Help! Hungry ALL the time!
dabb95
Posts: 4 Member
Hello, I have been on this app for a month. I have lost 9 pounds so far but I am hungry ALL the time. I need help with what I can eat more of that will fill me up and that is low in calories, I only get 1200 a day. If anyone has some low calorie recipes too, that would be greatly appreciated.
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Oatmeal0
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1200 a day is the bare minimum a woman needs to remain healthy and it looks like you're losing the maximum (and slightly more) that is healthy to lose. 1200 calories is uber-low, and unless you're in the 'obese' bmi category, you might need to rethink that.
Two suggestions:
Look at your macros. Are you getting enough fiber and protein? It's easy to stay under 1200 eating nothing but veggies and fruit, but your body might be screaming for protein and a little fat in your diet.
Use one of the TDEE calculators to figure out exactly how many calories your body needs every day, instead of just going with the minimum 1200 that MFP gives you. It's possible that you're actually harming yourself not eating as much as you should.
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The most satiating things to consume:
Water water water
protein
fats
fiber
Increase the above and it should help.
Now, depending on how much you have to lose it may also be easier if you try and cut the weight loss goal to 1 pound per week or a little higher lower. Sometimes it's easier for our sanity to eat at a level where we lose but aren't going crazy.0 -
How much weight do you want to lose?
You may have chosen an overly aggressive calorie goal. If so, readjust. Also - eat back your exercise calories.
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vivmom2014 wrote: »How much weight do you want to lose?
You may have chosen an overly aggressive calorie goal. If so, readjust. Also - eat back your exercise calories.
My thoughts exactly.
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vivmom2014 wrote: »How much weight do you want to lose?
You may have chosen an overly aggressive calorie goal. If so, readjust. Also - eat back your exercise calories.
This. Reevaluate your calorie goal and make sure you are not under eating.0 -
vivmom2014 wrote: »How much weight do you want to lose?
You may have chosen an overly aggressive calorie goal. If so, readjust. Also - eat back your exercise calories.
Yup...eat more. Also - if you exercise, be sure you're eating back at least a portion of those as well.0 -
Im on 1200 and i have the opposite problem i struggle to eat all my calories because everything i eat is high protein and fiber wish i could give you some of mine since im just wasting them.0
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bump up your cals. 1200 is too severe for most people.0
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1200 is intense, but doable. A crustless quiche for under 200 calories, a soup/stew/chili/curry can be around 150-250 cals, then a stir fry or a stuffed veggie option will be around 300 calories. Snacks added in or tweaks will lead you to a very easy and volumetric meal plan.0
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I have a similar calorie goal. Three things to suggest:
Olives, any kind. Low cal, "good" fat, lots of flavor.
Salad greens with two heaping tablespoons of blue cheese dressing.
Sparkling water (the no-cal flavored kind, several varieties at Trader Joe's or just about any other grocery). I drink about a liter per day. I love drinking this from a giant wine goblet (instead of wine).
Good luck!
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Veggies and soups. Also, think about playing around with your macros. You may find that a different ratio works better for you than the default given by MFP.
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Depending on how much you want to lose, you may not be eating enough.
Plug in your stats and see what it says for you. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Most new people try to be too aggressive too soon and they don't eat enough. Then they get discouraged because they're hungry all the time, and you don't need to be.0 -
Eat a bit more, play around with it.0
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I believe that 1200 is too low for most people, especially if you're not eating back exercise cals (are you?). The fact that it's been a month and you're hungry ALL the time might be a sign that you're not eating enough. You don't want to over eat, but you sure don't want to under eat either. My goal is to eat as MANY calories as I can and still lose weight - or more importantly - FAT, and eating at a small calorie deficit is better for long term fat loss and keeping it off.
In my world, 1200 was not sustainable. Don't short change your body by eating too little and then asking it to perform in workouts and every day life. Food is fuel! Make sure you've set reasonable weekly loss goals (1/2 to 1lb a week unless you're morbidly obese), and then make sure you eat your calories!
Eat your calories, drink water, exercise, take rest days, get good sleep, and have patience. If you want it to stick, you've got to do things that you can stick with long term. Not every day is perfect, but always a learning experience - look over your dairy each week, see where you did well, and where you might have gone over, and ask if the overage was worth it? Sometimes it is!
