Any great advice on how to handle this constant hunger??? I'm always hungry. Maybe the only time of the day that I'm not hungry is when I have just finished a meal and that only lasts about 30 minutes then I'm hungry again. I am not certain that it isn't psycholoical but it sure feels real to me.
I'm doing the All Day Weight Loss Supplements and about everything else they recommend. I do 5 HNS each day along with 2 fibers. I ALWAYS drink 80 to 100 oz of water every day. I spoke to the counselor at the center and they gave me all the usual advice (water, fiber, supplements, etc) but I'm really still hungry. I just battle it all day long and afternoons is the worst.
Ok, enough of that. If you have some wisdom, I'd love it. Now on a happy note...I've lost 5 pounds and other than hunger, I'm feeling and sleeping wonderful. I am willing to live with the hunger if there is no solution but I'll probably need to log into this site everyday and read all these wonderful encouraging words to survive it! haha
I'll be watching this one too, as I'm the same way (though I need to up my fiber) and my buddy that's on it isn't hungry like, ever
Congrats on your 5 lbs!!
Are you eating your veggies cooked or in salad form? That tends to make a difference I'm trying to think of what else...hmmm...if I can think of anything i'll pop right back on.
Let me give you two words of advice -- neither of which will help
1) Think to yourself "hunger is the feeling of Fat Cells Shrinking!"
2) Be glad you still feel hinger! As soon as you STOP feeling hungry, it means your ghrenlin levels have fallen, your leptin and cortisol levels have risen, and your metabolism has begun its slow and steady decline......... which theres nothing you can do about, if you are going to diet! It happens on any diet, no matter how *good* no matter how *bad*
Maybe try a different appetite suppressant? I'm on the phentatrim and am never that hungry until about and hour or two before a meal, but I have an HNS and it gets me through.
I'm on phentratrim and I was still very hungry on it for a couple weeks. I just tried to ignore it and a couple times I had a few bites of protein when my tummy was grumbling and couldn't get to sleep. My center recommends the Enhancer as the best appetite suppressant they have, but I don't like the ingredients in it.
My center recommended that I take 3 fatty acids with every meal to control the hunger, in addition to the other suggestions mentioned. I'm not as hungry any more. Not sure if it's from the EFA's.
In my thinking, if you are hungry all the time, after a week or so, your stomach will start to shrink, making you hungry less... or as you lose weight, your calorie intake decreases, so eventually hunger shouldn't be so bad. Even though feeling hungry is annoying, I sometimes like to view it positively, knowing that I'm burning at that moment and being happy that I have control over it, by not cheating on the diet. I don't know if that sounds weird, but in my kooky head, it can help.
OK...here's my advice. I don't take an appetite suppressant...never have on MRC. I can't do most of them because I don't tolerate some of the ingredient. That being said, most of the time now, I don't struggle with hunger on MRC. Notice that I said...i don't struggle...now. I used to. I think the longer you're on plan, the easier it gets. I think your body adjusts to eating less. At least thats what i think mine did.
Until you can adjust, there are a couple things you can do to help. One is eating as much as you're allowed. If you normally eat cooked veggies, switch to raw. You get to eat more raw than cooked. Simply by volume of food this will help you feel fuller. Play around with your menu...try different proteins at different meals...chicken or turkey at lunch if you usually eat cottage cheese.
Eat all of your snacks....protein and HNS...don't think of them as optional. Eat them.
If you like strawberry banana flavor...buy the geletin HNS. I LOVED this when I was dealing with my hunger issues. It's insanely filling. Its a clear, so you can probably have 4 or 5 of them a day (depending on your menu). If you don't like that flavor you can make the regular HNS drinks into jello using knox unflavored geletin...I'll have to look to remember the recipe...but I'll figure it out if you'd like.
You can also try to figure out which on plan fruits are most filling for you at lunch. If it's an apple or orange instead of berries...then eat more of them. You won't lose as quickly eating alot of apples, but you can always let your body get used to eating all of that and then once hunger isn't an issue, back off to berries or something that burns better.
Sometimes at lunch when i have 8oz raw veggies, 6oz of protein, an apple and the jello, I end up almost not able to eat all of it.
My last trick for you is sugar free gum. Find a flavor that you like, but also one that doesn't make you hungry. I can't chew fruity gum because it makes me hungry. I chew spearmint gum usually...and some days I'll have a couple pieces. It's a little "sugary" flavor and the chewing keeps my mouth busy.
I hope some of this works for you. Hunger is the worst and I hope you don't have to deal with it much longer. Seriously...time might be the best thing for it. Let us know how things go.
Some interesting information about your stomach (from WebMD -- a reputable site for medical information) ...
To help set the record straight, Greenwald, Moyad, and NYU director of pediatric gastroenterology Joseph Levy, MD, helped WebMD prepare the following gut-busting challenge. Try to separate the myths from the facts to see how much you really know about how to keep your tummy healthy and happy.
1. Myth or Fact: Digestion takes place primarily in the stomach.
Answer: Myth. The major part of the digestive process takes place in the small intestine. The stomach takes in the food, then churns it and breaks it into tiny particles called "chime." The chime are then released in small batches into the small intestine, where most digestion occurs, he says.
Contrary to popular belief, Levy says, foods do not digest in the order they are eaten. "Everything lands in the stomach where it's all churned together, and when it's ready it's released into the small intestines together," he says.
2. Myth or Fact: If you cut down on your food intake, you'll eventually shrink your stomach so you won't be as hungry.
Answer: Myth. Once you are an adult, your stomach pretty much remains the same size -- unless you have surgery to intentionally make it smaller. Eating less won't shrink your stomach, says Moyad, but it can help to reset your "appetite thermostat" so you won't feel as hungry, and it may be easier to stick with your eating plan.
3. Myth or Fact: Thin people have naturally smaller stomachs than people who are heavy.
Answer: Myth. While it may seem hard to believe, the size of the stomach does not correlate with weight or weight control. People who are naturally thin can have the same size or even larger stomachs than people who battle their weight throughout a lifetime. "Weight has nothing to do with the size of the stomach. In fact, even people who have had stomach-reducing surgeries, making their tummy no larger than a walnut, can override the small size and still gain weight," says Levy.
Wow there is some very good information about hunger!!! Im still going thrugh this same thing not as bad as when I started the program. My counselor at the center told me to try and drink 64 ozs of water before 1 pm. I usually get hungry between my pm snack and dinner. This may help!!! Anything is worth a try!! The strawberry banana gelatin is really good and filling
Thank you all! There is some good information in all these posts. I am actually feeling less hungry the last day or so. I found out that part of my the nagging burning feeling that I diagnosed as hunger, was in fact, acid indigestion. I added a Pepcid to my supplement regimen and am feeling much more satisfied!
I still have episodes of hunger (late afternoon) but mostly feel pretty content.
BTW: I made the Turkey Lasagna from the recipe thread on this website tonight. It was delicious! My husband is on the MetaBalance meal plan and he really loved it. We both felt like we were cheating. I actually was a little because my plan doesn't really allow me any cheese for dinner but I didn't eat much. Anyway, that recipe gets a thumbs up from my family!!!
Thanks again for the wisdom and encouragement. I can use it!! Let's all have a wonderful week full of wise food choices!!!
Day 12 and STARVING!!!!
I am willing to live with the hunger if there is no solution but I'll probably need to log into this site everyday and read all these wonderful encouraging words to survive it! haha
I'm trying to think of what else...hmmm...if I can think of anything i'll pop right back on.
