Always hungry

Just wondering, are you getting enough protein at meal time and snacks? I had the same problem as you but found that limiting my carbs, and upping my protein seemed to calm those hunger pains. I have a smoothie for snacks, which includes some whey protein powder.

I have come to terms with the fact that to lose weight I am going to be hungry. Not all day, but at least part of the day. Right now it is almost 11 and I am starving. However, I know I can wait until noon, and then I won't be hungry again for a few more hours. I basically have just accepted that being hungry is not a horrible thing, that I am not going to starve to death, and that it is only temporary. Once I get to my goal weight in another few months, I will go back to maintenance, and then I will be able to eat another 300-400 calories more a day, and I won't be as hungry. I will still need to be disciplined because it is so easy to overeat, but it will be a lot better.

Boredmp wrote: »

I have tried to fill up veggies but they aren't satisfying. I always end going to the food I originally wanted anyway. I'd definitely consider myself a motivated eater. If I want something I will drive to the store and go get it. I can't keep junk food in the house ( ice cream, pretzels, cereal..) So I have a craving for it, I go get it.

This is me to a T, goodness, right down to having a husband who eats like a bird. And I feel you on the constantly hungry, especially when I am trying to be mindful about logging calories - I end up thinking about food CONSTANTLY and just making myself hungry. It may start as a craving, but the more I think about food, the more it turns into stomach-growling ravenous. Sometimes I feel like I just can't cope with saying "no" to myself either, and it leads to a binge... but luckily I've gotten better about that last part with better stress management (I'm seeing a therapist, and taking medication for anxiety).

I can easily look back on food diary for the day and see what I shouldn't have chosen. Seeing that the high carb, high sugar stuff needs to be avoided is a no-brainer... except when I'm hungry. That making good choices is hard is an understatement. I'm doing the best I know how to do, anyway, and buying more low-cal treats and snacks that I like, and surfing pinterest for cool recipe ideas to get excited about.

I've gone through periods of things working for me and not working. One thing that never works - everyone says don't eat at night, go to bed hungry. HA! I promise that if I am hungry when I go to bed, I will never, ever sleep. If I doze off, my stomach growling will actually wake me up. So my strategy there - instead of loading up on carbs, which is my impulse - is to drink a glass of metamucil and go immediately to bed. The fiber makes me feel un-hungry long enough to get to sleep. Last night I was extra hungry, so I accompanied that with 2 stalks of celery, and that helped, too, actually.

A few weeks ago I experienced a 2-week period where I didn't have this problem for once, and it was amazing! I was really, really engaged in and excited about a project I was working on, so much so that I even forgot to eat sometimes. Then I finished the project and all that went away, and it's back to the grind. That was an interesting insight for me, but I don't really know how to apply it, since I have been unable to trick myself into being genuinely excited by my day-to-day business.

For now, I'm trying new strategies, TRYING to change my relationship with food, although I have no idea how to even start. I intend to talk to my therapist about this, too, because she can probably help me figure out some strategies, certainly better than I can all by myself.

One thing, though - when you eat your exercise cals back, are you sure you don't lose weight at all, or do you just lose really slowly? If I don't eat those back I completely lose my mind. Maybe experiment with eating a percentage of them back? Maybe it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

(FYI, I'm female, late 20s, calorie goal is about 1750 cals a day. Set to lose a modest .5 lbs a week. 2000 is maintenance for me)

Sorry for writing a whole book!

Boredmp wrote: »

I'm sure this topic is not new to anyone but its still a struggle. I constantly feel hungry especially during that time of the month. I could blaze through 2000 calories in a day easily and still feel a strong need for more. My boyfriend, who is naturally thin, never feels hungry. For snacks and meals its always me asking, when can we eat next? I don't know how to make this endless hunger go away. I've tried waiting it out, I sat listening to music for an hour but eventually I always give in. I've tried going for a walk but that just leaves me with an excuse to indulge. I just wish o could have a "normal" appetite. My hunger is what prevents me from reaching my goals. I've already got the activity part of this equation completed. I am very active, I'm on a soccer team, volleyball team, I kayak, run 5ks regularly and go for walks just because.

I keep coming back to this thread, and I wanted to share something that worked for me. I love food. I love thinking about food. I love making it. So I started being more nerdy with my food. Making things from scratch, researching optimum ingredients, tweaking the calorie/nutrition content to get 5g more of protein, or something. A side effect of all of this is I can spend 6 hours making a meal (if we're going to talk about an extreme example). That whole time I'm thinking about it, fantasizing about how it'll taste, and then when I sit down to it, it's satisfying. If an hour later I'm hungry again, I _CAN_ start cooking again, knowing it'll take another 2+ hours before it's ready. For me, reading about food and making it is nearly as emotionally satisfying as actually eating it. Thawing the meat, cleaning the vegies, peeling the vegies, making the bread, making broth from the leftover vegies, marinading the meat, wilting the greens, seering the meat, slow roasting it, sauteeing the vegies, deglazing the pan... every extra minute I'm not putting the actual food in my mouth CAN be a victory some days.

I know this tactic wouldn't work for everyone, and goodness knows I'm typically too busy to do it, but I thought I would share.

Try chewing gum during the hunger spells

I had always failed at losing weight because after a few weeks I couln't stand the constant hunger. This time I am eating 1200 calories a day and can honestly say that the hunger is completely under control. The difference? I start both lunch and dinner with about 3-4 cups of leafy greens, 1 tbsp fatty dressing and/or 1 tbsp nuts. After that smallish portions of protein, starchy veg and more cooked veg if necessary. The first month I came back to MFP I even had a cup or two of sprouts with my breakfast open sandwich. And tons of water/clear liquids to help process all the roughage.

The other thing is that I have no "talking food" at home. You know, the kind that calls out to you. I live by myself, so that part is easier than when you live with others who are no limiting calories.

And last, but not least, make sure you are eating nutritious food. In my experience, if I eat a less than nutritious breakfast that day I am hungrier than usual, even if I ate more calories.

I have been at 1240 calories for about 6 weeks now. With my fitbit steps I can eat over 1700. I have a hard time getting over 1300 most days and have to force myself to eat a snack so MFP doesn't scold me that I didn't eat enough! I am not a small person. I am only 5ft3 and weigh 212 lbs at the moment. I have been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. I always have a huge salad (mostly baby spinach) with my dinner. I have been able to have dessert every night. When I think I am hungry, I have a glass of water and wait 15 min. I find that it was not really hunger most of the time, just boredom, or me perserverating on the fact that I am trying to watch what I eat. The only time I have been hungry in the past 5 weeks was when I am PMSing big time last week.

Have you recently started lifting or strength training? I know you didn't mention it, but when I first started with "heavy" weights I felt like I could chew the sofa cushions.