Great nutrition, but feel incredibly hungry..tips?

erinlwood16
erinlwood16 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 17 in Food and Nutrition
I've recently started dieting and working out to lose the 15 lbs I put on in the last year, but have come across an issue.
I eat very well for my meals (right amount of protein, fat, carbs, fiber, etc.) but hit times in the day when I feel really hungry. My meals are very plentiful but not triggering that "full feeling". Any ideas/tips on trying to work on this?
Thank you in advance! ♡

Replies

  • Leana088
    Leana088 Posts: 581 Member
    Perhaps work in some snacks. Otherwise, eat more fat, more protein, or bulk up your meals with veg. Even drinking more water will help.
  • Leana088
    Leana088 Posts: 581 Member
    Make sure you're not being too restrictive with your calories.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited April 2015
    Choose less carb dense vegies so you get more volume and make sure you get plenty of protein and fat. Then accept that when you're dieting you're likely to have periods of feeling hungry. This isn't a bad thing. You don't have to be full every hour of the day!
  • 123fattymcgee
    123fattymcgee Posts: 2 Member
    Try looking at how much sugar is included in the carbohydrate total. Sugar is a simple carb and doesn't take much energy for your body to break down...so you feel good, but get hungry faster. I've found that was one of my missing pieces. Like if I am looking for a good protein bar or quick snack - I look at how much sugar there is. If there are 22 carbs and 0 sugar- It has a lower glycemic index - and should help keep you satisfied. Hope that helps.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    123fattymcgee wrote: »
    Try looking at how much sugar is included in the carbohydrate total. Sugar is a simple carb and doesn't take much energy for your body to break down...so you feel good, but get hungry faster. I've found that was one of my missing pieces. Like if I am looking for a good protein bar or quick snack - I look at how much sugar there is. If there are 22 carbs and 0 sugar- It has a lower glycemic index - and should help keep you satisfied. Hope that helps.

    Gi is fairly irrelevant unless you're eating something that only contains Carbohydrates. Adding protein and fat completely changes the Gi.
  • 123fattymcgee
    123fattymcgee Posts: 2 Member
    edited April 2015
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    123fattymcgee wrote: »
    Try looking at how much sugar is included in the carbohydrate total. Sugar is a simple carb and doesn't take much energy for your body to break down...so you feel good, but get hungry faster. I've found that was one of my missing pieces. Like if I am looking for a good protein bar or quick snack - I look at how much sugar there is. If there are 22 carbs and 0 sugar- It has a lower glycemic index - and should help keep you satisfied. Hope that helps.

    Gi is fairly irrelevant unless you're eating something that only contains Carbohydrates. Adding protein and fat completely changes the Gi.

    I think the glycemic index/load is interesting, but after experimenting, I really don't feel the difference eating high or low GL for a given macro/calorie plan. N=1, so take FWIW. OP, you might try experimenting with your macros... Eat a little higher fat/lower carb for a couple days then the other way. Or boost your fiber without raising carbs for a few days and see what that does. Back to the glycemic effects of sugar, fiber moderates the insulin response, so you have energy longer vs. crashing. It's why whole fruits (sugar+fiber) are so much better than fruit juice (sugar without fiber) for folks with insulin sensitivity issues.

    The bigger issue, though, is finding the right daily calories for you. With 15 lb to lose, anything more than .5 or 1 lb/wk will probably cause more hassle in the long run.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    How many calories are you eating? If you have set your weight goal to super aggressive weight loss, then readjust this to something like half to one lb pwr week at most, with so little weight to lose. Otherwise, maybe you need to play around with your routine a bit? Like, try smaller meals/snacks more frequently, or larger meals and very small snacks in between, eating later or earlier etc.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    If you are looking to lose a decent amount of weight and make changes to your body, you are going to be hungry every now and then. Sometimes very hungry - it's something you have got to deal with.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Snacks, moar protein, high volume meals (my go to is squash, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a good 6 ounces of the most lean ground turkey).

    You'll figure it out. I need to eat pretty often. My purse is a bag of tricks.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Usually when I'm hungry I eat more...You can eat and still lose weight.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    honestly you just have to tough it out. If you are eating enough nutrition and calories for your body, you are fine. the hunger will eventually subside when your body gets used to eating less. A little discomfort will not kill you.
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