Eating VERY clean and tons of protein but still hungry

How many calories are you eating? Are you eating back exercise calories? Are you eating enough fiber which also helps fill you up? I agree with above - open your diary if you'd like more detailed advice and suggestions.

If you're starving, have some carrot sticks, maybe a serving of 2% cottage cheese (100 cal for a 125g serving) or some cut up cauliflower or broccoli?

I didn't realize until I started with mfp how much I needed to eat snacks between every meal- like all week, every day. Before I would aimlessly eat bad calories and/or cram in a whack of carbs before bed because I was "hungry". I took some advice and made sure I began pre-planning about 300 calories per day in snack food- it could be a handful of goldfish crackers or two golden oreo cookies or carrots and hummus or pickles/cheese on melba toast... endless things. You are just getting your system sorted out so still lots of signals to look for but some people just need to eat more often, others need their calories in the first half of the day etc. Best of luck!

You've only eaten around 800 cals today, according to your diary, and you have 1200 cals remaining to hit your goal for the day...and you say you're hungry, so maybe I'm just not grasping the question? You need to eat more, you're hungry, you have the cals available...I'm just not seeing the issue??

These are my really general tips for hunger:

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.

You are doing amazing for protein. That was one of my problems.

Weight loss for the first week/s is often more dramatic than what you get in the weeks that follow, due to water weight loss and your metabolism slowing down with weight loss.

I think your original target calories might have been too low. Some peope use this calculator:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
and adjust MFP goals to fit. Keep in mind the scoobysworkshop calculator already includes expected exercise (you can't earn exercise calories unless to exercise in addition to your planned exercise).

Hunger is often a problem for the first few days of a diet. When you figure out the right calorie target, and eat at it for a few days, your body will adjust so that you end up feeling more full at a deficit.

Try to get even a half-hour exercise in each day, to get more calories to eat. Exercise can help diminish appetite. At your current weight, you will burn a lot of calories with any aerobic activity. It shouldn't take long to earn a 100 calorie snack.

You aren't logging water. Thirst sometimes presents as hunger. Try to get a glass of water in with each meal and snack, and a glass of water for every workout, as a minimum.

You may want to try some more high-fiber foods like green leafy vegetables. Fiber can be filling.

Good luck

allison1983weber wrote: »

SnuggleSmacks wrote: »

You've only eaten around 800 cals today, according to your diary, and you have 1200 cals remaining to hit your goal for the day...and you say you're hungry, so maybe I'm just not grasping the question? You need to eat more, you're hungry, you have the cals available...I'm just not seeing the issue??

I said that I JUST, as in an hour ago, changed my activity level from sedentary to lightly active therefor my calories JUST increased.

Sorry, I'm at work and had pulled the thread up to read, did some work stuff, and came back to the thread and replied. Your comment had not been made at the time the thread was accessed.

Here is the calculator I've been using over the past year. I'm 20 pounds down and I've got about 15 left to go to my ultimate goal weight.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

The weight loss is very slow, but I wanted it this way because I don't want loose skin or to be hungry all the time.

I just ran my first 5k in November and have lots of treats throughout my day. It's a process and it takes time but if you stick with it, you will see results.

Also watch out for coffee with a light breakfast. Caffeine will speed up the contractions of your intestines and make you feel empty quicker. If you are going to eat that light of a breakfast and have coffee, try to add more fiber. Oatmeal is great for that, even a small portion will make you feel full.

jpaulie wrote: »

looked at you diary (which is public by the way ) I noticed you are very low on your protein goals. Protein is harder to digest typically and will help you feel fuller longer

oops my bad read it backwards. ouch