Will I always be hungry?

Just curious for people who have lost a lot of weight. Are you always hungry? Were you always hungry when you first started to lose?

I am always hungry while sticking to my CC calories. Logically I know i'm getting enough calories 1500-1900 and so it shouldn't be this way.

Maybe it's more of a head thing but certaintly feels physical.

I wonder if after reaching goal and maintaining if I will always experience this hunger.

In the very beginning, it was torture, pure torture! Yes, I was always hungry and craving just about...anything (including the dreaded tofu. That's how hungry I was.)

The hunger is probably in your head. Recently, I've found that I'm not physically hungry anymore, but sometimes (read: ALL THE TIME) I still crave, especially around 10 and 4.

What sort of foods are you eating? I  have exprienced what you are talking about. I find that eating things with a lot of protein will curb this hunger.  I will also drink a full glass of water before I eat. Sometimes a glass a half, coupled with something healthy and chock full of protein and fiber. A whole wheat bagel, toasted, with natural peanut butter (with flaxseed, which has good unsaturated fats, NO SUGAR kind), especially with some bananas on top.  I recently got a type of cereal from the store called Optima Slim, which had all sorts of good things in it, that usually fills me up every time.   

I feel your pain - I used to feel hungry all the time too.  I have found that it very much depends on what I am eating.  The more protein and fibre I eat, the less hungry I feel.  The more refined carbs  / sugars I eat the hungrier I am, on the same amount of calories.  If I eat protein with every meal & snack it is great to help feel full.  I now have a goal of a daily minimum amount of protein and fibre, along with my daily calorie target, and I am rarely hungry. 

I hope that helps

Ax

I haven't lost a lot of weight, but I have lost 15lbs so I hope you don't mind if I chime in. :)

I agree with demerara - the types of food I eat affect me so much. I need good doses of fibre and protein to fill me up, or no matter how many calories I've eaten I still get hungry. I am no longer watching my macronutrients, but when I was I would aim for 110-130g protein every day; less than that and I didn't do so well.

In fact, I didn't do so well on low-calorie diets whatsoever. I usually ate between 1900-2100 calories per day. My sedentary maintenance burn is around 1800-1900, so I worked out regularly to ensure I had a deficit most days. Eating more revs your metabolism more and also gives you more energy to be active - it was a strategy that worked really well for me.

Sugar definitely makes me hungrier. I love fruit but have recently found that by eating a bit less of it every day and replacing it with wholegrain carbs (a toasted wholegrain bagel with fruit cream cheese is my latest fix) I stay fuller much longer than I would have on an equivalent amount of fruit.

If you are drinking a lot of juice or soda, they won't contribute to you being full. Caffeine can also cause an energy dip which leaves you feeling hungry. It can also make you dehydrated, and dehydration is easy to mistake for hunger. I have heard that artificial sweeteners can increase your appetite, but I think that's controversial.

Now I am maintaining and no, I'm not hungry all the time. I probably eat around 2200 calories per day but I'm switching over to not counting, which is working well so far. For me a really huge thing is mental deprivation. If I feel deprived, I will keep on eating regardless of what it's what I really want to eat - either that or I "Feel" hungry even if I'm really not. Allowing myself a less rigidly healthy diet that includes the odd piece of chocolate cake, chocolate or whatever else I fancy has hugely curbed my appetite - which just goes to show it was just in my head! So let yourself eat a portion of what you really crave and you may just find you are satisfied at the end of the day. :)

Not any more.  I lost most of my weight and have kept it off for nearly 2 years.  I still have 25 pounds to go and I'm doing maintenance for 6 months before I try to lose it, just to be sure I can keep it off.

The one thing I found that stood in my way was my need to eat large quantities.  At first I solved this by eating huge servings of the lowest calorie vegetables and small servings of higher calorie foods.  After a while I realized that if I didn't get used to eating less food I'd always feel that need to be full.  So I cut portions, suffered through it and did ok. 

My weight loss may be much slower than some, but it's off and staying off.  Read my profile for a full explantion of where I've been.

You might try adding a little bit of saturated fat to your breakfast and lunch.  A serving of whole dairy or a pat of butter or a whole-grain muffin baked with coconut oil.  I have found that this will stave off the worst of the hunger pangs, and it makes my energy levels much more even.  I tried to do this with lean protein, but it just didn't help.  It depends on your gender and body type, I think.

Saturated fats in moderation are actually necessary and good for you, so don't cut them out of your diet!

I was starving for the first two months of dieting by counting calories. I gradually adjusted my diet, especially increasing my water intake. I kept lots of carrots and celery, apples and fruit. I would take a few of these and drink a whole glass of water. That helped me.

Now, I have to remind myself to keep my calories high enough. I think it's because my behavior is changing, along with maybe my stomach shrinking, it that does really happen.

