Can't beat hunger :(

pavita3029
pavita3029 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Trying this again. I need REAL tips how to get hunger to go away. It's been terrible ever since I quit smoking last summer. And to be clear, I do eat balanced meals and drink tons of water. My meals are right around 300-400 calories a piece, with usually 3 snacks a day around 200-300 a piece. I also drink over a gallon of water a day.

I am STILL hungry. No, not have an appetite for something...actual hunger. As in my stomach is making weird noises and I have pains, hunger.

I do what I can to stay occupied at all times now, and I chew gum constantly. I also drink plenty of coffee in the mornings.

I have NEVER been this way before, not even before I began smoking many years ago. Just ever since I quit all nicotine altogether. It just will not go away.

Please help.

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    What is your height and weight, and how much of a deficit are you hitting?

    Do you log your exercise?

    Are you hitting at least the MFP default minimums for protein, fat, and fiber?

    Are there specific times of day it's a problem?

    Would you be willing to make your diary public?

    Sorry for the 20 questions treatment :smiley:
  • readgal89
    readgal89 Posts: 20 Member
    Try increasing protein in your diet. I take boiled eggs for a snack. Or almonds.
  • nstott1
    nstott1 Posts: 5 Member
    different foods vary in their ability to satisfy you. You may have heard the saying 'not all calories are created equal'. Some foods will keep you full for hours, while others will burn off very quickly and leave you hungry. I find that some butter in my coffee will keep me full for hours, while other foods leave me super hungry.

    There is an index of how filling different foods are, this is the 'Satiety Index'. you can read the original paper here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7498104
    and a summary here: http://www.mendosa.com/satiety.htm

    I would look at the types of foods you are eating, and substituting out some of the non-filling foods.
    Personally, I find that eating lots of calories as refined carbs leaves me hungrier than other foods
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Cut your water consumption by half.

    Are you weighing your food to make sure you are eating enough?

    Are you eating back your exercise calories?

    What fills you up the longest; protein, fatty protein, high volume like popcorn, carbs, fatty carbs, or fiber?

    If you are not sure, try each of the examples I’ve given above and see what fills you.

    - a hard boiled egg
    - Beef jerky
    - 2 cups air popped popcorn
    - An apple with peanut butter
    - A cruller
    - A bowl of oatmeal
    - A large leafy salad
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Wikipedia says:

    Leptin (from Greek λεπτός leptos, "thin"), “the hormone of energy expenditure”,[a] is a hormone predominantly made by adipose cells that helps to regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger. Leptin is opposed by the actions of the hormone ghrelin, the "hunger hormone". Both hormones act on receptors in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus to regulate appetite to achieve energy homeostasis.[6] In obesity, similar to resistance of insulin in type 2 diabetes, a decreased sensitivity to leptin occurs, resulting in an inability to detect satiety despite high energy stores and high levels of leptin.[7]

    Are you obese? Is it possible that you are insensitive to leptin?
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
    edited May 2018
    Have you tried reshuffling your calories around? Your meals aren't much bigger than your snacks, and you might find each meal more satisfying if you have fewer, larger meals.

    I currently eat 2 meals a day (Lunch 400-500 cals, Dinner 500-700 cals) and maybe 1-2 snacks worth 110-190 calorie each (generally at the end of the day after dinner, dependent on calories left). I prefer to feel 'full' twice a day over constantly feeling 'half empty'.

    By not spending calories on breakfast, which I can comfortably skip, I find the meals I do have are more satisfying.
  • rager2sharp
    rager2sharp Posts: 2 Member
    I get light string cheese for a high protein snack (about 50ish calories a stick) but my biggest help is always having a gallon of artificially sweetened tea in the fridge. I’ve heard thay tea is an appetite suppressant. Idk if it’s true, but I’m always drinking it (with a straw) and it really helps me. I also don’t usually do snacks. I’d rather be able to eat more dinner lol
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    But how many calories are you eating in total?
    Don't drink so much water, half the amount is good.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    by your own numbers, you are eating anywhere from 1500 (low end) to 2100 (high end).

    my maintenance is 1600.

    What does MFP tell you to eat. Are you weighing everything on a food scale?

    I don't eat breakfast per say. My mid morning snack tends to be high in protein, because I eat that on gym days, and am hungry at that point. My meals themselves average around 500 calories each, give or take. On any given day, my calories are 1350 and I eat back some of my exercise calories (usually in my morning snack lol)

    For me, fat and protein is what fills me up and keeps me satiated.

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  • Semele0
    Semele0 Posts: 114 Member
    Stopping to smoke has this effect, I'm sorry to say... My father gained a lot when he quit smoking. But you get used to it eventually. If you are trying to lose maybe it could help to stay at maintenance for a while, and when you feel the super hunger is gone you can try to lose again. In any case, experiment with how many meals you eat, their timing, and macros. Try many different possibilities and see which one makes you feel less hungry. For me for example 5 meals a day are too many, so now I eat lunch and dinner bigger meals and breakfast and afternoon snack smaller. Eating protein in the morning, when I feel like it, helps too. And more carbs at lunch instead so it gives me the energy to work on the afternoon, otherwise I feel sleepy, then protein again at dinner. Bit everyone is different

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