Always hungry

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Kellyfitness128
Kellyfitness128 Posts: 194 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The more days I stay in a deficit, the hungrier I seem to get each day. Eventually this leads to a binge because I can't restrict any longer.

My estimated energy requirements I calculated are 2,300 calories per day and I eat, on average, 1,600-2,100 calories a day. I workout 5-6 days a week and burn about 200-400 calories per workout. I also walk a lot during the day and stay active around the house. I drink plenty of water.

Yesterday, I ate 2,250 calories for the day and 88g of protein, which is more than I need. My dinner had 42g of protein and around 800 calories as I recall, and 2-3 hours later I was hungry again. Every single night I go to bed starving. I usually finish dinner around 7-7:30pm and try to go to bed by 11pm.

Does anyone else have this problem or any advice? I know eating more veggies, protein, and fat will help keep me full, but I feel like I already eat plenty of those. My diary is open if you want to take a look! I just really, really want to end this binge eating, but if I'm always hungry, I know it's going to keep happening. I also really want to lose 10 pounds. Any advice or similar stories are appreciated!
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Are you losing at the expected rate? Maybe you should just take it slower, with a smaller deficit? Maybe reduce the amount of exercise? Do you get enough sleep?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,125 Member
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    A couple things.

    I am at my goal weight, but those last ten pounds are tough. Always hungry. It's not easy to figure what to do about it, trying to balance hunger with eating *just enough*. It's a tightrope.

    Hang on, be the tortoise not the hare.
  • sarahlovesfood25
    sarahlovesfood25 Posts: 408 Member
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    I"m exactly in the same boat as u, well couple of things r different, my calorie goal a day is 1200 and i have tea round about 4-5pm with the kids alot of the time my dinner dont satisfy me im hungry afterwards and i feel so greedy but i either have a snack within calorie range, or go on my treadmill plus drink water to fill me up (i dont tend to snack wen i hav alot of water) when the kids have gone to bed 7-8pm i always feel hungry and raid the cupboards, so now i either save enough calories to hav a little snack (dark choc 88cals and little bag of crisps 38cals) then after that i tell myself NO!!
    When i shop i tend not to buy snacky things that i like then i cant go in the cupboards and binge eat if its not in ur home ur not gonna eat!
    Ive changed alot of bad habits i used to have after gets tips/ advice off people on here im aiming to lose up to a stone, im 5"2 and 150lbs
    Good luck with ur journey
  • sarahlovesfood25
    sarahlovesfood25 Posts: 408 Member
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    I started 2 weeks ago (even tho ive been on and off diets forever lol) but this time i was determined as i was just putting the weight on,, my first week i only lost half a pound and i was so disappointed i ate really well and exercised alot then for the nxt couple of days i just drank alcohol and ate stupidly and i regretted it and put on a pound!!
    Its a new week (for me anyway as weigh days satdays for me) and i feel positive and hopefully ive learnt from my mistakes, just keep going dont give up,, save calories for the end of the day so u can enjoy having ur snacks whilst watching tv/reading etc good luck
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,437 Member
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    Are you eating food that fills you up? I've changed what I eat from before mfp. I eat more bread & potatoes and I found eating veggies with meals makes a difference. The main thing that made a difference is making fruit/veggie drinks in our nutribullit. If I don't do that, I feel off all day. If i get hungry, i make a drink in that using unsweatened almond milk, 1/2 C yogurt, frozen/fresh fruit, spinach & sometime add 1/4C oatmeal. very filling. I'm on a 1430/day cal & I'm hardly ever hungry
  • Kellyfitness128
    Kellyfitness128 Posts: 194 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Are you losing at the expected rate? Maybe you should just take it slower, with a smaller deficit? Maybe reduce the amount of exercise? Do you get enough sleep?

    Well, I've been binging 1-2x per week so I'm just maintaining my weight right now. I'm trying to get through a week without binging so I can accurately see if I'm losing on the amount of calories I'm eating. I do get plenty of sleep (7-9 hours most nights). I definitely don't want to reduce my exercise since I just love it and feel so great afterwards, but yeah perhaps eating a little more each day might be better. It's just weird I'm so hungry after a 2,250 calorie day. But, I should also clarify I spent the entire summer hiking half of the Pacific Crest Trail. I was burning 4,000 calories a day and eating about 3,000 calories a day and I also developed a ton of muscle from that. I think my body is still used to eating high quantities of food and my muscle mass has probably increased my metabolism.
    cmriverside wrote: »
    A couple things.

