I've been eating well, or so I think. But nothing seems to do. For a few days now I've been like a she-wolf on a constant quest for food. Sometimes it's sheer hunger, sometimes it's cravings so strong that I can touch them

I'm desperate with this. Please HEEELP!!!

Sorry for repeating threads, I posted this in the exercise section a few days ago but I hardly got any help.

Hmmm. Not sure if this is any help, but for me, there's 2 things that make me really, really hungry:
1) Exercising with an empty stomach
2) Exercising too hard
The first one is the worst - I need to fuel properly before exercise, or I'll be hungry as a wolf for the rest of the day no matter what I eat. The second one has a big effect too: if I go pole-walking, 50-60 minutes or even 70 is good, but any more than that (if my pace is brisk and I use my arms a lot) and I'll be tired and hungry for the rest of the day.

There's this telltale sign when I have messed up either one - sorry this is a bit yucky, but I can tell it from the smell of my sweat afterwards. If I'm just sweaty, all OK, but if my body starts to stink like some industrial cleaner, I have either fuelled myself insufficiently or done too much. And on those days I will be hungry for the rest of the day and have little energy. (I have tried to find out what that smell is - it's mentioned here and there by people who do endurance training, and might be sign of the dreaded muscle decay)

Hope this helps! Or if not, I'm sure someone else has better comments.

How much of this is mental? I have been doing intermittent fasting and by and large if I decide not to be hungry - even after a workout- then I am not.
Key is lots and lots of water.

PMS? That always makes me want to eat like I'm going to the chair.

Also, I have no idea how you're eating but you can't deny yourself an occasional treat in moderation. If you're too strict it can backfire. For example I still have pizza about once a month but I'll have 2 slices instead of 5 with water. Just don't get into a mindset that you can do this all the time.

I try to workout at least 5 days a week (never on empty) and most of the time I go beast mode which also makes me feel like I'm starving to death about an hour after. Usually I have beef jerky around to snack on after exercise so I don't go overboard.

For me, it was the nutrasweet that caused the most cravings. Also, what are you craving? It could be a sign that your body is missing something. I found after about two weeks of a magnesium supplement, my chocolate cravings went away. I believe I was deficient.

intermittent fasting worked wonders for me. Try doing that. Also, try distracting yourself with a hobby you love.

If you exercise you will need to eat more, plain and simple. If your body is actually truly hungry then you have to feed it. If you continue to ignore hunger it will backfire on you as it has backfired on me numerous times. What are you eating and how much are you exercising?

Hi thanks everyone!
To answer the questions:

I drink loads of water: at least a gallon daily. I'm the one who does the "one week gulp challenge" threads. I've been doing this consistently for about a month now so I believe that's not where the problem should come from.

Intensity of my workouts: I'm doing a training for a 10k with the yellow app on ipad. I'm finishing the 3rd week so it isn't all that intense yet. It's mostly about walking and running. It lasts 30 minutes max and I do it 3 times in a week, with always a day or two in-between.

I don't eat before exercising because I do it extra early in the morning (5am) due to some constraints. But I make sure that I compensate during the day with a balanced diet (veggies, carbs and proteins)

Allowing myself a few treats in moderation: Oh, I do just that believe me . I'm in this for the rest of my life so I make sure I eat some of the things I crave, but I make them fit in my daily calorie intake. No craziness here either.

Is it mental? I don't think so. I could be in doubt about the cravings, but the hunger is REAL!

Actually, apart from chocolate from time to time, my cravings are centered on QUANTITY and not on a particular food. Like, I want to stuff my face. Eat. Feel full. Shovel a good forkful of rice in my mouth and frankly chew it. For the past 6 months, I've been eating to satisfaction, and stop when I feel satisfied. It hasn't changed. And I don't want that to change.

It's so strange to me . I've been reasonable with the carbs, but I haven't cancelled them altogether. My gut is telling me that it is a message my body is trying to send to me. Like I feel that there's something missing, like I'm depriving my body of something that it needs due to my new lifestyle.

Just one example: On sunday, I woke up fine...had veggies and a little bit of grains. Later that day, at about midday, an abnormaly strong craving for chocolate sent me out of the house in search of chocolate. I had a sizeable chunk of it. I felt so full and satisfied, that I did not feel hungry anymore for the rest of that day! It was my last meal, as I did not feel like eating anymore that day.
Only problem is...I can't keep giving in to every single craving. This is what's actually making things difficult for me.

About the intermittent fasting: despite this current setback in my new lifestyle, I wouldn't like to change it. I'm trying hard to learn how to get in tune with my body and respect it. I've taken the party to learn and repeat how to do simple things which for me will be sustainable throughout time, no matter how circumstances may change. Until I started to exercise, it was working fine for me. I'd prefer to keep it up and not modify my metabolism again just because of this problem.

I'm thinking that maybe I should just go see a dietician. Maybe what I need is professional help.

I hear you on finding something you can stick with! That's what I'm doing even though my progress is slower than I'd like. The hardest thing - really the only hard thing for me - was cutting out the artificial sugars.

Are you taking any supplements? A daily multivitamin? I'm still heavy, but I no longer have cravings and my hunger is manageable. Normal even. I know I take a crazy amount of supplements these days. For better sleep, for better bones and teeth, for less aches and pains, and for sharper perimenopausal thinking. All of them contribute to my well being. But the 3 supplements that I believe directly help me with my weight loss are my probiotic, magnesium glycinate, and CLA.

I've got my sister (who has quite a bit of weight to lose) on those three as well and she has lost 8 pounds without even trying over the last 2 months simply because she's just not as hungry. She's recently put two of her friends on them and even though they haven't yet lost weight, they also report being less hungry.