Always hungry

birdiee11
birdiee11 Posts: 1 Member
I was just wondering if anyone could give me any tips I'm always hungry and always end up snacking on the wrong sort of food and eating too much. Has anyone got any good tips? Or can help? Thanks

Replies

  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Start with drinking lots of water and find a way to keep your hands busy. What I do is plan. I pre-log my diary and do include snacks during the times I get hungry. Since I don't get very hungry early in the day I save most of my calories for later.

    Bulking up on filling veggies raw or steamed helps a lot as well.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I drink lots of iced and hot tea and I chew gum. And I find that when I'm busy, I'm too busy to think about being hungry. When I'm idle is when the urge to snack and the cravings hit me.
  • sarahdayski
    sarahdayski Posts: 125 Member
    I agree, keeping busy helps and drinking plenty. Finding snacks you can snack on if you get hungry, i use rice cakes, bread sticks, ice lollies. It does get easier x
  • Igarner19
    Igarner19 Posts: 1 Member
    Make sure you get as much fiber as you can. It slows digestion and really helps control your hunger.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    Yes, water, foods high in fibre. Also, your calories might be set too low, being hungry all the time isn't sustainable for long.

    Check out the recipe section here at mfp, lots and lots of yum food combinations! No need to feel deprived, you can do this! :)
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    The first thing to look at is your weekly weight loss goal- most people set theirs too high. Faster isn't better if you have to starve yourself and it makes you want to quit. Some hunger is normal, at least at first, but you shouldn't feel ravenous all the time. Then you need to look at the quality of the calories you are eating. Hit those macros (protein, fat, fiber) to give you the best chance of staying satisfied. :)
  • xAmeenahx
    xAmeenahx Posts: 34 Member
    Drinking water is extremely important. I understand where you're coming from. I always keep fruit around so if I do need a snack, I know that it will be a guilt free one :)
  • aub6689
    aub6689 Posts: 351 Member
    I feel fuller on higher protein, make sure you are getting protein. Also have pre-portioned snack foods that you can grab when hunger hits so it isn't the "wrong" thing. Also, as another poster said, if you set an aggressive weight loss goal that has you eating very low calories, it may be easier to set a more moderate goal and lose more slowly. It is easier to cut calories slowly than make a huge cut.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    try2again wrote: »
    The first thing to look at is your weekly weight loss goal- most people set theirs too high. Faster isn't better if you have to starve yourself and it makes you want to quit. Some hunger is normal, at least at first, but you shouldn't feel ravenous all the time. Then you need to look at the quality of the calories you are eating. Hit those macros (protein, fat, fiber) to give you the best chance of staying satisfied. :)


