Does Anyone Here Ever Get Hungry?????

It seems like people on CC feel full on 12-1500 calories a day.  HOW????????  I am aiming for 1800 a day and it's sooooo hard!  Every calorie is so precious and I have to ration them so carefully.  I eat a lot of low-cal, healthy foods, but I always want more!  I spend so much of my day trying to distract myself from my hunger.  But if I up my calories I know I won't lose the weight.  It's just so hard.  And it shocks me when I see these posts where people find they're getting enough food on 1300 calories a day.  Are you NUTS??? 

I'm starvin' marvin here.

Hey there 'Marvin'!!  Yes, I am the same, eat well but always feel hungry!  I've found that I simply have to get away from the stimulus...so if at home I go for a walk or ride, if I'm away from my kitchen I find I'm usually ok.  My other suggestion is water, water, water.  If I feel hungry, I have a glass of water or two, it usually helps me forget that I think I'm hungry for a while and helps me get the amount of water I should be drinking anyway.  I keep doing this until it's an 'acceptable' time to eat again.  Hope this could be some help, and goodluck, we all need some of that too!!  Heidi.

I do actually get full at about 1300 calories a day. Today I had close to 1400 and I feel bloated and like a ate wayy too much. I used to eat over 2000 calories a day, but I just slowly worked my way down and I guess my stomach size shrank, so now I get full a lot faster. For example, I used to be able to go to like a pizza hut buffet, and EASILY pack down 4 or 5 pieces of pizza with a few bread sticks, and now I could only eat 2 pieces of pizza if im lucky. We're not nuts, we're just determined to lose weight and be healthier.

The type of food you eat has a lot to do with it.  I think the best way is to eat unprocessed food whenever possible and if you are still hungry there must be a reason.  I have a hard time doing 1550 cals and find myself over 1600 most days and my rule is this: If I am over my cal limit I can only eat veggies (green mostly, and not starchy ones) or fruit like an apple.  Just small amounts to get me through.  There are so many options when losing weight it isn't necessary to starve.  Do some more research and you will find a way to do this successfully.  :)

I'm so busy that I hardly have time to eat (I eat 1200 cal/day). Maybe you can participate in some activities that will help you take your mind off of food.

It's all about what you're eating.

You could eat tomatoes & cucumbers all day & feel like you're going to explode & still not get to 1200 calories haha. [OBVIOUSLY I'm not recommending you do this haha, I'm just saying]

When I had an eating disorder I felt full with like 300 calories in me. Now I can't imagine getting below 1800 haha.

Besides making sure you are eating good food with lots of healthy protein and nutrients, check your activity level.  Are you doing the activity log? If you are very active physically you might need more calories.  I know on my active days I can easily eat 2300 and am still losing weight because I burn so much. 

I also think that for some people a gradual reduction is better to help your body adjust to less food.  My stomach as adjusted and I just can't eat the volumes I used to eat.

You may want to add on protein and fiber if you don't have much. That makes a big difference in feeling full. I also drink a lot of water and that makes me a little fuller too.

Thank you barnaby!  I'm right there with you.  I've been wondering the same thing and I'll tell you what, it's not about the food because I eat a really clean diet with plenty of fiber (I've been over 30 grams every day this week) and a lot of protein (80 grams approx per day).  1800 calories a day is very difficult for me to maintain, even when I don't exercise.  I'm glad I'm not the only one!

as of now I'm up to 600ish... and I'm full. You need to be eating protein and carbs. A good solid breakfast usually has me feeling full until around 12.

It's different for everyone. I use to eat all the time, and I never really felt 'full' or if I did the food was just tooo good to stop. I am eating 5-6small meals a day. The first few days were difficult for me, but I started pounding water. Now... like for lunch I may make a nice healthy sandwich, but right before I eat it, I chug like 12-16oz of water. Today I even timed myself for breakfast- I eat REALLY fast, so I slowed down. Like- a LOT. It was so hard for me, but, the same breakfast I eat that usually has my stomach growling 2 1/2 hours later- I found myself 4hours later thinking 'wow... what should I do?' I did spend almost 45min eating though, taking at least a minute in between each bite. If I fell full, I stopped. In about 5-6min I would need to eat again, but it's amazing how quickly the body adapts.

