I really need help getting my hunger under control
Hello 3FC, I know it has been forever since I posted, but I am really struggling with my weight loss. I haven't lost weight in weeks, and although I guess I should be thankful I haven't gained I am still really sad. I wanted to be at goal by the end of summer, but I think this setback has kinda screwed that up for me.
For some reason, the last few weeks have been ****. I've never really had a problem with hunger since I learned to add protein and veggies to my diet, but for some reason I have had this horrible hunger the past few weeks. It doesn't matter how much protein I try and eat, I've even tried protein shakes and bars, but this hunger just won't go away. In fact, it seems like no matter how much I eat I am still starving. I have also felt really tired and sluggish, and so I have been starting to slack on my strict exercise regime.
I just really need some help and advice as to what I should do about this. I appreciate anyone who has maybe gone through this before or has some ideas. Anything would be appreciated! Thanks everyone.
IDK are you missing some kind of nutrient? Is there a specific food you are craving? I find there are just days where I am INSATIABLE its how I got to be where I am at. I can not get enough food no matter HOW much or what I eat.
My experiences Water Helps
Celery/Cucumber to Snack on (again they have a lot of water)
At least it is pretty hard to 'overeat' those interms of calories, you are liable to feel sick from a full stomach before you are capable of eating "too much" of those if you aren't using any dip with them
Tea , the decaf kind, like a mint tea or something flavourfill
Nuts, I know nuts are calorie dense but if you try maybe just portioning out a single serving of almonds and eating them straight for a snack or adding them to salad or a stirfry the healthy fats in them might be what you are craving.
Etc just experiment like that. To see what your body is missing...
Dunno if that helps at all, I have days where I am insatiable but I don't think its ever gone on for weeks at a time (then again I usually give in and just eat on those days so probably get whatever it is my body is missing)
I have a very hard time eating my veggies, but I finally found a salad dressing that has zero calories! I think it's from Walden Farms. Now, when I want to snack and I know I shouldn't, I just cut up either some celery or cucumber into sticks and I dip them in this dressing and it really fills me up....so far so good!
Maybe you need to see a doctor and have your thyroid checked amongst some other things. If you're not sleeping enough, that could also stimulate the appetite.
I know it's not the healthiest option, but I find since being on BC I get random hunger pangs occasionally, so I've been using coffee as a way to keep the feeling at bay. I find the caffeine in diet coke doesn't do anything to suppress my appetite but coffee really works for me personally.
Green tea works very well for some people, or just try to keep drinking something throughout the day to help prevent the hunger pangs.
As long as you're eating fairly healthy it may just be a phase or some adjusting in terms of your newer diet.
If you're taking any kind of medication/birth control you could consider if maybe it's that also.
In regards to feeling sluggish, I find taking a multivitamin with iron makes all the difference.
You might want to try a supplement, or a range of supplements, in particular something with omega-3 in it, like flaxseed or fish oil. You may also not be getting enough iron, which would account for the lack of energy.
Me too! I came on here to post the exact same thing. Except I've only just started and I can't tell you guys how hungry I am!
I'm calorie counting, and I know that I'm probably being a bit strict on the calories, (I had about 1000 today) but I'm still eating 3 meals a day + a couple of snacks. And I'm not exercising at all, because I don't have time with my exams at the moment. I ate a boots shaper sandwich and a pack of crisps (my unhealthiest, carbohydrate packed meal of the day. Probably since the diet started) and I was full. I was finally happy! But I went from being so full... to 2/3 hours later being REALLY hungry again! And so I ate a cod breaded fillet with LOTS of salad for dinner... and a few hours later I'm in hunger pain again.
My breakfast (2 weetabix) is barely taking the hunger away, let alone filling me. And that's a typical portion size for weetabix!
So yea. I'm getting plenty of protein according to my calorie counter. I suppose I am tireder than usual... I'm not getting much iron at all, and I've been sleeping about 10 hours a night as a result. But I probably could have happily done that before the diet.
I know 1000 calories is lower than it needs to be but it's only 200 calories less than what this diet programme I'm using recommends, and I hardly think that's the difference between me being full and me being STARVING so to be honest, if I have to deal with hunger either way, I'd rather do it without the 200 calories.
Last edited by cantgetenoughchoc; 05-08-2011 at 06:30 PM.
@Cantgetenoughchoc: Have you considered cutting down on your carbs? They give a good rush at the beginning, making us feel full, but the effect doesn't last long (essentially, our blood sugar crashes) and can leave us feeling hungry again. I'd consider focusing more on lean proteins and veggies with the occasional good carb like fruit or brown rice.
The first week is always the hardest as your body adjusts to the new routine. Stick with it!
What are you eating? Carbs stimulate hunger in a great many people. Fruit seems to be the exception and helps satiate. You might want to try a low carb diet.
Also, keeping busy is very helpful. If you start to feel a little hungry just change the topic in your mind. Ignore it and eventually it will go away. If you think about it your hunger will only increase.
