Hungry shortly after eating

angeljo2015
angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
edited November 30 in Health and Weight Loss
I wonder if it's normal when restricting calories to feel hungry shortly after eating say within the hour? Today I've had wholemeal bacon sandwich, protein shake, wholemeal roll with ham and an alpen bar so far..... trying for 1300-1400 calories
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Replies

  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,307 Member
    Not really normal. I have had the same thing I think it was all in my head. I just have a bottle of water & keep myself busy & it usually goes away.
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    Was it like an empty feeling?
    xbowhunter wrote: »
    Not really normal. I have had the same thing I think it was all in my head. I just have a bottle of water & keep myself busy & it usually goes away.

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited March 2016
    Consider adding fruits, veggies, salads they help you feel full, not to mention all the good nutrition. Drink lots of water with your meals too.
  • JoJo0921
    JoJo0921 Posts: 19 Member
    Yes! Hah I will eat a meal and fell hungry again in half an hour. I also do a lot of activity in the gym so my body needs more fuel to operate, and my metabolism is faster because of it, so I'm almost always hungry. My coaches have me bump up my fats 10g on rest days (since my carbs are 100g lower on rest days) to help a little with satiety, and making sure you hit your daily protein goal helps too.
    Try eating a slow-digesting carb with each meal, like oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, granola, whole wheat pasta.. etc, they will satiate a little more, and I found that it helps me not want to eat ALL the food when I do so.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    Play with your macros, find out what keeps you full. I do the water thing too. If I'm hungry and I don't think I should be, I drink a big glass of water and if I'm still hungry 15 minutes later, I have some veggies. I also usually have gum handy. I find chewing a piece will sometimes be enough to remind my body that it just ate and is fine.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    When you initially start out it's more of a mental thing. I tend to eat oatmeal and sausage for breakfast though, which tides me over for at least a few hours. At work I'll just drink a lot of water to tide me over, since hunger and thirst are similar cues anyway. Keeps me hydrated. Keeps me from snacking tons. Win/win. I don't really rely on bars and shakes. I eat FOOD. Eat the oats. Eat the brown rice. Get your protein from actual meats and nuts (though weigh those puppies out). They'll sustain you much longer.
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    What should my macros be?
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    JoJo0921 wrote: »
    Yes! Hah I will eat a meal and fell hungry again in half an hour. I also do a lot of activity in the gym so my body needs more fuel to operate, and my metabolism is faster because of it, so I'm almost always hungry. My coaches have me bump up my fats 10g on rest days (since my carbs are 100g lower on rest days) to help a little with satiety, and making sure you hit your daily protein goal helps too.
    Try eating a slow-digesting carb with each meal, like oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, granola, whole wheat pasta.. etc, they will satiate a little more, and I found that it helps me not want to eat ALL the food when I do so.

    Is it possible my metabolism has increased?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2016
    It's not exactly normal, IMO -- you should be able to lose weight without being hungry -- but it can be normal when just starting out. You just have to stick it out and it will go away once you adapt to your new habits.

    That said, I'd also double check your calorie goal and play around with food choice if the issue continues. For example, if it's an MFP goal, do you know that's pre-exercise and exercise calories are to be eaten back (although most don't eat back all)? Or if you don't have a lot to lose trying for a larger loss per week can be too much (and hurt other goals, like maintaining muscle).
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    Mfp says 1200 but I thought I'd be better at 1300-1400 but don't know of this is still low or high
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    How active do you have your profile set at? For instance our coworker just set up an account and he had his to highly active. We told him that he wasn't in construction and that walking around all day (I admit, we walk around a lot... 10+ miles a day, easily) is not physically demanding. I have mine set at lightly active, and that's accounting for all the stairs, walking, and gym time.
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    I have my profile as active as I do a physical job
  • JoJo0921
    JoJo0921 Posts: 19 Member
    It depends on your activity. If you are working out more then yes, this will help increase your metabolism. Having more muscle helps your metabolism as well--the more muscle you have the more fat you burn at rest which speeds up your metabolism.
    I would use a macro calculator to figure out what your specific macros should be. I'm a member of Eat to Perform and they have a calculator on their website anyone can use, but there are others like IIFYM, you can just do a search for macro calculator and find some. It just depends on what your goals are, I want my workouts to be better and to lift more weight and lose fat (not weight necessarily) and I found that Eat to Perform works best for me and by bumping up my carbs and overall calorie intake it has helped me a lot to gain more strength and lose a couple of inches. If you're looking just to lose weight and/or fat IIFYM might be a good calculator. You might need to just try a few things to see what works for your body, but remember that it takes a while for your body to adjust and normalize so don't get frustrated if you don't see results overnight.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Take a look at your logging and determine what foods make you feel full longer. For a lot of people, having protein or carbs keeps them feeling full for a longer time, so they're less likely to snack between meals.

