Feeling so hungry in a calorie deficit

So I’ve only been in a deficit for over a week and I’m so hungry. I’m eating enough protein, carbs, fat and fibre. My macros are on point. I’m also eating enough. Why is this happening?
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Replies

  • LisaGetsMoving
    LisaGetsMoving Posts: 664 Member
    1) How much is "enough" calorie wise?
    2) Are you eating your exercise calories too?
    3) A small degree of hunger is somewhat normal. The body releases hormones that effect appetite when in weight loss deficit.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    Every time I go into a deficit it takes a while to lose that intense hunger but it does settle down.

    If you're sure you're not under-eating then just wait it out. I always tell myself, "I am eating enough food. I do not need more food." Then I go do something like clean or walk or some kind of task or chore. Hunger won't kill me - BUT I spent years establishing my calorie needs and learning to deal with a little hunger when in weight loss mode is part of it.

    Thank you made me feel better. Actually I haven’t been in a deficit for over 7 months so that’s maybe why. Any idea how long it will take to adjust?
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    So I’ve only been in a deficit for over a week and I’m so hungry. I’m eating enough protein, carbs, fat and fibre. My macros are on point. I’m also eating enough. Why is this happening?

    When you consume fewer calories than your body needs, the natural response your body is going to give you is..."feed me". Burning bodyfat for fuel to make up for less energy being consumed is less than an ideal proposition where your body is concerned...it's a crappy source of fuel, and really from a biological and evolutionary POV, it's kind of a "break glass in case of emergency" kind of thing. Then there is the obvious issue of just eating way less food in general than you are used to and your stomach is used to.

    But by and large what is happening is a chemical response to a decrease in calories (hunger is hormone driven)...remember, your body has evolved with it's first priority to be keeping you alive and going...so when you consume fewer calories than your body requires, the hormone ghrelin is released into your system...this is often referred to as the hunger hormone. When more ghrelin is released into your system, hunger and appetite are increased...it is your body's way of letting you know that you're not consuming calories (energy) that is commensurate with what you require...so, "feed me". At the same time, leptin levels decrease when calories are restricted...further exacerbating hunger.

    Eventually, things do settle down...which is another hormonal/chemical response by the body due to the human body not being particularly fond of pain or discomfort and ultimately seeking homeostasis.

    Ah okay so it’s a hormonal response. I have PCOS so I freaked out thinking my hormones are messed up!
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    1) How much is "enough" calorie wise?
    2) Are you eating your exercise calories too?
    3) A small degree of hunger is somewhat normal. The body releases hormones that effect appetite when in weight loss deficit.

    I use a TDEE method where my rough TDEE is 2400 and I’m aiming to eat more on my workout days. I also cycle my calories so my days could look like this- 2300, 2100, 2000, 2300 etc. Those are my gross calories. I’m really trying to lose slowly but this seems weird because a few months ago I used to feel full on 2000 calories.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    How fast are you trying to lose?
    How big is your deficit?

    Aiming to lose 0.5 lbs a week and I’ve got 15-20 lbs to lose.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    edited March 2021
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    I use a TDEE method where my rough TDEE is 2400 and I’m aiming to eat more on my workout days. I also cycle my calories so my days could look like this- 2300, 2100, 2000, 2300 etc. Those are my gross calories. I’m really trying to lose slowly but this seems weird because a few months ago I used to feel full on 2000 calories.

    Your initial question about hunger has been well answered: over time, the stomach gremlins will quiet down. When you first cut your intake back, they go a bit wild.

    I can't tell if your approach will be successful. It depends a lot on your particulars.

    The term "TDEE method" usually means eating a fixed number of calories per day. (It's a misnomer, since your TDEE varies day-to-day. Maybe eating a fixed number of calories per day should be called the "Mean TDEE method," or something.)

    Anyway, my most successful approach has been to put in my stats, set my activity to sedentary, select 1lb per week loss, then add in for workouts. When I've followed the calorie guidelines faithfully, this has produced at least a 1lb per week loss and sometimes greater.

