Eating makes me hungry
stevebozz0804
Posts: 11 Member
Hi - so here is my issue. I am almost always hungry. I can’t ever get full. When I eat, eating makes me hungrier. I will be hungry, sit down and eat a meal. And at the end of the plate of food, I’ll be anywhere from twice to five times as hungry as I was when I sat down.
I can eat until I’m stuffed. But at that point where I feel that if I put anymore food in me, I will get sick….even then and even still…I’m still really hungry. It doesn’t go away if I wait, or have a cup of tea or go for a walk. It isn’t that I eat too fast. My brain doesn’t “catch up”. I get hungrier and I stay that way. By the end of the day, I’m ravenous. It’s difficult to sleep and sometimes my stomach is even growling so loud, it bothers my wife.
I’m not sure what to do. I try to make myself a little sick by eating 2 hard boiled eggs and drinking a gallon of warm water. That might make me feel bad for like 30 minutes and I hope I get sleepy during that time. I’ve been going to bed early because it just gets worse as the day goes on.
The only time I’m not hungry is the first 4-5 hours after I wake up. But although not hungry, if I eat breakfast because I “think I should”, that food will trigger the insane hunger.
Anyone ever heard of this?
I can eat until I’m stuffed. But at that point where I feel that if I put anymore food in me, I will get sick….even then and even still…I’m still really hungry. It doesn’t go away if I wait, or have a cup of tea or go for a walk. It isn’t that I eat too fast. My brain doesn’t “catch up”. I get hungrier and I stay that way. By the end of the day, I’m ravenous. It’s difficult to sleep and sometimes my stomach is even growling so loud, it bothers my wife.
I’m not sure what to do. I try to make myself a little sick by eating 2 hard boiled eggs and drinking a gallon of warm water. That might make me feel bad for like 30 minutes and I hope I get sleepy during that time. I’ve been going to bed early because it just gets worse as the day goes on.
The only time I’m not hungry is the first 4-5 hours after I wake up. But although not hungry, if I eat breakfast because I “think I should”, that food will trigger the insane hunger.
Anyone ever heard of this?
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Replies
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Have you talked to your doctor? Seems like a good place to start.8
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I have similar problems when my macros aren't balanced (for me). Carbs tend to make me feel hungrier than if I hadn't eaten at all, so I like to limit those. Fat makes me feel the most satiated, especially eaten with a good amount of protein.
Also, there've been times in my life when I was deficient in different vitamins, etc. I felt like I couldn't stop eating (probably my body's way of trying to ensure it was getting whatever we were deficient in).
I would definitely go see my doctor to discuss and also get blood work done to check for any deficiencies.5 -
I agree with MarieBuch. Carbs do that to me - specifically grains and/or added sugars, I do okay if I balance it out with protein and use whole foods. Lack of specific nutrients also does it.
The, "can't stop once I start with breakfast," thing I had when I was in weight loss mode, because I was eating less during a day and it adds up. Are you on a steep calorie deficit? That's the time when I really notice it. Part is actual hunger. Maybe try to adjust your weight expectations if that's the case, and eat a little more in general. You don't give us much context.
I also think a trip to the doctor might be a good idea.
And then, part of it could be psychological. If I have eaten enough in general, then I have to frequently tell myself, "I don't need more food, it's in my head."2 -
Thanks. I have been to the doctor and we are running blood tests. At first it appeared that my cortisol was too low and my TSH too high. But subsequent tests put everything in the normal range. My fasting blood sugar is at the very high end of normal. So that might have something to do with it. Insulin resistance and the release of hunger hormones. Ghrelin overwhelming the leptin. But so far, it seems there is nothing doctors can do.
I agree on fats/carbs comments are far as satiety goes. And yes, I’m cutting calories pretty steep. But I think my base rate is a range not a number. Does that make sense. Everyone makes it seem like you have a number. Eat more than that number, you gain. Eat less, you lose. But I think I have a big range. If I eat anything between 2000 and 3300 cals a day, I stay the same. I need to eat more than 3300 to gain. But less than 2000 to lose. Anything in between just alters my energy levels but weight stays the same.
