What do you do about being hungry?
mtdb8
Posts: 65 Member
So I only went 67 calories over instead of 500 like I normally do but I was hungry all day and I'm still hungry now. What do you do about that?
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Replies
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Do you know why you keep going over? Is your deficit too large? Are you adjusting your macros to find what's more filling?4
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The first couple weeks of a diet I just power through it and accept being hungry. Typically, after about 2 weeks I adjust to the lower calorie amount and I’m not hungry all the time. You also start to figure out over time which foods are more satisfying and which ones aren’t and how to best space out meals - for example, I eat a big breakfast and dinner and just something small for lunch.4
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I agree with Kami's questions.
Also, are you *really* hungry, or do you just want to eat (=fake hungry)? For me, if I'm really hungry I'd eat anything (like plain broccoli) but fake hungry is more specific. For the fake hunger, I remember that I was fake hungry when I was big and eating whatever I wanted, too - so I can be fake hungry and losing weight or fake hungry and gaining weight. It helps me ignore the fake hungry.
For actual hunger, you should eat something. Maybe exercise more to make up for it.12 -
I have multiple smaller meals throughout the day .. make sure you’re having fibrous foods to keep you feeling full...2
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An approach that has worked for me is to find out WHEN I get hungry.
I discovered that I was peckish in the morning but a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of toast or a tub of yogurt was enough. I discovered that I really wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. I also discovered that no matter how much food I ate during the day I was always REALLY hungry at night. This seemed to be my natural rhythm so I adjusted to it.
So I started eating a small breakfast, skipping lunch and leaving all my calories to eat at night when I really wanted them.17 -
Is your calorie goal too low? How many calories are you aiming for and how tall are you?3
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Have you tried taking a teaspoon of C8 oil (caprylic acid from coconut oil) when you get hungry? It gives you a boost of energy and can help to keep the hunger low for a couple of hours.
The only way to get rid of hunger all day long (for me and many others, not everyone) is to either eat enough food to maintain weight (mixed diet with enough protein) or to cut out carbs to a degree where the body starts to burn fat as the main fuel instead. The second one is not for everyone but gives the best results regarding hunger.
Losing weight shouldn't feel like suffering. I imagine that fighting against being hungry all day every day is super hard. No doubt it can be done but constantly feeling hungry doesn't make it easier to maintain weight loss it in the long run.
Oh I will get so many Wooes on this...27 -
First off you need to work out if your calorie goal is appropriate. It might just be that you're hungry because you're not eating enough.
Other than that it's helpful to try and understand if it's really hunger, or the feeling of not being full. This is something that many who have been overweight struggle with (myself included), that being that it is okay to not feel full all the time.3 -
So I only went 67 calories over instead of 500 like I normally do but I was hungry all day and I'm still hungry now. What do you do about that?
I have you tried unsweetened iced tea. I do intermittent fasting. From time to time. Yesterday I was able to do a 24-hour fast without any pain. I drink unsweetened iced tea. It has helped me lose over 90 lb over the last few years. During my fasting times. I just sip on unsweeten Iced tea and water all day. The key for me is sipping on the tea before the hunger pings hit. It's simple to make and very inexpensive. I usually just Brew 2 tea bags and add water until the pitcher is full. And if I forget my tea at home. Most fast food places have me covered. Just order a large unsweetened iced tea and one large water. If the unsweetened tea is a tad bit to bitter I just using add a tad more water or ice and I'm able to go about my day without any hunger pain hope this helps.2 -
open your diary for better assistance. mine is open.
drink a quart of water when you feel hungry
find lower calorie replacements and learn to like them
i'm just not hungry before 10am so skip breakfast, that allows bigger meals when I am hungry and a bedtime snack
mentally tell yourself that it is OK to be hungry
keep small apples handy and if you are hungry 20 min after drinking water, enjoy one SLOWLY5 -
Try eating five to six small meals per day or eat every 2.5 hours if you need to. Plan your meals ahead of time. It makes a big difference. Drinks lots of water. Also keep a lot of low calorie foods around. I will try and snack on a banana or an apple or grapes near bedtime if I'm hungry because there's no way I can sleep with my stomach growling.1
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lowcarbmale wrote: »Have you tried taking a teaspoon of C8 oil (caprylic acid from coconut oil) when you get hungry? It gives you a boost of energy and can help to keep the hunger low for a couple of hours.
