Should I eat if I'm hungry even if it goes over the count?

anditshannah · May 2017

Sometimes I feel really bad hunger pains and it makes me feel sick or makes me not able to sleep. Should I eat anyways? Even if it goes over my count for the day?

marelthu · May 2017

I would say yes. Usually if I'm hungry before I go to bed I'll have some yogurt or a half cup of Kefir. Others may differing opinions.

PrincessMel72 · May 2017

You may want to reassess your calorie deficit if you're feeling such strong hunger pangs. Eat something light (a few carrot sticks, a piece of apple, a piece of cheese) if you're hungry. Definitely check to see if your current deficit is too low to sustain. You shouldn't feel that hungry if you're eating properly.

4legsRbetterthan2 · May 2017

indigoblue9572 wrote: »

You may want to reassess your calorie deficit if you're feeling such strong hunger pangs. Eat something light (a few carrot sticks, a piece of apple, a piece of cheese) if you're hungry. Definitely check to see if your current deficit is too low to sustain. You shouldn't feel that hungry if you're eating properly.

I tend to agree with this. If it is mild hunger or just wanting to snack while watching TV then I ignore it. If it is enough to keep you up at night then I would eat something. If this is happening often though you should re-evaluate your intake and meal timing.

inertiastrength · May 2017

Some hunger is normal, but hungry to the point you feel sick sounds like it's time to reassess your calorie goals. How much do you lose per week?

gamerbabe14 · May 2017

Also, how are you counting your calories? If you are guessing or eye balling, you may be overestimating your calories. Use a food scale. Meaning you might have more calories to eat to hit your daily goal by just measuring properly.

jayv85 · May 2017

Yes. I set my goal to 1400 calories and sometimes go ove by 100 and I've still been losing weight. It's not supposed to restrict you so much that you're hungry and hating life so much that afterwards when you lose all the weight you go back into old habits and gain all the weight back again. This site should also make you aware of what you're eating and how much and help you make better decisions on what to eat. In the end it helps you make a lifestyle change that you'll keep up forever. Which is why if you have a "bad" day it's not supposed to be a huge deal because you'll have those in life and it's not the end of the world if it does.

bunny_347 · May 2017

Yes, i had this, hunger pains to the point of feeling sick. Had just started Kyla's workouts, + usual 40 mins running + low intensity everyday exercise. I felt sick for 1.5 weeks. Then i binged. Felt awful. Carried on binging. Take away message can you sustain what your doing (unlikely if you are not sleeping well)? If you cant listen to your body, keep a reasonable defecit, re-assess what you are doing.

If you are super active 1200 cal is not going to do it for you, lower the deficit. stick in for the long term.

infinitynevermore · May 2017

If you're that hungry, bring your limit up by 250 and see if that works. If it doesn't, or you start gaining, you might want to tighten up your logging.

toxikon · May 2017

Assuming that you are:
a.) calculating your TDEE correctly
b.) eating at a reasonable deficit
c.) weighing and tracking your calories properly

There are a couple things you could try.

1. Eat more "high-volume" food to fill you up. Vegetables and some fruit are the main one here. Big salads, steamed vegetables, berries, etc. Low calorie but high volume. Calorie-dense foods like nuts, peanut butter, fast food, junk food, etc - they are a lot of calories and may not be enough volume to fill you up. More protein can also be filling.

2. Intermittent fasting: I hate going to bed feeling hungry, so I skip breakfasts and snacking so I can have a medium-sized lunch and large dinner. My dinners are often 800 calories and very filling, and I can go to sleep feeling satiated. After a week or two of skipping breakfast, your body adjusts very quickly to a new routine. I barely get hungry in the morning anymore.

bigmuneymfp · May 2017

__TMac__ · May 2017

I get super hungry on any calorie count if my macros are out of whack. Think about what satiates you. Try out some days with different combinations - higher fat, carbs, protein, or (not technically a macro) fiber. It may help you feel better without going over.

For me, that means fewer carbs. For example, I had a special meal planned where I was going to go over my calories last night. Homemade french fries. I ate a ton, but an hour later I was starving. Today, I'll eat chili for dinner, will be comfortably within my calorie goal, and predict I'll be satisfied all night.

fitmom4lifemfp · May 2017

If you are that hungry when you go to bed, you are doing something wrong.

zyxst · May 2017

bigmuneymfp wrote: »

No

OP should be in pain because she'll go over her calories?

laurenebargar · May 2017

I didnt eat well yesterday so all of the food that I did eat left me feeling starving, at the end of the night I went over my calorie goals and had a few healthy snacks, I didnt feel great about going over, but I was hungry and I know im under my net calories for the week. How many calories are you eating? Are you working out?

Penthesilea514 · May 2017

Check you macros too- some people find increasing certain things (for me, protein but others like higher fat, etc) really helps with satiety. I second everyone saying to reassess your calorie goals. I really had to relearn what I thought was good and healthy food before I was hitting calorie goals while feeling not hungry. It is a process as you learn what works well for you.

Good luck OP. I agree, if you are that hungry to the point of pain, eat something and re-evaluate your goals moving forward. Trust me, people can lose weight without feeling like they are starving themselves. It just takes some time to learn.

RamboKitty87 · May 2017

Hey, check your net calories are not too low... mine would be between 400 and 900 a day and I would feel really hungry and sicky and sometimes dizzy, after reassessing things I am now upping my net calories to 1,200 so eating more on days where I exercise more and I feel a whole lot better

Other things to check are vitamins and minerals are you getting enough? are you get enough fibre, protein, fat, sugar without going over allotted daily goals? also what others have said about high volume, its all about seeing what is right, a whole trial and error, it takes a little time to get it right, I'm still in the whole trial and error stage myself and trying out ideas that don't leave me feeling so dizzy and hungry at bed time.
I hope you feel better soon

BigBadVanna · May 2017

Maybe rearrange calories so you can have a bedtime snack? I love greek yogurt with a sprinkle of granola and strawberries before bed. I found that eating (or nothing) less at breakfast allowed me a bedtime snack and I didn't feel hunger until lunch anyways.

GoldBikiniGoals · May 2017

OP, look at your deficit. It may be too aggressive to be sustainable long term. If you are going to eat above your MFP goal start with something small like a piece of fruit (50-100 cals) or a greek yogurt (80-120) or a cheese string (60-80). You can also look more closely at what you're eating through out the day and your meal timing; If you stop eating at 5pm but don't go to bed until midnight for example, it's pretty normal you'd be feeling hungry by then. Most people find they are less hungry with diets that are higher in either protein or fat. You can eat large portions of veggies to round out meals from a volume perspective. You just need to figure out what works for you.

feathernaut · May 2017

I think the "quality" of your calories might be coming into play here too. Try not to drink calories too much and avoid candy. A Twix will leave you still feeling hungry. Try to get the most satiety for your calories that you can.

Should I eat if I'm hungry even if it goes over the count?

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