    More recently, I have a Garmin watch that computes my activity calories (from exercise or incidental activities) and uploads them to MFP. (I've had a fitbit in the past that does the same thing.) It seems a bit generous at times, and I try to under-eat the total. But, when I've followed the guidelines carefully, it's still worked, albeit a bit more slowly than by the above method without the incidental calories accounted for.

    Best of luck!
  • thisvickyruns
    thisvickyruns Posts: 193 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    1) How much is "enough" calorie wise?
    2) Are you eating your exercise calories too?
    3) A small degree of hunger is somewhat normal. The body releases hormones that effect appetite when in weight loss deficit.

    I use a TDEE method where my rough TDEE is 2400 and I’m aiming to eat more on my workout days. I also cycle my calories so my days could look like this- 2300, 2100, 2000, 2300 etc. Those are my gross calories. I’m really trying to lose slowly but this seems weird because a few months ago I used to feel full on 2000 calories.

    if you do a lot of exercise, it may be worth looking at your net calories as well.

    Other than that, I second the ideas of bulking meals with veg, and also start slow with the deficit, 2300 for a couple of weeks, then 2200, then 2100 till you get to where you want to be deficit wise.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    I use a TDEE method where my rough TDEE is 2400 and I’m aiming to eat more on my workout days. I also cycle my calories so my days could look like this- 2300, 2100, 2000, 2300 etc. Those are my gross calories. I’m really trying to lose slowly but this seems weird because a few months ago I used to feel full on 2000 calories.

    Your initial question about hunger has been well answered: over time, the stomach gremlins will quiet down. When you first cut your intake back, they go a bit wild.

    I can't tell if your approach will be successful. It depends a lot on your particulars.

    The term "TDEE method" usually means eating a fixed number of calories per day. (It's a misnomer, since your TDEE varies day-to-day. Maybe eating a fixed number of calories per day should be called the "Mean TDEE method," or something.)

    Anyway, my most successful approach has been to put in my stats, set my activity to sedentary, select 1lb per week loss, then add in for workouts. When I've followed the calorie guidelines faithfully, this has produced at least a 1lb per week loss and sometimes greater.

    More recently, I have a Garmin watch that computes my activity calories (from exercise or incidental activities) and uploads them to MFP. (I've had a fitbit in the past that does the same thing.) It seems a bit generous at times, and I try to under-eat the total. But, when I've followed the guidelines carefully, it's still worked, albeit a bit more slowly than by the above method without the incidental calories accounted for.

    Best of luck!

    Thank for the input. I want to lose 0.5 lb per week which is why I’m using the TDEE calculator. Last year I went through metabolic adaptations where I was constantly dieting/yo-yo dieting or binging. I did a post about it in the maintenance section but I don’t know how to post the link.
    I did a reverse diet which was successful and then a small bulk so I’ve gained a little weight. I also played around with intuitive eating. I have WAY more energy than I used to so could it be possible that my TDEE has increased?
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    hipari wrote: »
    It's also possible you have decreased total volume of food enough for your stomach's hunger signals to be messed up. For me, eating physically less food to be in a deficit is not a sustainable option unless the change is done very slowly, because my stomach feels empty and goes into hunger panic mode. The way I go about it is usually by either bulking my main dish/carbs with veggies to make them have less calories per volume/weight unit and then eating the same sized portion as before, or by eating the same total volume as before but replacing some of the main dish/carbs with salad or steamed veggies.

    Yeah I’ve recently been trying to increase the volume of my meals with veggies. It’s definitely helping. My stomach just feels...hollow.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    I had a period after about 6 months of losing - even with regular diet breaks - where I was just ravenously, continually, hungry. I took an unplanned break and it only sort of helped. What more than sort of helped was realizing that, for me? Fat is satiating and my body was demanding it. The key to that realization was an intense, sudden, avocado craving. I don't even LIKE the danged things, but I ate an entire one a day for about a week. Maybe play around some with your macros.
  • kristingjertsen
    kristingjertsen Posts: 239 Member
    Have you tried adding lower calorie, nutrient dense foods like beans, peas, lentils, and whole grains? I have found that adding high fiber foods with protein keeps me from feeling hungry. I don't use added oils and limit sugary foods which also helps cut calories and steadies blood sugar levels.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    1) How much is "enough" calorie wise?
    2) Are you eating your exercise calories too?
    3) A small degree of hunger is somewhat normal. The body releases hormones that effect appetite when in weight loss deficit.