Keep it up, though. It does get easier, and the hunger goes away. Just make sure you're eating the right things by writing them down and considering the nutiritonal analysis that CC offers. I found that it was really helpful.

Original Post by corvuscorax:

You might try adding a little bit of saturated fat to your breakfast and lunch.  A serving of whole dairy or a pat of butter or a whole-grain muffin baked with coconut oil.  I have found that this will stave off the worst of the hunger pangs, and it makes my energy levels much more even.  I tried to do this with lean protein, but it just didn't help.  It depends on your gender and body type, I think.

Saturated fats in moderation are actually necessary and good for you, so don't cut them out of your diet!

^Very good point. I do this too, and it definitely helps.

I've also been reading the thread on high-fructose corn syrups (HFCS) and a few people there think they cause appetite spikes - it sounds like there might be something to it.

http://caloriecount.about.com/hfcs-ft151634

Are you sure you're truly hungry? Like is your stomach growling? 

When my stomach growls (which happens a lot), I eat. If you're truly hungry, I think the smart thing to do is eat. Sometimes I overdo it, so I'm working on not eating too much at one time. It's tough though because I'm a student and the professors get mad when I eat in class :/

If you are used to eating a lot or eating mainly fast foods. .. you will get to the point of giving up.. DONT!!!  I am not sure if you are exercising as this will curb your hunger some times.  Try green tea or a large glass of water. It hard to drink water if you are not used to it.. to me it feels like I am drowning. Ice chips does the trick and when its close to melting drink the rest... plus some say it takes helps burn calories better. Exercising is hard to do if you dont do it but beleive me I havent in five years and I love it! Dont give in over a being hungry this too shall pass in time. Eat more protien if possible.  I still drink Pepsi .. I cant give up everything.. but when a platue hits im going to diet Pepsi.. When you exercise and know what you have burned it is a huge help in wanting to eat more. I am very strict with my intake over this.  Hunger pangs are not always a bad thing!

I don't know... to me, "don't give in over being hungry" sounds like a recipe to overeat later. Small, regular meals does the trick - let yourself get too hungry and you will be much more likely to binge later.

My tips for avoiding hunger-pangs when trying to reduce calories.

• Eat/snack regularly... every 2 hours to start with.  Don't let yourself get too physically hungry if you can help it.
• Add lots of vegetables & salads to meals.... fill half the plate.
• Make sure each meal includes a little protein and fat - including breakfast
• Choose wholegrain, high-fibre, whole versions of carbohydrates.... avoid processed/refined carbohydrates
• Dodge sugar in all its forms.... even keep your fruit consumption to a piece or two a day.
• Stay busy....
• Eat hot meals and drink warm/hot drinks.  Warm foods/drinks are more satisfying and filling than cold ones
• Match BIG HUNGER with a small snack
• Always sit at a table to eat, eat slowly, savour your food, eat with others if you can..... eating 'on the hoof' is very unsatisfying
• Make your meals flavoursome and interesting.  Bland, boring foods are very unsatisfying.

And finally... one day every two or three weeks, enjoy your full 'maintenance' amount of calories whilst still keeping to the same healthy foods.  It's not pleasant to feel slightly hungry all the time and the occasional top-up is very good for the soul.

Hi kindal! I've been on diet and exercise for the last five months and have lost about  54 lbs and I do still get hungry occasionally.  In the beginning it was absolute torture because I went cold turkey on my favourite snacks... donuts, cakes, chocolate bars etc.

I rarely get hungry anymore and actually have to remind myself to snack sometimes to hit my calorie target... when I occasionally get a hunger pang though I grab fruit instead or a low fat yoghurt or some nuts or wholewheat seeded bread with some peanut butter and that usually does it for me... maybe it takes time and a lot of it is probably mental.... because I suppose I think about all the sweet things I used to gorge on everyday... I don't deprive myself though, once in a while I will have a chocolate or a piece of cake but very rarely and only when I've incorporated it into my daily calorie intake.

Good luck!

Original Post by kindal:

Just curious for people who have lost a lot of weight. Are you always hungry? Were you always hungry when you first started to lose?

I am always hungry while sticking to my CC calories. Logically I know i'm getting enough calories 1500-1900 and so it shouldn't be this way.

Maybe it's more of a head thing but certaintly feels physical.

I wonder if after reaching goal and maintaining if I will always experience this hunger.

omg i feel exactly the same as you. im trying to diet but ALWAYS feel hungry. im not starving myself or anything dont worry, i am defo eating over 1700 cals a day, but i wish i could just stop feeling so hungry all the time! im trying to recognise the hunger pains as being a good thing, but it doesnt stop me running downstairs and grabbing the biscuit jar. lol