    I am at my goal weight, but those last ten pounds are tough. Always hungry. It's not easy to figure what to do about it, trying to balance hunger with eating *just enough*. It's a tightrope.

    Hang on, be the tortoise not the hare.

    Yeah, right? I'm fairly small to begin with (5'2, 120-122lbs) and I just really want to get down to where I've always looked my best at 112lbs. But since I'm at a healthy weight it's harder to get my body to let go. Thanks for the encouragement, slow and steady wins the race right!
    sarahjohnson25852014 wrote: »
    I started 2 weeks ago (even tho ive been on and off diets forever lol) but this time i was determined as i was just putting the weight on,, my first week i only lost half a pound and i was so disappointed i ate really well and exercised alot then for the nxt couple of days i just drank alcohol and ate stupidly and i regretted it and put on a pound!!
    Its a new week (for me anyway as weigh days satdays for me) and i feel positive and hopefully ive learnt from my mistakes, just keep going dont give up,, save calories for the end of the day so u can enjoy having ur snacks whilst watching tv/reading etc good luck

    Drinking alcohol has been putting me back too. I usually drink twice a week, but I'm trying to cut that back to once a week! It's not so much the beer as it is the hangover days which involve too much greasy food and no exercise that kill me lol.
    Evamutt wrote: »
    Are you eating food that fills you up? I've changed what I eat from before mfp. I eat more bread & potatoes and I found eating veggies with meals makes a difference. The main thing that made a difference is making fruit/veggie drinks in our nutribullit. If I don't do that, I feel off all day. If i get hungry, i make a drink in that using unsweatened almond milk, 1/2 C yogurt, frozen/fresh fruit, spinach & sometime add 1/4C oatmeal. very filling. I'm on a 1430/day cal & I'm hardly ever hungry

    I eat tons of fiber, lots of fruits and veggies, and try to incorporate some meat with dinner for that extra protein. I'm a carb-aholic though, haha, but I'm realizing I should try and incorporate more protein and slightly less carbs just so I can stay full longer. The smoothie is a great idea. Thank you!
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    edited October 2016
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    @diannethegeek has a great list of general thoughts on hunger. Maybe she will jump in here. Her very good list starts with--and this is so incredibly important, perhaps the single factor most governing success vs. failure--establishing an appropriate calorie goal.

    Inappropriately large deficit -> failure
    appropriate & manageable deficit -> success

    If you are a healthy weight and going for vanity pounds (nothing wrong with that), you must maintain a very small deficit. There are numerous really sound reasons for this. Small deficits are easier in one way (more food) but more difficult in another (more skill required). Maintaining a small deficit takes greater accuracy.

    FWIW, I also am a healthy weight and when I gain 5lb over my ideal weight I have to cut back. It takes me 8 weeks to lose 4 pounds. It's not an even, steady loss, but after two months, I'm 4lb lighter. Then I up my calories slightly and take another month to lose the last pound. I usually lose more than I intended there at the end, but this is my general pattern. I can eat at 1200 for a couple days and feel fine (especially if I am hitting my nutrient minimums). But it WILL catch up to me, and I will gradually get hungrier & hungrier and almost certainly binge at some point. At the end of the day, an appropriately small deficit is easier than the restrict-binge cycle.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    I read a thread on the maintenance forum about this. It is your body trying to get you to regain some weight. Many of them complained of the same thing.. the once at goal they are more hungry than when they were losing ..even though they're eating more. Constantly hungry. Maybe slowly add 50 calories a week..to up your allowed calories without gaining. See how far you can go...eventually you'd think you would adjust.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    @kellyb28 I looked at your Friday and infer that you have a bagel and banana for breakfast often. That's low on protein, low on fiber, and high on carbs. You'll need the carbs, of course, but you concentrate the carbs early. I suggest that you consider making protein a major focus of your breakfast, eliminate the bagel, and move the banana to a time later in the day after your workout. With the way you are doing it, you get a lot of carbs and then run around all day reducing your glycogen levels with activity. The low glycogen at the end of the day is involved in your hunger signaling. If you keep the same calorie totals but move some carbs to later in the day, you may be able to satisfy the brains need for glycogen.
  • disney29
    disney29 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hello ! So you are my first reply. So first thing you need to drink plenty of water through out the day. Next you neeed to eat 5-6 times a day. Binging is a result of restricting to much. So with eating every 3 to 4 hours should help . 3 main meals and 3 snack.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    You could try rearranging your macros. Reduce your carbs and up your protein/fat. Do some tweaking until you find your sweet spot.

