Hungry All the Time!!

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  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    If you're having trouble getting started, you may consider going through your pantry / fridge / freezer and getting rid of the junk. Replace them with better choices, lean meats, vegetables.

    Log absolutely everything. Build your diary in advance and be sure your drinking plenty. Some of those hunger feelings may be able to be satisfied with water. Diet drinks if you must have something carbonated.

    Alot of what you're going through is likely your mind, trying to keep you in your "learned behavior".
  • eliz_in_pink
    eliz_in_pink Posts: 278 Member
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    Eat more protein. It will help with hunger. Carbs won't (generally).


    I find when I eat more protein it helps supress my hunger. Try a protein shake in the morning with a LOT (not just 10 grams) of protein.

    I hope it works for you, as it did for me. I know everyone is different :flowerforyou:
  • jla891
    jla891 Posts: 13 Member
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    im also recommended for 1200 calories a day!!! im starving... trying trying trying ...and like that guy said...hungry to me though makes me think...HEY ..you really dont need to eat....you'll eat later. Hang in there... or try a BIGGER breakfast in the am..... :)
  • reyna99
    reyna99 Posts: 489 Member
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    YEp more protein! At least 1 gram per weight so if you weigh 130 you should be getting that many grams of protein!
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
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    MORE PROTEIN AND FIBER!!!!!!!!!!
  • MoooveOverFluffy
    MoooveOverFluffy Posts: 398 Member
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    I am seriously hungry all the time. I try to eat healthy and I try to stay within my allowed caloried but I am starving. I eat plently of fiber. I drink lots of water (as evidence by how much i pee). I do several small meals throughout the day so I can space it. Nothing seems to be helping. I need either a very strong appetite suppressent or another trick I haven't tried. I'm having such a hard time losing weight.

    I had a similar problem. A couple months ago, I upped my calorie allowance to 1500 and was eating 5 small meals; but I found my stomach growling constantly. Three weeks ago I decided to try something different. I still have my goal set at 1500, but now I eat a much larger breakfast 400-500 calories, and around 300 calories for lunch. The big breakfast keeps my tummy happy until about lunch time. I have an afternoon snack and a decent sized dinner. In the last 2 weeks, I finally started seeing the scale move.

    I have also found it helpful to bring a container of frozen veggies to work, if I get hungry towards the end of the day I can throw them in the microwave and "steam" them and that keeps me from snacking while I cook dinner.


    ^^ THIS. i also used to do the several small meals a day thing, but i was ALWAYS hungry. Now, i find that eating a bigger breakfast helps me eat less throughout the day. and PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN!! Last things, is i will sometimes have an unsweetened herbal tea to help "fill me up" in between meals.
  • THINtense
    THINtense Posts: 42
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    It helps me to snack on fruit! Fresh raspberries, apples, and blueberries are my favorite! Of course, I always want them with raw cashews or peanut butter, but that's another story ;) I also agree with the suggestion about going to the gym! While it can definitely make you hungrier, I know that I definitely don't want to "un-do" my progress by overeating or making unhealthy choices after I work out, so I'm less likely to pay attention to my hunger...if that makes any sense!
  • karentr75
    karentr75 Posts: 2 Member
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    First of all - if you are eating 1200 calories a day, you need to re-examine that. Or see a nutritionist. This is the problem with some of these programs. Please digest this: eating 1200 calories a day is the absolute LIMIT and you should never,ever go lower, In fact, 1200 calories a day is barely enough to keep your body from eating itself. Up your intake immediately. Eat more protein. Eat more nuts (count out 12 almonds at a time with a piece of fruit. I do it every day). Eat one ounce of raw avocado and put it in a salad along with your protein.

    You should be eating1500 a day at the very least. I am 5'6 and I currently weigh 142. My goal is to hover around 135. I'll get there very soon. I am a nutrition and fitness writer who went to graduate school and gained about 15 pounds. I'll admit that. But, I know what I'm talking about.

    Start researching on the Internet. Go to some .org (nonprofit), .edu (university) or .gov (government) websites and see what you really should be eating. This calorie counter should be used as a GUIDE and not the be-all, end all. You do not trust .com websites generally. They are for-profit. Attached is a link to a very reliable source: Colorado State University: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09353.html
  • vivianahm
    vivianahm Posts: 54 Member
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    I can't offer any suggestions, I am also hungry all the time. For me, when i am hungry, i hammer down 16-32 oz of water. It helps, but doesn't make it go away. I take in over 150g of protein a day, and I drink 1 gallon of water at least per day.

    I personally feel like when I am hungry, thats a good thing. I take in enough calories to support my activity, but to lose weight, to me you should be hungry. Being hungry to me reminds me I am doing this right..........also fighting the cravings is a battle of wills........

