why am i still hungry???
 

Hi all,

I'm starving all the time!!!! is this normal? loll

Here's a little background....
I've always only ate dinner then had a late night snack. And was never famished during the day and could always hold off my hunger until dinnertime.

Now I've been working on getting my matabilism up with eating regularly and exercising.

Here's what i've been doing. Been eating a good breakfast. grazing a few times a day on light snacks then eating a light dinner and grazing a bit after (since i',m a night owl and normally stay up till 2am).

My problem is, I'm STARVING alllll the time now. Even after i eat i'm still hungry! I'm sooooo not used to this. And it's driving me crazy. All i keep thinking about is food. I need to know if this is a normal feeling and if I am on the right track. This is my first reall, hard attempt at losing weight and i want to get off on the right track.

Here's what i ate and did today...
breakfast: 1 egg, 1 peice of toast with a tsp. of laughing cow cheese (35 cal), 1/2 cup grain cereal with 2 tbsp of ground flax seed.
lunch: lowfat yogurt and fruit parfait (bout 1/2 cup), 15 wheat crackers and red pepper humus
snack: fat free 90 calorie pudding pop
Dinner: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 100 calorie english muffin with laughing cow low fat cheese and tomatoe
snack: 15 crackers and red pepper humus

And i'm still hungry!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol. Man that looks like alot of food. For exersice i worked in my yard, burning and raking (alot!) for 3 1/2 hours nonstop. And am about to go do my Billy banks workout for 19 minutes.

Am I eating too much? not enough? I can't understand why i am still hungry and will this feeling go away when my body gets used to actually eaing like a normal person instead of starving all day then eating? Any thoughts?

TYTY all :)

Are you counting calories Debbie? Just off the top of my head that doesn't seem like that much food to me.

Are you starving like grumbling tummy hunger?

I agree, that doesn't seem like enough food.

Also, how much water are you drinking? When I first started trying to lose I had my hunger and thirst signals all mixed up.

I would be hungry if I ate that as well. Maybe eat something that is filling and that will sit with you awhile. Maybe some beans, some lean meat etc.

It seems like you're not getting enough of the types of foods that'll keep you full while keeping calories low...veggies, lean proteins...and maybe not enough food total.

How many calories are you eating in a day? You can enter the food in something like www.fitday.com to be sure.

If you're eating enough calories, start looking at how you're using them. 90 calories worth of pudding snack isn't going to keep you very full for long. 1/2 a cup of plain greek yogurt (60 calories) with some splenda and half a cup of fresh berries has more protein and fiber, which'll keep you full. You can make a big ol' salad for 90 calories with some spray dressing, and that'll keep you REALLY full.

Crackers never do much for me. Let's say that each serving of 15 crackers is 120 calories...you can dip a LOT of veggies in that hummus for that amount of calories (a cup of carrot sticks, a cup of bell pepper strips, AND 3/4 cup of broccoli!). You'll be a lot more full with all of those veggies in you than with 15 little crackers.

I second the idea about water, too. If you don't get enough fluids, your body can mistake that for hunger.

Originally Posted by DebbieLN:
breakfast: 1 egg, 1 peice of toast with a tsp. of laughing cow cheese (35 cal)

A Laughing Cow cheese wedge is 3/4 an ounce and has 35 calories...Are you eating just one teaspoon of this?


Overall, I'd say, eat more fruits and vegetables, more whole foods in general (think fiber, protein, nutrients, as others have said).

Well, no wonder your hungry! That's not enough food to sustain anyone. Too many carbs, not enough protein and fiber. Here are a few suggestions:

• Cut the flax seed down to 1 tbsp or a couple of tsps. That should be plenty and will free up some calories for more substantial foods. If you really need 2 tbsp of flax seed for a health reason (e.g., menopause), I think you need to add some calories to your day to allow for this.
• Switch out the yogurt parfait to plain lowfat or non-fat yogurt and fresh fruit. If you need your yogurt sweetened, use a sugar-free sweetener like Splenda or sugar-free Torani syrup. You'll be able to eat more more yogurt for fewer calories.
• Skip the crackers and hummus or at least limit it to just once a day.
• Make sure the cereal you are eating is low in calories and high in fiber. A little protein in your cereal would also be good. Try Fiber One, All Bran, or Shredded Wheat. That will be more filling and will free up some calories.
• Eat more substantial lunches and dinners that include lean protein. Are you a vegetarian? If not, include lean meat in lunch and dinner. If you are vegetarian, it is going to be a little trickier to get enough protein, but it should still be doable. When I am at 1200 calories, I still aim for 90 to 100g of protein a day.
• 3 eggs a day is a lot of eggs and they are using up valuable calories. It would be good if you could cut this down to 1 whole egg. Try switching some of the eggs out for egg whites or egg beaters. Try an egg beater omelet loaded with lots of veggies (and some lean meat if you aren't a vegetarian) for dinner instead the two eggs. This will free up some calories and be more food than you are eating now for dinner.