    Yeah - pretty much this. OP - what is your weekly goal? And/or what is your daily Calorie goal? Also, could you open your diary, so we can see what you're currently eating? All the tips others have given you are nice, and work for many, but may not be applicable to your case.
  • cariduttry
    cariduttry Posts: 210 Member
    IF your weekly weight loss goals are in order, my suggestion is to drink more water than you think you should. every time i'm feeling like i want to graze, i drink 2 cups of water. that usually makes it subside. apparently my body confuses hunger and thirst.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    Not enough info...Many factors to this...How long ago did you start? I see you just joined MFP today. If you were used to eating 2000-3000 calories a day and now you're eating 1200, your body needs time to adjust. Buy snacks, carry a few with you. I don't if you're a student or work or what. How much do you have to lose? What have is your daily cals set to? Are you working out?
    identify what time of day you're feeling hungry. Take note of how long was it since the last time you ate. If it's less than 30 mins, your body hasn't digested. More than 1hr, less than 2? Drink some water. 2-3 hrs? have a snack.
    Develop healthy eating habits and the cravings will subside.
  • JanDijkstra1
    JanDijkstra1 Posts: 1 Member
    Keto diet
  • JonnaXD
    JonnaXD Posts: 12 Member
    if it's just 'mental' hunger and you're sure you already get all the calories your body needs, then try brushing your teeth when you feel hungry for snacks? this may sound a bit silly, but I've recently changed my eating habits and I get these insane cravings for chocolate and ice-cream, then I brush my teeth and since I don't like eating after having brushed my teeth, the cravings go away (at lest for a little while)... Sure now I brush my teeth 4-5 times a day, but I'm sure it will go back to normal once my body gets used to the new eating habits.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    Getting at least 20% protein every day has made a big difference for me. And I would choose a fat over a carb for fullness. I agree with the fibre comments too, although that seems to come almost effortlessly for me. Breadsticks and rice cakes though would be the last thing I would advise for satiety. I also agree that you should consider reducing your deficit. Two pounds a week was doable for me, but when I fell off the wagon I had trouble climbing back up on. Just kept procrastinating. I didn't look forward to going back to hungry. I have my calorie goal set to 0.5lbs/week now. If I feel like it, I push a little harder and lose a little faster, but generally I am happy to lose slowly (not much left to lose now). Best of all, when I stumble, I don't procrastinate getting back on track because I know it won't be miserable.
  • danicaliforn1a
    danicaliforn1a Posts: 46 Member
    First consider "why am I snacking?" Genuine hunger or boredom? Lets say the answer is hunger: Preparation is key. Cut up vegetables, portion out almonds and hummus, buy 100g yogurts. Fill your fridge with healthy snacks. Snacks are ok, maybe you're just carbo-loading when snacking like I used to do. Also, perhaps you're not eating frequently enough during the day and that's why you're hungry. Plan your meals, put them into MFP ahead of time even to take the guess work out of each meal and help you to understand if you have extra calories to snack and where to even out your day. Boredom: Join a gym, a team, a book club. Get out of the house and make new friends or nurture existing friendships. Or, maybe make a point to walk the dog a little longer etc. I believe in you!
  • marcenepea
    marcenepea Posts: 364 Member
    I'm no expert and I've started this over and over (but each time I've lost). When I have the best success is when my calories aren't set too low. I've tried 1,200 a day and suffered, I lost for a bit but not really that long. Usually because I'm way to hungry all the time to stick with it. I've upped my calories to around 1,700 this has been much easier for me to stick with. I have still been losing weight and It's so much easier to stick with.

    I feel better if I have more protein and fiber. Less sugar and lots of water. Make sure you get enough rest. I've learned if I'm exhausted that is when I want to eat just about anything in my reach. I like to carry raw almonds, veggies and fresh fruit for quick snacks. If I can keep them cool I like string cheese and cottage cheese as well.

    Research and keep learning new tips, recipes and ideas. This site is great and I learn new things daily.

    Good Luck and hang in there. All we can do is our best!

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    Different people find different things filling and satisfying. Consider experimenting with the timing & composition of your eating to find the formula that's most satisfying for you.

    By "timing", I mean things like whether you have or skip breakfast, whether you eat 3 bigger meals or 5-6 smaller ones, eat 3 meals plus small snacks between, save some calories for an evening snack, that sort of thing. I also include which meal(s) are calorically largest as part of timing, like whether you do best with a big breakfast vs. big dinner, or even-sized meals through the day, etc.

    By "composition", I mean the mix of macronutrients (protein/fat/carb), micronutrients (vitamins/minerals/etc.) and fiber, within a healthy range of each. Some people find protein satiating, others feel full from (healthy) fats, yet others feel satisfied when they include plenty of high-volume low-calorie foods - usually these are high-fiber veggies. Some people don't feel satisfied without some carbs like bread, pasta or potatoes, while others find that eating those carbs just makes them crave more carbs.

    Try a new approach for a few days. If it's an improvement, stick with it. If not, switch things up again.

    It may help to review your diary at the end of each day, and see which things contributed too many calories for the amount of fullness, nutrition, or tastiness that they gave you. Replace those foods with better choices, and you'll gradually get to a more workable plan.

    Also, if you're struggling, don't try to lose too much, too fast. Perhaps you'd want to cut back your weight loss rate goal to one pound or even 1/2 pound a week at first, get used to eating at that level, adjust the timing/composition stuff, then consider whether a lower calorie goal is achievable.
  • AliceAxe
    AliceAxe Posts: 172 Member
    I think Ive got something medicaly wrong, becuase often I cna eat a big meal and still still feel hungry , like it never goes away. some times for about 2 hours, if I eat huge unhealty amounts. sometimes I can stuff myself and feel so bloated and still feel hungry. other dyas I have no appetite at all. I hate it. all those things mentioned dont realy help.