what should i do when im just so so hungry?

2

Replies

  • ladypinnix
    ladypinnix Posts: 4 Member
    Once you find the right balance for your own body, you won't feel hungry. I too was trying to stick to 1200 / day - I turned into a major B!*$& ! I increased to 1400-1500, ensuring most of my calories come from veggies, beans and lean meat like turkey. I workout and my net averages 1000-1200 / day. Thats the perfect balance for me. :-) I love nonfat cottage cheese, or nonfat greek yogurt as a snack. Also Jicama is a good alternative to a pear or an apple - more fiber and less sugar, but still sweet and juicy! :-)
  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
    You can eat more cause you are exercising. Therefore, you won't be hungry. Exercise calories are a wonderful thing, plus you will keep from losing muscle cause you're no longer starving yourself.
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    Once you find the right balance for your own body, you won't feel hungry. I too was trying to stick to 1200 / day - I turned into a major B!*$& ! I increased to 1400-1500, ensuring most of my calories come from veggies, beans and lean meat like turkey. I workout and my net averages 1000-1200 / day. Thats the perfect balance for me. :-) I love nonfat cottage cheese, or nonfat greek yogurt as a snack. Also Jicama is a good alternative to a pear or an apple - more fiber and less sugar, but still sweet and juicy! :-)





    Yeah i think i just need to get the hang of it and not forget everything i have learnt previously about nutrition just because im counting calories, somethings might have more calories but are actually less fattening because of the structure of the foods and how they are digested and broken down and all the rest, plus combinations of food, like bitterness stimulation receptors in the small intestine which produce bile to break down fats and lipids so out body can process them better...
    But i think your totally right... need to find a balnce.

    also i thought i had to stick to 1200, but lots of people are telling me that i shouldnt go under 1200 if im exercising.. so that confused me a bit.

    but im only a few days in so ill get he hang of everything.
  • mariacamera
    mariacamera Posts: 14 Member
    I think its fine for you to have a healthy snack. A suggestion would be to have a tangerine and some toasted almonds, and make a cup of tea. That is what I did yesterday when I was starving, and felt very satisfied after.
  • LuckBeWithU
    LuckBeWithU Posts: 173 Member
    Eat!!! Your body is telling you your hungry, so feed it.
    Just make good food choices...
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
    Ive only just started on mfp,
    and my diests never been a huge problem, i love to cook and sometimes probably indulged a little in the gourmet side of things but overall never to bad , lots of fresh food from the garden.

    but my exercise was really lacking.
    so im focusing mostly on that...
    but even 'healthy' foods seem to have lots of calories
    my first few days staying underthe 1200 calorie goal was easy

    but today im starving

    what should i do? is it ok to eat a little bit more if its healthy food and i do extra excersize to compensate?

    Why not eat more? You can lose weight by eating more and exercising. Why are you trying to stay UNDER 1200 calories? That won't accomplish anything .
  • Well first, please don't consume less than 1200 calories a day. Your body is not getting the nutrients it needs and you go into starvation mode. Assuming that you are within a healthy caloric consumption ratio and are looking to quell cravings hunger, try making an ice coffee made with sugar substitute and non-dairy creamer (mix that in before adding ice of course).

    Coffee is a mild appetite suppressant and the ice coffee can feel like a little treat. You can even add a dollop of lite whipped cream to give it a Starbucks feel.

    I made one at work this morning in one of those travel straw-lid tumblers and sipped on it all day and was surprise how little I was hungry during lunch and dinner. One side salad from Panera, half a panini, a croissant, and a bowl of cereal, and some edamame was all that I ate and I was happy and craving free. 8 )
  • rollyberry
    rollyberry Posts: 2 Member
    I just had a cheeseburger... this happens when I don't allow myself to have moderately filling snacks the cravings kick in and I give in sometimes and its a domino effect right after the burger I had a bean burrito because I felt bad about giving in to the burger... UGH! So frustrating but tomorrow is a new day and I can't lie they were SOOO GOOOD!
  • MeadowSong
    MeadowSong Posts: 171 Member
    I ate carrot sticks the other day instead of a cadbury egg.

