Still hungry...
WombatHat42
Posts: 192 Member
Any tips on what to do when you're still hungry 2 hours after eating your last meal for the day? Today I ate about an hour earlier than normal so I just assumed it was due to that and that maybe I was thirsty. But after downing a few bottles of water I still felt my stomach calling for food. Ended up going over my goal by a couple hundred today. Now a couple hours later, my stomach is back at it again.
Would moving my more fats heavy foods(yogurt/cheese/etc) to my evening meal be better? Or adding in more fibrous foods(broccoli and the like)? My calories are spread pretty evenly thru 4 meals, should i balance it to more in the evening?
Would moving my more fats heavy foods(yogurt/cheese/etc) to my evening meal be better? Or adding in more fibrous foods(broccoli and the like)? My calories are spread pretty evenly thru 4 meals, should i balance it to more in the evening?
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Replies
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Could it be that you are being too aggressive with your deficit? If not, then you may well do better with a different balance of meals. Some folks find more fiber helps with satiety. I find higher protein to be the key.6
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Sometimes we just have days where we are extra hungry for reasons unknown. If it happens regularly, I would firstly look at whether your calorie deficit is too aggressive. If not, then yes, play around with your food, either when you eat particular things, or what you eat (different macro splits - some people find carbs more satiating, some fats, some proteins). Adding more fibrous things can definitely work, and obviously leafy veggies, broccoli etc are going to help fill you up without adding a heap more calories. It's all about finding what works for you, and that can take some trial and error.
If you're really, really hungry, eat, and call it a maintenance day. It's not the end of the world, and may save you from trying to get through it, caving and overeating.7 -
Well depending on if I use MFP or other sites my bmr and daily goal are a couple hundred cals different(~2600 here, 2800 other places) I set up a guide of 2000 with room for random calories(in case i get hungry after eating and calculation errors.
I too find proteins fill me up a lot better than anything else(seem to always be craving meat lol) I could eat a pound of broccoli or an entire box of mac n cheese or something but unless I get meat/protein im still hungry. Its hard to do proteins tho with out having to cook again late at night or with out adding a ton of fats in the mix. I used to do protein shakes but they became laborious in order to make them taste good.2 -
Yeah, I'm all about the protein too. I like carbs, but they do naught to satiate me! I'm a fairly recent convert to protein shakes, only because I held off until I could find single serve packs so I could try them without buying a whole tub. Mine happens to be delicious, otherwise I wouldn't bother.
So, maybe look at increasing the amount of protein you're eating, esp. with your evening meal if it's night time that you're running into problems.
I'm wondering if your calorie goal is too aggressive. Rather than BMR, you should be looking at your estimated TDEE, and deducting your deficit amount from that. It definitely shouldn't be coming off your BMR. That's the amount of calories you need just to stay alive, doing absolutely nothing else (like, in a coma). Two thousand cals a day isn't very much for a guy...1 -
Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue0 -
Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Okay, that helps. If you have a lot of weight to lose, aiming for 2 lb per week loss (1000 cal deficit) is okay at this stage, but if you don't have a large amount (like over 100 lb), then drop it down to 1 lb per week. And you'll need to drop it eventually, as you can't sustain that larger loss with less body fat. If tweaking things doesn't help, you may even want to think about going to 1.5 lb loss per week. Yes, it will take longer to lose the weight, but your chances of sticking to it are far greater if you're not miserable with hunger the whole time.
If you exercise, eat those extra calories back. Start with 50-75% of them (to allow for over-inflated burns), then reassess in a month or so to see if your expected weight loss matches with reality, and adjust cals if necessary.
I use Clean Lean Protein powder, but I'm not sure if it's available in the US. But if you can get it, Strawberry has my vote, I add cocoa powder to my chocolate one to make it more chocolaty (it's, like, 25 cals extra, I'll live!). I also make them with milk. Sooo much better than with water.
So, play around with things a bit, definitely try more protein and maybe a bigger meal at dinner (that's where I eat most of my cals). If you're not really a breakfast person, you could try a form of IF (intermittent fasting, or as I like to call it, skipping breakfast) so you have more calories for later in the day. Don't try it if you're someone who wakes up hungry though!2 -
I have about 110 to lose. Gained 30 in the last year. Im limited to what I can do in terms of exercise. I have a few herniated discs so if I do too much I cant work. so most times I only walk for 40-60 minutes 3-5 times a week and some lifting. but lately have only been once or twice since the back is bothering me after work.
