Still starving...

lyssasm
lyssasm Posts: 21 Member
So my goal is a little under 1,600 calories. I’m 5’0, 165lbs, 22 years old, female. I stand at my job all day, and try to work out four times a week as of recently.

I try to eat filling foods like oatmeal or boiled eggs or rice, etc. I also try to drink coffee sometimes to suppress my appetite. No matter what I eat, my calories for the day just aren’t enough and I end up blowing it at dinner time just trying to fill myself up. I drink lots of water too. So what’s my problem??

Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    Tell us about your workouts. What do you do? Strength or Cardio? Do you or How do you log exercise?
    Tell us about your food. Do you use a scale to weigh everything? Do you use accurate database values to log your food?

    Tell us about what satisfies you. It's different for everyone. For me, it's protein. If I get enough protein with each meal, I'm satisfied. Other folks may love them some fat or carbs.

    Perhaps even reveal how many hours you space between meals. That's something that matters to me about me.

    Do you know what percentage of daily calories you want to have at each meal?

    Is your coffee black or candied?

    There's a lot of worms in that can.
  • jelizabeth713
    jelizabeth713 Posts: 98 Member
    edited August 2017
    Sounds like you are burning more throughout the day than you may think. Your total daily energy expenditure is more than you are consuming maybe? Do you have a active job, are you working out a lot, do you have kids that keep you moving, are you on your feet most of the day? I use a food scale to measure my foods so I'm eating more accurately to what I'm logging on here. Try a bulletproof coffee with butter, heavy whipping cream, sweetener and xct/mct oil. It helps satiate you.
  • airelandu
    airelandu Posts: 1 Member
    In addition to food, take a look at your MFP settings. What activity level you chose, your weight goal, are you logging workouts accurately. Based on your entries, your goal may actually be too low. Have you used other calculators for comparison? And don't forget the MFP recs are an estimate. Everyone is different, with different caloric needs. I'd recommend giving yourself permission to add back calories (a little at a time) until you find you're appetite is under control and you're not binging at dinner. Because, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the app says, it's how you feel and if you're getting the results you want.
  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
    Are you eating back some of your exercise calories?

    I was always hungry and night so no I skip breakfast. Never really liked eating it - just started to when I started on MFP because it's "the most important meal of the day" I'm much happier eating two meals with most of my daily calories going toward dinner.

    Also watch your protein macro - I say that only because for me, when my protein is low I"m much hungrier. See what fills you up and what days you're not ravenous and do what works
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
    lyssasm wrote: »
    So my goal is a little under 1,600 calories. I’m 5’0, 165lbs, 22 years old, female. I stand at my job all day, and try to work out four times a week as of recently.

    I try to eat filling foods like oatmeal or boiled eggs or rice, etc. I also try to drink coffee sometimes to suppress my appetite. No matter what I eat, my calories for the day just aren’t enough and I end up blowing it at dinner time just trying to fill myself up. I drink lots of water too. So what’s my problem??

    Who says these are filling foods? I don't understand the fuss about oats, I'd need a serve the size of my head to fill any sort of hole in my stomach (and even then I'd likely be hungry within 30 minutes) and rice is the same. I rarely eat either as I'd rather "spend" my calories on other things.

    Perhaps consider experimenting a bit more with meal frequency and timing, and types of foods. Do you eat enough protein? (at least the amount recommended by mfp)
    Do you eat enough fat? (again, use the mfp recommendations as a minimum)
    Does fibre help you feel full?

    I generally plan meals around a protein, then add some fat, and massive amounts of the less starchy vegies, which add lots of volume and fibre. I like eating less meals, but bigger meals, and normally start eating later in the day - as soon as I eat I start to feel hunger more, so I try and hang on for as long as possible before eating "breakfast"
  • Goober1142
    Goober1142 Posts: 219 Member
    It's fat that keeps me satiated. Chicken with the skin on or butter on my popcorn. Brown rice is good but white rice not so much. Sometimes you just have to eat at maintenance for a day or two.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    Goober1142 wrote: »
    It's fat that keeps me satiated. Chicken with the skin on or butter on my popcorn. Brown rice is good but white rice not so much. Sometimes you just have to eat at maintenance for a day or two.

    This works for me too. I'm always high on fat per mfp's fat macro goal and usually I'm very satiated at 1400 calories.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    Try to eat more fruits and vegetables, and other high fiber foods. Fiber, protein, and fat help me feel satisfied. Eat full fat dairy and don't be afraid to put some butter or dressing on your veggies!
    I also like soup, and high fiber cereal with a little 2% milk, to keep my hunger at bay.
  • albin9072
    albin9072 Posts: 26 Member
    Actually whats your goal here
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    At your size and activity level, 1600 calories isn't starving.

    Don't try to suppress your appetite. Appetite is good. Having appetite doesn't mean that you're starving.

    Don't try to eat filling foods. Aim to eat nutritious, balanced meals. Eat food you like, made into meals you find delicious.

    Eat food from all the food groups every day. Eat different foods through the day and from day to day. Don't cut out any foods you like, don't ban any nutrients. Plan and prelog your meals so you know what and how much you're going to eat for the last meal of the day.

    Learn to differenciate between hunger and cravings, and the degrees of both. "The hunger scale" is great as a start. Practice accepting and tolerating those feelings, while at the same time feeding yourself sufficiently, reliably and regularly.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    dunnee88 wrote: »
    I'd recommend eating more of your calories earlier in the day, if you find you're struggling later on. You could probably try slowing down while eating you're evening meal too, if you find yourself overwhelmed by hunger and end up rushing. Best of luck.

    I'd take the opposite approach...eat less during the day so you have more calories to spend later on when the OP tends to blow it.

    But let's take a step back. OP - what are your goals? Maintain? Lose weight? Are you making progress toward those goals while doing what you're doing? If so, keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about the 1,600 calories (or adjust upward as necessary).
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
    When do you eat the majority of your calories? Do you eat most of them in the morning/afternoon & find you're starving come dinner/dessert time & don't have many calories to play around with? If that's the case don't eat Breakfast if you're not physically hungry. Most people don't eat Breakfast & like to eat larger meals throughout the day.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    I'm one of the people who have to eat more during the day and can skip dinner occasionally.

    I'd say, eat less carbs (rice and oatmeal are not filling for me), try more protein and fat, and see if it helps.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    kwtilbury wrote: »
    dunnee88 wrote: »
    I'd recommend eating more of your calories earlier in the day, if you find you're struggling later on. You could probably try slowing down while eating you're evening meal too, if you find yourself overwhelmed by hunger and end up rushing. Best of luck.

    I'd take the opposite approach...eat less during the day so you have more calories to spend later on when the OP tends to blow it.

    But let's take a step back. OP - what are your goals? Maintain? Lose weight? Are you making progress toward those goals while doing what you're doing? If so, keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about the 1,600 calories (or adjust upward as necessary).

    Agreed!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    I leave most of my calories for dinner/dessert. I push breakfast back as far as I can. I don't eat breakfast until I'm actually hungry. This is usually around 9:30 (and I get up around 5:00). Lunch around 1:00, snack around 3:00. Dinner sometime between 6:00 and 8:00, depending on what events I have. Bed by 9:00.

    Maybe play with your food intake timing.