I'm so hungry!!

sandhya95
sandhya95 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying my best to curb my hunger and I only have about 950 calories left for the day. What can I do to keep myself from eating a huge meal that I'm going to regret? Seriously need tips and motivation!!!!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    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.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    Are you exercising? If so, you can eat some of your exercise calories back.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    What time zone are you in that you're concerned that's not enough for the rest of the day? You can eat two rather large meals of chicken, broccoli and rice for 950 calories.
  • skinnykins432
    skinnykins432 Posts: 7 Member
    edited July 2015
    I'm with what diannethegeek said all the way. It's best to go low carb as carbs fill you up for a very short time, so eat more protein and veggies for fibre, chew gum, brush your teeth and fill up on lots of calorie-free fluids , water being the best. I do the 5/2 and so fast twice a week on 500 calories. I found it best to consume all my calories in the evening because when I did split them into separate meals, I found I was hungrier so maybe try 16:8 fasting and see how you go. :-)
  • Faith4eva31
    Faith4eva31 Posts: 98 Member
    I usually drink hot green tea in between my meals. This helps to suppress my hunger and sweet cravings. I would also recommend to spread out your meals so you can eat more, meaning eat between 5-6 small ones about 2-3 hours apart. That should help! Good luck!
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    950 calories is a ton! 950 calories is a feast!

    If you are finding that your current eating patterns are not leaving you satisfied, make sure that you are getting enough:

    -hydration
    -protein
    -fiber
    -fat
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    What time zone are you in that you're concerned that's not enough for the rest of the day? You can eat two rather large meals of chicken, broccoli and rice for 950 calories.

    You could eat a lot of variety in 2 meals for 950 calories.

    You can make a filling sandwich wrap for 300-350 calories and still have 600 left for dinner.
  • meaghandyer
    meaghandyer Posts: 24 Member
    How early are you in your weight loss too? I found for the first week on my plan I was really hungry. I think it was just my body adjusting to not having a full stomach all the time. On the bright side, it got WAY better after the first week and my body is a lot more used to it. 950 calories is still a lot. Be smart about how you space out those calories too, if you get too hungry before you next eat you will be way more likely to binge. I find eating more smaller portions stops me from getting to the point where I want to scarf everything in sight.
  • Faithful_Chosen
    Faithful_Chosen Posts: 401 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    What time zone are you in that you're concerned that's not enough for the rest of the day? You can eat two rather large meals of chicken, broccoli and rice for 950 calories.

    This! That's breakfast, lunch, and dinner for me. Not saying that our physiologies are the same but I think a proper meal can be made with 950 calories.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    How early are you in your weight loss too? I found for the first week on my plan I was really hungry. I think it was just my body adjusting to not having a full stomach all the time. On the bright side, it got WAY better after the first week and my body is a lot more used to it. 950 calories is still a lot. Be smart about how you space out those calories too, if you get too hungry before you next eat you will be way more likely to binge. I find eating more smaller portions stops me from getting to the point where I want to scarf everything in sight.

    I am the exact opposite. I like to be really hungry before a meal. When I'm really hungry I will eat anything. If I'm not really hungry, that's when I go for taste over substance and reach for treats.
  • jessicarobinson00
    jessicarobinson00 Posts: 414 Member
    I try to eat the majority of my calories in the morning...so I have plenty of time to digest them and finish the day with a small/post workout dinner...but when I have insatiable hunger, I grab hard baked eggs. I find them super filling.
  • hapa11
    hapa11 Posts: 182 Member
    edited July 2015
    Getting out of the house helps me. Stay busy--run errands, take a walk, go try on clothes. That is a great motivator for me.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,259 Member
    Do you know how much broccoli, cauliflower (even carrots, corns, peas), celery, onion and chicken or fish or other lean meat you can fit in 900 calories? -- quite a bit actually, especially if you don't use oil or butter to stir fry it with (you could use PAM, for example), or you could even microwave it (fish with veggies)
  • sandhya95
    sandhya95 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks, I'm going to take all your suggestions into consideration. I have only been using MFP for a few days now and I don't like feeling hungry and frustrated so I guess I have to work on getting over that. Also, I am vegetarian, have a pretty big appetite and have a hard time feeling full unless I have bread or rice. I'm drinking coffee now then going to try to head out for a long walk to get the rest of my steps in!
  • karenkasbi
    karenkasbi Posts: 216 Member
    eat tabbouleh!! :-) parsley salad
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    "Only" 960 remaining ...

    lol.

    For a lot of folks that's the majority of their day. My wife only gets 1300 for the entire day.

