Help! Ravenous!
 

Having a dilemma.

So, I got home from working out and wasn't horribly hungry, so I had a big bowl of Cheerios with some honey. Thirty minutes later, I was starving, so I had some popcorn. Now it's another 30 minutes later and I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. But nothing sounds good except pizza :o

Don't worry, I'm not going to eat pizza, but this is really strange. I did have milk on my cereal, so I don't think I'm totally protein-deprived, but I don't know what to do.

Does anyone else get crazy/strange hungry like this?

Yup! If you're not doing anything special, my advice is GO TO BED!

I 100% agree with jenrica. Also, are you getting all the water in that your body needs? Sometimes if we are not properly trained to realize when our body is hungry/full, we can often make the mistake in deciphering hunger to thirsty. Often when I feel hungry, I ask myself if I'm truly hungry. Then I drink a glass of water, and if I'm still hungry after that, then I will eat something. More often than not when I'm hungry outside of my scheduled meals, it's because I'm thirsty.

Good luck!

~Mande

I get that occasionally...like tonight, my housemate and I made lasagna, and yet I was hungry again an hour later. But I just kind of toss it off as "I might be feeling hungry, but I know I've eaten. Just live with it." That works for me; but it might not work for you.

How do you guys do that though - it's like my stomache dictates my mood... and If I am hungry it's like I have to stop everything... arg.

Oh yeah - and usually I am busy and do have stuff I need to do - but I lose concentration...

Ok, so I went to bed... got up and worked out this morning, and now I'm so hungry I could eat TWO horses. Hahaha... I'm with you Bida, if I would've had something to do and couldn't have gone to bed, I would have been done for...

You need to have some protein after you workout and that will help with the cravings and fill you up.

Whenever I'm hungry, but I know I'm close to my calorie limit for the day, I either have a bowl of soup or a salad. A nice, big salad will fill you up, it takes a while to eat (which helps if you get "mental hunger"), and it can be pretty low on calories. Progresso has about 7 different soups with 100 calories per half can, they're hearty, warm and filling, and again, it takes a while to eat. While you should try to listen to your body, to see if you're really hungry, if you are hungry, sometimes a girl has got to eat!

I like dollypies suggestion too. If I don't eat within an hour after exercising I cannot quiet the belly beast.

When its late and Im hungry I go eat a big dill pickle and drink a big glass of ice water and try to do an activity that will take my mind off of the hunger.

But sometimes if you are craving something, its better to have a small piece and satisfy it. I used to just ignore it the craving and have a healthy snack, but then I was still hungry so I would have something else, and then sadly, I would give into my craving. But if I have a small portion of the craving food to begin with I would have really saved some calories (after browsing in the kitchen several times ignoring the craving) and been more satisfied! Hope that makes sense

Of course you managed to stave off the craving so good for you!! Just some words for thought :)

I have a lot of trouble with hunger, too, and no good answers. I take prednisone so that doesn't help. But my dose is low now so I can't imagine what causes all the hunger........even in the middle of the night when it keeps me awake.

When I eat anything with sugar in it or white flour, I feel hungrier. No matter how small/large the amount, sugar tends to elicit the "I NEED MORE FOOD" reaction. I steer clear of sugar, especially for a small snack when I'd definitely be tempted to keep going. For a snack I usually go for a fiber/lean protien combo like an apple and a cheese stick, or a banana and a yogurt.

Lindy

To Carolr3869, I was on Prednisone at only 5mg/day, and then 10mg/day, and I put on about 15 pounds in one month. I hated that stuff. It also made me very emotional.
It could be the prednisone. You want to ask your doctor about "Plaquinil" it's like a steroid, nut dosent have alot of the side affects that Prednisone does.
I was on Prednisone for Systemic Lupus, Do you have something similar? Just wondering, son't answer if you're not comfortable doing so.

Good Luck!

I have sarcoidosis, mainly a lung disease but the granulomas have caused high blood calcium which ruins the kidneys. I have had it for almost 30 yr but the real trouble came last summer.....really long story. My dr said I would need the prednisone for the rest of my life. What is planquinil?

Wow, I am the exact opposite of Slimming Down. If I have a small taste, I'm done for. Those cravings are usually sugar-y things, and once I start, I can't stop. No amount of discipline will keep me away! Eeep!

I'm the same as you, Mande. For me, a small taste just sets off the cravings. I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to control myself, but right now I just have to say no.

Hear, hear!

But I think of it this way. Always saying no to myself sure is giving me practice for when I have kids and have to say no to them all the time, hehe.

I think I have split personality disorder... the stomach has one personality, my brain has another... I've been trying to put the brakes on eating at night, and my stomach is angry. So I go to bed... then my stomach spends the next day getting even with me... this is probably just a ramble, but I was so hungry the last couple of mornings that I thought I was going to be sick if I didn't eat... wtf? I KNOW I get enough calories during the day... maybe it's the morning workouts... sorry if this makes no sense. I'm tired and a little wired from spinning... :o

I have the same problem and I know I'm getting enough to eat because I'm not losing.

Maybe you're dehydrated? Often we misinterpret thirst as hunger.

If you've tried everything - higher protein, less sugar/white flour, drinking water, etc - and are still having this problem, maybe you should see a doctor. I don't know what it *could* be a symptom of, but see if there some defined physical cause that can be addressed.

I've heard that it's good to eat protein after a toning workout, and carbs after a cardio workout. If you are doing a lot of cardio workouts, maybe try moving your carbs up in the day? Just a suggestion. I have no idea if this works. After my workout, I generally eat whatever is next on my meal plan :D