Barnaby, I'm the same way.

I don't have all that much to lose (another 10 pounds or so), but I try to stick to 1800, but it usually ends up being more like 1900-2000. I've been losing (quite slowly), but I don't feel hungry all the time. I work out about 5x a week, and I don't really understand how I would survive on 1200/day without going nuts.

People just have different food requirements, if you're eating healthy food like others have said, and you're still starving, I'd say your body's trying to tell you something. Good luck!

i'm 5'2" and 130 lbs...i eat 1200-1500 cal and the bulk comes from fruits and veggies; let's see...a soup which consists of 1/2 cup carrots, 1/4 cup potatoes, 1 cup green beans, 1/2 cup cauliflower and vegetable broth is abt 250 cal per HUGE bowl and keeps me full for hours! A nectarine is 60 cal...most often i need to add peanuts or peanut butter to get to 1300 cal or so!

but i also  have days when i starve on 1500 cal; usually when i work out more or when i do more writing than usual

 

i only got 10 lbs more to lose btw; and i do drink hot green tea when i get too hungry and i'm a bit too high in my range

I'm totally with you- I can't understand a real day with only 1200 to 1500 calories.  I know that my inability to eat raw vegies like cukes doesn't help but still- I am supposed to live on mostly vegies for the REST of my life?  Not happening.  I try to compromise and yes, the flab is coming off very slowly.  I do feel that I am stronger than I was a year ago when I started trying to be healthier.  I think if I stayed in the low calorie range, I would think of food MORE cause my body would be screaming.  And I've tried to eat more protein to curb my sweets craving.  Does nothing for me.  So keep on plugging. 

I aim for 1276 per day, but I often go over by about 100. I just had a decent supper but was still feeling hungry, so I knew it was my brain telling me to keep filling 'er up, we're not full here yet. So, to appease my brain, I had a can of Coke Zero (fills me up...with gas, but hey! lol), and in the meantime, my brain realizes that yes, we are full, no more food is needed.

Remember that if you're hungry, Like real hungry - stomach hungry, NOT mouth hungry. The kind of hungry that can't be solved with a glass of water and a piece of gum, then you might be burning more calories than normal that day. You never know. The thing is, our bodies are not calculators. They don't say, "Well I was sedentary so I burned 1530 calories". Sometimes you're fighting off infection, or working extra hard for whatever reason. Then you might just NEED more calories. Listen to your body. Naturally thin people are good at that. 

I'm always hungry. lmao. But it could also be symptoms of stress of boredem as well....

It's hard.  OMG it's hard.

My husband is worse then me.  There is a product sold in Canada called Salba. Its a grain but its extreemly rich in fibre, omega 3's, antioxidents (blah blah... you get the drift) but it also helps you feel full.  It doesn't taste like anything but after a few days it started to gross me out so I stopped using it. If you chew it long enough you start to feel it expand in your mouth... weird. 

My husband loves the stuff though.  He takes it straight out of a spoon or sprinkles it on his food.  Today he became extreemly grumpy and I couldn't figure out what was the matter.  Then I realized he didn't take any salba!  LOL!  It makes a huge difference for him.  Now I'm going to make sure he takes the stuff everyday.  In the US its sold under a different name but I have no idea what it is.  I saw that in another post.  I'm sure there are different name brands of the same thing too. 

Anyways, I think this stuff is worth a try. 

Hi,

There is absolutely no way i could stick to a diet with only 1200 calories.  The one thing I hate is being hungry.  I'm fairly active and exercise a lot and I eat 1500-1600 cals/daily to sustain my body's needs.

This is a life long eating regime therefore I want to be able to fuel my body when needed and feel healthy.

hope this helps

Cheers,

Maureen B.C. Canada

when you diet, you give yourself fewer calories than you require.  of course you're aching for food.  you're losing weight.  there's bound to be a protest.

It could be the low cal food that is making you hungry.

Your body needs some healthy fats to help with digestion.

An extra protein usually will fill me up.  Sitting down with a plate of about 15-20 shrimp will fill me up faster and longer than most any other food.

1200 calories is not enough for me, just covers the bare basics.  1500 calories sometimes still keeps me hungry.