Once my workouts get more regular, I would be ok with doing 2800 instead of 2600 or whatever itd be. But I need to drop at least 10-15lbs as quick as I can before it gets out of hand. more weight = more back pain
But ill def look into that brand, I use myprotein which is pretty solid, never tried their flavored ones now that I think of it, but the cocoa idea isnt bad.
Ill a 100 or so grams of meat to my evening meal. after all, thats only an extra 100-250 cals depending if its beef or chicken. As for breakfast, its hit or miss really. i used to get nauseous if I at anything within the first couple hours of the day but now im ok with it or can do without just depends how i feel the day of. sometimes its just a protein bar or 2 and bottle of water if im in a hurry.2 -
Ah, okay. Yes, getting rid of some weight quickly while you have the capacity to do that is a good idea for your back.
I'm like you with breakfast, usually the mere thought of food first thing is 'ew, yuck, no' (though sometimes I wake up ravenous). Breakfast for me will often depend on how much exercise I've done the day before. Often I'm fine on coffee until lunch time. Anyway, thought I'd suggest it as a potential way to keep more of your calories for later in the day
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Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Eat at 2600 daily, you won't be as hungry all the time. Your intake is too low and unsustainable.0 -
Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Eat at 2600 daily, you won't be as hungry all the time. Your intake is too low and unsustainable.
He is. Last sentence says 2000 is his planned stuff, and he leaves 600 unplanned for flexibility.1 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Eat at 2600 daily, you won't be as hungry all the time. Your intake is too low and unsustainable.
He is. Last sentence says 2000 is his planned stuff, and he leaves 600 unplanned for flexibility.
What I would do is track calorie intake and body weight for 6 weeks. Weigh all foods and choose correct entries. At end of 6 weeks, see how much weight is lost and compare to how much should have been lost (use microsoft excel). I think his tdee is not 3600 but higher.
Also, eat back at least half of any intentional exercise calories.0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Eat at 2600 daily, you won't be as hungry all the time. Your intake is too low and unsustainable.
He is. Last sentence says 2000 is his planned stuff, and he leaves 600 unplanned for flexibility.
What I would do is track calorie intake and body weight for 6 weeks. Weigh all foods and choose correct entries. At end of 6 weeks, see how much weight is lost and compare to how much should have been lost (use microsoft excel). I think his tdee is not 3600 but higher.
Also, eat back at least half of any intentional exercise calories.
And that helps with the immediate issue of evening hunger how exactly?
I'm not sure why you think his TDEE estimate is wrong. Presumably the OP put his stats and activity level in correctly, and he probably knows those better than you.1 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Eat at 2600 daily, you won't be as hungry all the time. Your intake is too low and unsustainable.
He is. Last sentence says 2000 is his planned stuff, and he leaves 600 unplanned for flexibility.
What I would do is track calorie intake and body weight for 6 weeks. Weigh all foods and choose correct entries. At end of 6 weeks, see how much weight is lost and compare to how much should have been lost (use microsoft excel). I think his tdee is not 3600 but higher.
Also, eat back at least half of any intentional exercise calories.
And that helps with the immediate issue of evening hunger how exactly?
I'm not sure why you think his TDEE estimate is wrong. Presumably the OP put his stats and activity level in correctly, and he probably knows those better than you.
Activity levels in mfp are way higher than other tdee estimators. Up to 3000 steps daily is sedentary, 3000-6000 lightly active and so on.
I used to be hungry too. Turned out I was not 'sedentary' or 'lightly active', but 'active'.0 -
Also worth noting, MFP is not TDEE, it is NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) which should only include normal day to day activity, basically how many steps you are taking. You add in exercise calories.
This is where the difference between MFP and other calculators are coming from.2 -
First, remember that you probably will be hungry while losing weight.
Second, find the balance of timing & amount of your meals that works to keep the hunger from getting out of control. I eat small amounts throughout the day, then save most of my calories for dinner in order to keep from feeling so hungry at night. You need to find what works for you.1 -
My cals are alot less than yours thanks to being a short *kitten*
I like to eat right up until i get into bed so my way ( like others around here ) is i skip breakfast since im not hungry and i function just fine and i keep those few hundred cals for my pre bedtime mini meal1 -
I save up most of my calories for dinner. Sometimes, I'll eat "breakfast for dinner" - scrambled eggs (they're just 70 calories each), a little cheese and avocado, maybe some fried potatoes or steamed broccoli, something like that. I find that the protein and fat at the end of the day helps to keep me from feeling really hungry later on that night. Four ounces of grilled salmon is a good protein choice, too, if you're into fish.1
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »Sorry, didnt proof read that last message so left stuff out i thought i added. According to MFP my tdee is probably around 3600 since they are recommending 2600 as my daily caloric target. Other places my tdee is around 3600-4000(activity depending) witha bmr of 2938.