    Also, you might be someone that does better on several smaller meals. If you find you're getting hungry at specific times of day around eating, adjust your calories to compensate for that. Time of day you eat has no bearing on weight loss, so adjust your eating times in a way to works best FOR YOU.
  • ospenskua
    ospenskua Posts: 3 Member
    If your tummy is growling, you are hungry. If it isn't, i.e. feels hollow or a feeling in your neck, chances are you are thirsty instead. Like the posters above recommended - try drinking water. I've heard Registered Dietitians recommend half your body weight in ounces is the real amount of water we need. 8-8oz glasses is a good start, but most of us need more. Especially if we are trying to lose weight - we need that extra cleaning power to get that junk out :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I have my profile as active as I do a physical job

    If you set it as active and still get 1200, you are likely asking for 2 lb/week, don't have much to lose, or both. Eating a bit more to make it easier (try 1 lb/week) could be a good idea.
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    I get an empty feeling in my stomach
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have my profile as active as I do a physical job

    If you set it as active and still get 1200, you are likely asking for 2 lb/week, don't have much to lose, or both. Eating a bit more to make it easier (try 1 lb/week) could be a good idea.

    I have about 13 pounds to lose, I've changed it to one pound a week and iys giving me 1600 calories can I still lose on that much?
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    If it says you'll lose a pound at 1600 calories, yes, you'll lose a pound. It's an average though, so you've got to track your progress over time. Since you're in the last stretch of under 20lbs to lose it's going to come off slower. Also, I looked at your diary and noticed there hasn't really been logging done... I don't know if that's accurate or simply a privacy setting getting in the way. If you aren't logging, you should do that. Use a scale and account for everything you eat. That's the only way MFP is actually going to help you.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I have my profile as active as I do a physical job

    If you set it as active and still get 1200, you are likely asking for 2 lb/week, don't have much to lose, or both. Eating a bit more to make it easier (try 1 lb/week) could be a good idea.

    I have about 13 pounds to lose, I've changed it to one pound a week and iys giving me 1600 calories can I still lose on that much?

    Sure.
  • krennie8
    krennie8 Posts: 301 Member
    I don't feel hungry, however I do feel like I want to eat but that's completely mental/emotional.
  • JoJo0921
    JoJo0921 Posts: 19 Member
    You can still lose on that much. When I used the MFP calculator it gave me the typical 1200 calories and I followed it for a long time and actually gained weight. When evaluating with a nutrition coach turns out I was under-eating and not consuming enough to properly fuel my body, which makes your body store extra fat for energy since it is not getting the energy it needs from food, so I had a spare tire that would not go away no matter how low I ate. I bumped up my calories and carbs and my metabolism normalized and I started to lose more fat (and I had more energy). The MFP calculator is not the best for calculating your TDEE, and in my experience with myself and a few others it typically underestimates your TDEE. I would use a different calorie calculator to get your macros.
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    If it says you'll lose a pound at 1600 calories, yes, you'll lose a pound. It's an average though, so you've got to track your progress over time. Since you're in the last stretch of under 20lbs to lose it's going to come off slower. Also, I looked at your diary and noticed there hasn't really been logging done... I don't know if that's accurate or simply a privacy setting getting in the way. If you aren't logging, you should do that. Use a scale and account for everything you eat. That's the only way MFP is actually going to help you.

    I find it difficult to log on here because I'm not sure on the amounts Luke 0.3 teaspoon for example
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    Use grams. It means using a food scale, but you want accuracy to begin with. Many entries in here have the option for grams as well, so it's a win/win.
  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    OK I'll try and log I worry if I do more than 1200 I'll actually put on weight
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
    But MFP has you losing a pound at 1600. You're not going to gain. Just eat at 1600 and monitor your weight over time. Make adjustments after a good month or two of consistent logging at that amount.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @angeljo2015 get a digital food scale and weigh all food. Measure liquids with spoons and cups otherwise you have no idea how much you are eating.
    You will lose weight at your more realistic calorie goal.

    @JoJo0921 MFP is a NEAT calculator not a TDEE calculator.

    It does not include exercise calories. They are logged and eaten back on top of the base calories. You were interpreting your calorie goal incorrectly if you didn't eat back exercise calories.

    As a NEAT calculator it is pretty accurate for the majority of people who enter their stats and a reasonable goal.
    The 'typical 1200' isn't typical. It is the minimum MFP will allot any woman to ensure adequate nutrition.

    If one is petite, sedentary, and has little to lose it is a reasonable calorie level before exercise is added.
    For most other people it defaults to 1200 because they want to lose 1.5-2 lbs a week but have under 75 lbs to lose. They are aiming to lose to fast.

    Cheers, h.

  • angeljo2015
    angeljo2015 Posts: 121 Member
    Thanks guys, I will monitor it at 1600, any idea how to divide the calories?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Get a food scale and weigh everything.
  • JoJo0921
    JoJo0921 Posts: 19 Member
    @middlehaitch Ah yes you're right it's a NEAT calculator. I was eating back my exercise calories, but for me personally it was still too low. I have seen people use it as a TDEE calculator though and use 1200 calories as their limit and try to stay under it, even on exercise days and imo 1200 is already pretty low. But as long as you're healthy and your body feels okay using the MFP calculator as a guide is fine
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