So am i going to be hungry for ever?

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Greystar0
Greystar0 Posts: 5
in Getting Started
So i just started trying to eat healthy and use myfitnesspal. Fortunately (and the problem lol) im a big guy i get allowed quiet a lot of calories about 2300 and i exercise a bit so i get those calories as well. So i thought it would be easy, just eat healthier foods and ill be ok.

So far iv been blowing past my goal calories by about 200 a day, which isnt worrying me to much because im trying to go for 1kg per week which is like 1000calories less than what my maintaince weight is so eating just 200 calories more wont hurt my loss so bad.

But since im use to eating so much that i gain weight i guess i must have been on like 4000 per day, im so hungry.

In short iv been trying to eat close to my goal and it seems like im hungry all the time. Is this something iv got to get use too, or will i adapt so im not so hungry even while eating well. Also i know my calorie counting isnt perfect because for example i had some homemade pizza for dinner but i didnt know how to enter it so i just put down dominos pizza slices.
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Replies

  • Lottiotta
    Lottiotta Posts: 162 Member
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    I quite often make a best guess for food. If I'm not 100% sure I'll make a best guess, then add a bit to be on the safe side. For something like homemade pizza I'd have to weigh all the ingredients as I put them into the meal, so I'd have to count calories in the base, sauce, toppings, etc. And then I'd have to eat the whole pizza myself or it'd screw up the calculations! :P

    I only eat about 150 kcal under maintenance, which makes for very slowwww weight loss. I like it that way, because I've got no major health concerns and I'm in no hurry. This way I am not so hungry. But even 150 below maintenance means I am hungry sometimes! It does take some getting used to, but my system is adapting well. I can imagine that even with my tiny deficit I will have to gradually increase when I want to hit maintenance.

    ETA: I forgot to say, one day you'll be an ideal weight and then your calorie intake has to go up so you stop losing. :)
  • SaltedEverything
    SaltedEverything Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi Cam, welcome!

    No, you shouldn't always be hungry. It might be the types of food you're used to eating - 300 calories of ice cream or pizza fits on quite a small plate. You would not believe how huge a 300 calorie bowl of bok choy is, even with oyster sauce etc.

    Lean protein, fruit & vegetables that are high in fiber, anything that takes up a lot of space in your stomach without being calorie-dense.

    That being said - yes, sometimes you'll be hungry. Shouldn't be all the time, though.

    Good luck!
  • jenny24012014
    jenny24012014 Posts: 83 Member
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    The website has this great bit for recipes - you add in the ingredients and then it tells you how many calories are in it - it's probably my favourite part of the website.

    I think you kind of get used to eating less though on days that I go over my calories by a significant amount the next day I'm starving all day again :/
  • Quirky_but_nice
    Quirky_but_nice Posts: 102 Member
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    You soon start to identify foods which fill the hungry gap better than others. I get very hungry and I cook, so I've created recipes which are low calorie but fill my tum!
    I am losing weight at the rate of about 1 pound a week. I only have a 1300 cal allowance, as I don't have a lot left to lose.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    To an extent you may adapt but also, you get used to feeling hungry and you don't notice it so much. The way I see it is that I know I'm not going to starve to death as I have eaten my towards my calorie goal so I do go to bed hungry quite often knowing that I'll wake up in the morning... or at least not die due to a lack of food overnight. :o)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    It may help to ease into it, just reduce your calories by 100 per week until you hit your target. Make sure that you get all the nutrients you need. And that you don't deprive yourself from everything you like. Exercise can help regulate appetite. Learn to trust that the feeling of hunger isn't telling you that you're in danger, as long as you are eating well, and enough. Accept that it's normal and healthy to feel a little hungry sometimes. After some time, when you are adjusted to a good routine, it won't bother you.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
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    I've been doing this for almost a year now and I am still always starving, lol. I miss being able to eat small pizzas and stuff like I used to because that always filled me up. But, after 50lbs down I just keep telling myself that being hungry is normal? I just assume it's always normal for people on diets.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    What the others said about getting to know the type of foods that fill you up and also the types that are healthy for you.

