Help!!

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I lost track of my weight gain and now I have gained back all of the weight I previously lost..Problem is I am feeling hungry all of the time. Any advice on this?

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  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,480 Member
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    Do you really feel hungry all of the time? That would be a difficult problem. Are you currently counting calories? Have you tried to cut back on your own and hunger is the result?

    There’s a significant calorie counting learning curve. If you are just starting out and are having trouble adjusting, calculate your maintenance calories for where you are right now and aim for that. Once you have your food diary up and running, then calculate a modest deficit and try for that.

    Look at some of the things that you like to eat and see if you can modify them to be more plan friendly. It’s a start.

    Don’t be distressed if it’s a challenge to get started. Old habits can be hard to break.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    idk if this is at all helpful, but these are my really general tips for hunger:

    1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    2. Try different macros. A lot of people look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below. Others feel better with high volume, higher carb diets (I trend this way during my period, personally). That's okay, too. See what makes you feel best.

    3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

    4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

    5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

    6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

    7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.
  • sweeteness06
    sweeteness06 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks alot, I am definately going to try this.
  • lisa0527
    lisa0527 Posts: 49 Member
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    My guess is that you maybe start the day highly motivated to lose weight and perhaps under eat a little bit early in the day? Then when late afternoon rolls around you’re hungry and have difficulty regulating how much you eat. The human body is a clever thing...it wants and demands what it needs. If you don’t eat enough early in the day it’ll dial up the hunger. Then you end up in the worst of all worlds...hungry and not losing weight.

    (In case it’s an issue for you: make sure you have some fat and protein for breakfast. I found it MUCH easier to stick with my eating plan when I simply switched from 0% Greek yogurt at breakfast to 2%.)