Good luck!0 -
Thanks everyone for the responses. I think of I had good low calories things to eat the 1200 calories wouldn't be so hard. I really don't buy a lot of "diet" type foods. I just try really hard to portion what I do eat. My measuring cups and spoons are always dirty, lol!0
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I don't really exercise and I don't add my steps that I do at work because I wasn't sure I should even thought it is the most exercise that I do.0
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Thanks everyone for the responses. I think of I had good low calories things to eat the 1200 calories wouldn't be so hard. I really don't buy a lot of "diet" type foods. I just try really hard to portion what I do eat. My measuring cups and spoons are always dirty, lol!
Generally speaking, this is true. However, when you're just starting out, 1200 and a diet overhaul is asking a lot. Better to set a smaller weekly weight loss goal and make you dietary adjustments gradually. 0 -
I really like the Skinny Taste website for healthy meal ideas. I have found some good recipes there that are filling but lower calorie.0
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I'm a certified health coach and a molecular biologist. And yes, I have weight to lose too. Knowing what to do and doing it can be two different things:)
Exercise is great for our health, but it doesn't burn a lot of calories. Our weight is largely dependent on the food we eat. If you're hungry all the time perhaps you're not eating enough food and/or you're not eating food that can sate you. I'm leaping to the conclusion that you're not on a restrictive diet that forbids certain things. If I'm mistaken, please let me know. This site gives you the amount of fat/protein/carbs that you're eating. Aim for 30/20/50%, respectively. And I'm sure you've heard it before, but for the most part, don't eat things that have a label. Whole foods are healthy and you can eat a lot of them--not so much measuring is needed when you're eating healthy, whole food. It's really the key to losing weight without suffering and making sustainable, forever changes.
Complex carbs will give you energy because the sugar in them is metabolized over time. Examples are whole grains (NOT packaged food with a "whole wheat" claim) like brown rice, oats (especially steel cut oats), barley, wheat berries, and quinoa. Quinoa's a seed, not a grain, but it'll give you the same result. Actually, quinoa has oodles of good things in it. Corn counts too, including popcorn (be thoughtful about what you put on it). Other complex carbs include fruit, veggies, and legumes (legumes also have a decent amount of protein). Aim for things that are high in fiber. But carbs aren't enough to satiate. Fats and protein are needed.
Healthy fats include low fat dairy, avocados, seeds (hulled hemp seeds are delicious), nuts (they're high in calories, but healthy and filling in small doses) and olive oil. Women need at least 46 grams of protein/day to keep all of our biochemical pathways operating smoothly. Good choices include poultry, fish, low fat dairy, beans...and quinoa. Lean red meat is always on lists of healthy options. However, those of us who regularly eat red meat are ~30% more likely to get colon cancer. Things that come from pigs are red meat, too.
Have you tried fruit and green smoothies, especially if made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk (lots of calcium, 30 calories/cup). Some lemon juice will cut the "greeness" taste if that's an issue (it is for me). Another thing to consider is to eat an apple (hopefully you like them?) with a little peanut or almond butter when you're hungry. If you're still hungry afterwards, so be it. But at least you got some fiber, complex carbs for energy and healthy fat and protein for your effort, without a lot of calories.
One last thing: check out http://inspiralized.com for lots of tasty, healthy recipes. It's a great site (no affiliation).
Didn't mean to go on and on. But being hungry all the time is awful and definately NOT sustainable--who wants to live that way? I hope some of this was useful.
You Got This!!
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I'm a certified health coach and a molecular biologist. And yes, I have weight to lose too. Knowing what to do and doing it can be two different things:)
Exercise is great for our health, but it doesn't burn a lot of calories. Our weight is largely dependent on the food we eat. If you're hungry all the time perhaps you're not eating enough food and/or you're not eating food that can sate you. I'm leaping to the conclusion that you're not on a restrictive diet that forbids certain things. If I'm mistaken, please let me know. This site gives you the amount of fat/protein/carbs that you're eating. Aim for 30/20/50%, respectively. And I'm sure you've heard it before, but for the most part, don't eat things that have a label. Whole foods are healthy and you can eat a lot of them--not so much measuring is needed when you're eating healthy, whole food. It's really the key to losing weight without suffering and making sustainable, forever changes.