Have your sleep patterns or stress levels changed?
My best advise is food/hunger/mood/health journal. I"d suggest documenting not only food but hunger, mood and energy/alertness levels (and possibly even sleep patterns, such as how well you slept the previous night and any naps if you choose to take them), and possibly even the day of your menstrual cycle (for example day one of your period would be day 1), or even the weather outside.
The reason I suggest documenting all these, is because you can find surprising patterns.
Several years ago when I was trying to get to the bottom of some health issues, I bought a health log called "MemoryMinder" (the new edition is called HealthMinder) to help. On Amazon.com, you can use the "See Inside" feature (just use HealthMinder in the search box) to see what the log pages look like if you're interested.
You don't need a formal log of course, but logging some of these helped me find patterns with my hunger that I might not have otherwise noticed. For example
TOM - this was one that was so obvious, I recognized some of it, before logging. I knew that I was always insanely hungry the week before my period (so insanely hungry that I called it "rabid hunger" and hubby called me "werewolf"). But what I didn't notice was that the week after my period I had iron-clad willpower, and little hunger. This week I was able to stick to my food plan without problems. If I was going to voluntarily go off plan, this was the week to do it.
Fatigue, stress and sleep deprivation - I've found that fatigue and stress can drastically affect hunger and appetite. Changes in sleep pattern also can change hunger levels.
Carbohydrates - I find that high-carbohydrate foods (sometimes even fresh fruit, though to a much lesser degree than other carbohydrates) do tend to trigger and increase hunger. I avoid or severely limit concentrated sources of carbohydrates (breads/starches/grains, sugar, dried fruits...) and try to eat fruits and vegetable carbohydrates with some fat and protein.
I have to avoid or drastically limit dried fruits and fruit juices, because blood-sugar and hunger-wise, they're really more like candy and Kool-Aid.
Weather - Even the weather can affect my hunger levels. When it's cold and damp or raining/snowing, I want to sleep and eat. I don't know if it's just another case of my body confusing the need for sleep with hunger, but hubby teases me that it's the "hibernation" instinct.
Boredom - This isn't just psychological. It's also physiological. Even lab and zoo animals eat more when they don't have anything else to do.
You'll have to do some experimenting to see where your hunger is coming from. That's also where a food journal comes in handy, because you can not only use it to find potential problems, but also to evaluate if your experiments to solve the problem are being effective (just remember it takes time, weeks and even months of time to identify real patterns and not just coincidences, so don't just experiment, repeat your experiment several times before concluding that you've found - or solved a problem).
to curb the hunger I sip on some coffee or tea..if you don't want caffeine there are caffeine free teas.
I feel less hungry having some good carbs during my meals.. brown rice, potato, ezekiel bread.. Plus protein and fat. I guess I follow The Zone/South Beach Diet ratios. I get hungry just doing the protein and veggies thing. Everyone is different and maybe you need to switch up the foods to find what works for you.
There have been phases for me as I've lost the weight. I'll go for weeks without much hunger and then a week or more of being ravenous. Someone posted that the hunger phase comes just before a whoosh of weight loss. I can't say, for sure, that I've noticed that effect, but it helps me to stick it out a few more days.
Do you write down what you eat? Sometimes you can look at what you've been doing and find a change that you hadn't realized was there which caused the change in your hunger, energy, and weight.
Is it possible that the hunger is not from true appetite but might be head hunger? Head hunger is probably the top villain in weight issues.
Regarding food, I find that protein bars make me feel icky. I'm also not a fan of protein shakes. But the days that I feel absolutely the most energetic are the days that I eat lots of green things. The more veggies I eat, the better I feel.
Oh right. Thanks guys, I think I just assumed carbs had the opposite effect! Ha! I will definitely try to cut those down. I have been tbf not really having carbs - it was only that one meal where I was out and about and STARVING that I craved for the carbs. But I'll definitely not bother next time.
I've also been tempted into having lots of salad rather than veggies because of the warm weather outside, but I might swap them for a few days and see how I feel with the vegetables.
@kaplods - thanks. That's actually a good idea. I've only been doing it 7 pitiful (hellish) days and I have already forgotten what meals seemed to do the trick and what didn't. And it would be definitely useful to know how my TOM affects what I need from my diet.
Okay. Well I have to go shopping today anyway so I'll buying protein and veg and lots of fruit. Thanks guys!
Maybe your body is "rebelling" against the weight loss, especially if it is rapid, and trying to force you to gain a few lbs. If you eat enough protein fiber and veggies you shouldn't feel physical hunger, but maybe mentally you feel like you can't eat enough. This sounds like a plateau to me, if you can ride it out your body should go back to losing weight, don't feel disappointed and give in, be consistent. Focus on strength training and lose inches and tone up even if you cant lose actual pounds for now. Good luck to you!
I really need help getting my hunger under control
