Cutting down to 1800 calories a day and but I am so hungry all the time

tdavis1994 · July 2017

I have recently cut down to 1800 to 2000 calories a day and I have been constantly hungry since I made the change. I have been drinking lots of water to try to help but there is still a constant feeling of hunger. How much protein should I be eating? Maybe I don't have enough. Any suggestions?

deannalfisher · July 2017

what are you currently eating now?

what is your current weight and goal weight?

Poisonedpawn78 · July 2017

Try playing around with your macro intake. See if carbs, fats or proteins fill you up better. If it turns out that one of them does, modify your diet to make sure you hit that macro.

TavistockToad · July 2017

Are you eating enough fat and preotein?

maripanda · July 2017

Are you doing lots of exercise but not including that in your calorie count?

briana_aka_bunny · July 2017

It may just take your body some adjusting. You could increase protein. I always felt hungry the first time i cut down to 1200 calories. But you just have to find your balance.

HeidiCooksSupper · July 2017

Concentrate on eating things that satisfy your hunger. For me, that means avoiding anything that tastes sweet. A donut makes me want to chew the drapes whereas the equivalent calories of cheese chases hunger away.

koburd · July 2017

I feel your pain. I've been trying to cut to 1500 a day. It SUCKS for the first two or three weeks but once your body gets used to it and starts regulating your blood sugar and metabolism you'll start feeling a lot better. Hunger will still be there, not gonna lie to you, but it's infinitely more manageable. Just let your body adjust.

AnnPT77 · July 2017

Satiation is very individual. Try some variations in timing & composition of your eating, each for a day or two at a time, and see whether you can find a routine that helps you feel more full, more of the time.

By timing, I mean when you eat: 3 meals a day, one meal a day, snacks or no, 5 small meals, big breakfast with smaller meals later, save calories for evening snacking, skip breakfast to have big dinner - that sort of thing.

By composition, I mean which categories of food you emphasize, within a healthy range of each. Some people find protein more filling, some find fats are necessary to feel full, some need volume (usually from lots of low-cal high-fiber veggies). Some people find they need carbs (potatoes, bread, etc.) to feel full, while others find that eating increased carbs makes them crave even more of them.

Try a new approach for a day or two, see if you feel better. If not, try something else.

Personally, I need solid protein in each meal (especially breakfast) and some high-volume veggies sometime during the day. Your formula will differ, but I'll bet you can find something that helps.

tdavis1994 · July 2017

I am currently have it set for 30 percent of my diet is protein. I am 322 pounds and looking to get down to 185 ultimately but my first goal is 300.

MelanieCN77 · July 2017

I don't think that's enough cals. What does MFP say you should eat to lose at 2lbs per week?

kokonani · July 2017

Have you tried eating less frequent meals? So when I was trying to eat 1400 calories a day, I would eat 3-4 small meals and snacks all day long because I was so hungry all the time! That meant I was only eating roughly 300-400 calorie meals plus the extras for small snacks. This kept me craving food constantly. No matter howuch protein, fats I was eating. (Keto Diet) So when I fasted and ate two bigger meals, I was much more satiated. 700 calorie meals were more doable and I didn't need to snack. After that I tried eating all my calories in one meal- it was the best I've ever had! Full all day, feeling so content! So try having bigger meals less frequently, it may work for you as it did for me.

mangofish44 · July 2017

What are you eating on a typical day?

gmallan · July 2017

What's your height, sex and activity level? How are you measuring your intake? Were you losing weight on 2000 calories? At what rate? What does your typical food intake look like?

tomteboda · July 2017

If you are 322 lbs, maybe 2000 is just sustainable for you. You should be on a significant deficit at 2000, maybe try adding in a couple short walks a day to make up the deficit instead?

JonMacFit · July 2017

tdavis1994 wrote: »

I am currently have it set for 30 percent of my diet is protein. I am 322 pounds and looking to get down to 185 ultimately but my first goal is 300.

I started off at the same weight just over a month ago and found I could drop to 1400-1800 calories per day just by increasing my protein intake and filling up on veggies later in the day with my evening meal. It might not be the same for you but I was never at the point of being hungry as I could use protein shakes to "snack" between meals. Keep it up and you will see the benefits

highlightshadow · July 2017

I was 408, am now 364 ... i rarely go under 2000, my MFP allowance in 2120
But i have set my protein goal to 160g / day .... and it's making managing hunger much better....

I know weeks that i up my carbs and drop my protein are weeks i don't lose ... its hard but changing old habbits about snacking too help .... eating 100g of super lean ham as a snack vs eating a cookie .... you'll feel so much more hunger snacking on carbs than protein.

As impatient as i am (and i am!) i'm just about averaging 2lb a week .... the weight is going slowly and steadily ... no point crashing - this is a long-term realignment of me ... not some race ... its permanent

jemhh · July 2017

tdavis1994 wrote: »

I am currently have it set for 30 percent of my diet is protein. I am 322 pounds and looking to get down to 185 ultimately but my first goal is 300.

Eat more. I ate 1800 calories to lose weight when I was half your weight. I understand the urge to cut calories significantly in order to lose faster but it makes the weight loss process unnecessarily uncomfortable. You truly do not need to cut your calories that low. Go back and read @highlightshadow 's post.

kokonani · July 2017

jemhh wrote: »

tdavis1994 wrote: »

I am currently have it set for 30 percent of my diet is protein. I am 322 pounds and looking to get down to 185 ultimately but my first goal is 300.

Eat more. I ate 1800 calories to lose weight when I was half your weight. I understand the urge to cut calories significantly in order to lose faster but it makes the weight loss process unnecessarily uncomfortable. You truly do not need to cut your calories that low. Go back and read @highlightshadow 's post.

Totally agree. Sometimes you just have to increase to be more comfortable. You can't go very far on any diet if you are miserable everyday! I'd rather lose slowly but be happier than lose fast but end up quitting because it's just not sustainable.

Hypsibius · July 2017

I recommend trying something like Whole30, just for a month. You can still track and log, but it'll force you to step outside your comfort zone, research new meals, cook (a lot) and incorporate a lot more veggies into your diet. When when I went "back" and started reintroducing old favorites, my wife and I had a whole new repertoire of healthy, go-to dishes (lamb burgers w/o bun and sweet potato fries, almond chicken, cucumber salads, quinoa patties) that are delicious, decently-low calorie and totally fill me up.

My personal experience: I was hungry at first, but within a week or two I discovered through trial and error what was more satiating within my balance of meals. Pistachios (something I would've previously avoided for being so calorie high) do wonders for hunger in small amounts. Avocado <-- the same.

You don't have to subscribe to "clean eating" dogma -- but taking a few weeks to limit your pantry and discover new satiating options can be a fun and productive challenge and help w/ long-term goals.

blakeym · July 2017

I'm fast learning that unless I feel hungry at east once each day for a period of time, I'm not in caloric deficit.

Cutting down to 1800 calories a day and but I am so hungry all the time

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