I'm hungry all the time!

rengormley
rengormley Posts: 1
in Food and Nutrition
hello, is anyone else hungry constantly? Even after eating a meal or snack? I'm trying so hard to stick to my calorie goals but I don't know what to do about this insatiable hunger! Does anyone have any ideas/tips about what to do?

Replies

  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
    Consume more nutrient dense, calorie light foods so you are eating more. apples, Carrots, Celery, water...all fillers that might help. I know my first week though one day, I just had to have a piece of bread with pb. I tracked it and moved on!
  • futuremanda
    futuremanda Posts: 816 Member
    How long have you been doing this? To some extent, there's a lot to get used to, and hunger will improve.

    What is your calorie target set at? You may have picked a target that is too ambitious. You could tell MFP that you would be happy to lose at a slower pace, and you'll get more calories to eat. (And at only 25 lbs from goal weight, the reasonable rate is 0.5-1 lb a week btw.)

    Are you exercising? Do you eat any of those calories back?

    Did you cut out a whole bunch of foods, or switch foods (like to fat free)?

    Are you hitting your macro targets? (protein, fat, carbs)

    Are you hungry always? Is the hunger always the same? Are there times when it is worse or more urgent or different in some way that would be useful to know? (I have hunger I ignore, and hunger I don't, depending on the type and circumstances.)
  • mongoosealamode
    mongoosealamode Posts: 112 Member
    Carbohydrates make your body crave more food. Also if you are not getting enough water, your body could be mistaking thirst for hunger. I recently started low carb high fat 'diet' (Keto). I have lost 5 lbs in a little over a week(some is water weight) and I have only been hungry a few time.
  • lovelaughrun
    lovelaughrun Posts: 45 Member
    Try adding in protein to each meal, have a little more of the good fats and cut back on the starchy grains and carbs. Maybe it's just me but I can stuff myself full of pancakes and be hungry an hour later. An omlette will fill me for a good 3 hours and thats after a gym session!
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    How many calories are eating a day?
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
    mongoosealamode wrote: »
    Carbohydrates make your body crave more food. Also if you are not getting enough water, your body could be mistaking thirst for hunger. I recently started low carb high fat 'diet' (Keto). I have lost 5 lbs in a little over a week(some is water weight) and I have only been hungry a few time.

    Bro science.

    OP please listen to @futuremanda and answer these questions to yourself. It sounds like too little intake or an incorrect balance of macros. Do you know your BMR/TDEE?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,592 Member
    rengormley wrote: »
    hello, is anyone else hungry constantly? Even after eating a meal or snack? I'm trying so hard to stick to my calorie goals but I don't know what to do about this insatiable hunger! Does anyone have any ideas/tips about what to do?

    I'm in the same situation ... and sorry, I don't know what to do about it.

    I have just eaten dinner, and I could still inhale an entire loaf of bread right this minute.

  • swbenbow
    swbenbow Posts: 87 Member
    I used to be like that. Luckily at the time I was loosing weight and that thought kept me going. Now I tend not to notice so much when my "mind" says hungry and I keep more focused on when my "body" says hungry. It took about 3 months for me for this gradual shift in change - and I can (and still do) often revert back. Keep with it - set a realistic goal, and do reward yourself for doing well.
  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
    You shouldn't be hungry. It's a bad sign. Your metabolism will slow down. Are you drinking enough water? I hate it but have got into the habit of having a glass half an hour before each meal and in the evening with a slice of lemon or lime. Always have it before/during/after exercise too.

    Are you exercising? When I first tried MFP years ago I moaned to my husband that it wasn't enough food and that I was hungry and it wasn't fair that he was allowed more (he is twice my weight). He just pointed out that I was supposed to be exercising too. It's a no brainer.

  • surferazul
    surferazul Posts: 3 Member
    Cut High glucemic index carbs, lower tour total carb intake and get those from veggies, moderate your protein (probably keep it as it was heres an approach if you are sedentary ,men 60-80gr women 50-70gr) Eat more good fats. Adjusting your macros always within your correct calorie goal defecit. Bam! Hunger gone.
  • Cryptonomnomicon
    Cryptonomnomicon Posts: 848 Member
    edited March 2015
    First off it is best to set up your calorie allotment and macro goals optimally...

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

    It is also an issue of figuring out what foods are nutritionally dense and have a high level of satiety. Satiety is the feeling of fullness after eating that suppresses the urge to eat for a period of time after a meal.

    An example of a satiety index (the nutritional/calorie values are not represented)...

    DQynagG.jpg

    Tips on how to feel fuller

    • Foods high in protein seem to make us feel fuller than foods high in fat or carbohydrate, so including some protein at every meal should help keep you satisfied. Foods high in protein include meats such as chicken, ham or beef, fish, eggs, beans and pulses.

    • Foods that are high in fibre may also enhance feelings of fullness so try to include plenty of high-fibre foods in the diet such as wholegrain bread and cereals, beans and pulses and fruit and vegetables.

    • Alcohol seems to stimulate appetite in the short-term and therefore drinking alcohol is likely to encourage us to eat more. Alcoholic beverages can make you forget about your intentions to eat healthily by making you lose your inhibitions. Alcoholic drinks are also calorific, so you should cut down on alcohol consumption if you are trying to control your weight.

    • The ‘energy density’ of food has a strong influence on feelings of fullness or satiety. Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories) per gram of food. Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food so you can eat more of them without consuming too many calories. Low energy density foods include fruit and vegetables, foods with lots of water added when cooking such as soups and stews, and lower fat foods.

    Lastly beyond the many hormones and other factors of your physiology that are involved in regulating appetite, human psychology also plays a powerful role in appetite. Simply put are you really feeling hungry or is it an emotional response to things like boredom, depression etc try to recognize the triggers for what they truly are.

    sources:

    http://weightology.net/?p=327

    http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html


  • Lois_1989
    Lois_1989 Posts: 6,410 Member
    edited March 2015
    I recently went to my doctors about weight loss and he directed me to watch this. It's an English programme, you might be able to find it on youtube, I'm not sure. I thought it was VERY interesting. It still stuck with the CICO but it looked deeper into why people gain weight, either psychological, chemical or emotional. It seemed that people who constantly crave food, lack in a certain chemical that tells the brain you have eaten, therefore eating high protein, low GI diet was the best choice.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/rightdiet

    I'm pretty sure people could tear this experiment apart with the right knowledge, but it made sense to me, and considering my doctor suggested it, i don't think it could be too wrong...

    I found the first episode the quality isn't amazing though...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBsf55hk-4
  • kpw818
    kpw818 Posts: 113 Member
    I was dealing with this a lot when I followed MFP's program (NEAT or whatever?) I find the eating what you burn method a big problem, because it causes a lot of up and downs in calorie intake. Additionally, MFPs numbers for calories burned are way off, and you can easily end up eating more than you need.

    I think MFP is a great tool for logging and tracking, but I would look elsewhere for calorie goals for weight loss, maintenance, and bulking. I averaged and rounded to a TDEE of 1800 (most calculators were much higher, but I'd rather go low and adjust than above). I eat that everyday, even on non exercise days. With exercise counted in thought, I am eating lower than my maintenance (but I'm also trying to really see what that is).

    However, I also workout 6 days a week between running and strength training. Eating the same amount has helped with hunger; blood sugar swings (I am very, very sensitive to this); and not feeling like crap when I workout. I've had more energy and better momentum in all my workouts. I also don't worry about feeling super hungry/not as hungry because I try to hit around the same amount everyday.

    With that said, I still get hungry. Obviously before meals and after hard workouts. I tend to eat smaller meals throughout the day, which helps a lot.

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