[BoobsNotBombs]

Three days ago I began trying to lose weight. I reduced my calorie intake and started taking long but moderately paced walks. I'm currently about 235 pounds and 5''6.

My questions is--will the hunger pangs I feel ever go away? I'm talking about the kind of hungry you feel in your stomach--that empty feeling that hurts and nags at you until you fill your belly.

Today I've eaten 1800 calories, but right now my stomach feels so empty. It'd be so nice to just eat a sandwich or something. I've read about the importance of picking a diet you can stick to, and I just can't imagine everyday feeling as hungry as I do now. Sometimes I'll be able to resist, but often I won't be able to.

Should I up my calories? I'm afraid that if I do I won't lose any weight.

Is this a phase? Will it go away? I really hate being hungry all the time!

[Dariann]

BNB, what diet are you on exactly? You may need more protein or less carbs. Are you drinking water. Also exercise can make you real hungry. You might want to wait a few weeks then do the walking. I have protein at night. I am on a low/to mid low carb diet and it is the first time ever not being hungry cause I eat every 3 hours. I have to eat so I dont get hungry every 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. Protein and small amount of carbs and do this all day. So I eat 5 to 6 times a day. Hope this helps.

[BoobsNotBombs]

Thanks Dariann,

I'm not on any particular plan; I just try to stay within a certain limit of calories (1600-1800 for now) and have the suggested balance of carbs, protein, and fat (50% or so carbs, 35% fat, 15% protein....is this off?).

I'm probably not drinking enough water...I mostly drink diet coke throughout the day. Maybe that's the problem? I just find water to be kind of gross. Tastes like nothing.

I'll try upping my protein and lowering my carbs a little and see if that helps.

[suzan]

I agree with Dariann.

I also eat every 3 hours, and I am in a low carb diet too. I do eat the 'good' carbs moderately, that is food high in fiber.

I also fill up my breakfast with protein which leads me to feel less hungry. For instance my breakfasts would be (1) 3 egg whites on a whole wheat toast (2) oatmeal; its great and fills me up, I do it with skimmed milk or soy milk. (3) protein pancakes, I use oatmeal and egg whites mixed with spices and top it with sugar free syrup and sometimes fruits.

On my snacks I tend to have almonds, raisins, cereal bars, and fruits. I tend to choose a little portion. I also drink lots of water. Are you drinking a lot of it? it fills u up too!

As for when I walk, I come back home and snack on a bagel. After a workout I feel the need to eat carb but in a small portion.

And to be honest, the hunger you feel, its normal. And specially since you are only on your 3rd day. Your stomach, and body are adjusting. Your insulin levels are asking 'whats going on?'.. this is what I believe. Give it a couple of more days and you will eventually feel 'used to it'. Dont forget, losing weight is not easy, we just have to be loyal to it.

Good luck!!

[cherry7211]

I remember when I 1st started dieting again I felt REALLY REALLY hungry but with time my body got used to the change of foods and I wasn't hungry sometimes I can't even eat all my calories!

[Windchime]

I find that diet Coke makes me feel a lot hungrier than when I'm not drinking it. It was almost false feelings of hunger or something. I used to start my day by drinking 2 diet Cokes at my desk, first thing in the morning and I was ravenous all morning. I was kind of hooked on it, but I managed to break the habit and it was a LOT easier to control my appetite that way. I still have a mid-morning snack, but now it's just normal, slight hunger I feel at that time instead of ravenous, must eat NOW (and often!) hunger. A great side-effect was that I also now have way fewer migraines that I used to have when I was on the diet Coke.

I have a hard time understanding it when people don't like water, but you're far from the only person who has said that so it must just be me. Have you tried water really cold, with a slice of lemon or lime? Also, I really like the fizzy waters like Talking Rain, so you might give that a try.

My answer to hunger, especially in the beginning, was to eat something. Honestly. I try to make it something that's good for me, like an orange, baby carrots, string cheese. But if I am really, truly hungry (and not just feeling munchy or bored of fake-hungry from artificial sweeteners), then I eat. Even if it puts me over my calories for the day, because if I'm truly hungry then my body needs food. NOT junk--food.

[Carly Smoker]

Ditto on the eating more protein and lean meats. They will help you stay satiated.
About the water thing, you could try seeping a green tea bag in a water bottle in the fridge for a couple of hours and have that as a drink. I find it really good. Jasmine green tea is even sweet.

[Starbuck]

I think your body will get used to eating less after a while.
I've only been dieting about 2 months, and can't imagine eating as much now as I used too. I wouldn't be able to do it.

[ringmaster]

good advice given above, along with protein also try to get in fiber. Something I learned from Jillian Micheal's is you can take those fiber supplements to help fill your stomach.

also, make sure you are hungry and not just having cravings. When I smell a trigger food, see a commercial for a yummy food or even read a recipe or see an ad for a food online, or just craving something it can all of a sudden feel like hunger when 30 minutes ago I felt fine. You said you wanted a sandwich, so it could be a craving. Could you eat raw veggies or are you just hungry for your old favorite foods?