    I use a TDEE method where my rough TDEE is 2400 and I’m aiming to eat more on my workout days. I also cycle my calories so my days could look like this- 2300, 2100, 2000, 2300 etc. Those are my gross calories. I’m really trying to lose slowly but this seems weird because a few months ago I used to feel full on 2000 calories.

    if you do a lot of exercise, it may be worth looking at your net calories as well.

    Other than that, I second the ideas of bulking meals with veg, and also start slow with the deficit, 2300 for a couple of weeks, then 2200, then 2100 till you get to where you want to be deficit wise.

    Thank you ☺️ I never thought of gradually decreasing calories but maybe that’s where I need to go.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    Have you tried adding lower calorie, nutrient dense foods like beans, peas, lentils, and whole grains? I have found that adding high fiber foods with protein keeps me from feeling hungry. I don't use added oils and limit sugary foods which also helps cut calories and steadies blood sugar levels.

    I’ve actually been thinking about eating more lentils and beans. That’s a good idea! I love eating fish and eggs but they don’t have a lot of volume.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
    I had a period after about 6 months of losing - even with regular diet breaks - where I was just ravenously, continually, hungry. I took an unplanned break and it only sort of helped. What more than sort of helped was realizing that, for me? Fat is satiating and my body was demanding it. The key to that realization was an intense, sudden, avocado craving. I don't even LIKE the danged things, but I ate an entire one a day for about a week. Maybe play around some with your macros.

    Yeah I love avocados too but recently I haven’t been eating them. Time to make guacamole. I definitely find fats more satiating too.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    Thank for the input. I want to lose 0.5 lb per week which is why I’m using the TDEE calculator. Last year I went through metabolic adaptations where I was constantly dieting/yo-yo dieting or binging. I did a post about it in the maintenance section but I don’t know how to post the link.

    First, I'm glad if I can be any help. My child has PCOS and it definitely makes weight control more challenging. Congratulations for sticking with it and trying to figure out what works for you. The most important lesson I learned from my child is that your weight is your business.

    MFP uses the standard TDEE formula when you give it your stats. My point is that I set for sedentary and add in for exercise. Setting for a .5lb per week loss is completely reasonable.
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    I did a reverse diet which was successful and then a small bulk so I’ve gained a little weight. I also played around with intuitive eating. I have WAY more energy than I used to so could it be possible that my TDEE has increased?

    Using a fitness watch can help to establish your daily TDEE, accounting for how much you move. It's not exact and it can cause people (e.g., me) to overeat slightly. (It grants you a bunch of calories

    My wife hates calorie counting and has lost a significant amount of weight without it. She used a rules-based approach, working closely with a dietician. MFPers are all calorie-counters, so we all promote calorie counting.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I find that when those hungry days come around, which is almost always the case during a certain week of the month, I can eat higher volume (but still low calorie) foods and it will help take the incessant hungries away...so I'll fill up on salad or green beans or broccoli or other non-starchy veggies, so my stomach gets a nice "I'm full and ate a big meal" feeling while still keeping within my calorie goals.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    I use a TDEE method where my rough TDEE is 2400 and I’m aiming to eat more on my workout days. I also cycle my calories so my days could look like this- 2300, 2100, 2000, 2300 etc. Those are my gross calories. I’m really trying to lose slowly but this seems weird because a few months ago I used to feel full on 2000 calories.

    Your initial question about hunger has been well answered: over time, the stomach gremlins will quiet down. When you first cut your intake back, they go a bit wild.

