bathe my son, read to him and put him down. Prior to this schedule I was eating fresh fruits and vegetables non-stop, but I don't really know how to incorporate them into this schedule. Any sort of advice is greatly appreciated.

    I know that my carbs and sugars are a bit high and that I am probably sounding like every other whiny excuse-giving slob, but I have tried my best to avoid fast-food, until this past week, but quick on the go food has been really helpful. If anyone has advice on how to eat during such a chaotic schedule, I would love the help! Thanks to all who have given feedback as well!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I try to eat as much as possible, but given my schedule as of late, I haven't been able to. For example, I wake up with my son at 2:30 for a feeding, then back up at 5:40 to run and get ready for work. I teach, so my planning time is 8:15-8:45 during which I am not hungry so i don't eat. My lunch time is 1:20-1:45 and then I leave school at 4:00 to go to football practice until 7:30-8:00. By the time I get home, I have about 30 minutes or so to eat before I help bathe my son, read to him and put him down. Prior to this schedule I was eating fresh fruits and vegetables non-stop, but I don't really know how to incorporate them into this schedule. Any sort of advice is greatly appreciated.

    I know that my carbs and sugars are a bit high and that I am probably sounding like every other whiny excuse-giving slob, but I have tried my best to avoid fast-food, until this past week, but quick on the go food has been really helpful. If anyone has advice on how to eat during such a chaotic schedule, I would love the help! Thanks to all who have given feedback as well!

    1) Buy fresh fruit.
    2) Buy fresh vegetables.
    3) Eat the items listed in 1 and 2 above.


    Also, you could consider preparing some things in batch. I tend to do this with proteins, so for example if I'm going to fire up the grill I'm going to make a few lbs of chicken breast so that I can reheat it throughout the week.
  • Sommerville_Nutrition
    Sommerville_Nutrition Posts: 20 Member
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    Chia seeds. I can't stress this enough. I eat one teaspoon in the morning and one at lunch and it makes you fill full. Add them to smoothies grind them up add them to recipes etc. Also definitely more protein and steel cut oats for breakfast will make you feel full and is full of fiber. You are 20 young men need alot of calories.
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
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    I know nothing about chia seeds but every other post on this thread has sound advice.

    Eat more.
    Eat more protein
    Eat better carbs.

    My advice yes lack of sleep does make you hungry.
    And get more organised. Make time. Stop eating this way or you will get fat. and unhealthy. Work it out. If you can't fit it in, then something else has to go. you've just got to get your priorities in order. I suggest quitting the football coaching and or your running. You should prioritise your food intake over fitness since weightloss is 80% diet and 20% exercise.

    If you don't sort this out you will also get sick with colds and the like more often and probably a pass it on to your baby.
  • saraj9999
    saraj9999 Posts: 18
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    I see from your profile that you have a wife and I assume she must eat too :smile:

    If I were you, I would take a couple hours on the weekend and work together on planning a week's worth of healthy meals for both of you. Grocery shop and do all of the veg prep on the same day you shop. Some recipes can also be made that day and then reheated - per SideSteel's recommendation. If you can cook, but have trouble coming up with healthy things TO cook (this has been my problem), there are all sorts of resources with great recipes - forums here, Sparkpeople, etc.

    Once you get into a routine with this, it will be just like your running. You will know what to do and when to do it so that you always have good choices at home to eat or pack to take with you to practice.

    You have to plan to eat well or you are planning to be fat again.
  • Ke11er
    Ke11er Posts: 147 Member
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    Congratulations on your incredible weight loss, you clearly know what you're doing. The early weeks of school are incredibly hectic for teachers....strike that....teachers have crazy hectic schedules and brutally long days before and after the bell. You are going to need to plan ahead to have food you can grab on the run. Think about non-perishables you could pick up and stick in your desk at the beginning of the week to grab from, maybe almonds, beef jerky, tuna or peanut butter in "to go" portioned containers, apples, protein bars? If you have access to a fridge when you also have time to eat you could stock the healthy foods you'd grab at home, like a bag of string cheese and containers of Greek yogurt. Pack once for the week to save time and you'll set yourself up for more success. Kudos to you for your commitment to your family and to your students in the classroom and on the field, you're giving a lot.
  • rosiemaji
    rosiemaji Posts: 23 Member
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    Check out "Volumetrics". This premise behind this is that it is the quantity of food rather than the calories consumed that make you feel full. There is a whole book out about it but it is really pretty simple - fibrous vegetables and other high fiber low calorie foods add volume to a meal without adding a lot of calories. The trick is to find out which foods add volume and which of those are reasonable to add to your intake. Protein keeps you satisfied even longer than fat.

    When I first started my weight loss program, my main complaint was that when I finished a meal I was still hungry. My coach suggested "Volumetrics". I tried it and it worked. Now, I sometimes have trouble eating all of the calories that I should because I am too full to eat anything more. Incorporating "Volumetrics" broke my craving for sweets and other high carb foods. That was a real biggy. Now I don't need to carry granola bars around with me to eat when my energy level gets so low that I feel like I am going to pass out. Higher protein, higher fiber, lower carbs and reasonable fat intakes keep me satisfied until it is time for my next meal. If a meal is delayed due to circumstances beyond my control, I still don't feel famished because by body is now less resistant to burning my own body fat for energy. I followed this with a week of intermittent fasting (basically skipping breakfast and eating all of my meals in an 8 hour window) to force my body to learn to burn fat again. I still do that about one day per week or two. Shortly after that I incorporated high intensity interval training into all of my exercise routines (You really should check this out. You need less minutes of exercise to get the same result), I increased the number of days I exercise from 3 to 5 or 6 and I added some new things that I can do to vary my exercise routine. With a very busy schedule, variety and flexibility really help in those times when you have a chance to exercise but the gym is closed.

    Others here have made some great suggestions:
    * prepare foods ahead of time so they can be quickly heated up in the microwave.
    * enlist the help of your wife in preparing or having a good meal ready when you get home
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
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    I would listen to all of the advise you've been given, but I just wanted to give you my support. My kids are big now (10 and 16) but that first year is HELL! I worked too and sleep was an issue. So to make it easier for you, maybe just get some fruits and veggies that don't need prepping...apples, grapes, bananas. Pre-cut carrots and celery. For protein I like low-fat string cheese, or those small packs of almonds, walnuts, etc. Anthing that you can just grab and go with.

    Good luck to you... you have a lot on your plate (figuratively speaking)! :smile:
  • matthawthorneisamyth
    matthawthorneisamyth Posts: 196 Member
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    In looking at your diary you could use more protein and fat in your diet. I'd start there.
  • blue_berries88
    blue_berries88 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hey, : )

    I checked out your stuff and omg, good job on the weight loss! I would say that you need to cut back on the sugar. Before I joined fitness pal, reducing my sugar helped me to lose ten pounds. I read that we shouldn't really be eating more than 30 grams of sugar a day.

    My source? This book called "Grain Brain". Best book I've ever read on nutrition.
  • skittle316
    skittle316 Posts: 128 Member
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    eat more fat and protein with your meals.

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