what about hunger?

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madnist
madnist Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Everyone

I got a FitBit 3 weeks ago and use it with MFP. I've been doing pretty well as far as losing weight slowly and gradually. I work out at my local gym which "buys" me calories. If I didn't exercise, I'd be limited to 1250 calories a day.

My problem is that for some reason today I am ravenous It seems like I can't stop this hunger. Usually a tangerine or a cup of coffee will help me hang on until the next meal but today nothing's working. I finally broke down and ate more than I'm "allowed" if I want to stay on track. Will work harder at the gym to make up for it

Any advice would be great. Is there something low-cal but filling I can try on a day like this? Thanks in advance

Replies

  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 356 Member
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    My suggestion is eat at a calorie allotment that you can sustain without using the exercise calories. That way, you don't overwork yourself and workout every single day just to be able to get more food in your system. Because eventually, you're not going to be able to workout and you're going to feel defeated because you've been eating at say 1500 calories and your body is going to want to eat at that level. If it's actually hunger (like growling in the stomach) then eat. Chug some water and if it's still growling, eat. If it's just boredom hunger (there is a difference), then try to chew gum to get your mind off of it. Exercising more will most likely just make you hungrier. So I would change your goal to 1lb a week and see where that puts you. Then, if you exercise on top of that, only eat half of those calories back or none at all. Good luck.
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
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    Go for cooked veggies and lean protein in quantity. When I have a day like that something hot and high volume is the answer! Every now and then I have a day where I'm just HANGRY. Volume and heat work :)
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    I know you were asking for snack suggestions, but better to focus on the root of the problem, rather than the symptoms. Definitely look at your weekly weight loss goal first. Most people just make things too hard on themselves by choosing an overly aggressive rate of loss.
  • millzy64
    millzy64 Posts: 50 Member
    edited March 2017
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    While I was losing I found that eating about 6 times a day worked for me. Low calorie, HIGH protein snacks kept the hunger away and the blood sugar level all day. Not sure of your diet restrictions or eating habits, but I found that light string cheese, beef jerky, sugar free pudding, Greek yogurt, 100 calorie almond packs, etc. made perfect in-between meal snacks. I never would have made it just eating 3 meals and by eating protein rich snacks, it kept me from ever feeling hungry.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    Honestly if you are so hungry I would just go up to maintenance for today and start again tomorrow. It costs you 24hrs of progress, no harm done, and you won't binge on 3k calories next week when you finally succumb. Trust me I know this from experience lol
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    fascha wrote: »
    Honestly if you are so hungry I would just go up to maintenance for today and start again tomorrow. It costs you 24hrs of progress, no harm done, and you won't binge on 3k calories next week when you finally succumb. Trust me I know this from experience lol

    ^^This.

    Couple of weeks ago I was feeling "off" and hungry, so I decided to take a small break. I think I was fighting the flu as I didn't feel good for a week, so my diet break continued. Never did get a fever but a couple of days I could not stay awake. Also stopped exercising as I had little energy.10 days later I feel better and am back to my deficit.
  • madnist
    madnist Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you for those quick responses!

    Here's the details - I'm 66 years old, which means slower metabolism. I set MFP to lose .5 a week.

    According to MFP, that's 1250 calories a day, not counting exercise or the steps counted by FitBit. I tried getting by just on 1250, but no way -- I get way too hungry!

    I don't need to lose a lot of weight - 8 pounds total, but figured get rid of it now before it gets to be more. For me, exercise is key to losing the weight. But days like this -- I just don't understand how I could be so hungry after eating the same breakfast as usual.
  • madnist
    madnist Posts: 6 Member
    edited March 2017
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    millzy64 wrote: »
    light string cheese, beef jerky, sugar free pudding, Greek yogurt, 100 calorie almond packs, etc. made perfect in-between meal snacks. I never would have made it just eating 3 meals and by eating protein rich snacks, it kept me from ever feeling hungry.

    Bingo -- I should try eating more protein. And as solieco1 suggested, more veggies. The fiber should help me feel satisfied too.

    Thanks for the advice, eveyone. I'm learning a lot from all of you.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Some days you just are. Your body may be doing something you are not aware of (eg fighting off a virus, healing something) or else it just needs a break. You've been doing a lot of exercise, perhaps it needs a bit extra to help muscle recovery. I don't dump my goals at the first sign of hunger, but if it's persistent like that, I would just eat a bit more that day (up to maintenance) and not worry about it. It's only one day.
  • EmbeeKay
    EmbeeKay Posts: 249 Member
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    Two things help me lately:
    1. Chug a quart of water as fast as possible. I like using a straw and mindlessly drinking it while I work on something.
    2. I made a big batch of this cabbage soup and I keep 3 cup portions in the freezer. I think it tastes great, and very low in calories. If I have gone over at breakfast and lunch, this is my go to dinner. (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13116/cabbage-fat-burning-soup/)

    And maybe today you just needed a break and some extra fuel.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    EmbeeKay wrote: »
    Two things help me lately:
    1. Chug a quart of water as fast as possible. I like using a straw and mindlessly drinking it while I work on something.

    Gah! Brain freeze!
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Porridge helps me feel fuller longer (oats)
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    Yes, I definitely have Hungry Days for no particular reason. When that happens, I'll eat up to my maintenance calories for that day and then go back into a deficit the following day. In the long-term picture a few days here and there where you don't lose weight (but don't gain, either) are much better than desperately trying to maintain a deficit and potentially triggering a much more impactful binge streak. :)
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    madnist wrote: »
    Thank you for those quick responses!

    Here's the details - I'm 66 years old, which means slower metabolism. I set MFP to lose .5 a week.

    According to MFP, that's 1250 calories a day, not counting exercise or the steps counted by FitBit. I tried getting by just on 1250, but no way -- I get way too hungry!

    I don't need to lose a lot of weight - 8 pounds total, but figured get rid of it now before it gets to be more. For me, exercise is key to losing the weight. But days like this -- I just don't understand how I could be so hungry after eating the same breakfast as usual.

    That's great you have such reasonable goals. My previous comment obviously doesn't apply then.

    I agree with a PP that pointed out sometimes our body just has greater needs for reasons unbeknownst to us. And with such a small calorie allowance, finding the right macros that will keep you personally satisfied can be a real challenge. I've seen other successful MFPers comment that they had to manually adjust their calories for a .25 lb/week deficit (250 calories under maintenance) toward the end when it became particularly difficult to achieve & stick to a deficit. I hope you can find something that works for you :)
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Sometimes I have days where I'm inexplicably hungry. I just eat more. If you're consistently very hungry every day, you may want to gradually increase your calories by 100 each day until you hit the sweet spot where you're feeling satiated and still losing weight. Loading up on filling low-calorie foods and drinking lots of water helps too.

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