Hungry all the time! Help *stomach rumbling*

rachelgrant11
rachelgrant11 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am new to this, all of this! Healthy eating, exercise... the lot! My main problem so far is that I'm finding myself back in the kitchen, looking for food with a rumbling belly! I'm looking for some advice on foods that would make me feel full for longer. I should also note that I don't eat meat and also don't have a lot of spare time to cook as in a new mum. :#

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    You diary is set to private. It's hard to give suggestions when we don't know what you do currently. How much do you weigh? How tall are you? What are your calories currently set at?

    Without knowing the answers to those questions, my stab in the dark is that your calories are set at 1200 and that's too low for you.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member

    These are my really general tips for hunger:

    1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

    3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

    4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

    5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

    6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

    7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.
  • treegirl97
    treegirl97 Posts: 70 Member
    Also, if you are breastfeeding, I believe the general guideline is about 500 extra calories a day.
  • Emijanine
    Emijanine Posts: 158 Member
    I am the exact same way! I am hungry all the time. You need eggs, full fat yogurt and cottage cheese, nut butters, sprouted grain breads and such, avocados, grassfed butter. The healthy fats will keep you satiated. I consumed 3,000 calories per day when I was nursing. So definitely up your calories by 500 if you haven't done so already!

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