    You are VERY VERY STRONG WILLED. Don't know if I could have done that!

    I second this!! I haven't said NO to a cadbury egg YET. LOL Nice job with the will power!

    I can turn down a Cadbury egg--it's a Russel Stover Chocolate Marshmallow egg that's the problem. I stockpile them. Sometimes I have to run a lot of laps this time of year.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    well you shouldn't be UNDER 1200 calories and if you're exercising you need MORE than 1200 calories; hence the "starving."

    Not necessarily true. People under 5' can have a bmr less than 1200. MFP just doesn't want any one starving themselves so they put that boundry on.

    You should be shooting for 80% of your CURRENT BMR. That may be less than 1200....but also probably not.

    Just work out more and eat some more. Or have some gum, that always works for me. :)
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    If you like pickles, they have 0 calories.

    AND A TON OF SODIUM.

    Not healthy.

    Eat some cucumbers instead.
  • lisaidem
    lisaidem Posts: 194 Member
    The way you can tell if you're hungry or just in the mood for something is..........True hunger---you'll eat just about anything. Craving----You have something specific in mind:tongue:

    I've never thought about hunger like that, and I really like that! It's true that hunger makes everything taste fantastic, but it's unfortunate that hunger (at least for me) usually leads to eat-whatever-I-can-as-fast-as-I-can, and that usually equals Chinese carry out or pizza. So I don't like to make decisions when I'm actually hungry, but I'll definitely think twice about why I'm saying "let's get Mexican tonight"--is it an innocent desire for spicy food or an emotional-based craving? Hmmm
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
    it is all slightly confusing though just because ive never done calorie counts.
    ive been trying to stick to 1200 calories or under regardless of what excercise i do ..??

    You SHOULD be eating the calories you burn from exercise back. Starvation mode alert!!
  • If you are hungry, having a healthy snack isn't going to kill you :) If you feel like it is too much work to count calories and your hungry all the time, you will probably end up quitting... so I say go ahead and have a HEALTHY snack.

    When I started MFP, I didn't know that exercising would increase my calorie allowance. As soon as I found out that If I exercised a little I could have a little more to eat... I went right to the gym :) On days that I know I am going out to dinner or drinks etc., I will exercise an extra 20-30 minutes or so... that way I can compensate for the extra calories I will probably eat at dinner.

    Instead of laying on the ground doing sit ups, try taking a fun class like Zumba or BodyPump.
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member

    Why not eat more? You can lose weight by eating more and exercising. Why are you trying to stay UNDER 1200 calories? That won't accomplish anything .
    [/quote]


    im new at this and still getting the hang of it, I had thought tho goal was to try stay under 1200.
  • If you are hungry, eat....Just make good choices. If you are excercising you should be able to go over the 1200 calories per day anyway. If you can not make the changes you are making fit realtively comfortably into your lifestyle, they will be difficult to maintain. Good luck on your journey. You can do this!
  • rz28e4
    rz28e4 Posts: 1
    So the trick is to not allow yourself to feel hungry. I was always told to eat every two hours and not allow your body to become starving. If you do eat that often and your still hungry try eating foods with lots of low fat and high protein foods. I hope this helps.:)
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    the actual type of food I eat definately isnt the problem. im a bit of a natural/health food freak. dont like eating processed foods, i dont like cream i think its revolting, i generally dont have a lot of dairy other than yogurt because it makes me feel gross, ive always eaten healthy foods, ( its the having a child and lack of exercise thats gotten me this big) just never calorie counted and was obviously getting confused about how it works.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Nods, the way MFP is designed is that you're giving yourself a certain deficit just by the calories. When you exercise, you burn calories, so when you eat the calories back you're maintaining the *same* deficit as you originally set.

    If your calories are going too low (for you), yes, it'll make you have difficulty concentrating and thinking. This is probably a sign that you're being too aggressive with your weightloss goals. A few low days won't probably do much, but after a few I start to think about food a lot and have intellectual difficulties. For me, the borderline between think/no think is at about 1400 net. YMMV.
  • mfp_1
    mfp_1 Posts: 516 Member
    30togomoveit wrote:
    a pint is 16 oz.