    Try swapping your breakfast for bacon and eggs.
  • Kellyfitness128
    Kellyfitness128 Posts: 194 Member
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    Thanks guys. I think @JeromeBarry1 and @Christine_72 are right.... I didn't realize how many carbs I'm actually eating (compared to others). At the same time though, it's a healthy amount. It's recommended to eat 45-65% of your daily caloric intake as carbohydrates, and I fall right in there. Also, I love carbs, haha. If I try and eat two eggs and a piece of bacon for breakfast, I crave sweets and feel low on energy. You guys also caught my diary on the rare days I bought some fresh bagels and had them for breakfast. It's been months since I've eaten bagels for breakfast- usually it's yogurt and granola or oatmeal (yeah, both of which are still high in carbs lol).

    @JeromeBarry1 Just to clarify, I do my workouts fasted first thing in the morning then I eat breakfast afterwards. The carb-filled breakfast gives me tons of energy for being productive and also getting more activity in later on.

    I think I just need to find a balance and focus on higher protein meals but also with a little carbs in there. I'll work on that and see how I feel and give ya'll an update. Thanks for the help!

  • brethicken
    brethicken Posts: 2 Member
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    I've noticed you go real light on the oats in your yogurt. I mix 1 cup yogurt with a full 1/2 cup of raw quick oats. Letting it sit a minute will soften the oats. Afterwards I'll have a couple glasses of water. It's very filling for breakfast!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Kelly I have high carb days too, and 9 times out of 10 i end up in the red at the end of the day on those days. It's like my appetite goes out of control and i struggle to reign it in.. I average around 30%
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Yes, more protein, fiber, and fat. It's definitely harder when you have less tof lose and much less forgiving when you eat too many refined carbs.
  • BeGrandLike
    BeGrandLike Posts: 184 Member
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    More protein might help a lot!

    But also- I'm like you, in that if I eat at a deficit for several days in a row I start getting more and more hungry. So my solution is just to have one scheduled maintenance day every week. That seems to convince my body that I'm doing OK and eating enough, and then I'm able to face into the next few days of deficit way more easily.

    Maybe right now once a week isn't often enough for you. How about going for three or four days at deficit and then one day at maintenance, and see how that works for you? Then gradually increase the days at deficit- let your body adjust slowly to the new normal so it doesn't freak out and make you binge!
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    I'm following this thread. I have exact same problem. I just started a very similar thread a few days ago and so far I haven't found a solution.

    I'm the same weight and activity level/TDEE as you and about 10 lbs heavier. I also have the hardest time maintaining even a small deficit because of intense constant hunger. If I push through it and manage a deficit for several days I usually end up binging like you. So I end up gaining what I lost. But most day I just end up eating at maintenance. I've been stuck on the same weight for months because of it.

    Like you I like carbs and feel better when I eat more of them, but I'm gonna try to lower my intake of carbs slightly, to about 40%, and see if it helps. Though I have doubts because lowering carbs in the past only made me hungrier and lower on energy in the past. But I'm pretty desperate and willing to try anything at this point.

    I'm looking for some kind of physical reason behind it, something that can be fixed. Especially because I don't remember ever being as hungry before even at lower deficits. But maybe it's just really our bodies fighting against losing any more weight since we are already at a healthy or close to a healthy weight.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    kellyb28 wrote: »

    @JeromeBarry1 Just to clarify, I do my workouts fasted first thing in the morning then I eat breakfast afterwards. The carb-filled breakfast gives me tons of energy for being productive and also getting more activity in later on.


    That's good to know. Many, many people, myself included, exercise fasted in the morning and eat afterward with no problem. A recent Hello Healthy article, http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/happens-dont-eat-workout/ explains it girl-style and includes a link, http://www.self.com/gallery/7-post-workout-snacks-you-can-stash-in-your-gym-bag?mbid=synd_myfitpal which helpfully points in the right direction. I think you'll be doing really well if you can find a commercial or homemade granola/energy snack that you can use. Something to just make that morning refuel more complete across the macros.
  • Red_Pill
    Red_Pill Posts: 300 Member
    edited October 2016
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    @kellyb28 of course you'll gradually increase in hungry you're eating less than your body requires (calorie deficit). I'm not sure if you eat a whole food type of diet or an IIFYM approach however you could incorporate a re feed day into your week. Preferably the end of the week. Basically eat at maintenance or slightly above then resume your calorie deficit the following day. It's not a "cheat day" where you eat any and everything, just eat more of what you're already eating. And no this won't scupper your weight loss for the week.

    Also you could try eating bigger meals rather than many smaller ones.

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