I am SO HUNGRY. What is wrong???

shunkawakon
shunkawakon Posts: 37 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello. I'm 5'2", probably around 144 pounds (although I have not weighed myself for about 20 days because I don't want to spoil the results of my 30DS measurements/weight until I'm done).

I spend between an and hour and twenty minutes to two hours a day, 6 days a week, in the gym. My calorie intake for MFP is set at 1200 calories a day, but I usually eat about 1300, and don't feel guilty about going over because I really work hard in the gym and on my workout videos.

I know my deficit is at 1.6 pounds a week, and so far I've lost about 25 pounds in about the last 3 and a half months.

Lately, I have been SO HUNGRY and 1200/1300 calories doesn't seem like its cutting it for me anymore. Obviously, if I'm hungry I think I should eat more...BUT....should I eat more? Do I change my goals? Am I at that point in time where its too dangerous to aim for 1.6 pounds a week? I am 15 pounds away from my ideal goal weight (130).

1200 calories has been drilled into my brain that that's all I really should be consuming. Should I be eating more? Training less? Help please! I don't want to be hurting my body!

Thanks!!

(((( FYI I usually do about an 1 hour 15 min of cardio and 25 min of strength/circuit training a day ))))))

Replies

  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    What kind of stuff are you eating? Try eating more protein and fiber. They digest a bit slower and tend to keep me feeling satisfied longer. Works for me anyway.

    Also, 1 hr and 15 mins of cardio a day sounds like overkill. May also have something to do with why you're hungry alot.
  • lucybyrd3
    lucybyrd3 Posts: 49
    your calories need to be above 1200 or you are putting your body into starvation mode. you are hungry because your body NEEDS that food, especially because you are working out so much. you are going to cause damage if you keep doing this. up your calories to around 1500, work off like 300 a day and you should be fine. you can keep it around 1200 if you're NOT working out for the day.
  • m_wilh
    m_wilh Posts: 362 Member
    Just curious but are you eating a lot of things that contain sugar? Even non-fat foods have lots of sugar in them? Sugar will keep you hungry. I agree with the post above. Try eating more fiber and protein. That should help.
  • Brisin87
    Brisin87 Posts: 61
    what exactly are you eatting if your hungry try eatting some fuits cant go wrong with that are you drinking water
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    If you're hungry, you should be eating back more of the calories you're burning. Stay healthful, though. Nourish, don't just fill your stomach up with whatever. You're doing a great job so far so keep it up! Stay in tune with what your body's telling you.
  • mkbianchi
    mkbianchi Posts: 2
    girl i am hungry too!!!!
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Eat more. You can eat your exercise calories. Please do, if you are hungry.
  • mkbianchi
    mkbianchi Posts: 2
    girl i am hungry too!!!!
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    if you're working out that much, you probably should eat more. i usually don't eat my excersie calories back unless I am really hungry and that's usually on special occassions like thanksgiving or weddings etc..., but I usually only workout for 60 minutes a day 5-6 days a week. If you eat them back make sure you aren't eating empty calories or processed foods, stick to whole grains and proteins. I would say experiment a little maybe on days you workout for 2 hrs, try eating 1500 to 1800 calories.
  • lucybyrd3
    lucybyrd3 Posts: 49
    i totally meant net calories lolol
  • kykykenna
    kykykenna Posts: 656 Member
    I'm no pro by any means, but on days you work out, you are still allowed 500 to 800 MORE calories (of course if you were to eat them all back) than you are consuming. I would think in the course of a week, that would make a person pretty hungry girl! :) Try upping intake on those days by maybe 200 and see how you feel? Nice work just the same!!!! Listen to your body. We all hear it, I know...but it is a smart machine!!! :)
  • hazelnut861
    hazelnut861 Posts: 390 Member
    Eat.more healthy stuff like chicken and veggies, fiber, lean meats, nuts. Gradually increase your calories and see what happens. Im set at 1700 and almost always go over and was still losing. Im 10 pounds from my goal weight. And I've been to the gym once in two weeks and no gain, still the same. 1200 calories is sooo little unless you're eating veggies mostly and very low cal food. I wanted to work towards adapting back to a 2000 + calorie day.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Watch your sugar, that and artificial sweeteners both will increase your appetite.

