Always Hungry

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jacobs18201
jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, just starting here...

Can anyone give me advice on how to handle always being hungry, even like 5-10 minutes after a me...

Thanks
«1

Replies

  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    I find I only get hungry if my protein or fibre is low. Are you getting near these macros?
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    Have you looked through this? http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10207058/hungry-all-the-time/p1
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm honestly not sure.

    If I eat a bowl of mini wheats for breakfast, I'll be hungry not long after. Or last night we had spaghetti & meatballs, 10 minutes later.... hungry.. and I mean tummy growling hungry.
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    Have you looked through this? http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10207058/hungry-all-the-time/p1

    Nope Lol. Thanks
  • al602338
    al602338 Posts: 9 Member
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    Hi I have the same problems as u. But after every meal like 2 to 3 minutes after a meal I'm hungry like if I don't eat I'll throw up hungry
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    We can't see your diary, but...

    You could genuinely not be eating enough. I have no idea. Sometimes people set calorie deficit goals that are too aggressive for the amount of weight they want to lose.

    You could try playing around with your macros. Lots of people will tout how much protein and fiber helps with hunger. I've found that upping my the amount calories I get from fat helps more. It's all very personal.
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize it was private Lol..
    I Haven't adjusted calories from what MFP gave me..
    Dieting should be easy. :'(
  • _incogNEATo_
    _incogNEATo_ Posts: 4,537 Member
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    You're 35 years old and have roughly 43 pounds to lose. I think a daily goal of 1200 calories is too low. Maybe somebody with more knowledge can help here.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    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.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    You could try reducing your carb goal and increasing your protein and fat intake. I'm guessing you're using the default macro distribution that MFP gives people, which many people find they prefer to change.

    It may take some time and adjustment to find a setup that works for you.

  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    Thanks everyone for input.. I really do appreciate it.
    The only way I was really ever to love any amount of weight in the past was to starve myself..
    & I made myself sick once when I did that. I don't want this to be temporary this time, I want it gone for good & I know the only way that's going to happen is by retraining myself!
  • julieb47
    julieb47 Posts: 20 Member
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    The more refined carbs I eat the hungrier I get. I can't control my appetite at all. So you might be the same. try giving up the cereals, bread, spaghetti etc and see if that makes a difference with you. I notice that you talk about a growling tummy after eating these foods so you might consider whether you have a wheat intolerance, IBS or even celiac disease.
  • Mike02209
    Mike02209 Posts: 301 Member
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    I have the same issue oftentimes. Drinking more cold water and increasing my fiber seems to help. I switched from eating snack chips with my sandwich at lunch to eating Sami's Millet and Flax chips, still gives me the satisfaction but keeps me feeling sated for much longer. Now if I can find something to do that at night in the hours before I go to sleep, that would be wonderful! Good luck to you and feel free to add me as a friend.
  • jaims224
    jaims224 Posts: 62 Member
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    I get that way if I eat too many refined carbs. If I have cereal for breakfast I am famished an hour later. If I eat plenty of protein and fat for breakfast then I am not hungry until lunch. Honestly, it sets me up to not get overly hungry for the rest of the day.
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    julieb47 wrote: »
    The more refined carbs I eat the hungrier I get. I can't control my appetite at all. So you might be the same. try giving up the cereals, bread, spaghetti etc and see if that makes a difference with you. I notice that you talk about a growling tummy after eating these foods so you might consider whether you have a wheat intolerance, IBS or even celiac disease.

    Haha give up carbs?! No way man Lol that's why I hate diets.
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    The rest of my response didn't post Lol... I also said that the growling isn't a sick or upset, it's yelling at me to feed it..
  • jacobs18201
    jacobs18201 Posts: 25 Member
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    Mike02209 wrote: »
    I have the same issue oftentimes. Drinking more cold water and increasing my fiber seems to help. I switched from eating snack chips with my sandwich at lunch to eating Sami's Millet and Flax chips, still gives me the satisfaction but keeps me feeling sated for much longer. Now if I can find something to do that at night in the hours before I go to sleep, that would be wonderful! Good luck to you and feel free to add me as a friend.

    Half a nag of chips at night does that for me.. I can eat a whole box of wheat thins in a sitting.. be nice if the crap food actually tasted like crap Lol.. Thanks for the input.. ☺
  • shadowofender
    shadowofender Posts: 786 Member
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    When I first started I felt hungry all of the time. It took a bit to realize the difference between true hunger and habit hunger. I spent a few weeks eating on a schedule so I could learn to break the habit. My brain would say I was hungry because I was used to eating, I wasn't really. I don't have that problem so much anymore but it took a while to train out.

    Drink water. walk a lap, anything to distract your head from the "hunger".

  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    I find that replacing a portion of my refined carbs with extra veggies helps me increase the volume of my diet and adds fibre without having to sacrifice protein or fats, which also help with satiety.

    If you took, say, 200 calories that you would normally spend on bread, pasta, or cereal and replace it with non-starchy veg, your meals would get a lot bigger. It's amazing how much veggie soup, salad or steamed broccoli or crudités you can eat for just 100 calories. You'd still have room for some refined carbs, just slightly smaller portions with a huge side of veggies.

    Play around with the food diary, and you'll see how you can stretch your calories so much further if you move even 1/4 of your carb intake from refined grains to veggies.

    If it hasn't been mentioned yet, be sure you are meeting your protein and fat requirements, as being low in either of these can keep you from ever feeling satisfied, no matter how much food you eat. I love carbs, but I could eat a bowl of cereal or a fat free salad and still feel hungry even if my stomach was technically full.
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
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    diannethegeek wrote: »
    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.

    Great advice! I've lost 140-150 pounds & I still get hunger/thirst signals mixed up from time to time.

    I also have to echo the comment about eating more protein & fiber. I find I stay fuller if I eat a lot of veggies for lunch & some kind of protein during the day. My favorite veggies at the moment are spinach, grape tomatoes, cauliflower, & different Birdseye microwaveable pouches. Birdseye released a new Protein blend that is pretty tasty & you could eat a whole bag for a meal & be pretty satisfied. They have Southwest, California, & Italian styled protein blends.

    I find gelato like Talenti while high in calories is a great snack that can help keep you fuller.

    Some other foods I find filling are peanut butter on a tortilla, cottage cheese, yogurt mixed with protein powder or fruit, & lean meats like tilapia/chicken.

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