Is this normal???

yes i did all i did was work out before i ate dinner giving you extra calories to eat really you shouldnt because it is cheating but @ least FOR NOW it helps you with the getting started because going from complete crap food to work down to only 1200 is hard as hekkk

What's your daily goal? If it's 1200 I would suggest upping it a bit, at least until you get used to logging and controlling portions. As for today, it's your second day, so give yourself a break and eat if you're hungry. Eat something calorie dense that will fill you up-- protein/healthy fat will do the best to keep you going. Maybe some low sodium/low sugar peanut butter, some greek yogurt, or lean chicken breast?

Going forward, the biggest thing is planning. You'll get the hang of it and figure out how well certain foods work for you. In the beginning just focus on logging everything and noticing how what you eat affects your body. And feel free to add me if you need some support.

This sounds like exactly what you should do. You have probably significantly decreased your food intake, your body is trying to get readjusted. If you are shaky, then you should definitely eat.

I agree with everyone and I had the issue; still do on some days. (I have 1200 calories per day) I love microwave (light or 96% FF) you get a lot for the calories so it tends to help. Drink lots of water. For 300 calories you can have the popcorn, a good size chicken breast and large salad (watch the dressing; it can be a killter)

Good luck and welcome.

First, this happens so don't feel like you're alone.

My husband joined the site back in November and was fine for the first month, and then began a period where he was simply ravenous. When he looked through his diary and actually considered the time of day he was eating, he noticed 2 things:
1. Small snacks, nutritious or not, spurred his hunger more than helped.
2. He does better eating 4 meals a day than 3.

Also, I haven't looked at your diary, but are you eating protein with every meal? Protein and complex carbs are really good to keep you full longer.

Last, as DeatisMyGift said, if you're hungry, eat something. Tracking calories shouldn't be a punishment - this is about becoming healthier and you won't do that if you make yourself miserable. Just make sure that what you eat is relatively good for you. A piece of toast with peanut butter. A hard boiled egg. Basically, something with some protein. And then, eat a reasonable dinner. If you eat over your calories today, don't sweat it. We all go over some days.

that never happend to me. i don't know what you ate today all ready so it's kinda hard for me to really help you because i can't get into you food log. but what helped me stay full and stay in my calories is drinking LOTS of water! people get mixed up with being hungry to you need water. you seem like you are hungry. try drinking two glasses right now and wait for a few mins. let me know if that helped you some for a little while. all so plan a head. i do this still! but i plan out my next days food. so i stay on track. protein will make you full for a long time, so if you can eat peanut butter do that. have peanut butter and an apple. it's less calories than a peanut butter sandwich and an apple is much MUCH better than bread. grilled chicken is good. just watch what you eat.
the other thing that i try to do is i try to eat less calories during the day, if i know i will be going out to dinner or having something that has a lot of calories in it. if you want you can check out my food log. i do have my bad days and good days. but i am sure you can check mine out. it may help you.
I hope this helped you some.

I agree with most of the other posters... It takes while to get the hang of this eating a certain number of calories business, but it is all about planning. You have to plan for when you get hungry and make sure you eat at those times ( getting over hungry leads to over eating), but only give yourself good stuff to eat. Start planning some daily meals with snacks in between that meet your calorie goals so you're not eating on thy fly.

These three things are also key for me:

1. I often feel hungry when I am thirsty
2. Refined sugars give me a big peak and a noticeable drop in blood sugar which can cause the shakes (so I avoid those for snacks)
3. High fiber food = feeling full longer.

EDITED TO ADD: If you are starving right now you need to eat something! Take a couple days of tracking your regular diet so that you can see what your normal calorie intake really is (most of us had no idea!) - i would recommend this to everyone. You need to see what you are working with so you can be educated enough to make the cuts in your daily food intake. I found some easy things I could cut, some modifications I could make to some of my favorite things, and that eating appropriate portions made all the difference. This is going to be a long journey - start out on the right foot.

Today is only my second day. It is 3:30pm and I have 300 calories left for the day. Right now, I am so hungry, I am actually shaky and my stomach is rumbling. There is no way that the remaining 300 calories is going to fill me and keep me full until supper. Did anyone else experience this when they started??

Yes, so I just ate.

I did not go pig out crazy, but I ate. And so should you.
We must crawl before walking, walk before running and run before we soar.

Cut yourself some slack, and go eat but keep it healthy.
Also, your diary is private - make sure you are eating back you exercise calories and that you have your settings for 1 [ONE] pound of weight loss per week.

What's your daily goal? If it's 1200 I would suggest upping it a bit, at least until you get used to logging and controlling portions. As for today, it's your second day, so give yourself a break and eat if you're hungry. Eat something calorie dense that will fill you up-- protein/healthy fat will do the best to keep you going. Maybe some low sodium/low sugar peanut butter, some greek yogurt, or lean chicken breast?