    When you make healthier choices with the nutrition to calorie ratios you'll be more satisfied.

    Focus on the good stuff... work on meeting your protein and calcium and whatever other nutrients you pick goals, before you eat any sweets. It changed how I feel big time.


    1.6 lb/weeks does seem overly ambitious when you are 15lb away from your goal.

    15 lbs away from my goal i switched down for lose 1 lb/wk to lose 1/2 lb/wk


    Also I cribbed the from an old post:

    I find that sugar increases my appetite by a lot.! If I have too much I can't stay in my calorie range for the day. I've been meaning to look into the Glycemic Index. to learn more about how the body processes sugar. I come from generations of diabetics I always thought that "sugar was sugar." But I've recently heard about something I want to look into.

    Food manufacturers add a lot of sugar under a lot of different unrecognizable names into products, because it's cheap and it increases your appetite, so you eat more.
    (I picked up a lean cuisine one evening forgot to check the sugar went to enter it to find out it had 30g of sugar, now

    A) I only get 25g a day,
    B) my favorite cookies are 9g for 15 cookies. If I'm going to eat sugar I want to enjoy a treat!!!

    Also watch out for yogurts there usually very high in sugar, by plain and add a little hershey syrup or jam or cukes & dill at least YOU will be controlling your intake.)

    BOTH sugar AND artificial sweeteners increase your appetite, so cutting back on them makes weight loss easier, because you are not hungry all the time.

    If I have a DIET COKE, no way I can keep at 1200 cal.

    Nutrient Dense foods keep you full longer, while proteins and fats (happy fats... plant based) appear to pack a lot of calories for the quantity you get to eat. A small amount will keep you satisfied longer. So it may be a better balance for you .
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
    Eat more. You can eat your exercise calories. Please do, if you are hungry.

    I agree. Seriously, I don't know how you work out that much and only eat 1200 calories, or a few more. I love to work out because that means I get to eat more calories. Sometimes that's the only thing that gets me through the day. So yes, like the previous posters have said, listen to your body and eat if you're hungry. :)
  • harold_IV
    harold_IV Posts: 46 Member
    I would definitely bump it up to at least 1500. Just do some cardio with it. Eat whole grains & green leafy vegetables for more fullness.
  • kyylieeeeee
    kyylieeeeee Posts: 197 Member
    If you're truly spending that much time working out every day, you have to eat more. I'm your age, height, around the same weight, with the same goal weight. I eat around 1400 cals a day, and usually slightly more when I work out (though I don't eat back all my exercise calories-- or exercise every day anymore).

    I'd recommend changing your goal from 1.6 to just 1 pounds, or .75. You don't have much weight to go til your goal, and you don't have much to lose in the first place. A good rule is...if you're hungry, EAT! Make sure you're eating right types of things...balanced fruit, veggies, protein, carbs, and fat. That will hopefully help your hunger problems.