    The idea is with the correct selection of foods you shouldnt be hungry, You certainly seem to have a lot of calries to play with.
  • Greystar0
    Greystar0 Posts: 5
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    Hi, thanks for the advice guys. Im really at the start here obviously. I guess ill try to slowly lower how much i eat, choose more fulling foods and accept that being a bit hungry is really what its all about lol.
  • Quirky_but_nice
    Quirky_but_nice Posts: 102 Member
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    I've been doing this for almost a year now and I am still always starving, lol. I miss being able to eat small pizzas and stuff like I used to because that always filled me up. But, after 50lbs down I just keep telling myself that being hungry is normal? I just assume it's always normal for people on diets.

    No. I disagree. Many days I can't eat all my calories as I feel full and satisfied. It all hinges on WHAT you eat. Have a look at my diary, it's public. Apart from a 2 week spell in august, it's all logged.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I've been doing this for almost a year now and I am still always starving, lol. I miss being able to eat small pizzas and stuff like I used to because that always filled me up. But, after 50lbs down I just keep telling myself that being hungry is normal? I just assume it's always normal for people on diets.
    What the others said about getting to know the type of foods that fill you up and also the types that are healthy for you.

    The idea is with the correct selection of foods you shouldnt be hungry, You certainly seem to have a lot of calries to play with.

    I think the touting of "filling foods", "eat more to weigh less", and the notion that you never should be hungry, is a bad idea. It makes us feel like failures if we feel hunger. But hunger is normal, and necessary. Everybody gets hungry, no matter if you're underweight, overweight or normal weight. Overweight people still eat too much, partly because they are hungry, that's how we get bigger and bigger. We can indeed reduce the feeling of hunger, and of course we should, it's not supposed to torment us, but we can't remove it, and we need to learn to tolerate it to some extent.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Hiya

    When I started I did it all wrong. I didn't understand my body at all and thought I could beast the fat out of me. I felt hungry, stressed and in the end although I had what appeared to be good results to start with I didn't keep it up and I ended putting it all back on with interest. I gradually learned not to overdo it and realise that this is more of a lifestyle change than just cutting calories. For me what is equally, if not more important than hitting calorie targets is increasing my fitness and hitting my macros. Since I've switched mindsets for some reason I have lost weight. Loosing weight is a bi-product of being healthy. What this means is that I don't feel hungry all the time. I may feel hungry before my meal though but this is ok with me, I'm guessing it is quite normal. I think hitting my macros (I..e. eating what my body needs) is really significant in that. If I cut down to 1000 cals per day (too low ) and have them as chocolate and cream cakes then I may be hitting my target but I am starving my body. The macros given in MFP allow us to ensure we get roughly what our bodies need. I use them as generalisations to show me if I need to increase or decrease anything rather than a specific value I need to hit daily but by doing this my body is quite happy and doesn't go and tell me to eat more because it needs something I am not giving it.

    Good luck on your journey
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I would also say in regard to filling foods etc. I think most of hunger comes from what your body needs rather than how full your tummy is. If you scoff 20 carrots you will be full but your body will still need other stuff and will want you to go and eat to get them. If you eat a macro balanced diet your tummy wont be full but because your body has what it needs it won't be telling you to take on board more - that's my take anyway
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I have been at this for about a year and a half and I can tell you, I know very well what you are talking about. I eat to my desire (within my calories) and sometimes 1200 calories feels like I ate the whole fridge, other times 2500 is barely cutting it. It really depends on the kinds of foods you are eating.

    With time you will learn to identify which foods tend to keep you feeling full, which will leave you hungry. You will end up being hugry only sometimes, not all the time (only when your choices are not too satiating for you, and it's alright to make those choices if that's what you desire).