Complex carbs will give you energy because the sugar in them is metabolized over time. Examples are whole grains (NOT packaged food with a "whole wheat" claim) like brown rice, oats (especially steel cut oats), barley, wheat berries, and quinoa. Quinoa's a seed, not a grain, but it'll give you the same result. Actually, quinoa has oodles of good things in it. Corn counts too, including popcorn (be thoughtful about what you put on it). Other complex carbs include fruit, veggies, and legumes (legumes also have a decent amount of protein). Aim for things that are high in fiber. But carbs aren't enough to satiate. Fats and protein are needed.
Healthy fats include low fat dairy, avocados, seeds (hulled hemp seeds are delicious), nuts (they're high in calories, but healthy and filling in small doses) and olive oil. Women need at least 46 grams of protein/day to keep all of our biochemical pathways operating smoothly. Good choices include poultry, fish, low fat dairy, beans...and quinoa. Lean red meat is always on lists of healthy options. However, those of us who regularly eat red meat are ~30% more likely to get colon cancer. Things that come from pigs are red meat, too.
Have you tried fruit and green smoothies, especially if made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk (lots of calcium, 30 calories/cup). Some lemon juice will cut the "greeness" taste if that's an issue (it is for me). Another thing to consider is to eat an apple (hopefully you like them?) with a little peanut or almond butter when you're hungry. If you're still hungry afterwards, so be it. But at least you got some fiber, complex carbs for energy and healthy fat and protein for your effort, without a lot of calories.
One last thing: check out http://inspiralized.com for lots of tasty, healthy recipes. It's a great site (no affiliation).
Didn't mean to go on and on. But being hungry all the time is awful and definately NOT sustainable--who wants to live that way? I hope some of this was useful.
You Got This!!
This is the best thing I've read for awhile. Good, common sense response to OP.0 -
im on 1200 calories a day as well. Drink plenty when you eat helps you to feel fuller, fizzy water works for me, lots of fruit, muesli, egg white omelletes are excellent, loads of salad especially mushrooms fill me out, and for me the key is excercise. Feel way less hungry after a proper workout. Im gyming 3-4 times a week, and a good feed after the gym, baked sweet potato and salad fuels me up. Im not eating back calories. 1200 calories is working for me, just check nutrition and make sure you are covering your bases....0
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sherrifoster123 wrote: »I really like the Skinny Taste website for healthy meal ideas. I have found some good recipes there that are filling but lower calorie.
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I am only 5ft tall so have to make do with less calories. I like skinnytaste - I got some awesome lowcal recipes there that easily fit in 1200 calories and left me satiated. Tonight's dinner was a 250 cal chicken and wild rice soup - filling and absolutely delicious.
That said - I have lost 10 lbs in the last month (much faster that I want) and I have bowed to everyone's collective wisdom. Since I am burning about 400-500 cals a day in exercise, I have upped my cals to 1600-1700/day (depending how much exercise I do). I'm kinda excited as I was starting to get a little frustrated staying within 1200 cals. I wasn't hungry, but it was so strict I pretty much cut out all but the very very occasional treat. With only 1200 cals, I absolutely had to make sure every mouthful was filled with nutrition and would fill me.0 -
OP, how much weight do you have to lose? You said you lost 9 lbs in one month, which is @ 2 lbs per week. Unless you have alot of weight to lose, that could be too aggressive. If you are hungry, eat a little more! Many people find protein and/or fat helps them feel more satiated, so add a couple hundred calories of chicken or fish or nuts or yogurt. Make sure you are getting enough fiber. It's not worth it to struggle to lose weight faster, you risk burning out.0
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Thanks for all the great information, I will give them a try. I might have to up my calories a little. I actually only need to probably lose about 15 more pounds. I do have a question about using my steps that I do at work. I usually do about 10,000 steps a day but I don't use them but should I?0
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My favorite meal for the last several months has been 2 servings of 0% Fage, a serving of granola, and a tablespoon of honey. Easy to weigh out on the food scale, super filling, and super delicious.0
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Thanks everyone for the responses. I think of I had good low calories things to eat the 1200 calories wouldn't be so hard. I really don't buy a lot of "diet" type foods. I just try really hard to portion what I do eat. My measuring cups and spoons are always dirty, lol!
Quest Bars bought from Academy are low cal/high protein. Premiere Protien drinks sold at Pharmacies in Walmart, Costco, Sams have 30 grams of protein and only 4 carbs. Under 200 calories. These were both suggested by my weight loss doc and I like them both. (Several flavors in both items).
Cristless quiche with spinach, cheese and bacon or ham is also a staple in my diet! Meat meat meat!0
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