I am losing weight, but I am STARVING

gnome1979 · July 2015

I have been going for about 2 weeks now and am staying very close to my calorie goal but I am SO HUNGRY!! Anyone have any suggestions as to how to not be so hungry all of the time? I have tried filling up on fruits and vegetables but they really dont do much to curb my hunger. I thought that after a week or so my body would adjust to consuming less calories, but it is getting worse instead of better. Anyone have any suggestions?

Unknown · July 2015

This content has been removed.

999tigger · July 2015

If you want help then it would be helpful to ptovide more information.
Height age, current weight and target weight.
Open your diary.

You will find supporters of eating more protein, fat or fibre to help fill you up, but its different for different people.
It may be you simply arent eating enough and are attemtping too big a deficit.
Are you exercising, if so how mucch and are you eating back those calories? Where are the burn estimates coming from?

MsJulesRenee · July 2015

Yes, what is your calorie goal? You may need to up it some if it is very low. Are you eating enough protein? Of course, veggies and fruit are not going to fill you up. Instead of eating them alone try it with some protein on the side, like I eat my apples with a piece of string cheese or peanut butter. You have to find the "magic calorie number" between not being hungry all day and weight loss.

I also had this problem when I started. I got control of it by putting myself on a schedule: Breakfast, as close to 9 as possible, snack at a certain time, lunch, and so on. If I was hungry between those times because I was bored or stressed, tough, drink some water and wait til next meal. After a month my body was pretty use to the schedule and I'm not as annoyingly hungry between meals as I once was. Building new habits is hard and it takes time, trial and error.

TeaBea · July 2015

Protein, fat and fiber are all filling. Are you meeting protein and fat macros? Maybe fiber alone (veggies) is not cutting it for you. Look for other snacks.....and find out what works for you.

Your initial calorie goal is based on "I want to lose XX pounds per week." If that number is 1200, it's MFPs lowest minimum default. That may be too aggressive. Also keep in mind that the number MFP gave you is with zero exercise. Add some exercise & eat (part) of those calories back too. Only "part" because calorie burns provided by MFP and many machines is inflated.

Timing - you can scatter your meals / snacks however you like. Timing makes no matter for weight loss....but it may help you to stay full.

diannethegeek · July 2015

Opening your diary and/or providing more information might get you more specific advice. 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.

Liftng4Lis · July 2015

First, make sure you're not over restricting yourself (Do you have your goal set too aggressively)? Second, make sure you're getting lots of protein and fats for satiety.

Cortneyrenee04 · July 2015

All of the above, plus you'll have to learn when you're hungry vs. "hungry". Drink lots of water.

Patttience · July 2015

I agree with most of the above and also suggest opening your diary. Another tip that i find useful is to make sure you eat meals rather than snacks. At the end of a meal you should feel satisfied. You don't need to eat til you are full.

Then, keep your meals fairly close together so that you don't get hungry through the day. You want to eat a meal just when hunger is starting to show up. It is highly risky to allow yourself to be hungry for a long period of time.

I prefer to lose weight overnight so i might go to bed just starting to feel hungry. If i feel this way, then i am fairly sure that my weight will go down a little overnight. And if not, i don't panic becuase i know that if not today, then tomorrow.

Avoid hunger, eat to satiety but not to fullness. Eat healthy whole foods. If you eat mostly processed foods you will always be hungry.

Another thing that triggers appetite is stress and lack of sleep so keep yourself well cared for and address problems and stress asap. Try to maintain a happy emotional balance.

kvansteen · July 2015

I try to avoid things that are "low fat" because they end up being high sugar and sodium, neither of which make you feel full; thus you end up eating more. Eat food that is regular fat paired with something with a lot of fiber. Today I made a ton of dill dip (just fresh dill and equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise - each full fat). I will pair it with fresh veggies throughout the week for a healthy and filling snack. Peanut butter and apple is a great snack that has high protein, fat, and fiber. Almonds are a fantastic superfood as well.

andympanda · July 2015

eat some low calorie veggies to hold you over. I have learned when real hunger is when i start to get grumpy. A personal trick that works for some people, but not all, is spread your calories throughout the day.

strong_curves · July 2015

Why do people start topics and then abandon them?

queenliz99 · July 2015

Not sure

cmusgrave222 · July 2015

Protein, fiber, and lots and lots of water.

gnome1979 · July 2015

Thanks everyone! I am 5feet 4 inches and weigh 198 pounds. I put in that I would like to lose 1.5 pounds per week and it gave me a calorie goal of 1260 calories p/day. I do work out quite a bit, i take a 60 min body pump class 3x p/week, 60min body comat 2x per week and 60min boot camp 2x p/week. I generally eat back some of the calories I burn with my exercise, but not all. I have found in the past if I eat them all back, I dont lose

amusedmonkey · July 2015

When you don't eat enough to supplement your exercise you could mess up your hunger hormones. I've been too lazy to eat properly in the last 3 days and even went under 1000 yesterday. Today I'm extremely hungry even after a 700+ calorie lunch that is high in protein, fat and fiber. You need to fuel your body properly and eat back a portion of your exercise calories.

You really don't want it to get to the point where after a day like this (so far) you're still ravenous.

astrampe · July 2015

At 198lbs and eating 1260 cals, you will be starving....Did you gain 1.5lbs a week? Probably not, so don't try to lose that fast.... Eat more, slow and steady works a lot better than starving and binging.....

astrampe · July 2015

And working out seven days a week is not a good idea - you are setting yourself up for failure by doing so much and not fueling your body for it....

I am losing weight, but I am STARVING

Replies

Categories