Always Hungry

led6777 · January 2012

I've been here for about a month and have stayed under my net calorie goal (1200) almost every day. However, I find that I am hungry quite often, to the point where my stomach grumbles and almost hurts and I feel lightheaded and a little panicked. I eat back most if not all of my exercise calories and try to eat frequently, but I still feel hungry pretty frequently.

I went from eating really calorie dense foods (lots of cheese, pasta, thick breads, pizza, chicken wings, sugary cereals, frozen meals, tuna/egg/potato salads full of mayonnaise, etc.) to lighter foods like seafood, chicken breast, yogurt, eggs, etc. Maybe my body still hasn't adjusted or something.

Any insights/tips highly appreciated.

kerrilucko · January 2012

1200 is an extremely low calorie goal. if you increase to around 1500 a day you'll notice you're feeling better and still losing weight. 1200 calories a day is simply not maintainable.

rockerbabyy · January 2012

do you eat your exercise calories? you might want to try that if youre hungry. or you could lower your loss-per-week goal by a half pound or a pound and youll get more to eat per day..
i dont think you should ever be so hungry it hurts and you get lightheaded. it sounds like 1200 isnt enough for you. i know it wasnt for me... ive found i need at least 1500 to function normally and not be grumpy

johnplil · January 2012

You might want to eat smaller portions of 5 or 6 meals per day. 1200 calories/day is extreme. Also, try eating cleaner foods with no preservatives and no sugar.

Pebble321 · January 2012

Yup, it may be that 1200 just isn't enough for you - I find that anything under 1400 cals/day leaves me seriously grumpy!
There is no point cutting your calories really low and then finding that you can't stick to it - better to increase the numbers a little (and fit in some pasta or rice or a little bit of cheese). This might mean that you lose weight a wee bit slower, but if it becomes something you can stick with, you'll be much better off in the long term.

When i started (almost a year ago!) I set my goals to lose 1/2 pound a week which meant I was eating nearly 1700 net calories a day. This meant that I started out with an attainable daily calorie allowance and once I got used to this I dropped it a little bit. Never to 1200 though! I found that as soon as I started eating better I lost more than 1/2 pound a week anyway.

douglasmobbs · January 2012

The foods you mentions are mostly very low in fiber. Apples are a great fruit for fiber, maybe oats for breakfast, carrots, broccoli, beans and peppers are all good veg options. A high fiber diet is not only healthy but helps fill you up for very little callories.

j4nash · January 2012

as mentioned, up your fiber and protein..

led6777 · January 2012

Thanks everyone, I just changed my calorie allowance. I can be very impatient and would obviously like to see big results right away but I agree that sustainability is key, and this is just not enough food for me!

Eleanorjanethinner · January 2012

Hi there,

I can't see you food diary to give more detailed feedback, but how you feel and what you should be eating depends on a whole variety of things.

I notice you've lost 6 pounds in a month - that's a fairly big loss, though not impossible (particularly to start with - weight loss gets harder as you move towards your goal). So, you could well change your settings to aim to lose a pound a week and feel more comfortable that way.

How much are you exercising? If you're doing lots maybe your body is a bit starved of nutrients to build muscle with?

You could also:

*Drink at least 8 cups of water a day
* Eat a filling breakfast (oatmeal, an egg on toast?)
* Eat filling, low cal snacks during the day (search other threads for heaps of snack ideas).
* Keep your protein up (I tend to go over my set protein limit every day as I find it helps keep me satisfied)

Also, have a soul search and see what you can find out about your emotional/ mental health. Did you previously eat 'cos you were bored, sad, angry, tired etc? If so, you'll need to find healthier ways of dealing with those feelings instead of subconsciously converting them to cravings.

Good luck on your journey and be gentle with yourself! If you're changing your whole lifestyle, that's a pretty big thing to deal with.

waanju · January 2012

1200 is an extremely low calorie goal. if you increase to around 1500 a day you'll notice you're feeling better and still losing weight. 1200 calories a day is simply not maintainable.

I agree that you may want to increase a little. However, 1500 is a bit high for some people. For me, for example, 1500 is to GAIN weight (maintaining is 1460-ish) Try to got for one pound lost a week, that's a doable goal. Also, you can literally stuff your stomach with sugar snap peas or lettuce or tomatoes until you cannot possibly eat more for under 500 calories... which is helpful.

STACEYaLK · January 2012

Lots and lots of veggies, like carrots, lettuce(in salads), celery(which is fibrous enough to burn more calories as you digest it), etc. Peas are a big no no(as according to Weight Watchers, they are points). I eat a lot of Subway(as I work there) and I eat a grilled chicken wrap with tons of lettuce, spinach, onions, tomatoes, and NO sauce. It is about 300 calories, but I feel nice and full when I'm done eating it. Even if you buy chicken breasts and a variety of veggies, you can have a decent, filling lunch/supper for lower calories... Even a bowl of homemade spaghetti, i often use chicken, made with fresh tomatoes and other veggies(like carrots, bell peppers, celery, and onions) isn't the worst thing. I have spaghetti and meatballs for supper yesterday and it was a total of 250 calories, but it was filling. The biggest thing I'm finding is keep away from sugars, because any carbs you eat will turn into sugars, and a lot of salad dressings/condiments. Mustard is probably the best condiment you can have, and I hate mustard, so I stay away from all of them.

Hope this helps.