    I can't tell if your approach will be successful. It depends a lot on your particulars.

    The term "TDEE method" usually means eating a fixed number of calories per day. (It's a misnomer, since your TDEE varies day-to-day. Maybe eating a fixed number of calories per day should be called the "Mean TDEE method," or something.)

    Anyway, my most successful approach has been to put in my stats, set my activity to sedentary, select 1lb per week loss, then add in for workouts. When I've followed the calorie guidelines faithfully, this has produced at least a 1lb per week loss and sometimes greater.

    More recently, I have a Garmin watch that computes my activity calories (from exercise or incidental activities) and uploads them to MFP. (I've had a fitbit in the past that does the same thing.) It seems a bit generous at times, and I try to under-eat the total. But, when I've followed the guidelines carefully, it's still worked, albeit a bit more slowly than by the above method without the incidental calories accounted for.

    Best of luck!

    Thank for the input. I want to lose 0.5 lb per week which is why I’m using the TDEE calculator. Last year I went through metabolic adaptations where I was constantly dieting/yo-yo dieting or binging. I did a post about it in the maintenance section but I don’t know how to post the link.
    I did a reverse diet which was successful and then a small bulk so I’ve gained a little weight. I also played around with intuitive eating. I have WAY more energy than I used to so could it be possible that my TDEE has increased?

    Yes, possible.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    Thank for the input. I want to lose 0.5 lb per week which is why I’m using the TDEE calculator. Last year I went through metabolic adaptations where I was constantly dieting/yo-yo dieting or binging. I did a post about it in the maintenance section but I don’t know how to post the link.

    First, I'm glad if I can be any help. My child has PCOS and it definitely makes weight control more challenging. Congratulations for sticking with it and trying to figure out what works for you. The most important lesson I learned from my child is that your weight is your business.

    MFP uses the standard TDEE formula when you give it your stats. My point is that I set for sedentary and add in for exercise. Setting for a .5lb per week loss is completely reasonable.
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    I did a reverse diet which was successful and then a small bulk so I’ve gained a little weight. I also played around with intuitive eating. I have WAY more energy than I used to so could it be possible that my TDEE has increased?

    Using a fitness watch can help to establish your daily TDEE, accounting for how much you move. It's not exact and it can cause people (e.g., me) to overeat slightly. (It grants you a bunch of calories

    My wife hates calorie counting and has lost a significant amount of weight without it. She used a rules-based approach, working closely with a dietician. MFPers are all calorie-counters, so we all promote calorie counting.

    A fitness watch could also cause people (e.g. me) to undereat slightly . . . maybe more than slightly, even. Yours gives you an overestimate of TDEE, it seems. Mine gives me an underestimate of TDEE.

    A tracker might help OP in the long run, sure, but in the short run it's just another source whose estimate needs to be tested and validated. They can work great for people who are close to average, no question.

    IIRC, you and I use the same brand of tracker, Garmin.

    Also, MFP doesn't use the standard TDEE calculator. There are multiple research-based TDEE formulas in play, and MFP estimates BMR+NEAT, not TDEE.

    Even if someone tries to set MFP activity level based on activity including exercise (counter to instructions), the results may vary from common TDEE calculators. Under the covers, MFP uses different multiplier values for activity than many of the TDEE calculators, even for the same activity level label (such as "sedentary") because the design assumptions differ.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    @AnnPT77 always has interesting posts!

    So, if you set MFP to sedentary and turn off negative calorie adjustments, then Garmin can only add calories. Are you saying you feel like it gives too few? Today, for example, it's giving me an extra 200kcals and I've done practically nothing active.

    With regard to a TDEE calculator, MFP must use the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, as it is very close to it. You can play with this version (which I've posted before)

    https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

    Yes yes yes, this is just a BMR calculation with a multiplicative factor to estimate NEAT, but the goal is to estimate TDEE. How good the estimate is can only be determined by counting your intake and watching your weight.