    HINT: That's a metric crap-ton of calories for a single meal, right? Even for two meals it's significant.
  • Cocoa1020
    Cocoa1020 Posts: 197 Member
    sandhya95 wrote: »
    Thanks, I'm going to take all your suggestions into consideration. I have only been using MFP for a few days now and I don't like feeling hungry and frustrated so I guess I have to work on getting over that. Also, I am vegetarian, have a pretty big appetite and have a hard time feeling full unless I have bread or rice. I'm drinking coffee now then going to try to head out for a long walk to get the rest of my steps in!

    i guess that makes it harder if you are a vegetarian. protein helps me keep full. I have a similiar problem about always being hungry. i started drinking a protein shake (muscle milk) inbetween breakfast and lunch, it helps keep me full. I have been working out since september but started to finally drop a few pounds as soon as i added a protein shake. plus it curbs my sweet tooth :) you can always give that a shot!
  • Cocoa1020
    Cocoa1020 Posts: 197 Member
    Cocoa1020 wrote: »
    sandhya95 wrote: »
    Thanks, I'm going to take all your suggestions into consideration. I have only been using MFP for a few days now and I don't like feeling hungry and frustrated so I guess I have to work on getting over that. Also, I am vegetarian, have a pretty big appetite and have a hard time feeling full unless I have bread or rice. I'm drinking coffee now then going to try to head out for a long walk to get the rest of my steps in!

    i guess that makes it harder if you are a vegetarian. protein helps me keep full. I have a similiar problem about always being hungry. i started drinking a protein shake (muscle milk) inbetween breakfast and lunch, it helps keep me full. I have been working out since september but started to finally drop a few pounds as soon as i added a protein shake. plus it curbs my sweet tooth :) you can always give that a shot!

    also i looked at your profile. do you only have 10 lbs to lose? or is that a small goal that is part of a larger goal?
  • sandhya95
    sandhya95 Posts: 6 Member
    I only want to loose 10 pounds but a few more won't hurt :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,259 Member
    sandhya95 wrote: »
    Thanks, I'm going to take all your suggestions into consideration. I have only been using MFP for a few days now and I don't like feeling hungry and frustrated so I guess I have to work on getting over that. Also, I am vegetarian, have a pretty big appetite and have a hard time feeling full unless I have bread or rice. I'm drinking coffee now then going to try to head out for a long walk to get the rest of my steps in!

    ??? Tofu, broad/black/lima/kidney beans, lentils, corn, vegetarian chili, tomato-veggie soup thickened with pulverized squash or zucchini.... heck you could probably eat ALL that in 960 calories.

    And with 960 why would you not be able to eat about 2 cups of rice + a crap load of veggies... ?

    By the way: with 10lbs to lose you have NO REASON to be at a 2lb a week pace and a deficit that is making you feel too hungry.

    If you are using MFP unmodified goals, I would make sure to hit my protein one...
  • sandhya95
    sandhya95 Posts: 6 Member
    I had 950 calories left at about 2 pm. To some it may seem like a lot but it's hard for me since I am used to eating three big meals a day and like to snack in between. I know I need to improve my fruit and veggie intake since I'm picky when it comes down to those and they never seem to fill me up. I'm going to try my best to keep at it!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Only???? Only 950?!

    That's a lot of calories!! That's a TON of calories. You could, eat McDonald's with that kind of calories.

    I could have two or three meals for that.

    That's the better part of my whole day, every day.

    Only.

    How many calories do you usually eat?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sandhya95 wrote: »
    I only want to loose 10 pounds but a few more won't hurt :)

    Is your calorie budget based on losing 0.5 pounds per week? With only 10 ish pounds to lose, any more is too aggressive a goal, which will indeed leave you hungry.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sandhya95 wrote: »
    Thanks, I'm going to take all your suggestions into consideration. I have only been using MFP for a few days now and I don't like feeling hungry and frustrated so I guess I have to work on getting over that. Also, I am vegetarian, have a pretty big appetite and have a hard time feeling full unless I have bread or rice. I'm drinking coffee now then going to try to head out for a long walk to get the rest of my steps in!

    What about legumes? At the vegetarian communities in which I used to live, those were a staple.

    Beans: The Super Food that Keeps You Full

    The humble bean is quite the super food: packed with calcium, iron, potassium, B vitamins, plus about a quarter of the protein and half the fiber recommended daily for adults—all in a single serving. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, beans may even lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, which can help boost heart health. Beans also do double duty in the food pyramid as both a vegetable and a protein. Not to mention, beans are easy to cook with, widely available and inexpensive.

    Beans and their legume cousins (such as soybeans, chickpeas and lentils) have been cultivated and consumed for centuries as a part of many world cuisines: Black beans figure prominently in Central American and Caribbean dishes, chickpeas are a staple of Middle Eastern cooking, lentils are common in Indian and Persian recipes, and white beans are a fixture of French and Italian cookbooks.

    Even though beans offer a slew of health benefits and culinary flexibility, they aren't a prominent staple of American diets—though many vegetarians routinely incorporate beans in their cooking. Perhaps it's a matter of taste or texture: By themselves, cooked beans aren't intensely flavorful (but that makes them a great foundation for other ingredients like tomatoes, peppers and herbs) and their texture can be a bit mushy if overcooked. Then there's the gastrointestinal effect that beans produce in some people. Because beans are high in both complex carbohydrates and soluble fiber, they can cause gas when they're digested in the large intestine. Rinsing canned beans can remove some of the sugars that can cause gas as well. (Beano, sold in most drug and grocery stores, is commonly thought to help avoid such distress. Adding a strip of kombu to dried beans during cooking also helps.) Learn how to make your beans less musical!

    Beans have such compelling nutritional benefits that they're worth experimenting with in your kitchen. Here’s how.

    Read more: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1589
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Lots of protein and fats for satiety.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    maybe she means that she has a daily calorie allotment of 1200 and she used 950 of that already.

    When not, and 950 is left calories which still can be eaten, i dont see the problem.
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