I just ate breakfast and now my stomach is growling!4 -
So you have quite a bit of weight to lose, I'm guessing.
Yeah, ghrelin is a little demon.
It's a balancing act to lose weight, that's for sure. It's quite a project, and it's not easy for anyone.
Maybe intermittent fasting would work for you. When I was in weight loss calorie-deficit I had to really push back my first meal...like mid morning, 11 o'clock-ish. Then a small snack midday, and an early largish afternoon meal. Early to bed! I was hungry a lot.
If it was easy, everyone would be healthy weight!4 -
Intermittent fasting helped me with the hunger problem, too, because, like you "eating made me hungry." High carb meals were the worst and anything sweet, even a stick of gum made me ravenous.
Certain medications like anti-psychotics and anti-depression meds can stop the "I'm full" signals from getting to your brain, but your doctor would know about that.4 -
MarieBuch10 wrote: »I have similar problems when my macros aren't balanced (for me). Carbs tend to make me feel hungrier than if I hadn't eaten at all, so I like to limit those. Fat makes me feel the most satiated, especially eaten with a good amount of protein.
Also, there've been times in my life when I was deficient in different vitamins, etc. I felt like I couldn't stop eating (probably my body's way of trying to ensure it was getting whatever we were deficient in).
I would definitely go see my doctor to discuss and also get blood work done to check for any deficiencies.
Same here. I need meals that are balanced (for me.) I will feel hungrier two hours after eating 1200 calories worth of ice cream than I will after eating 400 calories of chicken, broccoli, potato, and butter.
Here's a less extreme example - bagels. A whole bagel with butter is less filling to me than a half bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon.
However, in general, wheat is one of the least filling carb sources for me. I do much better with rice, legumes, and potatoes. I find rice & beans dishes with some animal protein and veggies super filling.
If I pair fruit with fat and protein, this is a filling snack for me.4 -
stevebozz0804 wrote: »Thanks. I have been to the doctor and we are running blood tests. At first it appeared that my cortisol was too low and my TSH too high. But subsequent tests put everything in the normal range. My fasting blood sugar is at the very high end of normal. So that might have something to do with it. Insulin resistance and the release of hunger hormones. Ghrelin overwhelming the leptin. But so far, it seems there is nothing doctors can do.
I agree on fats/carbs comments are far as satiety goes. And yes, I’m cutting calories pretty steep. But I think my base rate is a range not a number. Does that make sense. Everyone makes it seem like you have a number. Eat more than that number, you gain. Eat less, you lose. But I think I have a big range. If I eat anything between 2000 and 3300 cals a day, I stay the same. I need to eat more than 3300 to gain. But less than 2000 to lose. Anything in between just alters my energy levels but weight stays the same.
I just ate breakfast and now my stomach is growling!
Are you certain this is due to hunger? Good that you've had blood tests and are looking into it medically. "Growling" could be digestive grumbling to do some digestive issues. Also, acid reflex feels like hunger to some people. Just thought I'd toss those ideas into the ring. Hope you find something that helps!
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I appreciate the comments everyone! To answer some of the questions, I’m 6-3 and 250 pounds.
Agree that carbs make you hungrier. But all good food for thought here! No pun intended.
For those of you dieting, are you hungry? Or Is your diet just eating healthier food that fills you up. If you are hungry, how do you deal with it?3 -
I will take you back to basics because you've sort of glossed over a thing or two and in spite of glossing over and being confident that it can't be the cause... it may be.
You stated, flat out that if you eat 2000 to 3300 Cal a day you stay the same as a 6ft 3" 250lb guy. and that you *have* to eat less than 2K to lose. Which heavily implies that you are discussing a situation where as a 6ft 3" 250lb you're hungry all day when you're keeping your total caloric intake at under 2000 Cal.