    And on a side note, since you are getting close to your goal, maybe ease off on the cardio and really increase resistance training. I plateaued at 142 for about 3 months, until I cut out all cardio except running, and really upped the strength training. I'm down to 136 now!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    At the end of the day when you complete your diary does it say <some large number> of calories remaining? If so, that's why you're hungry.
  • mandag9008
    mandag9008 Posts: 182 Member
    i too have been working out, walking about an hr everyday and 30ds one or two times a week. i hve found that i am getting hungry more and i eat trust me i eat. but healthy. i decided to start eating back my exercise calories and its helping. like today i have burned 527 i think and it put me at having 927 left. so i am now munching on some raisan bran which btw is great in fiber. im also having snacks too. fiber one snacks!
  • Aroz25
    Aroz25 Posts: 40
    You shouldn't be going hungry if you are doing it right. Are you logging all your excercises? If so then definitely make sure you eat all of your exercise calories. 1200 calories a day is the bare minimum someone of your weight range needs to eat without exercise. Just remember the more you exercise the more you need to eat. Also take into consideration the types of food you are eating and you should be fine :smile:
  • tlilly80
    tlilly80 Posts: 27
    In my personal experience....listen to your body. Obviously you don't want to fill yourself with crap but if you are hungry then eat. I've hit a plateau several times and allowed myself over my usual caloric intake for a couple days and BAM! I was down 5lbs each time. For me...one of the hardest things about becoming healthy is that all truths we are born with, those internal signals to tell us when we are hungry, thirsty, or tired....well, something happens and we begin to doubt ourselves. We no longer know what the hell we really need!


    There is a great book called "Women, food, and God" :) I think any woman who has tried to lose weight or worried about food should read this book :)
  • shunkawakon
    shunkawakon Posts: 37 Member
    Wow!! What quick responses!!! Really appreciate it guys, you are a HUGE help (and the nudge I needed to make a HEALTHY decision)!!!


    I am a chef at a hotel, so I around lots of fresh produce readily available for me to eat...so I am eating pretty healthy, not a lot of sugar (maybe once a week I indulge) I do drink coffee.....andddd i should probably add some fiber into my diet because I do not really pay attention to that. I kind of pay attention to sodium, and it usually isn't ridiculously high....and I do MOST of the time drink lots of water, some days I'm really bad about it because Im not a huge fan of water (sounds funny).

    I was needing some confirmation that I should be eating more, not that I was doubting my body, but that it seemed to just start happening recently so I was confused.

    I'll up my calories, and watch my protein and fiber. What do you think, 0.36g of protein per lb? more? less?




    Also, when I am hungry, I do feed myself. I by no means starve myself. My tummy has just been grumbling more frequently than usual!
  • KelleyJoL
    KelleyJoL Posts: 19 Member
    It is possible that your metabolism has increased? When I lose fat, but build lean muscle, I can eat more. Perhaps drink a glass of water, and if you're still hungry, eat something healthy. Then you are giving your body something good.
  • bormesher
    bormesher Posts: 2
    First, make sure you are eating 1200 calories NET - not total. If you are only eating 1200 to 1300 calories total and working out like that, you are not eating enough.

    You're not going to successfully go through the rest of your life hungry every day - you'll just eat and gain again. Start to find a balance that is not uncomfortable, even if it means your weight loss slows significantly.

    See what the calculator tells you for 1 pound per week, and for 1/2 pound per week and begin to increase your intake some.

    In my opinion, keep the workouts up if you can. -- but make sure you're eating enough to cover the workouts plus the NET target the calculator gives you.

    NOTE: I'm working on my weight again after a couple years of letting it go..... so my advice is based on some ancient history (back when I maintained well).
  • emilycandoit
    emilycandoit Posts: 44
    I was doing 400 cals burned daily and eating only 1200--- I was STARVING!


    eat more. Dont be afraid to eat 1500, and make SURE you are eating the right amounts of
    FIBER
    and
    PROTEIN.

    Do this, problem solved!
  • Zeromilediet
    Zeromilediet Posts: 787 Member
    I know it's heresy, but adding fat to your diet along with protein will make you feel full and mitigate hunger pangs. It's very important you get healthy fats only--not tranfats, ideally omega-3 fats. The best source is in fatty fish ( sardines, salmon, etc), egg yolks, walnuts, winter squash, and flax, but also fish oil supplements. Add oil to your salad dressing to help you feel full and aid in absorbing the fat-soluable vitamins in the greens. Don't be afraid of fat--it doesn't make you fat.
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