What about hunger?

I'm always moderately hungry. I only allow myself 900 calories a day so I've gotten used to the lingering hunger feeling. But when I get super hungry and my stomach starts growling, I normally pick up a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. I eat the fruit slowly and sip the water in between bites. Afterwards, my stomach isn't growling and I'm back to the annoying faint hunger feeling. My best advice is to drink A LOT of water and if you feel like you want to eat something small make sure you eat it slowly and drink water between every bite because it will fill you up faster.

:noway: That is NOT recommended !

Maybe not, but before I joined MFP I lost 20lbs in about 2 months by reducing my daily caloric intake and exercising more. So hey, if it's working for me I personally don't care if it's recommended or not. Sorry to be so blunt about it.

Sorry to be blunt back,. but: you will STALL. I will personally guarantee it. You will start having less and less energy to work out, if you go out for a speghetti dinner you will gain 5 lbs the next day. If you keep at this low of a caloric intake, soon your hair and your nails will start to weaken. We have all seen the stories before. When that happens, come to the group Eat More, Weigh Less. We will be waiting.

@Chrisb: Who doesn't stall when they are losing weight? I have hit a snag but instead of allowing myself to eat more, I workout harder. Ya'll act like I'm eating 200 cals per day. I've limited myself to 300 less than the recommended amount. It's not life threatening. Chiiiiiilll

Edit: Instead of commenting back on forth on a message board, message me personally instead and I'll be glad to share with you why I only allow 900 cals a day.

@Chrisb: Who doesn't stall when they are losing weight? I have hit a snag but instead of allowing myself to eat more, I workout harder. Ya'll act like I'm eating 200 cals per day. I've limited myself to 300 less than the recommended amount. It's not life threatening. Chiiiiiilll

Edit: Instead of commenting back on forth on a message board, message me personally instead and I'll be glad to share with you why I only allow 900 cals a day.

Personally, I don't care why you are doing it, or whether or not you follow my advice. I am only telling you that you are destroying your body, but...its yours. So have at it.

Obviously you care enough to continue commenting.

I go through this, I drink tons of unsweetened tea and normally the liquid will quell the hunger pangs. Also, I eat every couple of hours (ex: Coffe and granola bar-wait an hour- yogurt and tea-another hour, tea and trail mix- another hour tea and fruit.....)

i get hungry at times too. but i've figured out that i am not sure what real hunger is. what i do is try to drink something when i feel that way. i wait about 20 minutes. if i am still feeling hungry, then i will grab something higher protein and reevaluate in a little bit. sometimes what happens when i feel hungry is i will eat too much thinking that i need a lot more when really just a little more will do. i also agree to have protein high, even higher than what MFP recommends because they have it on the low side, and just try and listen to your body within reason. try eating somethign small but filling, wait, and see what your body is telling you.

So we know calories in vs. calories out, BMR, TDEE, macronutrients....and on and on. On paper we know what our body needs. But if I am giving my body everything it needs, why am I extreemly hungry at times? Not just emotional hunger....stomach growling, low blood sugar, cranky as hell. What role does hunger play in this weight loss journey? Do we just ignore physical hunger? If I eat more when I'm hungry, I go way over my "magic number" of calories. Thoughts anyone?

I had the same problem starting out, then I found out I wasn't REALLY giving my body everything it needed. My carbs were too high, and my fats and proteins were too low. I took some fruit out of my diet and reapportioned in some lean meat and cheese to fill that caloric void, and my macros were much closer to being in balance.

Voila!!!! I'm not a starving hungerbeast all the time, it's MUCH easier to keep within my goals, and I'm losing weight without (too much) discomfort.

Now, I won't say there aren't days I go over. I do. I won't say there aren't days I'm a bit peckish. I am from time to time. Cinnamon gum helps a LOT.

EDIT: I just looked at your diary - if you're logging correctly you are VERY short on proteins.

Could be that your TDEE isn't properly calculated for your activity level, maybe you went on the low side to be safe? Or didn't include your exercise? Or, as some others have pointed out, it could be about the quality of your food - lean proteins and healthy fats are great for helping you feel full longer as they tend to be harder to digest than carbs. (or rather they're processed differently)

From what you've said about how food is working for you, you sound like me. If I eat a meal of mostly carbs, like cereal, milk and banana slices for breakfast, I'll be starving and woozy in a couple hours. Pretty much all of my snacks and meals contain protein - I couldn't get through my day without it. And, as someone else suggested, swap out things like diet snacks and granola bars for whole foods like fruits and veggies. They tend to stick with you longer and are a more natural source of sugar and fiber.

My only other suggestion - if you're only eating three big meals, try eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day.
Good luck!

If I just feel like I have an empty stomach, I drink herbal tea. since it makes me feel full. If I feel crabby, lightheaded and hungry, I eat whether it will put me over my calories or not. If it keeps happening, examine your goals to see if they are too aggressive and look at what you are eating. Eating high carbs without balancing it with adequate protien and fat makes me a starving mess.

Food is fuel. Compromising your ability to live your daily life by denying your body fuel is neither healthy nor sustainable.