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.

Original Post by lafoutloud01:

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. 

 

Exactly. And if you ignore real hunger for too long, either you'll end up overeating later, or just starve yourself.

But for most people the reaction to delayed hunger is binging. So a good snack might be in order if you really do feel hungry. Good advice, lafoutloud01. =]

Sometimes I am hungry ALL THE TIME, like stomach growling, dissiness hungry.  And I have figured out why this happens and its not my caloric intake for the most part. 

Most of the time I eat maybe 100-150 carbs just cuz that is the way I am but sometimes Ill eat just a little more sugar and carbs than usual and BLAMMO hungry all the time.  1500 Calories, rather than being perfectly manageable, becomes tedious and impossible.  Now, I am not recommending an Atkins diet or anything, not that there is anything wrong with that, but I bet if you replace one or two of the starchy or fruity items you eat with something higher in fat and protein you will have a far, far easier time dealing with hunger.   And dont be afraid of the fat and calories.  These items are often low cal for the most part AND very healthy for you.  For example:

boiled egg == 80 Cals

laughing cow cheese wedge == 35 Cals

half a can of tuna == 140 Cals

chicken tender loins, 3 peices == 110 Cals

5 ounces whole milk (YES WHOLE -- amazingly filling and perfectly healthy) == 90 Cals

half an avocado == 162 Cals

1 cup zuchini == 29 Cals

1 TBSP peanut butter == 90 Cal

You can mix and match any of these and more and more for great little meals that will keep you feeling good for a long time.

All of these items will keep you satisfied longer, provide better engery and not negatively affect your blood sugar levels.

Give it a try.

Yes, I get hungry all the time and eat huge portions of food. Finally I found a solution for that and found something that really helps me feel more full and eat less and it seems to be working well.

Start snacking on raw vegetables.

I love raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes.

Clean em up......have them in the front of the refrig.

When you get hungry.......go to the frig and have some.

They add hardly any vegetables.

I just like the advice I gave you and I think I'll do it for my self and make some veggie snack bags up.

I think its all a mental battle. If I didnt listen to my hunger cues telling me that I was full, I could easily eat more. I dont know if this is weird, but Im very A.D.D and I always feel like I need to be chewing  or tapping my foot to keep myself focused on a task. That used to be a problem when I would snack on chips and oreos when studying, but now I use it to my advantage by chewing gum and taking little walks for study breaks. 

 Also, you have to look at volume of food. If you have a big salad with spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green pepper, red onion with s,p, and vineger for about 50 calories before dinner, your more likely to eat a smaller dinner than if you have your meal by itself then went looking for higher cal snacks afterwards. I also have a rule where I dont eat 3 hours before bed. I know its silly and a calorie is a calorie no matter what time you eat it at, but I feel like by eating dinner at 6 and stopping and not snacking during homework or t.v. time, its easy to just eat 1300cal/day.

Original Post by slb537:

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.

Same with me. I had pizza the other night, and it was the WEIRDEST THING: after I ate 1 measly slice, I was stuffed!

Yeah, I FOR SURE get hungry.  But, once I reach my calorie goal for the day, I stop eating whether or not I'm hungry.  I figure I'm not going to die from going to bed hungry, so you just gotta learn to tough it out.  Good luck.

I started my new way of eating (I refuse to call it a diet ever again) September 1. I am thrilled to report as of today I have lost 19 1/2 pounds! So far I really have not been hungry. I am trying to eat around 1600 calories, but I haven't really come close. Most days I am around 1200.

Do you eat vegetables? I find that helps fill me quite a bit. Also drink lots of water. If you feel hungry, but it's not really time to eat something, drink a full glass of water and get busy doing something. Clean out the closet you keep putting off doing. Go for a walk. Before you know it, an hour has passed and maybe it's now time to eat something.

Don't give up. Think of this as a way of life, not a short term thing.

hi there!

drink lots of water and eat like of high fiber foods. Also eat raw foods that require chewing and crunching like apples, carrots and green leafys.

good advise for weight loss and good health in general!

What kinds of foods are you eating?   Alot of low cal foods don't stick with you long enough and leave you feeling hungry 1/2 hour after you eat.  When I had this problem I began eating more protein.  I know it is hard to eat something that has so many calories, but it helps me feel fuller longer.  Would you be interested to try these:

1/2 cup of fat free cottage cheese: its only 90 calories but has 15 grams of protein. OR

4 oz grilled chicken breast.  only about 120 calories but has 23 grams of protein. 

When I'm feeling super snacky and don't have many calories left for the day I have a diet soda (zero cals) and a cup or two of air popped popcorn (30-60 cals).

Soups are good too in helping you feel full.  a basic chicken soup with lots of broth might help.

Good luck!

I feel your pain,   also try pickles!   Ice cold out of the fridge and only 10 calories each.   Drink some water with the pickle and I find that really helps my hunger pains go away.   I'm on 120-150 calorie program every 2 hours,  then 250-350 calories at dinner.    Seems like I'm eating all the time,  but it's actually working.   Try making most of those calories higher protein content.   Try having small meals at least 7 times a day.   This changes your metabolism.

Good luck!!