Protein shakes i;ve not found a flavored one I like so usually use choc. milk if im just doing a quick one(but thats high in fat sugars and calories) or fruits which is time consuming to blend and have a lot of sugars.
But yea, the 2000 isnt my target its just the planned calories. the meals ive thought out ahead to make. the other 600 gives me some flexibility. today I went over, but the issue of being hungry late is a common issue
Eat at 2600 daily, you won't be as hungry all the time. Your intake is too low and unsustainable.
He is. Last sentence says 2000 is his planned stuff, and he leaves 600 unplanned for flexibility.
What I would do is track calorie intake and body weight for 6 weeks. Weigh all foods and choose correct entries. At end of 6 weeks, see how much weight is lost and compare to how much should have been lost (use microsoft excel). I think his tdee is not 3600 but higher.
Also, eat back at least half of any intentional exercise calories.
Back when I used my fitbit on the regular(before it broke) my calories burned were rarely about 3600. that was on days I worked more than 6hours where Im on my feet or moving all day. Occasionally, it would hit around 4000 but rare. And most weeks I work 6 days but only 35-40 hours. But I get what you are saying and have been starting to log stuff lately, so I will take a look after 6 weeks and adjust accordingly, thanks!0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Also worth noting, MFP is not TDEE, it is NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) which should only include normal day to day activity, basically how many steps you are taking. You add in exercise calories.
This is where the difference between MFP and other calculators are coming from.
Thanks! I actually didnt know that. Always wondered why the numbers here were so low as opposed to when I calculate stuff out. I have mainly used mfp to log my food/exercise. though for a while ive not logged much0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Ah, okay. Yes, getting rid of some weight quickly while you have the capacity to do that is a good idea for your back.
I'm like you with breakfast, usually the mere thought of food first thing is 'ew, yuck, no' (though sometimes I wake up ravenous). Breakfast for me will often depend on how much exercise I've done the day before. Often I'm fine on coffee until lunch time. Anyway, thought I'd suggest it as a potential way to keep more of your calories for later in the day
Thanks for your help and advice! I did try adjusting so that around half of my calories were my evening meal. and i havent been as hungry, tho am a bit peckish but i can ignore it long enough that itll pass. I did eat about 400 more than I wanted but made it to the gym today and burnt 460 on the treadmill and did another 40 minutes lifting. so I think itll balance out to what you said about eating back about half my burned cals.1 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Ah, okay. Yes, getting rid of some weight quickly while you have the capacity to do that is a good idea for your back.
I'm like you with breakfast, usually the mere thought of food first thing is 'ew, yuck, no' (though sometimes I wake up ravenous). Breakfast for me will often depend on how much exercise I've done the day before. Often I'm fine on coffee until lunch time. Anyway, thought I'd suggest it as a potential way to keep more of your calories for later in the day
Thanks for your help and advice! I did try adjusting so that around half of my calories were my evening meal. and i havent been as hungry, tho am a bit peckish but i can ignore it long enough that itll pass. I did eat about 400 more than I wanted but made it to the gym today and burnt 460 on the treadmill and did another 40 minutes lifting. so I think itll balance out to what you said about eating back about half my burned cals.
Fabulous 0 -
If two hr of food you are still hungry. So, add fiber in your food. Fiber is important too since it adds to that I am full feeling. Like eggs with toast and fruit.0
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Lots of helpful tips here, thanks guys!
Personally i've been focusing on listening to my body as much as possible. I use to aaaalways be hungry(or so I thought), but now I focus on what my body and stomach are trying to tell me(rumblings, pangs, etc) to know when I should at least have a meal. I easily go now for 5-6 hours(use to feel like I was dying at 3) before my stomach is noticeably like "Hey woman, FOOD!". I catch my mind or slight hunger trying to creep in from time to time, so usually i'll have a few slices of apple or something as snacks if I really can't stand it.0
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