I am 5ft 7" to 5ft 8", depending on how you round your 16ths. When I started on MFP I was already under your weight at just over 240lbs. I can assure you that I lost a LOT of lbs at an average intake of 2560 Cal during my first 12 months of logging on MFP.
So the question becomes... what are your scale expectations? Do you expect to see lbs dropping every day and you're eating low enough to achieve that? When you say you are dieting and eating under 2000 Cal... how many lbs per week are you dropping?
The causes and solutions could be very different if you're dropping 0.5lbs a week and you require a trending weight app to figure out whether you're losing weight or not; vs dropping 0.5lbs a day and trying to find ways to be less hungry while you attempt to continue to do so.4 -
I have issues with constant hunger too - as others have said its important to play around with your macros and find which foods are the most satiating for you.
I need a balance with higher protien and I don't skimp on fat either otherwise I'm starving.
An example is eggs avocado and wholemeal toast for breakfast makes me feel a lot more satiated than a bowl of oats or anything carby like cereal.
I try and fit things like butter oil etc into my calorie allowance - the low fat versions do nothing for me.
Maybe have a look at an online TDEE calculator to see how many calories you need because as a man at 6ft 3 I'm pretty sure consuming under 2000 calories is leaving you starving!
I also use intermittent fasting because it works for me - I also find it difficult to stop eating once I've started and it's helpful to draw a line under my last meal - it also helps with cravings and staying in a deficit for me.
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stevebozz0804 wrote: »I appreciate the comments everyone! To answer some of the questions, I’m 6-3 and 250 pounds.
Agree that carbs make you hungrier. But all good food for thought here! No pun intended.
For those of you dieting, are you hungry? Or Is your diet just eating healthier food that fills you up. If you are hungry, how do you deal with it?
I am trying to lose probably 10 more pounds to be back at my preferred weight and I experience a mix of actual hunger and also sort of anxious-eating while I'm working. If I was a smoker I would be a HEAVY smoker.
For the times I'm actually hungry I let myself eat more than I planned that day, but I try to keep it to only enough to alleviate the hunger and not overdo it. I eat a lot of popcorn while I work since it's a pretty low calories snack, so a lot of times I'll sprinkle parmesan or shredded cheese on it to add some fat and it helps fill me up (I do try to be very aware of how much I'm using since it's pretty calorie dense).
Other things that help me with hunger is having a diet soda, or a protein bar with hot black coffee. I also don't worry about eating "healthier" foods. I just eat what I like in portions that work for me. I do try to be conscientious that I'm getting the nutrients I need, but it's actually easier for me to do that eating a wide variety of food than trying to eat what's typically marketed as "healthy."
These things usually work for me, but I also have a pretty small deficit so I'm not usually undereating to a point that makes me feel insatiable (I've been there too many times!!!). Learned my lesson.
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Yeah, like Pav and I (and everyone who has lost a lot of weight would likely say) there is hunger. Sometimes it's significant and the only solution is to eat.
If you're trying to eat under 2000 calories per day, no wonder you're struggling at your height and weight. I'm assuming you're male?
I would suggest you go into your Goals, change them to, "Lose 1 pound per week." Set your Activity Level honestly, don't choose Sedentary no matter what you do for a living (it's just too low for almost everyone,) and then eat to those numbers. When you do purposeful exercise enter that into the Exercise tab and eat a bit more.
You will most likely lose more than a pound per week, but you need to rein in this hunger before it causes you either illness or fatigue or it causes you to abandon the process. Once you figure out what your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is (calories) you can then have some flexibility to eat more on some days. When you know the number you use, you just eat under that. Pro Tip, that number for weight loss is not likely somewhere south of 2000. It's probably more like 2500-3000.
