I'm always hungry.

mike_yung · October 2016

Anyone have a list of low calorie foods that are very very filling?

cmriverside · October 2016

vegetables.

kommodevaran · October 2016

Not really. First, make sure you are eating enough. You're a guy, right, and 48? What's your height, weight, and how active are you? Answer that, and then we can look at what you are eating, or should be eating, meal timing, sleep patterns etc.

AnnPT77 · October 2016

Satiation can be very individual.

Some people find fat satiating, some find protein satiating, some go for high-volume/low-calorie foods, like high-fiber veggies.

First, don't have a crazy-low calorie deficit that isn't sustainable for you. For sure don't be losing more than about 1% of your bodyweight per week (after the first couple of weeks, when you may see a bigger drop). And losing more slowly is OK, if it helps you stick with it.

Beyond that, what I always recommend to people who are constantly hungry is that they experiment with the timing & composition of their eating, to find the routine that's most satiating for them.

By "timing", I mean how many meals/snacks you eat, at what times, and which are the largest. Some people feel best with 3 squares, similar sized; some like 3 meals plus small snacks; some like 6 small "grazing" meals; some thrive with one or two really big meals daily. Some people feel more satiated if they skip breakfast to allow for a big dinner, while others need a big breakfast and keep other meals smaller. Some need to save calories for an evening snack. There are endless potential variations, and some will work better for you than others.

By "composition", I mean what you eat - especially how much of each macronutrient, while keeping each in a healthy range. Some people need extra protein to feel full (I tend to). Some find fat filling. Some go for those high-volume low-cal veggies (cabbage, broccoli, whatever). Some people don't feel satisfied without some carbs (good bread, whole potato), while some find that carbs just make them crave more carbs.

So, if you're feeling routinely hungry, try a new variation for a couple of days. Maybe pick based on reviewing your food diary to find a day that went relatively better for you, and build on that as a model.

If the new routine is better, keep it. If it isn't, try something different. You'll find a way that works for you.

For me, I found I needed a solid breakfast with plenty of protein, and protein spread through the day. If I felt hungry when it wasn't close to time for a meal, I had a protein-y snack, like a small portion of nuts, dry-roasted soybeans, or string cheese. I also needed plenty of fruit/veggies, especially at dinner. It also helped me to save some calories for some popcorn or something in the evening.

Your "best" routine will be different from mine. But you can figure it out. Good luck!

Sabine_Stroehm · October 2016

A list? No. It would help if we knew how you were eating now. Can you open your diary?

AnnPT77 · October 2016

OK, my bad. I didn't answer your actual question, I answered the question I thought you should've asked.

Carrots, celery, cucumber, radishes, plain Greek yogurt with a little fruit or some PB2 powder, apples, dry-roasted soybeans, indian puppodums, steamed cabbage dressed with a mix of mustard & vinegar, nonfat cottage cheese with cumin/turmeric/hot sauce, sauerkraut (if salt isn't a problem for you), pickles.

Some of these are lower-calorie than others, but the ones with slightly higher calories are very satiating for me.

rcktgirl05 · October 2016

I try to make sure I get healthy fats like avocado, nut butters, etc. because I think that helps the full feeling. I eat quite a bit of beans and chick peas sprinkled in stuff too, plus protein as much as I can. If I'm hungry I eat, I just make sure to stick to my calorie plan. Also I drink a lot of water and sometimes I'll put Mio flavoring in it so I can drink more. There's really no reason to be hungry, that's just setting yourself up to binge in my opinion!

Asher_Ethan · October 2016

I am always hungry no matter what. I found seeing my diary to lose only .5 pounds a week is the only thing that keeps me, almost, satisfied.

Habiteer · October 2016

Chicken and broccoli.

Make them a week ahead of time so it tastes worse. The worse your food tastes, the more likely you'll want to eat less because you're so sick of it.

elisa123gal · October 2016

keep notes or at least mental notes on what you eat and how long you feel full. I truly am more satisfied when i eat a deviled egg made with mustard not mayo... for breakfast instead of what i truly enjoy.. a fried egg with one extra egg white.. a 100 calorie bagel with laughing cow cheese.

loseitin_2016 · October 2016

Try eating more lean protein.Even eggs can be very filling.

NAbramovich · October 2016

Soups are good for filling up without a ton of calories. This is one of my favorites: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/french-lentil-soup-236772. I also love breakfast salad which is a huge mass of greens (like 4 cups), 1 or 2 pieces of bacon, 1 or 2 fried or poached eggs and 1 or 2 tablespoons of good balsamic vinegar. It's not one of my favorites, but a lot of people swear by zucchini noodles.

Francl27 · October 2016

For me it's a good mix of protein and fiber at every meal, and limiting refined carbs (sugar, white bread etc). Some fats do help too (but nuts more than oil or butter, obviously).

Everyone's different though so you will have to figure it out for yourself.

goldthistime · October 2016

Asher_Ethan wrote: »

I am always hungry no matter what. I found seeing my diary to lose only .5 pounds a week is the only thing that keeps me, almost, satisfied.