Going forward, the biggest thing is planning. You'll get the hang of it and figure out how well certain foods work for you. In the beginning just focus on logging everything and noticing how what you eat affects your body. And feel free to add me if you need some support.

Hey hey hey...who is to say its because of food intake!?!

I'd just bite the bullet, go cold turkey and get used to it now. Drink water, and do something to take your mind off food. It's basically the same as withdrawl symptoms. But you could be ill. If you're going for a massive weight loss perhaps you should discuss this with a doctor before doing anything drastic.

You could be just really agitated, or the food you have eaten has made you like this. Caffeine and other stimulants (found in many products INCLUDING chocolate). I think you sound just a bit nervy...


This sounds like exactly what you should do. You have probably significantly decreased your food intake, your body is trying to get readjusted. If you are shaky, then you should definitely eat.

I feel like I am going through it right now too, but not to the point where I am feeling sick. I feel not full and wanting more because this is not what I am used to doing. I drink water this morning, I have had about four glasses so far and it helps me feel full without actually eating anything. Of course it is my second day and everyone here seems to have all good advice

I'm curious as to why you only get 1200 calories per day. Your ticker says you weigh 204 lbs, so 1200 calories seems quite low. What exactly are your goals? If your goal is to lose more than one pound per week, I'd suggest starting with a smaller daily calorie deficit and work your way down.

It'd be interesting to see your diary. As you get more comfortable with MFP, you'll learn what foods keep you fuller longer. Also, you only have 300cals left now, but you could add another 300 by working out.
Maybe your goal is too ambitious for now and you should up your calories while you get more in tune with your body.

Good luck!

Try this nifty trick before eating: drink a 16-20 oz glass of water without ice. This will add 2 cups of water to your daily goal of water intake and perhaps make you feel full enough to chose a healthy snack or plan a dinner that has lower calories. When I first started out on here, the first week is the toughest. If you are anything like me, I was eating what I wanted when I wanted before starting this site. The amount of food I was used to consuming that had 'empty' calories was amazing! I find that planning meals ahead of time, and even snacks, helps a ton to stay on track with my caloric allowance. Try that water trick though. Sometimes you might feel hungry when your body is really just craving more water.

I'm going to sound like a broken record by saying this, but eat if you're hungry. Just try to choose something nutrient-dense. I like mozzarella cheese sticks - my supermarket's generic ones are 80 calories apiece with 8g of protein. I also like a 100-calorie Greek yogurt (also tons of protein).

I've been doing this since March 31st, and you can see how much I've lost. I have my meal planning down, more or less, but I still have days where I feel like I can never eat enough. I also have days where I am more than full and have only eaten 1000 calories. On the former days, I try to snack on protein-heavy things, like cheese and nuts (in appropriate portions) so that I can feel satiated, and sometimes I do go over 1200 calories (I actually set my "goal" at 1400). On days where I feel like I've eaten enough but haven't, I try to sneak in some quick calories by fruit or something else healthy that won't make me feel stuffed but will add in a bit more healthy calories and vitamins and such.

Bulky foods seem to have a lot to do with the days when I am forcing myself to eat more. For example, I have a few sweet potatoes in the fridge right now - they are about 100-150 calories, depending on the size, and really make me feel full. Sometimes I can attribute it to my monthly cycle; other times it's boredom. If I'm busier, I tend not to notice that I'm hungry until I'm ravenous Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason as to why I'm starving on some days and stuffed on others.

Every day is different. Resign yourself to that fact, and don't allow yourself to feel like a failure because you went 100 or 150 calories over your daily budget on one day that you were actually feeling hungry.

The key is that what you were feeling was true hunger, and you were not wanting to eat out of boredom, anger, frustration, etc. When your body is telling you to eat, you need to eat!

Best wishes on your journey!

ETA that you can't, in fact, see how much I've lost. The tickers are acting up and not updating. Mine should read 74 pounds; I've lost 74.2, to be exact, since March 31st

Yep, definitely eat something. I haven't had your experience, but denying your body when you're truly ravenous will likely lead to binge eating later. Also, I'm not sure if you're able or not, but you could always workout or even just go for a walk to burn some extra calories. That way, you can eat more and not go over your calorie limit because you've burned off a bunch... Oh and also, definitely, definitely make sure you're well hydrated. The body is tricky and often thirst is misinterpreted as hunger. Hang in there... It will get easier!!!

When I started, I didn't worry about the number or try to even hit a calorie goal. I just logged a normal day of eating for me and tried to trim back little by little every day until I was down to my calorie goal. Welcome! It worked for me; hope it works for you!