For the same 1200 calories you are eating, here is what I eat on a typical day:
Breakfast: 1 cup non-fat yogurt with 1/2 cup Fiber One cereal and 2 oz berries. (200 calories)
Lunch: Salad of 2 oz spinach, 4 oz broiled chicken, 1 oz low fat cheese, other veggies, 2 oz fruit, and balsamic vinegar dressing (250 calories).
Afternoon snack #1: oat bran or multi-grain hot cereal (130 calories)
Afternoon snack #2: Meg's Fiber One Muffin with non-fat cream cheese (80 calories)
Dinner: 4 to 6 oz lean protein, usually in a soup or casserole with lots of veggies or with a veggie on the side. Also a huge (seriously, 8 oz, I eat it out of a mixing bowl) green salad with low-cal dressing. (250-350 calories)
Post-Dinner snack: Something sweet, under 100 calories.

Yep, I'm in agreement here--what you're doing is a common error among those trying to lose weight. You've gone from starving in the day and overeating in the evening, to starving all the time!

You need to have more for lunch and dinner than you're having. In particular, you need to add protein beyond eggs. I personally don't see anything wrong with eating eggs every day, but you also need to ADD other protein sources. Chicken, fish, lean beef, lean pork, shrimp... or if a non-meat-eater, you need more beans, soybean products, other grains, cheese, cottage cheese, etc.

Like the other posters, I recommend you use a calorie tracker like FitDay or TheDailyPlate, etc., to keep a calorie count.

Jay

Yup, yup, I'm in total agreement with the others. You aren't eating enough or the right things.

Think: Protein & Fiber, Protein & Fiber, Protein & Fiber

Turkey & Chicken Breasts, tuna, salmon, veggie burgers, tofu, fat free yogurt, cottage cheese, egg white omlettes...........

Spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, butternut and acorn squash, broccoli, string beans, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots.........

Apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, oranges........

High Fiber Cereal, skim milk.........

I think you need to do some reevaluating and tweaking. It's hard to "know" what to do right away. With some experimenting you'll find the right mix. And please, don't hesitate to ask away.

I agree with what everyone else has said as well. I eat plenty of calories myself but still find myself hungry sometimes. I tried those GNU flavor and fiber bars and I have to tell you one of those kept me full for HOURS. I didn't even want dinner when the time came. The peanut butter ones are really good.

Debbie,

I immediately thought (right after reading your post, before getting to the replies) that you are eating too little. Somebody once said (in another thread) that she would be eating the drywall and I think that's what i would be doing if I was to survive on your amount of food. Can you add veggies? There are hardly any in your diet. Make yourself a big salad (spinach or romain lettuce, red + orange bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber) with some not too fatty dressing (I like Mediterranean dressing but choose what you like) and that will you up for a in spite of not being very calorie-rich.

My favourite snack is a kohlrabi with a Laughing cow triangle.

I love those crackers that you can eat a bunch of! Love to dip 'em in hummus. However, as much as I hate to admit it, I think the carbs in the cackers make me hungry.

hiya Debbie. I used to be a once a day eater too. Only two things to add - First, listen to these ladies, they know what they are talking about. I wouldn't have made the progress I have without their advice. Second, it takes your body a little time to adjust to new habits - even if they are better than the old ones. I think if you add those veggies and make sure you're getting enough water you'll find that you get into the new groove quicker than you think and the thinking about food all the time thing will settle down.

Just to repeat it one more time --- vegetables are our friends; really fill you up and also keep you busy chewing --- ditto for protein.

TYTYTY all for the great advice! Not only do we have to think about the calorie counting, but the nutrients as well! it's enough to make your head explode! lol.

