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Why am I always so hungry?

Hi, sorry if I  posted this in the wrong forum. I'm new here.

I've been dieting for almost four months now and its just really starting to get to me now. I am always, always hungry, even after I eat. I can't even remember a time when I ever felt full. Usually I can ignore the hunger but lately its gotten really bad to the point where I get headaches and I cant pay attention in school.

Is there something wrong with my diet? My doctor did not say anything was wrong with it.

For breakfast i normally have 1/2 cup of oatmeal ( i heat it 6 and by 8 i'm almost starving!)

for lunch turkey on 1/2 whole wheat roll with almonds or a banana or yogurt

and for dinner chicken and mixed vegetables

This is really starting to discourage me. :(

That doesn't sound like it can come to very many calories at all! And since you mention school, I'm guessing you are under 21, so you need more calories than an adult.

Getting headaches from hunger and being unable to concentrate is not a good sign.

What are your stats, and have you totaled the calories for a day's meals?

Looks to me as though you are eating about 700 to maybe 900 calories a day -- that's severe starvation. The mental fog is just the beginning of the physical damage that that kind of calorie restriction can do to you.

So, up the calories immediately to 1400 and more if you are exercising regularly.

Your current breakfast is about 80 odd calories. Have a full cup of oatmeal and add a banana, apple and maybe some milk or soy milk.

Have a mid-morning snack -- anything -- granola, cheese, carrots...whatever suits you.

Your lunch has the essential ingredients. Make the turkey on an entire whole wheat roll (not a half) and add a salad with a bit of oil and vinegar as well as a good couple of handfuls of almonds, banana and yogurt.

Have a mid-afternoon snack -- whole wheat crackers, raw veggies, or if you have a sweet tooth then a fig newton or two or high fiber cookie if you'd like

Dinner, add some starch -- a baked potato, whole wheat pasta, brown rice.

These are just some off-the-cuff ideas but this site is covered with brilliant meal plans that get you to 1400 or so calories a day. Use the calorie counter to get a sense of whether you are meeting your body's energy requirements or not.

You are trying to lose weight, so 1400 will allow you safe weight loss each week while maintaining all your vital body functions (like mental capacity). 1200 is listed as a bare minimum but it only applies to completely sedentary adult women (that means no walking to classes, no nothing except maybe using a remote channel changer and this does not apply to you).

Hope this helps and you'll find the tools on the site really helpful for getting a sense of the amount of calories in foods and the portions you need as well.

You are hungry because you are simply not eating enough. As others have suggested, ESPECIALLY if youre under twenty one, eat more. No wonder you cant pay attention in school.

If you continue this way, you are either going to starve yourself or you are going to react one day by eating whatever the hell it is you can get your hands on, and binge. Neither feels good or is healthy and will only makeyou continue to have a weight and eating issue.

A healthy diet for a school going kid/teenager would be:

A banana with your oatmeal (I hope you use milk) as well as two egg whites.

A mid morning snack- maybe a piece of fruit or toast or even a piece of healthy grilled chicken.

Add some veggies with your lunch roll- veggies have a lot of fiber, few calories and fill you up. And top it off with yogurt or a banana.

An afternoon snack- again, a piece of toast with peanut butter; or a fruit smoothie.

And if you are still hungry after dinner, have a small cup of warm skim milk.

Add some whole grains to your chicken and vegetables at night- brown rice, a tortilla, or bread.

Sounds like a lot, but if you eat enough, you actually LOSE weight because your metabolism works like its supposed to AND you dont feel deprived and go and eat junk out of desperation.

thank you a lot, that really helped. If i up my calories right away to 1200-1400 do you think i will gain weight?

Hey nevershout... first of all, from what I've read on the forums, you must never eat under 1200 calories ever! hedgren is right... and maybe have 6 meals throughout the day so you're eating every few hours...  I usually eat breakfast at 6, then snack around 9.30 0r 10 am, then have lunch at noon, snack at 2 then 4, then dinner by 6 or 7 pm.  So if you're upping to 1400, have like 300 or so calories for breakfast lunch and dinner, then divide the rest of the 500 calories into snacks...  no wonder you're getting hunger headaches! Let us know how you're doing...

Up until about 6 or 7 weeks ago, I too was always hungry, even after I ate.

I did a Google search for "foods that make you hungry."

One thing lead to another and now I've given up all forms of junk (white sugar, white flour, alcohol)

My diet is now mostly raw, mostly vegan, and I'm not hungry anymore.

I feel GREAT and I'm losing weight.

Don't worry, I'm not promoting veganism or animal rights or anything of the sort. I just found something that works for me, and thought I'd pass it on.

Also do a Google search about glycemic spikes.

I think that's what WAS causing me to be hungry all the time.

Good luck to you.

You are always hungry because you are NOT eating enough.

Judging strictly on your previous posts and your sentence structure, I'm going to wager that you are a teen -- which means you should be eating a minimum of 1500 calories, IF you lay around on the sofa all day.

Start eating more, you might surprise yourself and eventually LOSE weight -- it happens, honestly, truly.  Undereating leads to binging, among other things....  Just say no to undereating!

If you are a teen -- please check out this site for your caloric needs, CC tools are designed for those 21 and older:|

http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management.

• Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.