How accurately and for how long have you logged all your food - every day? Log food at that number you have from the Goals. Watch and log weight daily for a month. That will give you the number you need. It's almost definitely not under 2000...I am female, 5'7" or 5'8", and lost most of my 80 pounds at 1900-2300 (including exercise calories.)
It takes time for hormones like ghrelin and leptin and insulin to balance out at a lower calorie intake. After about a month on lowered calories my hunger disappears if I'm eating enough in general. Too low and it just messes with the whole endocrine system.4 -
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the practical advice. I’m not sure if I’m being clear however. I am 6-3 and 250lbs. Male. 53 years old.
At the start of the pandemic (March 2020) I weighed 280. So I started monitoring calories. I ate 2500 per day. I exercised every day. One day I would do 20 minutes of these body weight and light dumbbell exercises where you did one thing after another resting for only 60 seconds between exercises. The next day I would do 40 mins of traditional aerobic exercises. I alternated each day. Both workouts on YouTube. In addition to this, every day I would go on a 5 mile walk. This would take anywhere from 60-75 minutes. So quite a bit of exercise for me. I lost 10 pounds each month for 3 straight months and dropped from 280 to 250. Then I did the exact same thing for another 6 months. June through November. I lost 0 pounds. So then I stopped trying to lose weight. For the next 6 months I did not track food. I eased up on restrictions. However I did exercise every day although about half of what I was doing previously. During this 6 month non-diet, I neither gained nor lost weight. So in June 2021, I started a diet again.
In June 2021, I ate 2500 calories a day and did 60 minutes of elliptical work. I lost nothing. In July, i cut that down to 2300 and 60 minutes of elliptical. Lost nothing. In August I did 2000 calories a day and 60 minutes. Lost nothing. In September I did 2000 and 90 minutes of cardio (60 elliptical and 30 brisk walk on ncline). Lost nothing. In October I went down to 1800 and 90 minutes. I lost 3 pounds that month. But I could not sustain. I felt too weak. So I quit but went back to trying to stay around 2800 cals and 30 minutes of exercise. And here I am today. Still 250.
Whether I eat 2000, 2500, or 3000 calories, I am hungry. The last time I wasn’t hungry was in the late 1990s. I don’t think I can eat until I am not hungry because that doesn’t happen. I can eat until I’m sick. But I’m still hungry.
Anyway. Just wanted to explain. Thanks for your help.2 -
What does Myfitnesspal give you for calories to, "lose 1 pound per week?"
What do you do for work?
What did you set as your Activity Level here on this site?
How are you accounting for your exercise calories? Fitbit? Some other device? Guessing? It sounds like you just kept exercising more and eating less. No wonder you are always hungry. That's not how this works.
How long have you been logging food every day, all your food? Your FOOD diary is locked so we can't review your logging. Set it to "Public" on the FOOD>Settings page.
I mean, you joined this site on August 22. You have all these alleged differing calorie usages over a long period of time, but you don't have any data we can view. How were you accounting for your calories, because no way you wouldn't have lost some pounds during all those low calorie months if you were actually eating that amount. I think you just need good records, accurate records and you need to eat more food than sub 2000. The stress you put on your body when you undereat causes increased cortisol (stress hormones) and increased inflammation, hence, no weight loss on the scale. But your data is anecdotal and you seem more worried about hunger - as you should be. All that exercise and those low calories and your body is literally screaming for more food.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
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I had been using Lifesum. MyFitnessPal gives me 2100 to lose 1 pound. I have a desk job. I had my blood tested two weeks ago and the cortisol levels were low. TSH a little bit high. So they asked me to test again last week and TSH normal and cortisol on the low side of normal. I really do log everything. If anything I am over conservative. I count one tablespoon of milk in my tea although I use less than that. I’m pretty sure I’m counting it all.
I do have nerve damage from a spinal injury 30 years ago. And I have some chronic pain issues.2 -
stevebozz0804 wrote: »I appreciate the comments everyone! To answer some of the questions, I’m 6-3 and 250 pounds.