    Just so everyone knows: Even though this is a very simple formula based on a population average, it works very well for me!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    @AnnPT77 always has interesting posts!

    So, if you set MFP to sedentary and turn off negative calorie adjustments, then Garmin can only add calories. Are you saying you feel like it gives too few? Today, for example, it's giving me an extra 200kcals and I've done practically nothing active.

    With regard to a TDEE calculator, MFP must use the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, as it is very close to it. You can play with this version (which I've posted before)

    https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

    Yes yes yes, this is just a BMR calculation with a multiplicative factor to estimate NEAT, but the goal is to estimate TDEE. How good the estimate is can only be determined by counting your intake and watching your weight.

    Just so everyone knows: Even though this is a very simple formula based on a population average, it works very well for me!

    I am saying that my Garmin estimates my all-day calorie burn most days in the 1500-1800 kind of zone, with occasional days on either side of that. My current 7-day average estimated calorie burn in Connect is 1595 (which of course right now includes only a partial day for today, so it'll land a little higher).

    Nonetheless, I've been losing weight very slowly for months on a carefully-logged 1850 net calories most days, often over 2000 calories gross intake, and with a few well over maintenance days (4000+ calories) thrown in there but not fully logged. This is a device I've had for over 2 years, so it's had plenty of time to learn me; I've told it my tested HRmax, which is higher than age-estimated; I wear it 24x7 except when charging. I've been logging weight, calorie intake, exercise carefully the overwhelming majority of days since July 2015. Based on logging experience, I'd put my average experiential TDEE in the bottom half of the 2000s someplace, depending on exercise - probably somewhere 2000-2200 net. (Because I prefer an uneven eating pattern, I haven't tried to pin it closer than that, for my current bodyweight. I eat a little under maintenance most days, indulge on others, watch the scale, in maintenance.)

    The inescapable conclusion, IMO, is that the device is underestimating calories for me. I wouldn't consider synching it to MFP, because it would create inconvenience for me without any particular benefit. I know how much to eat to accomplish my weight goals, after 5+ years of maintaining a BMI in the lower 20s.

    As an aside, MFP similarly underestimates my calorie needs, by roughly the same factor. It seems really likely that I'm somewhere in the direction of a statistical outlier, given those facts, since both this device and MFP produce much more reasonable estimates for others. That's not common, but it can happen.

    MFP gives good estimates for most people. Trackers give good estimates for most people. Either of those (or a TDEE calculator result) needs to be tested and evaluated, as you say. (I don't think we're disagreeing about that.) My point was that an activity tracker might help OP in the long run, but in the short run, it's just another estimate that needs to be tested/validated.

    As an aside, for a TDEE calculator, I actually prefer Sailrabbit, as it has more activity levels, better descriptions of those levels, and lets one compare the results from different BMR formulas, among other things I like. (I admit it has a crazy-busy user interface, as a result.)

    https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    @AnnPT77 : That is really interesting! Garmin ought to have an adjustment for that situation! I wonder if fitbit or apple watch would do any better.

    On a related note: I'm convinced that Garmin under-estimates calorie burn for swimming. I've compared with a number of other estimators.

    To anyone else who is interested, there is the rub with all these formulas. They are based on population average and your personal TDEE can vary. The bottom line given by your personal weight trend, assuming you are logging carefully. (I am rather approximate.)
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 630 Member
    Strategies I use:
    Deferral — drink a glass of water, then another. Keep busy
    Avoid the hunger by eating throughout the day — I have a big breakfast, lighter lunch, protein snack, dinner with salad.

    The most difficult part of the day — the evening, after dinner. I often want a snack. To deal with this I wait as long as possible, then if I have something I’ll have a small portion and eat it as slowly as possible. Eg., rather than have a bowl of peanuts, I’ll have a small handful of peanuts and eat them one at a time.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    Thanks for sharing your diary, you look to be eating well and with plenty of water.
    My only suggestion would be to add more salad/veggies, to add bulk with minimal calories.
    So try 3 servings of salad instead of 1.5, etc.