Me too. I actually think there are solid benefits to losing weight slowly. I like to think that I'm improving my chances of reaching goal weight, and maybe more importantly improving my chances of staying there. But I also like that I can buy new clothes for the season and they'll fit me for the entire season. And I like that when I get together with friends I don't look different every time they see me, so my weight loss isn't a constant topic of conversation. I LIKE the almost imperceptibility of slow change.

courtneyfabulous · October 2016

You might be in too much of a calorie deficit- myfitnesspal always puts my calories really low (too low) and I have to adjust my calorie & macronutrients goals myself.

As far as low calorie filling foods... vegetables. Pretty much all non starchy vegetables are filling & low in calories.

Chadxx · October 2016

I have always had a big appetite but I have been able to stay full despite a very large calorie deficit by eating lean meats and lots of low calorie, high fiber foods such as green beans, asparagus, and mushrooms.

mike_yung · October 2016

Thanks for all the responses. I've got some folks who I share my diary with & will be working with them on the tweaks I'll be making.

cerise_noir · October 2016

How many calories are you eating? Why can't you open your diary just for a moment for us to help you out?

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

You might be in too much of a calorie deficit- myfitnesspal always puts my calories really low (too low) and I have to adjust my calorie & macronutrients goals myself.

As far as low calorie filling foods... vegetables. Pretty much all non starchy vegetables are filling & low in calories.

Mfp will only put someone 'too low' if the person selects an overly ambitious weekly loss such as 2lb per week for someone with less than 50lbs to lose.

Also, mfp is designed so that you eat part of your exercise calorie back, so that's why the initial calories may seem to low as they don't account for exercise like TDEE -20 would.

AnnPT77 · October 2016

cerise_noir wrote: »

How many calories are you eating? Why can't you open your diary just for a moment for us to help you out?

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

You might be in too much of a calorie deficit- myfitnesspal always puts my calories really low (too low) and I have to adjust my calorie & macronutrients goals myself.

As far as low calorie filling foods... vegetables. Pretty much all non starchy vegetables are filling & low in calories.

Mfp will only put someone 'too low' if the person selects an overly ambitious weekly loss such as 2lb per week for someone with less than 50lbs to lose.

"Only"? Full bore not true.

All the calorie calculators have to be based on research with a reference population. From what I've read, the result is a tall/narrow bell curve, i.e., it has a relatively small standard deviation, with most people quite close to the mean. For them, MFP's estimates (or other calculators' estimates) are close to correct.

But it is a bell curve. Some people are further from the mean, and a very (very) few are quite far from the mean. It's not common, but it happens.

So, some people fall below the mean for the calculated calorie goal - they need to eat fewer calories than average to lose "X" amount of weight per week, for their age/size/activity level. Others fall above the mean - they are able to eat more calories than others their age/size/activity level, and still lose "X" amount of weight per week.

How do I know this? Well, for one, an understanding of statistics and reference to the research will make it clear that this must be true. For two, I seem to be one of those weird outlier people, which is what got me looking at the statistics in the first place.

I found that I had to eat significantly more calories than MFP told me to, to stay at any given rate of weight loss (lucky me). According to the standard calculators, my maintenance NEAT should be around 1500 calories, more or less. Instead, it's more like 2000. Go figure. (This is net calories - I eat back all intentional exercise, besides.) I had to adjust MFP's calorie goals in order to avoid losing weight too fast - either by lying about activity level, or manually setting the calorie goal. This was true from the beginning (63 pounds from goal), and at loss rates of 2lb (for a bit), 1.5lb, 1lb, and 0.5lb per week, as my weight declined.

I have at least one person in my MFP friend feed, whom I've followed for around a year - meticulous logger/food weigher and nutrition-focused as all get-out - who's needed to eat well below the calculated calorie level in order to lose weight. Having watched her closely, I totally believe she's being honest.

There aren't many people like this, further out on the bell curve, but we exist. (Oh, and, so do people who feel hungrier at any given deficit level, I'm betting. Since individuals' pain thresholds vary, it would be very surprising if their perceived-hunger thresholds were absolutely uniform.)

Also, mfp is designed so that you eat part of your exercise calorie back, so that's why the initial calories may seem to low as they don't account for exercise like TDEE -20 would.

This I totally agree with.

ahoy_m8 · October 2016

Drawoc wrote: »

Chicken and broccoli.

Make them a week ahead of time so it tastes worse. The worse your food tastes, the more likely you'll want to eat less because you're so sick of it.

lol. twisted and sad, but it made me laugh.

WrenTheCoffeeAddict · October 2016

Make sure you're drinking enough fluids. It's rare that anyone is drinking enough water these days. I drink a lot now, as it makes me feel fuller, and helps prevent me from snacking. But my colleagues around me think the quantity I drink is 'abnormal' (I drink about 6 pints a day).
Being thirsty can often be mistaken for feeling hungry.

I'm always hungry.

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