Agree that carbs make you hungrier. But all good food for thought here! No pun intended.
For those of you dieting, are you hungry? Or Is your diet just eating healthier food that fills you up. If you are hungry, how do you deal with it?
Last year I lost 40 pounds using a weekly weight loss goal of 1 pound per week to start and then a half pound per week @ six months in. As this was not an aggressive weight loss goal for the weight I needed to lose and I focused on foods that are filling to me, I was only hungry right before meals.
I also aimed to earn 400-500 exercise calories per day and ate most, but not all, of them.
I'm 9 inches shorter than you and lost weight just fine grossing over 2000 calories per day. (Gross calories include exercise calories; net calories do not.)0 -
Yesterday I got to move that big block on the scale from 250 down to 200. I came in at 248. So maybe it’s actually working this time. 2 pounds is probably not enough to tell. But it’s also only been less than 2 weeks. In the past, I’d weigh myself every day and write it down and then at the end of a week, add up all the numbers and divide by 7. I’d get a weekly average. I felt that would better account for fluctuations that happen. If week to week, the average was going down, I felt I was on the right track. I should maybe do that again.3
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If you are using a smart phone, there are apps you can load that will do this for you. I have Happy Scale for IPhone, I love it! I use the free version. I know there’s one for Android, just don’t remember the name. Really helps keep perspective on how you are really doing, and less focused on what the scale says that day.1
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Carriehelene wrote: »If you are using a smart phone, there are apps you can load that will do this for you. I have Happy Scale for IPhone, I love it! I use the free version. I know there’s one for Android, just don’t remember the name. Really helps keep perspective on how you are really doing, and less focused on what the scale says that day.
For Android, Libra is a good one 🙂1 -
stevebozz0804 wrote: »Whether I eat 2000, 2500, or 3000 calories, I am hungry. The last time I wasn’t hungry was in the late 1990s. I don’t think I can eat until I am not hungry because that doesn’t happen. I can eat until I’m sick. But I’m still hungry.
This was me before this year. Before I finally recognized what I had always thought was hunger was actually cravings for anything to bring my blood sugar back up to stratospheric heights. The sensation of carb cravings and true hunger were almost indistinguishable to me, but there is just enough of a difference. At 65, I have concluded that I am just not able to eat some types of food: grains (of any sort), most fruits, pasta, potatoes, rice, dough (unless it is of the low carb variety), or just about any packaged processed food. Part of the trade off is that my Doc has taken me off the diuretic, blood pressure and cholesterol prescriptions I had been on for 20 years.
I can't speak for what might work for others, only what is working for me -> eating whole foods low in carbs and high in good fats and protein. I am rarely hungry now. Most days I have to force myself to eat enough calories to stay healthy. I don't feel sleepy after meals, nor do I get shaky a couple of hours after eating anymore. I don't know why something like a darn hamburger bun affects me so much, but it does. Try different carb loads, low in glycemic loads and low on the glycemic index. Good luck!1 -
Two other thoughts that might help - hydration — thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Plus water makes you feel fuller even if you aren’t thirsty, and ensures proper body functioning.
Second, fiber - particularly non-soluable fiber that slows the emptying of your stomach and also takes extra waste with it. An easy way to get it is to stir psyllium husk fiber in your juice or water in the morning (Metamucil is one brand). You can also eat it as a wafer but it is less effective. Or use chia seeds in cereals, oats or puddings.
This is also positive for your cholesterol/heart health.1 -
I'd recommend adding fiber (Psyllium is good, as noted above). And so is water!
The other thing that might work (assuming you are following a good plan and eating the right amount of food) is to tell yourself--maybe meditate on these words--"I am satisfied with my food. I have enough food to be healthy and comfortable. I can do this and be comfortable." When I've tried to convince myself of things, I repeat something like that (whatever phrase is appropriate) over and over around 20 times before I go to sleep. It feels goofy, but after a while it does sink in.1
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