I will try adding more protien and veggies. Just out of curiousity, does anyone use protien shakes? if so what kind?

I've been using fitday for th past 3 days and it's great. It's funny how you think you're getting all these calories but when they add up, they weren't that bad lol. I have 1 more question, what ratio should I be getting to maintain a steady weight loss? percentage as in protien, fiber, fats, carbs ....

TYTY again all, you all are such an insperation already. I can't tell you how much this board has made such a diffrence in my way of thinking and living in just the past week! Ya'll should give ya'selves a pat on the back for the hard work you've put in this far! Keep up the great work ladies!!!!! xoxo

Debbie -- I make my own protein shakes -- usually following a weight workout. Some OJ, frozen berries and protein powder!

I've also made protein shakes with coffee, skim milk and protein powder (choc powder)...

OR

coffee, diet hot cocoa mix and protein powder...

that's a great idea! I didn't even think of that. How many should you drink a day?

I personally don't drink more than one, and many days don't have one at all.

I got the "coffee" idea from the cafe at at the gym -- they sell a "mocha" protein shake, and I thought "hey, I can do that." So, my advice would be to look around at shakes people sell and see if you can do it at home! Lots of combinations out there!

Originally Posted by DebbieLN:
TYTYTY all for the great advice! Not only do we have to think about the calorie counting, but the nutrients as well! it's enough to make your head explode! lol.

YES!!! MOST DEFINITELY! I absolutely NEED to get the very, very most from my alloted calories. They MUST satisfy me. And nothing does that better then protein and fiber. Protein & Fiber. Protien & Fiber... Not only that, with veggies you get a lot of "mileage" for your money. You can eat a LOT of them. A good thing in my book. I like VOLUME. Volume's good ;).

And I find the things I avoid to be very important too. Crackers and "snacky" (sugar and high carbs) foods just make me crave more crackers and "snacky" food. Uh-uh. I'm looking to avoid that at all costs.

As far as percentages, I just aim to eat protein & fiber at every meal & snack and to stay within my calorie allotment. And it all works out fine.

I know this all seems overwhelming, but you will get it together. And this really can and will become a way of life for you. Best of luck. :)

What Robin said :yes:

I'm also all about calorie mileage. The great thing is, if you're dedicated to sticking to this, I PROMISE you'll find some way that works for you. You just have to keep trying things, and you'll hit on the magic combination of meal sizes, snack sizes, protein and carb and fat ratios that works for YOUR body. At that point, you can stick with that, and you'd be surprised at how much easier it gets (it's never easy, but once you know what your body likes in terms of those ratios and when you eat, it WILL be easier).

Keep experimenting. Maybe your body needs smaller meals more regularly. It probably needs more fruits and veggies and lots of lean protein (that's consistent among most of the big losers here). Maybe you need afternoon and morning snacks to keep your furnace going.

Keep here, keep asking questions, and keep going!

If you're looking for good pre-made protein shakes, try Kashi. It's really the best I've ever had, and VERY filling. The best part is that it lasts for hours.

Originally Posted by :
Keep experimenting. Maybe your body needs smaller meals more regularly. It probably needs more fruits and veggies and lots of lean protein (that's consistent among most of the big losers here).

Yup, yup, yup.

I found that I fit the classic pattern of needing to eat something small every couple of hours. I need a bit of protein and ... something. So I keep things around like string cheese and apples, trail mix with sunflower seeds and almonds, hummus and veggies, etc. I find if I make sure to eat lots of protein throughout the day, then I do much better in the evenings resisting the snack urge and not feeling hungry.

Also I find that the day *after* a hard workout is harder on me. I work out in the evenings after work, so when I wake up the next morning, I'm pretty hungry. I make it a point to have a good chunk of protein and a lot of veggies for a dinner after a workout and then to have a pre-bed snack of something with protein in it as well, which keeps me from waking up in the morning and wanting to gnaw on the wallboard. :)

It will take some experimenting to find what works for you ... as others have said. Don't give up and remember that if you're hungry (really hungry and not emotionally hungry) it's actually ok to have a healthy snack, even if it bumps you over your calories a little. Better to eat an extra 60 cals by snacking on an apple, than letting the hunger build and then blowing it all on a bag of chips or a snickers bar becuase you're starving and can't resist.

.