The only way to get rid of hunger all day long (for me and many others, not everyone) is to either eat enough food to maintain weight (mixed diet with enough protein) or to cut out carbs to a degree where the body starts to burn fat as the main fuel instead. The second one is not for everyone but gives the best results regarding hunger.
Losing weight shouldn't feel like suffering. I imagine that fighting against being hungry all day every day is super hard. No doubt it can be done but constantly feeling hungry doesn't make it easier to maintain weight loss it in the long run.
Oh I will get so many Wooes on this...
When I'm hungry, I actually need to *eat* something. Like food. I'm a person who doesn't find fats satiating, but especially so when in liquid form.
OP: What are your stats? Height, current weight, goal weight? How much weight did you select to lose per week?7 -
So I only went 67 calories over instead of 500 like I normally do but I was hungry all day and I'm still hungry now. What do you do about that?
What is your height and weight?
How many lbs a week are you set up to lose?
Are you hitting your protein, fat, and fiber goals?
Are you eating any of your exercise calories?
What types of foods do you typically eat? (Or you can temporarily make your diary public so we can see)1 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »When I'm hungry, I actually need to *eat* something. Like food. I'm a person who doesn't find fats satiating, but especially so when in liquid form.
That's ok. Nobody has to that oil. It is not a very well known supplement but you might have heard about it indirectly through bulletproof coffee. That's the oil they are using.3 -
I find going the route of eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day helps me when I am getting back into my healthy choices. I also just kind of 'grin and bear it' - I try to distract myself.0
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A lot depends on why you're hungry. If you are in the first few days of your diet and not used to eating less, and you know your deficit is not extreme and you are getting plenty of nutrition, it's fine to be hungry sometimes. Try saying, "Huh, I'm hungry, that's interesting," and then just doing something else. When your body is used to getting more food than it needs, it can whine like a spoiled child, let it. You won't feel this way forever. It generally takes a couple of weeks for the worst cravings to stop.
If you just aren't getting enough food, you may want to try a less extreme deficit. You may also need to play around with your macros to find which combination of foods are most satisfying to you. Some people are volume eaters who will feel better after a giant bowl of low calorie popcorn or lettuce to fill up their stomachs. Other people get hungry when they don't get enough protein. Still other people need carbs to fuel their workouts. And some people like me find that a small amount of high fat food such as a spoonful of peanut butter triggers satiety hormones.8 -
I drink water. I read somewhere that your body can confuse the difference between being hungry and thirsty. Usually works for me...probably because I'm filling up on water. lol3
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Water, fiber, protein and healthy fats are your friends. In the right amounts they will stave off your hunger.
You have to also monkey around with your calories goal. I first set my goal at losing 2 lb per week (1500 calories), but it wasn't achievable because I was weak, hungry and had headaches. So I changed my goal to 1 1/2 lb per week and just that slight raise to 1800 calories has made all the difference in how I feel and the funny thing is I'm still losing 2+ pounds per week! On the days when my activity is high and it adds deficit calories to my total I sometimes eat more than 1800 if I'm hungry that particular day. Weight loss is steady so I'm happy.2 -
Thanks everyone. I wanted to clarify; I am on my first week, and I've gone over every day. The 67 over calorie day was the closest I've come. I've set a goal for 1lb a week. Which obviously won't happen this week. Theres no way I could continue feeling like I did that day. I dont diet, I've never dieted, so I'm not sure what do about it. Sure I'd like to loose weight, but its secondary to learning how to live a healthy lifestyle.1
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Thanks everyone. I wanted to clarify; I am on my first week, and I've gone over every day. The 67 over calorie day was the closest I've come. I've set a goal for 1lb a week. Which obviously won't happen this week. Theres no way I could continue feeling like I did that day. I dont diet, I've never dieted, so I'm not sure what do about it. Sure I'd like to loose weight, but its secondary to learning how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Protein, fiber and fat are satiating components. But it's a different combo for everyone. I find fat satiating, but many people don't.
1 pound a week is most appropriate if you have 15+ pounds to lose. This website gives you a calorie goal based on "pre-exercise" calories. If you exercise - log it and eat at least 50% of those calories too.