[katkitten]

I used to hate water and now i love it but i'm not really sure how that change happened so I cant give you advice. A lot of people I know carry around those crystal lite packets. You should try that! Also,some of those fruit flavored waters taste like sno cones to me! =0)
I am a big fan of veggies. Especially those steamfresh veggies that are in the frozen foods section. Whenever I am hungry I can just pop one of those in the microwave. The entire bag is 140 cals (I like the one with the broccoli and water chestnuts) and it fills me up because of all the fiber. If I've eaten all my calories for a day and am still hungry, I'll have one of those because I figure it's much healthier than any alternatives I can think of and I think they're yummy. So I guess my advice would be to find veggies that you like prepared in a way that you like them (but not with any fat)(try roasting them! that's delicious!!) and have that available for these circumstances.
I also find it helpful to talk to myself sometimes. If I just ate an hour ago and the food I ate was a healthy combo of protein and fat and carbs and yet I'm feeling hungry I'll say to myself "that's silly. you can't be hungry that doesnt make any sense!" and then I'll take a bottle of water and I'll drink the whole thing because, in those situations, it is usually thirst and not hunger at all.
I have heard that diet coke can actually MAKE YOU hungry, btw. It is the aspartame. I've heard that it can cause fluctuations in your blood sugar that could make you more hungry.

[katkitten]

Oh! I also wanted to say that, if you incorporate veggies into every meal, you will fill up more for less calories and will be less likely to run out of calories at the end of the day! If you dont like veggies, start pairing a serving of them with something you DO like and eat the veggies first. Over time, you will begin to appreciate them.

[rockinrobin]

I stay full by eating LOTS and LOTS of food. I go for volume. I do that by loading up on tons of satiating, low calorie, FIBER laden foods - ENORMOUS salads, huge platefuls of roasted vegetables, large platters of cut up veggies, cucumber salad, Israeli salad. All throughout the day. And of course along with that I eat protein and fruit and drink lots of hot tea and water. I eat often. Sometimes it's every hour, but usually around every 2 - 2 1/2 hours. I count calories, but WHERE MY CALORIES COME FROM really, really MATTERS. No 100 calorie packs for me. I need to get filling power from my food and those over in 2 seconds calorie packs don't do it for me. Now give me a large 100 calorie apple and I'm good for quite some time. PLUS, I'm not going to have an urge for another 100 calorie apple, which would be the case if I ate that 100 calorie snack pack - I'd want another. And another. And probably still yet another.

You're in the early stages here. Keep that in mind. This is an experimental time. As you find what foods work for you - and which ones don't. You will get the hang of it and it WILL get easier and simpler. Your food choices will evolve. Hang tight. You're doing the greatest thing you can possibly do for yourself. Give it some time. Have some patience as you try and work through this initial discomfort stage as you break the old unhealthy habits and learn these new and healthy behaviors. You'll get there.

[katkitten]

hmmmm...web md says the claims about aspartame are unfounded but I've found numerous research articles that suggest it is
http://journals.cambridge.org/action...ine&aid=886000
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3298939

I know diabetics who would swear it affects their sugar and I have, in fact, seen patient's blood sugar do bizzare things when they started drinking diet coke between meals....but, then, I've seen patient's blood sugar to bizarre things for no apparent reason at all too so....that doesnt mean much. haha

[JayEll]

I'd suggest that you raise your calories by 100 cals a day--give yourself a little extra leeway there. Make your extra 100 protein foods and/or bulky foods. You can eat a lot of carrot sticks with hummus for 100 calories!

Jay

[Sunnigummi]

I was also going to suggest eating carrots with dip (hummus is a great idea!) or any veggie that you like really.

Here's a low-cal recipe for hummus that I stole from Glory87. It's super delicious and really tastes like the original!

1 can of chickpeas (save the liquid in the can)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 medium cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and start at low speed while slowly drizzling in the can's liquid. Stop when it reaches the consistency of hummus.

This takes no time to make, so it's a quick recipe too.

Whenever you feel hungry after a workout, why don't you eat a banana or an apple? That always fills me up and stops me from craving more. Like Robin, when I eat a cookie, I'll want another cookie and then another, but a fruit stops those cravings and hunger. It's a win-win situation.

To me, water is the most delicious liquid ever. Especially when I am super-thirsty from a hard workout. Yum. This is going to sound conspiracy-theory-ish, but I truly believe the chemicals in soda mess with your tastebuds and make you think that water tastes awful. It's designed to keep the dependency on these fake products (soda) going to keep their business from failing. This is why I hate soda with the passion of a 1000 suns. Try spritzing some lemon into your water to give it more taste and cut down on the amount of soda you drink now. It can only help.

You can do it!!!