Out of calories for the day and still hungry
 

So what do you do when you've run out of calories for the day (say, early evening) and you're still hungry for some reason?

I've found that if I stay busy it helps. Or even better, if I leave the house where there's no refrigerator/cupboard.

I evaluate if I am hungry or bored/tired etc. If I am actually hungry I eat something.

eat veggies !!!! i like to mindlessly eat cabbage with salt and pepper ( shredd the cabbage )

If it's early evening, I'll have a small snack if I can't hang. Like those 90 cal or 100 cal packs.. and drink lots of water.. :)

My veggie of choice is broccoli with some shake-on Parmesian cheese sprinkled on it with some salt.

Hungry as in a mild discomfort with hunger pangs or hungry as in light headed and sick feeling? If it's the former, I drink some water and suck it up. I've given in to my dislike of mild hunger for way too long. I don't see anything wrong with getting used to the feeling; it's a part of being human I haven't had a ton of experience with. The latter, on the other hand, I'll eat something small but filling like a fiber bar and some skim milk.

Good luck!

If you're hungry, then eat. Your body is asking for food. That is why CC doesn't make sense to me. You can't know exactly how many calories your body needs to function day to day. I was not so hungry yesterday, today I had a mammoth appetite, and I have no idea what tomorrow will bring as far as hunger goes, but I don't ignore it either. It's like ignoring the urge to go to the bathroom, and asking your neighbor, "what do I do?" when the urge to pee arises. See my point?

Pickles. Failing that, something else relatively low calorie to tide me over. If I'm 10 or so calories over, though, I don't stress it, as long as that's the exception and not the rule. It rarely happens, though. Most of the time when I think I'm hungry, I'm actually just kinda bored.

I always save at least 100 calories for the evening. If for some reason I have no calories left I'll ignore the hunger and try and keep myself busy. All else fails I go to sleep.

Quarterlife88, you have just expressed what I have been kind of dealing with without realizing it. I am a calorie counter, and I've been dealing with a recent upsurge in my appetite that has confused and frustrated me. I have decided to not be so restrictive with my calories, and listen to my body each day and if I am hungrier than my daily calorie allotment allows, I will have a little extra to eat, as long as it is nutritious and helps feed me. I might lose weight slower, but if I am extremely uncomfortable every day, I won't stick with the plan. Sometimes our bodies know better than the calorie logarithm calculators what it needs.

Tricon7, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. My advice is, listen to your body and if you are truly hungry, eat something nutritious and filling, and relatively low in calories, just like what a lot of previous posters have said.

How many calories a day are you allowing yourself ? It helps if you spread them out through the day.This is how I do mine :
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Snack
I eat something about every 3 hours . My snacks are usually about 100 calories. Spreading calories throughout the day keeps you from getting hungry and wanting to eat everything in sight.

If you don't have a high blood pressure problem, try a low calorie soup under 200 calories. That will fill you up for awhile! Drink plenty of water too. (I dump red pepper flakes in mine and it force hydrates me because it is so spicy! LOL)

I had that problem last night and this morning, I just ate more than usual of non trigger foods-I made saute with water-eggplants, onions and broccoli-ok its all gassy but sooo filling! To add flavor, I add some dry indian spices cause its 0 or low cal.
Most of the time, I just wait for the feeling to pass, but if its that bad, I give in and eat some more-not cause going over 100-200 cals is bad, but I try not to make it a pattern, so 200 wont turn unto 300 and beyond.

Try pulses...soke them overnight and cook them with ginger, garlic, onions, cilantro and spice of your choice and salt.
Keep them handy.
After having your greens eat your proteins and then pulses. You will feel full.

Comparing hunger to urination is a poor analogy. Hunger is controlled by a large number of hormones and environmental factors. Needing to urinate is caused by a full bladder. For example - if you walk by a resturaunt and smell food your appetite might be triggered. If you walk by a pool your bladder will not suddenly fill up.

Consider this - some people find their appetites stimulated by working out. Others find their appetites suppressed from working out. Both burned extra calories ... with different results. How could this be if our bodies were communicating hunger accurately to us?

In fact, most people don't even know what real hunger feels like because most people have been raised in an abundant society. Most people if they relied on hunger alone would find losing weight difficult. Speaking for myself it would probably be impossible.

Having said that - I'm all for people being a little flexible with thier intake. Counting calories doesn't have to mean that one must eat a specific amount each and every day. Some days you're going to eat a little more, some days a little less.