Always Hungry

I second the advice of drinking water. Always have a bottle of water handy and if you feel a hunger pang (or what you think is a hunger pang) drink some water and see how you feel again in 10 minutes.

Smoke cigarettes, and drink diet soda. It'll satisfy that pesky need.

There are so many factors that impact hunger! I think it really comes down to individual differences and I would encourage you experiment to find what works for you. Some ideas of places to experiment include:

Play with the timing of when and what you eat. For some people, eating throughout the day staves off hunger; for others, saving calories for the end of the day does (this is me!). Some people do better working out on an empty stomach, for others after a small meal is better and others have a tiny snack first (splitting the difference).

Also, think about food volume, which basically means that 20 calories of lettuce will fill a bigger hole in your belly than 20 calories of peanut butter. Looking at your list of foods for today, avocado and peanut butter are both good for you, but low volume for the calories. Depending on the amount of each that you're eating, you might be using up your calories for very small volume. I'd recommend at least adding in more veggies for low calorie bulk.

Also, depending on how you prepare your food, you might be consuming more "empty" calories. For example, an instant oatmeal typically has a lot of sugar, which will use up your calories without filling you up. Likewise, not all Greek yogurts are created equal. I look for brands and styles that have a high protein/calorie ratio and minimal added sugars, to get the most satiety for my calories.

Last on my list (although there's tons more!), some people respond better to different macro mixes. You mentioned that you're focusing on protein, but looking at your day, you could probably boost your protein to carb ratio. Other people, though, don't feel full unless they have more carbs.

Good luck finding your happy spot!

whatfatjeans wrote: »

Thanks everyone! I drink a lot of water. On my 100 ounce of the day. I drink 128 ounces, so a gallon of water daily. I haven't had this issue with my journey so far, it's only been the last two days.

Leslie- my oatmeal is weight control by Stop & Shop. It's low in sugars along with my Greek yogurt. I will try adding some more carbs with my food!

I think you need more protein rather than more carbs, which is why I asked you to open up your diary. I'd like to see your macros.

whatfatjeans wrote: »

LeslieB042812 wrote: »

Also, are you sure you're eating enough for your workout levels? Sometimes, you're hungry because you legitimately need more food!

I tend to burn 400-800 calories a workout. I add an extra 100-200 depending on the workout.

How do you know what you're burning? If you're confident you're burning that much, then you're definitely not eating enough. However, those estimated calorie burns seem really high.... If they come from MFP (or any other online calculator), then most people recommend eating half of them back. Using that formula, you should be eating an extra 200-400 calories on workout days. See if you are still losing weight when you add in half of your calories and you might have found your solution.

If you are hungry all the time, I'd say that 2 months is an appropriate time to review your goals. If your goal is the all-too-frequent 2 lb per week, adjust it to 1 or 1/2 and meet your calorie budget with vegetables and protein.

I looked at your most recent day in your diary and I shall characterize it as "a lot of candy and sweets". That's not the sort of feeding plan that creates satiety.

You could make some swaps. Eg the avocado, peanut butter and Greek yoghurt (unless non fat) are all calorie dense. You could probably find more filling foods for the same calorie allowance. E.g swap the avocado for other green vegetables such as broccoli & asparagus, lose the peanut butter altogether and have non-fat Greek yoghurt rather than regular.

sarabushby wrote: »

You could make some swaps. Eg the avocado, peanut butter and Greek yoghurt (unless non fat) are all calorie dense. You could probably find more filling foods for the same calorie allowance. E.g swap the avocado for other green vegetables such as broccoli & asparagus, lose the peanut butter altogether and have non-fat Greek yoghurt rather than regular.

With that suggestion she won't have any fat in her diet at all!