Starving

What on earth do you have planned for dinner? I usually have far less than that so I can either have more snacks or a big lunch - keeps me feeling fuller for longer

My guess is you set your calorie goal to 1200 calories?

Are you actually hungry or do you just think you are because you're used to eating a lot? Try drinking a glass of water. After you drink a tall glass of water, wait for 20 minutes. if you still feel hungry after that, eat something like fruits or veggies. Being your first day on your journey, you need to learn your hunger ques again. I was the same way when I first started. it's all about will power and the ability to learn to listen to your body.

If you calorie goal is 1200 try this: 300 breakfast, 300 lunch, 100 snack, 500 dinner. So maybe for breakfast you could have porridge and berries (very filling), meat + a salad, or soup + a slice of bread for lunch, a piece of fruit, raw veggies, popcorn, or a yoghurt for your snack, and fish + veggies + potatoes + white sauce for dinner etc. Good luck sweetie, don't starve and remember you can eat your exercise calories back! Xx

As others have suggested, spreading your calories out will help you not be so hungry. It also helps me not overeat at dinner. If I've restricted calories all day in order to save for a bigger dinner I tend to eat too much in the evening. Good luck!

First, you do get used to it. Second, find something low calorie to munch on. Third, you may want to plan out a few dinners so that you can see where you can cut calories there to add to your meals earlier in the day.

As you log and review your daily logs you will also start learning what foods you want to cut down or change as they are using up too many of your calories. (I used to drink 2 cups of skim milk at dinner but then realized that was 180 calories, over 10% of my daily limit. That was switched to water which let me eat a lot more during the day)

I have some really general tips for hunger that might help:

1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.

I fully agree with the posters above. Super suggestions.
One more that works for a lot of folks.
Eat in only One place. Pick a spot and eat nowhere else.
It is generally suggested, at the table away from distractions, focus
only on eating. Tasting, smelling, feeling, seeing, smaller bites, etc.
Many scarf down their food and don't even really feel they've eaten.
Same at work pick a spot. And ..... For the most part teach yourself to not eat food others
have brought to work. So inviting. Usually calorie busters
Good luck on your journey. Starting is the main thing.

Everyone has given such good advice here! If only all boards were this helpful. I would just like to add that since this is your first day the most important thing is to not give up and to really commit to tracking EVERY thing you eat (even if it's something you didn't want to eat or even if you don't know exactly what's in it and it's an estimate). When you start feeling ravenous, sometimes you just want to give up on the whole thing and go back to old habits. I would encourage you to think of it one moment at a time, as in "I will log what I am eating right now" and not long term. Don't think "I have to do this for a week" or even all day because that can be discouraging and can also lead to giving up if you do end up giving in to temptation, saying "this day is ruined, I'll start again tomorrow". If you commit to tracking this moment only, you'll find the moments add up and it gets easier and easier. Also, it will help you learn what works for you and what doesn't. Good luck!

I save 500 for dinner at the most and i. At 1200 u need to eat more love!