    I agree with many things that have been said:
    I am hungry most of the time, but when I began using MFP I was hungry all the time. I t gets better as you get used to it. I am still very hungry in the afternoons.
    I try to eat something when I'm hungry, I think it helps more than just staying hungry. Right now I was starving and ate two rice cakes and 1 cup of lettuce with lemon juice.
    Try to discover what types of food work best for you, as someone suggested, for me eating avocado is a great appetite suppressant, and it's healthy, so I try to eat it often.
    I also "discovered" (i know everyone knew this but me) that if I workout I can eat more! It's a big motivation for working out!
    And the reason I quoted the above: what has helped the most is getting used to feeling hunger. I think I had forgotten how to feel hungry, I ate too much! I also try to take it as a reminder of successs!
    Good luck
  • cbl40
    cbl40 Posts: 281 Member
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    1200-1300 calories/day I find so hard to do as well! I have always had a hearty appetite. I exercise a lot, which allows me to eat more calories, but it makes me more hungry. ; ) So, it's finding that balance. I agree with another member saying to eat a 400 or so calorie breakfast. Nancy Clark, a well known sports nutritionist, says it is good to eat a 400 calorie breakfast and 400 calorie lunch! Keep it up, you'll get there!!
  • ShandiH
    ShandiH Posts: 232 Member
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    More protein - eggs help me in the morning. I find that my body needs more protein than the amount allowed on my 1200 calorie diet so it doesn't bother me if I go over my protein amounts. I pay more attention to my sodium and of course, calories.
  • Zarebeth
    Zarebeth Posts: 136 Member
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    I have a great answer that really will help and has the benefit of being good for you.

    Every day around 11:00 a ravenous beast emerges and tells me my body wants FOOD. But I don't want to feed it until noon, so I make myself a big old steaming mug of GREEN TEA. The hot liquid really satisfies my hunger better than cold water, and it also helps with my metabolism. But the best part of it is, it is so good for you - packed with antioxidants! I feel better than I have in years. Just an overall feeling of well-being. I haven't lost that much weight yet, and maybe it's the good food choices, but I can really tell when I skip.

    I don't like the taste. At all. So what I do is brew up the cup, then steep a bag of herbal tea in a flavor I really like (I Love Lemon is a good one, so are the Berry and the Zinger flavors). A little Stevia and I am set! If you have issues with caffeine, it is easy enough to find in decaffeinated. My friend is doing that and she said the same thing about how good she feels.

    If I forget or just don't want something hot, I double the Stevia, then fill a big glass with ice cubes and pour it over the top. Tastes good iced, too.
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I am loving all of the helpful suggestions!
  • mung222
    mung222 Posts: 58 Member
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    Everything i read is extremely helpful. Thanks for the feedback. This is what i love about this site. I have upped my calorie intake bc 1200 was just too low for me right now. I am doing 1440 and will just decrease as I lose the weight. I am going to start upping my protein intake as well bc i'm probably not getting enough. And looking at my food diary I can see where i need some adjusting. I was afraid to make it public for fear of judgement, but what the hell!!! Read away!!!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Goto Tools>BMR and hit calculate. This should be your absolute minimum since if you don't move and are fed through a tube you should be getting at least this amount for the sake of your brain heart and lungs. MFP caps out at 1200 because it thinks less then that is unhealthy.

    From this MFP:
    "Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating.
    Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise.
    Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations to estimate your BMR which is believed to be more accurate than the more commonly used Harris-Benedict equation."
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
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    I too suffer from a ravenous appetite even when i was eating 4-5k a day id still be hungry. I found the only thing that helped me control my hunger was to reduce meal frequency. Using intermittent fasting has helped a lot, i get to devour 90% of my calories in one meal and actually feel full.
  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
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    Not good! Guys, Girls You don't have to go hungry to lose! Listen to your body. If your body is hungry it is telling you to eat! You are not eating enough! I have lost 31 kg in 22 months & have maintained my muscle mass, & have had plenty of energy for my sport & exercise. Not once have I gone hungry. Also the weights have given a lovely defined body!

    To the people here starving themselves (ie going hungry). Don't do it you don't have to starve yourself to lose fat! I have a couple more kgs to go & I'm eating between 1800 - 2200 & I'm losing still.
  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
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    I have a great answer that really will help and has the benefit of being good for you.

    Every day around 11:00 a ravenous beast emerges and tells me my body wants FOOD. But I don't want to feed it until noon, so I make myself a big old steaming mug of GREEN TEA. The hot liquid really satisfies my hunger better than cold water, and it also helps with my metabolism. But the best part of it is, it is so good for you - packed with antioxidants! I feel better than I have in years. Just an overall feeling of well-being. I haven't lost that much weight yet, and maybe it's the good food choices, but I can really tell something hot, I double the Stevia, then fill a big glass with ice cubes and pour it over the top. Tastes good iced, too.

    I don't go by clocks. Some people will wait till the *official lunch clock time* I eat when my body tells me I need to eat. My body clock time! You don't have to wait ya know for that magical number to appear on the clockface.
  • dollymixsix
    dollymixsix Posts: 112
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    If I ate back my BMR I'd be eating 1,967 cals a day...seems way too much :\
  • Vanjoo
    Vanjoo Posts: 23 Member
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    Same problem here... I try to stay away from all those starchy, fatty, sugary things and I end up very hungry and only thinking about food :tongue:
    My problem is that it seem as though nothing but pizza or French fries is enough. Water or fruit makes me even MORE hungry.
    Any advice?

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