DKBelle · January 2012

Try to eat some veggies/fruits as well when you are hungry. Veggies will full your stomach for sure.
Also here is my recipe site where I show what I eat daily with recipes. You might get some healthy cooking idea.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooking-ideasHomemade-Healthy-Foods/179121125503371
Feel free to add me/ ask me anything

led6777 · January 2012

I just changed my diary to public so if anyone wants to take a look at it, feel free! Don't be too harsh though please

pandamonium1987 · January 2012

I have found that the "hunger" comes and goes. For the last couple of days I've felt like a hungry gremlin! And I also understand the feeling faint or dizzy bit. I have extremely low blood pressure and I found that if I maintain a steady-state blood sugar level, I'm less likely to feel whoozy. So my advice to you is this:
-Eat often
-Eat foods that have a low GI complex
-Avoid sugar or refined and processed foods
-Eat foods with a high fiber content
-Drink water
-Don't starve yourself!

Maintaining your 1200 calorie intake is not impossible! For example, a typical day for me is:
-Breakfast: 1serving of high fiber cereal with 200ml milk (or replace milk with chocolate soya milk)
-Mid-Morning snack: 1 or 2 servings of fruit
-Lunch: Low GI bread with some cold meat or cheese, with a salad (or 300grams of "snack" veggies like carrots, sugar snap peas, cucumber or celery)
-Mid-Afternoon snack: (I usually skip this, but when I'm hungry i snack on something that will be below 200 calories - can even be something "bad" like chocolate. If it exceeds 200 calories, I simply leave out my starch portion at dinner)
-Dinner: 1 Portion of meat, 1 (smaller) portion of starch, loads of veggies to fill me up!
-Liquids: 2 cups of tea/coffee with skim milk, no sugar.
lots and lots of water!

Good luck!

Brittmy · January 2012

I make veggie soup as a snack- super easy.
1 container of beef broth (I use college inn brand)
1 normal size bottle of v8 original juice
1 container frozen veggies
1/2 cup barley

you just leave it on med-low heat for about 1.5 hours and eat when you get hungry.
Here is the kicker. THE WHOLE POT IS ONLY 600 CALORIES! The WHOLE pot!!
Hope this helps!! :-)

ivoryrose98 · January 2012

I'm always hungry too. I eat the same, 1200 calories, this is what i've always eaten I only joined to track my excercise and weight loss I have a very continual breakfast 45g Just Right w/ 1/2 cup milk or museli with yoghury and fruit. My lunches are the highest calorie in my day usually a sandwich or an egg e/ toast on the lighter days, dinner is fine as long as i keep to my portions but my snacking sometimes takes me up to 1300 calories and I still feel hungry on those days or even straight after a meal. My blood pressure is 138/80

margo36 · January 2012

I had a quick look at your diary and I don't see any vegetables. I tend to use veg to bulk up my diet to fill me up.:flowerforyou:

JenelNguyen · January 2012

I agree with the sugar snap peas!

JenelNguyen · January 2012

Gotta eat Vegetables to feel satisfied. You can eat a lot for a little calories and feel amazingly full, you'll start having to look for that protein to keep your calorie intake up.

kerrilucko · January 2012

:flowerforyou:

GrammyWhammy · January 2012

Hi there,

I can't see you food diary to give more detailed feedback, but how you feel and what you should be eating depends on a whole variety of things.

I notice you've lost 6 pounds in a month - that's a fairly big loss, though not impossible (particularly to start with - weight loss gets harder as you move towards your goal). So, you could well change your settings to aim to lose a pound a week and feel more comfortable that way.

How much are you exercising? If you're doing lots maybe your body is a bit starved of nutrients to build muscle with?

You could also:

*Drink at least 8 cups of water a day
* Eat a filling breakfast (oatmeal, an egg on toast?)
* Eat filling, low cal snacks during the day (search other threads for heaps of snack ideas).
* Keep your protein up (I tend to go over my set protein limit every day as I find it helps keep me satisfied)

Also, have a soul search and see what you can find out about your emotional/ mental health. Did you previously eat 'cos you were bored, sad, angry, tired etc? If so, you'll need to find healthier ways of dealing with those feelings instead of subconsciously converting them to cravings.

Good luck on your journey and be gentle with yourself! If you're changing your whole lifestyle, that's a pretty big thing to deal with.

This! Esp. the protein and water. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Working for me!

kerrilucko · January 2012

1200 is an extremely low calorie goal. if you increase to around 1500 a day you'll notice you're feeling better and still losing weight. 1200 calories a day is simply not maintainable.

I agree that you may want to increase a little. However, 1500 is a bit high for some people. For me, for example, 1500 is to GAIN weight (maintaining is 1460-ish) Try to got for one pound lost a week, that's a doable goal. Also, you can literally stuff your stomach with sugar snap peas or lettuce or tomatoes until you cannot possibly eat more for under 500 calories... which is helpful.

this would only be the case if you are already very small. The OP weighs around 200lbs as per her ticker. at that weight 1500 cals is nowhere near a gain. I usually find 1400-1600 a reasonable calorie alottment.

kpetrie1 · January 2012

How is your water intake? When I get hungry, water is my help

led6777 · January 2012

My calorie goal is now ~1500. I'm 5'9" and ~195lbs, so I think this is low but good for weight loss.

Thank you all so much for your help. I am definitely going to increase the fiber intake and force myself to learn to love vegetables and beans!

kateroot · January 2012

I took a peek through your food diary - work on upping your protein and fiber and trying to eat less processed and sugary foods if possible. They cause crazy blood sugar spikes that will leave you hungry shortly after eating. That should quell the hunger significantly. Hope this helps!

Always Hungry

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