    I found that broth based soups before my main meal do wonders, especially blended ones. They are barely 100 calories per cup, so you can have 2 cups then your main meal. Identify if you are a volume eater or a type eater. Are you satisfied by bigger portions or by certain types? or both? For volume eaters soups, salads, greens, vegetables.. etc with or before a meal will help quite a bit. If you are both types fill up on big volumes of low calorie foods and 20 minutes later follow them with satiating types of foods (which you will have to figure out for yourself as you go)
  • legless11
    legless11 Posts: 21 Member
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    Definitely use the recipe feature for things that you make like the pizza, once a recipe is saved you can use it whenever you need it. Once you're tracking properly you may find that you're not eating as any calories as you think (or it might be more, which would be less good).

    Good luck with your weight loss.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
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    I've been doing this for almost a year now and I am still always starving, lol. I miss being able to eat small pizzas and stuff like I used to because that always filled me up. But, after 50lbs down I just keep telling myself that being hungry is normal? I just assume it's always normal for people on diets.

    No. I disagree. Many days I can't eat all my calories as I feel full and satisfied. It all hinges on WHAT you eat. Have a look at my diary, it's public. Apart from a 2 week spell in august, it's all logged.

    Our situations are probably different because I have an eating disorder that I've suffered from since toddlerhood where I can only eat a few foods due to massive food phobias. I have a very short list that I stick to and I eat the exact same things every single day.
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 175 Member
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    First are your sure you're drinking enough? Your body can often mistake thirst for hunger.

    Second, some foods are digested faster than others.Might be an idea to look at the gycaemic index of what you're eating, low GI foods are digested slower than high GI ones. Also, high GI ones cause a blood sugar spike which then drops, making you feel hungry again.

    Include a bit of healthy fats/oils as they stay in stomach longer. Good quality protein also keeps you fuller longer. Take a look at one of the healthy eating plate/pyramid charts as it's a good indication of how to balance your meals.
  • Quirky_but_nice
    Quirky_but_nice Posts: 102 Member
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    Our situations are probably different because I have an eating disorder that I've suffered from since toddlerhood where I can only eat a few foods due to massive food phobias. I have a very short list that I stick to and I eat the exact same things every single day.

    That's a very specific problem you have. Thankfully most of us don't have your huge challenges.
    We do have our own though. Everyone of us is different and in general, it's possible to diet and still feel full.
  • SimaN2014
    SimaN2014 Posts: 23 Member
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    In practical terms, I have a much smaller deficit (about 200 cal per day), and I felt hungry for about a week before I adjusted to the new portion sizes. What I found worked for me (and it will be different for you and anyone else), was to have a small breakfast (usually under 200 calories). If I'm hungry before lunch, I can cope until lunchtime. Then I have enough calories for the rest of the day to keep me feeling full.

    Protein is very satiating. Fish, chicken, lean meat, eggs go a long way. I find having protein + veg rather than (dense) carb + veg in a meal takes me a lot further. I save a few calories for a mid-afternoon snack when it's needed.

    Depending how much you have to lose, you may want to adjust to less than a 1000 cal deficit per day, and if you are finding that an 800 cal deficit is working better for you, stick with that.

    In that first week esp. and even after, sometimes when I'm hungry and don't have enough calories left for a snack, I exercise instead of eating. 30 min of exercise takes my mind off of being hungry and bonus is I get to eat more afterwards. I know mathematically that it all comes out in the wash, but physiologically it really worked for me.

    What I've also found is that I'm eating at a deficit where I'm just on the cusp of being hungry all the time, but I'm not. So I eat until I am just full and stop there. I'm not doing that on purpose, but that's how it works out at this deficit for me.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Our situations are probably different because I have an eating disorder that I've suffered from since toddlerhood where I can only eat a few foods due to massive food phobias. I have a very short list that I stick to and I eat the exact same things every single day.

    FWIW I eat pretty much the same things everyday if I can help it - couscous salads, chicken legs, some kind of fruit. Makes it easier to plan/calculate things.

    WRT the food phobias, I'd recommend seeking out the help of a qualified therapist as they can help you overcome the phobias. :)

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