I'm pretty much okay during the day, but for some reason I'm ravenous at night. At least, I have been for the past several months - for a while I was able to keep my calorie count under 1500 a day (before I joined Calorie Count) and didn't have problems in the evenings, but for some reason the hunger is insatiable lately after I go home from work. My calorie target on Calorie Count is over 1900, so I have a little more wiggle room than I had when I was restricting myself to 1500, but I still end up going over lots of times.

Does anyone have experience with products like Dexetrim? Do they actually work at controlling appetite? Or is it all just a big crock?

Thanks!

Jen

Oh my gosh I have tops 1200 on "bad" but still healthy days and i usually have around 700-900 a day...I have simply learnt to deal with light headedness, feeling weak, etc...because it is just a habit I have adopted, not to eat at school and stuff...otherwise i feel really angry, sad, dissapointed, guilty...at home its harder but I have really healthy stuff at home and I learnt to make healthy meals I really enjoy (im glad im one of those people that have grown up with healthy food and loves it...and plus i drink loads of water to fill me up)I am really good at school....I have more trouble keeping my calorie restriction at friend s house or lunches and dinners...The only time i really dont sort of care is on my night out´s...alcohol..whatever (to tell you the truth it has been concerning me more lately but hey, a girls gotta have her fun and i enjoy alcohol so..)

Anyway lately though like once a week I have had a binge...BAD! beacuse of all the restriction it has become even harder to control but i have to! Arggggh..

You just have to really:

- make out a plan of healthy, delish meals you get accustomed to making and eating and if you eat to much or something else you will feel a bit dissapointed by not keeping to your plan---that will keep you in the right mind set;

- drink lots of water and green tea...it´ll help

- keep your goals in mind and how you will feel about your changed life...

- also try keep in mind that it might just be cravings...like unless your falling over

but ya...TOTALLY AGONY being hungry its ****! but ya...i mean its a sacfiice we have to make if we really wantit...like anything in life i guess

Good luck, I know i need it too...its a constant struggle

I would not survive on that low amount of calories.

I'm around 1500 and am perfectly happy with that.

Sorry to hear that Starvin' Marvin!! I'm aiming at 1300 a day. When I'm craving, it usually can be attributed to:

-not enough water

-not enough protein

-PMSing (it happens to some of us, but not all)

-stress

-boredom

As we speak, I'm trying to chow down a can of tuna with a little mustard and I'm super full! I used to think 1300 was starvation and now I struggle to reach it. If you really stick with it, I'm almost positive you will stop craving. I would also try some healthy snacking between meals to keep you cravings at bay. Have a glass of water and a healthy snack. Wait 15 minutes. If you're still hungry, have some more.

Also, use the Analysis tool here on CC to see what kind of nutrients you're getting. It's good that you're eating low-cal foods, but if your diet isn't well-rounded (ie: too many carbs, not enough vitamins, etc.) then you may want to adjust your foods to make sure you're getting the right things.

Hang in there!

Bananas and nuts are both pretty filling and give lots of energy, Strictly speaking nuts aren't low fat but they have good fat not saturated fat.

I'm having the same problem you are!!  I just started my diet on Monday so I'm still in the "OMG I would KILL for a burger!" stage of it.  I noticed a couple of things keep me feeling more full during the day though.

1) LOTS of water.  I drink about 64 ounces over the course of the day.

2) I always allow myself one treat - for example, I'm a carb freak and I love matzo crackers, so I have one as a snack each day.  Since they're only 100 calories, I'm not blowing my diet and I'm making myself mentally happy as well because I don't feel like I'm not letting myself have anything I want that day.

3) Oatmeal in the mornings always makes me feel more full than a bowl of cereal or a yogurt.  I think its because of the fiber, but I notice that when I have oatmeal I'm not hungry for lunch until around 12, whereas with anything else I'm ready for lunch at 11.

4) I listen to my body.  If its about 4 and I already had my afternoon snack, but my tummy is growling I let myself have another snack.  Going over the daily limit by even a hundred once or twice a week isn't going to kill your diet.  If anything, I just put in some extra exercise that day or make sure to get in more cardio over the weekend. 

I am a beast if I try to limit myself to 1200-1500 calories a day.  I seriously have no patience-- I am a meanie mom etc.  I just quit thinking in terms of losing weight and started thinking in terms of being healthy.  So if you feel hungry and its 10pm and you cannot sleep-eat an apple or something healthy.  I know I wanted to be healthy for life so I decided that torture couldnt be a part of it :D. 

  Also, consider that your needs and body composition are different from anyone elses. 

A kinda of weird suggestion that works for me is to eat something hot.  Like sometimes a salad or peice of fruit just isnt gonna cut it for me but I can have a warm/hot bowl of veggie soup and feel super satisfied. 

Good luck girlie :D

i am never hungry when i eat good healthy foods, but when i hit the junk it leaves me hungry.  i see now how i got so fat!  LOL  i love junk food!!!

i finally eat my fruits & veges though.  :D

if you are hungry, think about what you are eating.  you are probably having high calorie foods & they WILL leave you hungry.

I eat so healthy most people think I'm nuts.  And yes, I'm hungry a lot.