Hungry Every Day

So regardless of what calorie level the you are really eating (weighing your food IS a big deal for solid foods and not that hard) I see the problem is that you are HUNGRY when in maintenance at what true level you are eating 1450 or 1800 or whatever. I agree that you need to figure that out because that is not sustainable and why of course you go off track. So here are a two of my thoughts - others may have better ideas:

1) CICO works but some foods DO make you feel hungrier - try changing up what you eat and adjusting macros
2) Try eating smaller meals through out the day - more small snacks to keep your body at more of a steady state nutrition input/output

In my opinion you should lower the carbs and increase protein and healthy fats ! Protein and fats are more satiating than carbs/sugar. Eating a high amount of carbs (without fats to even out the GI load) spike insulin, and when it spikes, you go into a low blood sugar state which makes you feel really hungry ! Ask yourself this, are you hungry again 2-3 hrs after eating alot of carbs ? I know I am.

Lowering the amount of carbs and adding in healthy fats to your meals will reduce the GI of the meal therefore your body wont secrete as much insulin. Keeping your blood sugar level stable makes it so much easier to eat low calories as you don't get false hunger from low blood sugar.

You need to incorporate a cheat day every week (even while logging) in order to keep your body burning fat. I always eat as much of whatever I want every Sunday and have no issue maintaining/losing weight. And i am a fatty by nature with a slow metabolism.

You should also weigh your food.

Of course everyone's body is different and don't respond the same, but it is worth a try.

bulldozer1984 wrote: »

Where did I say go keto/low carb ? I said a lower carb, higher protein and fat diet is more satiating. I certainly didn’t say it’s a “magic pill” I actually said it makes it easier to stay on your caloric intake target if you’re not hungry all the time which directly relates to the title of this thread.

for YOU its more satiating. its not that way for everyone. it didnt slake my hunger at all and yes if you over eat one day it can knock you out of your deficit. its very easy to do . if your goal is to lose 1 lb a week and you eat at a 500 calorie deficit for 6 days(3000 calories) and on the 7th day you eat 1000 over your 500 deficit. and you do that every week yes you can and most likely will gain weight might be a half a lb but still.

exercise just makes your deficit bigger which your exercise is NOT including into your deficit when using MFP. and yes your body can adapt to lower calories its called adaptive thermogenesis. eating maintenance calories for a week or two which is whats called a diet break can help with hormones and other things. but if she is hungry and eating more than she thinks it could be due that shes not eating enough fiber, or for her she may need to change her macros, or not getting enough sleep can cause your appetite to spike in some people.

if shes not losing its most likely due to eating more than she thinks. has nothing to do with how her body responds or doesnt respond. it is VERY possible to wipe out a weekly deficit in one day. many people count their calories weekly and lose weight. some dont because they have a cheat meal and wipe out their deficit and put themself in a surplus. It doesnt mean you arent in a big enough deficit the other days.

There's one very small and overlooked item you mentioned you have daily that could be holding you back that slight amount.......coffee. What are you having in it, and are you tracking it? If you're adding creamer or sugar and not tracking it, plus having a few cups a day, it can easily rack up the calories. Replacing 2-3 cups with a meal could easily curb your hunger. But, it's all dependent on additives and the amount you have. For example, I use flavored creamer in my coffee. After measuring, I realized I put 3x the serving amount in, and I was having 5 cups a day. In total, it gave me about 500 calories. It's certainly worth measuring and keeping track of it if you are adding things in!

All of the above. And, I’d be hungry too if I had a tiny bit of French toast and a yogurt for supper. Fiber - Fiber - Fiber. Eat giant batches of vegetables and a variety of fruit. Beans and potatoes are very filling.

Wow there's a lot of angst in this thread.

StarBrightStarBright wrote: »

(which I do not log - shame!)

I believe this is the crux of your issue. You admit that you don't accurately weigh your food, and you don't log everything you consume. You could easily wipe out and exceed a daily deficit doing this. I used to not weigh food either, but I also found myself unconsciously trying to overestimate so I was "safe". For instance, I would log a cup of something, knowing full well I went light on that cup because I was afraid to go over my daily calorie limit. I was underfeeding myself. The truth is, you can't be sure of your deficit if you're guesstimating, and with so little to lose, you have less room to make errors.

The other issue of satiety can be a little tougher. Things to consider:

- Don't just log your food, make notes on times you feel hungrier so you can connect that feeling to what you've consumed or what you lacked that day (macro-wise). Try to adjust the macros you aim for until you stop feeling constantly hungry. Everyone is different, so you have to figure out what satisfies you.

- Are you sure you aren't just thirsty? The body sends the same signal for hunger and thirst. Many times I'd swear I was starving, but after a bottle of water the feeling was gone. Consider really tracking your water for a while and making adjustments.

- Pre-planning the day helps a lot of people, if you haven't tried this, maybe give it a shot. It may not help, but at this point I would think anything is worth a try.

- Sometimes it's all in your head. When you feel hungry, are there other factors at play? Boredom can mask itself as hunger. Sometimes, when I'm super busy I look up and realize it's an hour past my normal lunch time and I hadn't even realized. Other times when things are super slow I look up and it's still an hour till lunch, but I'm suddenly "starving".

- Try mixing up your menu a little and include things you really love. Even shaving 100 calories off of a meal to allow yourself a 100 calorie chocolate square can make a huge difference in the way you feel mentally.



Just a few thoughts to mull over. The bottom line is, this is not sustainable if you're always feeling deprived. At least, it wouldn't be for me. Just my 2 cents