    473 ml = 1 pint US liquid
    550 ml = 1 pint dry (used for fruit etc)
    568 ml = 1 pint imperial

    29.6 ml = 1 ounce US fluid
    28.4 ml = 1 ounce Imperial
    28.3 g = 1 ounce avoirdupois
    31.1 g = 1 ounce troy (used for metals)

    If a pint is listed for a food item, reasonable readers (using liquid versions only) can interpret it as 16, 17, 19, or 20 fluid ounces. It's handy when food items list the metric value.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Eat something protein-laden. Or, make sure you're getting sufficient protein in the morning and afternoon so that your stomach isn't growling. I find protein shakes (or even making sure I get some grilled chicken or steak on a salad) to be really filling. If you're stomach-hungry and not just brain-hungry (bored, stressed), definitely eat something! Changing your eating habits shouldn't involve going hungry just to meat a calorie goal.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Hello Ebony_

    Just to explain how this site works. When you put in your details you were asked for height, weight and ideal loss per week. based on this MFP gave you 1200. This probably means that you probably either don't have much weight to lose (under 30lbs) or that you put in 2lbs a week loss - or both. The less weight you have to lose the less per week you should aim for, slower is better and healthier.

    Also, the figure MFP gave you allows you to lose weight without exercise. It is already low enough. As such, if you exercise you can, if you want, eat back those calories. I would recommend doing so as you NEED fuel for those workouts!

    I hope you continue to enjoy it here, it really is a great resource.
  • cbenzerga
    cbenzerga Posts: 65 Member
    If you are hungry, having a healthy snack isn't going to kill you :) If you feel like it is too much work to count calories and your hungry all the time, you will probably end up quitting... so I say go ahead and have a HEALTHY snack.

    When I started MFP, I didn't know that exercising would increase my calorie allowance. As soon as I found out that If I exercised a little I could have a little more to eat... I went right to the gym :) On days that I know I am going out to dinner or drinks etc., I will exercise an extra 20-30 minutes or so... that way I can compensate for the extra calories I will probably eat at dinner.

    Instead of laying on the ground doing sit ups, try taking a fun class like Zumba or BodyPump.

    What she said! Thats what I do!
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member

    You should be shooting for 80% of your CURRENT BMR. That may be less than 1200....but also probably not.

    Where on earth did you get this from? You should not eat under your BMR, unless you are trying to lose weight whilst being unable to move AT ALL. Your BMR is the minimum you need to function healthily.
  • BryGuy2
    BryGuy2 Posts: 244
    I ate carrot sticks the other day instead of a cadbury egg.

    Now THAT is impressive. I would most likely give in hahaha! Unless I had just worked out, then I wouldnt waste my workout like that. Way to go!
  • cbenzerga
    cbenzerga Posts: 65 Member
    Hello Ebony_

    Just to explain how this site works. When you put in your details you were asked for height, weight and ideal loss per week. based on this MFP gave you 1200. This probably means that you probably either don't have much weight to lose (under 30lbs) or that you put in 2lbs a week loss - or both. The less weight you have to lose the less per week you should aim for, slower is better and healthier.

    Also, the figure MFP gave you allows you to lose weight without exercise. It is already low enough. As such, if you exercise you can, if you want, eat back those calories. I would recommend doing so as you NEED fuel for those workouts!

    I hope you continue to enjoy it here, it really is a great resource.

    That was easy to understand! Nice LisaSmuts
  • jumptothebeat
    jumptothebeat Posts: 71 Member
    Eat hun if you are really hungry. If your body is shouting at you then it's completely fine (and right) to give in and eat. Make it healthy and you can feel totally guilt free. If the hunger continues then I would think about re-assessing your calorie settings.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I'm just going by every other thing I've read on here. Usually most people are very "don't eat under your BMR" - yours is the first time I've ever seen anyone recommend it. No need to get nasty, swearing in stars is still swearing, dear.
  • nbawden
    nbawden Posts: 3
    Veggies veggies veggies!
  • abettiga
    abettiga Posts: 2
    How much protein are you taking in? Perhaps a protein shake? I noticed if I dont eat enough protein I'm starving and head for junk food.