Play around with meal timing. I can easily push my breakfast back a couple hours, but others not so much. You'll get the hang of it.2 -
I see some comments suggesting eating 5 to 6 times per day im guessing most of us are here because we are food addicts and in my opinion eating high frequency meals does nothing for our mental addiction to food. Before starting my lifestyle change i did a 72 hour fast so i could understand what hunger is and break my sugar, carb and coffee cravings. It seems to have worked well as i am no longer craving and mentally feel very strong
Please dont attack me if you disagree or the science is bad im just putting my uneducated thoughts and experience into words6 -
Thanks everyone. I wanted to clarify; I am on my first week, and I've gone over every day. The 67 over calorie day was the closest I've come. I've set a goal for 1lb a week. Which obviously won't happen this week. Theres no way I could continue feeling like I did that day. I dont diet, I've never dieted, so I'm not sure what do about it. Sure I'd like to loose weight, but its secondary to learning how to live a healthy lifestyle.
As others have said, experiment with macro percentages and meal timing to find which helps you best at keeping those hunger pangs at bay. I find eating smaller meals more frequently works best for me but others have more success doing intermittent fasting where they eat all of their food within a 6-8 hour period works better. You won't know what works best for you until you give a few methods a go - the same with your macro percentages. Also, you could try upping your calories by 100 and see if that helps. You are much better to take longer to reach your goals in a sustainable way than being too aggressive for long-term adherence and not reaching your goal at all because it becomes too hard.0 -
What I recommend for new people is to take a week and just log, without trying to change any habits. Log all activity and all food. No judgement, just eat what you usually eat. Then after that week look at your diary and find out which parts of your lifestyle are most easy and effective to change. You may find that you need to avoid certain foods, situations, or activities which lead you to bad choices, you may want to add activity, you may even want to add food.
For example, in my case, drinking soda was associated with eating fatty and salty foods such as fries. When I cut out soda, my craving for fries also went away. But I strongly associated getting a soda with stopping at the convenience store. It felt like a magnet pulling me there the first few times I tried to drive past without stopping. So I changed my route driving home so I didn't pass that store. Trigger gone - and soon the cravings were also gone. I also crave sweets more when I don't eat enough fruit. Eating fruit was healthier and lower calorie for me, and helped me give up sweets. And going out to eat with my mother is hopeless - she's a fan of American style restaurants where it's hard to find low calorie menu choices. So my mother and I go to the movies now and stop afterwards for herbal tea instead of going out to eat.
You may find that it's easy to make small swaps and save a lot of calories once you have identified them, without going hungry.10 -
Maybe drink more water? I know when i am hungry i guzzle down 3 or 4 cups and my hunger pains go away for a couple hours.1
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rheddmobile wrote: »What I recommend for new people is to take a week and just log, without trying to change any habits. Log all activity and all food. No judgement, just eat what you usually eat. Then after that week look at your diary and find out which parts of your lifestyle are most easy and effective to change.
This! I found it useful to start logging for a few weeks 1. To get used to logging and 2. To see which foods I was really just eating because I was bored or craving sugar. Then I didn't want to log those unnecessary calories, so reduced the snacking or I would go for an extra walk to have enough cals for the dinner I want. And then, when MFP set my cal goal at 1200,it only took a short while to realise that wasn't enough, even with exercise cals. So I changed to 1400.
If your main aim is to swap for healthier options, a period of logging will show you what you can swap. And measure everything.
Just to say, I have by no means stopped snacking and still have days I go over cals, but slow&steady works for me, and I rather do that than failing every other day.6 -
Often I just think I’m hungry, usually at night watching tv. If I’m really hungry I will make popcorn or have some carrots or a small salad.
If I just want to eat because I’m programmed to snack, I can either just go to bed and it will pass, or I found that jumping in here on the forum and reading other people’s successes (or failures) helps to keep me out of the kitchen.4 -
I also find it difficult to separate the real hunger from the boredom/fake hunger. I've been trying to go have a cup of fruit or herbal tea (no milk, no sugar). It takes a while to make and drink, and give me some time to see if I'm really still hungry afterwards.1
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I also find it difficult to separate the real hunger from the boredom/fake hunger. I've been trying to go have a cup of fruit or herbal tea (no milk, no sugar). It takes a while to make and drink, and give me some time to see if I'm really still hungry afterwards.
How can you tell the difference?0
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