I am CONSTANTLY hungry

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24

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  • yepitsjen
    yepitsjen Posts: 79 Member
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    You said something odd there... clay.

    PICA is a nutritional deficiency that can be caused by more than anemia. Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) etc. If you really want to eat clay, you should ask your doctor for a blood screen :)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)

    You might also be eating something that is upsetting your stomach. Oddly, when I eat stuff that doesn't agree with me, I feel hungry and keep eating. It's an internal urge to settle my stomach- sort of like how some people with ulcers drink milk.
  • vara123
    vara123 Posts: 60 Member
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    I'm fairly new to this (3 months in) but it sounds to me like your calories might be a bit low. I don't know what your start weight was or how quickly/aggressively you are trying to lose weight but it might be worth upping them. MFP recommended - on the basis of my stats and desired weight loss - that I consume 1300 per day. I simply couldn't go that low, and I think there is pretty good evidence to suggest regularly eating below 1500 (net) per day is a bad idea in the long run. I changed my goal to 1600 per day and it's really worked for me. Good luck!
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    How many meals are you eating? If you're eating around 5-6 then you can skip that and just eat 3-4. Sometimes I eat two meals and this helps stave off a bit of hunger since my meals are around 1k. In the end, you're trying to lose weight. You're going to be hungry and there's no way around it :p

    There are some things you can do:
    (1) Increase chicken consumption - I prefer beef but, let's be real, it's calorically dense. Chicken is lean as heck and you can eat a lot of it since it's mostly protein. Protein is more satiating, so more chicken = more filling.
    (2) Increase fat - If you're eating really low amounts of fat then this would make you hungry. The recommended minimum intake is 0.25-0.35g per pound of body weight.
    (3) Increase low calorie vegetables - I know some people that eat 500g-1kg of broccoli a day because they're so hungry.
  • kellybean14
    kellybean14 Posts: 237 Member
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    You said something odd there... clay.

    PICA is a nutritional deficiency that can be caused by more than anemia. Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) etc. If you really want to eat clay, you should ask your doctor for a blood screen :)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)

    You might also be eating something that is upsetting your stomach. Oddly, when I eat stuff that doesn't agree with me, I feel hungry and keep eating. It's an internal urge to settle my stomach- sort of like how some people with ulcers drink milk.

    Sorry, not literally. Though I am vegetarian so maybe there's a grain of sand...
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    Okay, I've made my diary public so you guys can take a looksie.

    It seems like the general consensus is that I am trying to lose too quickly. I of course want to reach my ideal weight sooner rather than later, but I think changing the goal to .5 - 1 lb a week is sound advice. (Just not what I wanted to hear.) :)

    I personally would not be happy with 1/2 lbs a week but it may work for you. Remember if you go too slow you are going to get discouraged with "not losing anything" easily too. Keep that in mind: how hungry I want to be vs. how quickly do i need to see it come off so I don't get discouraged. It's a balancing act. :smile:

    Everyone is different and it's all in what's attainable.

    The weight took a long time to go on, don't expect it to come off by tomorrow. :wink:
  • Lena1967
    Lena1967 Posts: 94 Member
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    I agree with the advice to not let yourself go hungry. If you do, your primal urge to keep yourself alive will override your willpower eventually and you will end up disenchanted with MFP and ready to inhale everything in sight. Well, that's what has and would happen to me, anyway. :laugh:

    Like you, I have less to lose and had to bump up my calories after the first couple of weeks so I didn't feel hungry all the time. (I looked up one of the sites on calculating TDEE that someone on here cited). I have still lost steadily, although not 2 lbs a week!
  • kellybean14
    kellybean14 Posts: 237 Member
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    Thank you everyone! I really appreciate your insight. :heart:
  • JLLemons
    JLLemons Posts: 16 Member
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    More water...maybe your body is not hungry, but dehydrated...or you're not getting enough sleep...or both
  • barbiecat
    barbiecat Posts: 16,984 Member
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    :drinker: :flowerforyou: if you are logging everything you eat, you can look over your food diary and see which of your calories come from things that aren't giving you any nutrition (alcohol, salad dressing, condiments, candy, etc.) and which of your foods have a lot of calories and don't provide as much to eat (cereal, bread, pasta) and re-adjust so you have more food to eat with the same calories.
  • Alifall414
    Alifall414 Posts: 13
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    I changed my goal from the advised 1200 to 1450 and wasn't hungry at all and lost 2 lbs in a week, so I changed it to 1350 and I have days where I'm ravenous and days when it's harder to eat the full amount cause I'm just not hungry. I've lost 19 lbs so far, and have 40 more to go. Been losing about 2 lbs a week so far even with higher calories built in. I also eat all my exercise points back. I also eat a lot of fiber and try to make sure I get enough protein too. And chewing gum helps me too. Good luck! :smile:
  • coconutbuNZ
    coconutbuNZ Posts: 578 Member
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    Eat more. Don't overdo it. Satisfy your hunger.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Okay, I've made my diary public so you guys can take a looksie.

    It seems like the general consensus is that I am trying to lose too quickly. I of course want to reach my ideal weight sooner rather than later, but I think changing the goal to .5 - 1 lb a week is sound advice. (Just not what I wanted to hear.) :)

    On the up side - I had a quick look at your diary - you are hitting your goal and macros really well. When you up your target, as one of the other posters suggested - eat only about 50% - 75 % of your exercise calories back - estimates for calories used exercising in MFP are often on the high side so you want to build in a buffer.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Recalculate your Goals. If you are hungry, you probably have your Goals set too aggressively.

    Your ticker says you have a little over 20 pounds to lose. You should be set at 1/2 to 1 pound loss per week. If you set your goals reasonably you will be given enough food. Don't choose "Sedentary" just because it is a choice. If you have a job or go to school or care for children, you are not Sedentary. Choosing a more active setting gives you more food.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    ^^^^ this

    you are hungry because you are trying to lose too much per week and therefore not eating enough. a goal of 1200 is very low unless you're like only 4 foot tall!

    have a look at this post, its great for explaining how much you should eat and why:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map
  • SARAHJSANDERS
    SARAHJSANDERS Posts: 1
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    Have you tried snacking throughout the day? Small, low cal and low fat snacks will help you feel full, and it will help keep your metabolism going. You could eat a serving of almonds in the midmorning, a banana or hard boiled egg in the afternoon. Anything with protein will help keep you full.
    I was thinking you may be suffering from Pica if you want to eat materials such a clay. As PeaceCorpsKat stated, it is due to iron deficiencies. You need to have this check by your doctor.
    Good luck!
  • kcummings07
    kcummings07 Posts: 1
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    Being fit and healthy isn't JUST about how much you weigh. Looking at your profile pics, you are beautiful and it looks like you just need to focus on toning up instead of slimming down! Push yourself hard during your workouts and fuel your body right, and you will get to where you want to be. Weight is just a number, and although it is a good guide, it isn't a tell-all.
  • kellybean14
    kellybean14 Posts: 237 Member
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    Being fit and healthy isn't JUST about how much you weigh. Looking at your profile pics, you are beautiful and it looks like you just need to focus on toning up instead of slimming down! Push yourself hard during your workouts and fuel your body right, and you will get to where you want to be. Weight is just a number, and although it is a good guide, it isn't a tell-all.

    Oh my goodness that was really sweet.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    it's normal. I did want to eat more, it was b/c of the increase in activity
  • SWEETS1234
    SWEETS1234 Posts: 243 Member
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    Eat it's okay but fill the hunger with more protine and fiber.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
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    I don't think she was literal about eating clay.
  • ottawagirl613
    ottawagirl613 Posts: 112 Member
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    i would definitely set your loss to .5lb per week and see how it goes from there.. i did that for the last 10 pounds and it actually came off at a rate of 1lb per week anyway.. and i was much fuller.. happier.. and energetic!

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