What to eat to cope with incredible hunger?

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  • dlkfox
    dlkfox Posts: 463 Member
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    I find that high-fiber really helps. Enjoying my fats, which are satiating. Protein with a little carb. Avocado is a fantastic choice if you have the calories (and not allergic) because it contains so much fiber and has that satiating fat. Personally, if I start my day with "Nature's Path - Flax Plus Raisin Bran", there is so much fiber in that meal that I cruise all day like I'm not even dieting.

    Good ideas about distracting yourself in case it's boredom and waiting it out a little. Some days are just harder than others.
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
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    wortn wrote: »
    biggsterjackster wrote: »
    On days like this I eat a lot of eggs throughout the day.

    I love eggs, but scared of all the cholesterol.

    Thankfully (or not, depending), cholesterol levels are more dependant on genetics than foods. Eggs are perfectly fine for you. Personally, I hate the taste of cooked eggs, so I only ever eat them raw (in smoothies), but ymmv. I tried adding a raw egg to oatmeal once. Would not reccomend. Dunno how I got it down.

    I like to eat something fatty and meaty if I'm actually hungry. Bacon, sausage, or even just chicken breast with sriracha. When I just want a snack, it's usually chips, or cheez-its.

    And to echo the sentiment, I get CRAZY hungry when I am sleep deprived.
  • alexismastrodonato943
    alexismastrodonato943 Posts: 3 Member
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    Apples!!!!
  • cindyminer125
    cindyminer125 Posts: 7 Member
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    I found years ago that sweeteners that are lower calories can cause you uncontrollable hunger. Stick with unsweetened or lightly sweetened with sugar or honey. Also I agree with adding lean protein, I like boneless, skinless chicken, eggs and tuna which are very satisfying. Low carb is the way to go.
  • DoNotSpamMe73
    DoNotSpamMe73 Posts: 286 Member
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    Liquids first, eat slowly. After at least 20 minutes or more have a single serve meal then have some more water.
  • VykkDraygoVPR
    VykkDraygoVPR Posts: 465 Member
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    cindyminer125 wrote: »
    I found years ago that sweeteners that are lower calories can cause you uncontrollable hunger. Stick with unsweetened or lightly sweetened with sugar or honey. Also I agree with adding lean protein, I like boneless, skinless chicken, eggs and tuna which are very satisfying. Low carb is the way to go.

    I find that low / no calorie sweeteners have no impact whatsoever. I mean, they kinda taste like crap, but otherwise...
  • frannyupnorth
    frannyupnorth Posts: 56 Member
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    I’m going to assume that you are eating enough to meet your BMR and that you aren’t dieting so hard that you are truly physically hungry. If you are, then ease up on your dieting and take it a little slower with a smaller deficit.
    If not, then I found it useful to make a little flow chart for myself to look at what was causing my hunger. I explored my own personal mental and physical hunger types and triggers for those.
    Triggers;
    • See it
    • Smell it
    • Feeling cold
    • Emotional (happy/sad/stressed)
    • Hedonic Memory (knowing it tastes good/cravings)
    • Cultural (not wasting food, accepting food to be polite, specific events you relate to food)
    I also looked up information about the difference between your stomach growling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stomach_rumble, so it sounds noisy around 2 hours after you’ve eaten as there is no food to dampen the noise that it makes all the time. This is different from hunger pangs that kick in 12 to 24 hours after the last time you ate. A single hunger contraction lasts about 30 seconds, and pangs continue for around 30 to 45 minutes, then hunger subsides for another 30 to 150 minutes.
    By thinking about it this way I was able to separate when I actually needed a 200 cal snack to stop REAL hunger pangs and when it was my tummy rumbling or I just could smell food cooking etc.
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  • rosecropper
    rosecropper Posts: 340 Member
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    Had that yesterday! There was chocolate cheesecake at work. Said no all day, until last hour of job & I gave in... Had one tiny slice which turned out to be 450!!! Calories.
    Then came the hunger.
    And ice cream , And French fries , And grilled cheese sandwiches- 1700cal over for day!
    A technique which used to work for me years ago- that I'm wanting to try again:
    Think of a food or activity you don't like. Some food you can carry with you, or an activity you can do most anywhere.
    Anytime you want to eat over your meal plan- have to eat the bleh thing or do the ugh thing first. So snacking isn't "bad" or "off limits". It just has a higher immediate & tangible cost than it used to. Paid up front.
    I wouldn't have eaten the cheesecake yesterday if I had asked myself "is it worth it?"
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
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    Honestly, if you have eaten enough calories and still hungry, I'd do something else. Clean the house, go for a walk, go to the library, etc. PPs have good suggestions of satiating foods, but if you are "hungry" out of boredom or comfort or whatever (I get this way a lot!) it's best to redirect yourself.
  • GYATagain
    GYATagain Posts: 141 Member
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    positivepowers wrote: »
    Nuts or unsweetened nut butters? Since you can eat bananas, what about bananas dipped in unsweetened peanut or almond butter?

    This^^ When I am having a day where my belly thinks my throat has been cut, I reach for a banana cut into pieces with a smear of nut butter - for me, natural peanut butter. It is fairly high in the calories, but always does the trick. (funny thing is I don't even particularly like bananas :D )

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