Seriously... why am I so hungry?

Yeah, I'm going to have to second the comment about carbs. Nothing wrong with carbs, but you will feel full for longer if you have more balanced meals. Fat and protein take longer to digest than carbs do, leaving you feeling full for longer.

Eat PROTEIN! Nuts, eggs, meat, milk, cheese...

Cause you have eaten almost nothing of substance.....A grown woman is not suppose to eat only about 500 calories all day long...... Eat more, and eat actual food with fat and protein and carbs....

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.

libby328 wrote: »

I am 5'4-125lbs. My day so far

1 medium banana
2 oranges
2 rice cakes
1 lean pocket

when I get home I will eat dinner with my kids. I haven't planned what yet.

I am now eating more Consistently then I ever have. But I am STARVING! All day my stomach is growling and I can't seem to stay full longer then 10 minutes! What am I doing wrong?

To add... I have a heart condition that is currently preventing me from doing Cardio. I am doing some strength training.

Is this breakfast and lunch or just one meal?

I personally find that much fruit early in the day does make me feel hungry unless I eat it with protein (not everyone's experience, but it is mine). You might want to experiment with foods that give you a great sense of saiety. I often have soup for breakfast, for example. Protein and vegetables in broth help me feel full for the whole morning. I like to include high fiber vegetables with lunch (and some fruit).

These aren't rules, you can experiment with what helps you feel fullest. You've had (by my rough estimate) about 559 calories so far. I've had about that amount too and I haven't been hungry at all (Breakfast: V8 and corn chowder; Lunch: Blackberries and asparagus/sweet potato curry).

Weight loss is a matter of calories in and calories out, but you should experiment to find the foods that make you feel most satisfied within your calorie deficit.

libby328 wrote: »

Mistizoom wrote: »

Because all you've eaten is carbs. Try adding some fat and protein.

Any suggestions on what kinds of foods I should be eating?

Some of my go-to foods are Greek yogurt, eggs, meat, cheese, veggies (I tend to cook mine in a little oil to get some fat), nuts, milk. Get rid of the "diet food" mentality and start eating some of the things you were eating before in portions that fit in your calorie and nutrition goals.

libby328 wrote: »

My habits change weekly. I will go shopping on Sundays and plan my work week meals. Last week I ate loads of veggies with dressing and salads with chicken and nuts. I am finding it impossible to not go over on sugar intake tho.

For what it's worth, the sugar goals on MFP are based on the recommendations for added sugars, but the site can't differentiate between natural sugars and added sugars. A whole lot of us on here choose to ignore that particular goal. If you don't have any medical or personal reasons to cut sugar, it's not necessary to track for weight loss.

All carbs. And Bananas, even though fruit and healthy, will make me hungrier after I eat one that I was before I ate it.

Salads with protein, eggs, fish, beans, greek yogurt, beef jerky, almonds, etc are much better for satiety.

Yeah, I don't get much satisfaction out of fruit alone. I find that protein and fiber are the essential ingredients at breakfast for me, so I make a lot of veggie omelets and also find triscuits and hard cheddar cheese to be really satisfying. (Yes, I eat the 6 cracker serving, and then I use a sharp knife or cheese plane to measure out exactly one ounce of the cheese...sliced thin you'd be amazed at how much you get!) Those things keep me full, and then I add a whole grapefruit just because I love them and I find they are really refreshing.

Even the "lean" pockets are too calorically dense to be worth it to me...they don't have a big payoff in taste or satisfaction, either. Go for a big salad with some protein (salmon, chicken, shrimp) and sparing vinaigrette dressing.