Extreme Hunger

I've been trying to decrease my intake to about 1500 calories (from about 1800 before). I make it through the day OK, but when I go to bed at night I feel so incredibly hungry, I have to get up and eat something. I'm so impressed by the people on this site who eat less than 1500 a day...how do you deal with extreme hunger? Or do you not have to??

For me, I was hungry until my tummy started shrinking and I'm eating a bit fewer calories now than I was at the start. It might be you need to wait for your tummy to shrink more or you may have cut too many calories too quickly. If your tummy is growling loudly and you feel you need to eat, you might want to plan for a snack after supper. If it's a planned snack you'll be less likely to go over your calories and more likely to make a healthier choice.

I am on 1,300 a day and I have to say that I never have extreme hunger.  I have so much experience dieting (a 20 year battle of losing and gaining), that I know what foods are both low in calories and filling.  I stuff myself with lettuce, spinach, kale, chard, cabbage, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc ....  get it?  Fill up on the good, bulky stuff and then you will be able to moderate your servings of higher calorie foods like whole grains, meat, fish, dairy products and so on. 

My other method is to have 6 small meals - breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm snack, supper, evening snack.  I work them into my daily calorie allowance.  When you do this you'll find that you don't have enough time between meals to get terribly hungry.

I love the analysis tool here on caloriecount!  It helps me to balance the important elements of my daily menu and to know when I've had too much sodium and cholesterol and enough fiber.  I look at it at least 3 times a day.

My body is pretty well adjusted to eat less then 1500 calories... It took a while tho... Sometimes, extreme hunger does hit, but you have to try and over come that... Make sure you have alot of healthy snacks around!

I never really had that problem of extreme hunger at night.  I eat dinner around 5:30, and am usually not hungry at night.  But I recommend what others have said.  Try to fill up on good stuff like veggies, that should keep you full.  Also, try to eat high protein foods like chicken breast and fish (especially fish!). The protein also does a lot to keep you full and satisfied.  I think also you need to give it time.  You are not going to be adjusted overnight.  It took me about 2 weeks to get used to my healthier eating habits, and am now down to consuming about 1200-1300 calories a day.  Sounds low, but I am far from starving myself.  Just be patient, it'll work out!

I've definitely experienced the extreme hunger and have dealt with it in different ways - good and bad.  The bad way is to ignore it and try to focus on how good you will look when you lose weight.  The good way is to choose something healthy and filling like a piece of fruit.  I have found that having carbs late at night has a strong effect on my weight when I weigh myself each morning, so I avoid them.  As I lose weight, I suffer from hunger pangs less and less.  Since I sit at a computer all day, I tend to what to stick food in my mouth all the time.  Keeping a large bottle of water next to me and constantly drinking from it really does keep me full and avoid snacking.

jelake - when I first started losing weight I had that "wake up in the middle of the night" hunger pains (my stomach actually hurt) - anyway, I'd drink a little skim milk (half of glass or less) and go back to bed.  As my tum shrunk (or maybe I started balancing my daily calories better) - it stopped altogether.

You are sure not alone on this challlenge. I vary my cal between 1200 ot 1500 that way there is not a set amount I can eat. I too try and eat small meals during the day and include snacks before supper and after. I knowing I can have something helps me not be afraid of the hunger.

Janie

I drink a big cup of hot tea before I go to bed. When I'm really hungry in the evening, I have a few slices of Butterball oven roasted chicken breast (4 slices for just 50 calories) or low-fat string cheese for some extra protein to keep my tummy satisfied.

I know exactly what you mean. My stomach grumbled and churned for the first two weeks with some major hunger pains. I was afraid that this was how it would be from now on but it does go away. I reduced my cal intake to between 1000 and 1200, usually hanging right around the 1100 point. This was a big drop from my normal intake and my stomach noticed the change.

What has been said about this discomfort passing after a week or so is true. I do not get this much now and the best part is that the smaller portions are making me more full as well. The stomach does shrink and that is a huge help with the hunger churnings.  So hang in there and don't give up because that feeling will pass after you've been on reduced cals for a little while. 

You just have to find those foods that you give you bigger bang for your buck!! Like Spinach - 7 calories/cup!!  Make a spinach salad and it fills you up really good!!  If I have pasta, it's wholewheat because I can eat more of it for the same calorie intake!  I think alot of people have talked about having egg white omlets - a good snack is one cup of skim milk, a cup of ice, a cup of strawberries - blend it and it turns into this huge shake or smoothie type thing and it is soooo filling.  In short, you learn the tricks really fast because if I was feeling that hungry I would probably just dive right into the cookie jar!! I wouldn 't be able to stop myself!

You will get used to the lower amounts. It is only hard at first bc your body is accustommed (sp?) to so much more. It was hard at first with 1600, then I went to 1200 and thought it was terrible. Now, after almost 4 weeks, I am eating 1100-1400 and do not feel hungry.

Thanks everyone! These suggestions are great, and I really needed the motivation.

I've been making myself a HUGE plate of steamed veggies for dinner every night...I think I'll start saving some calories for soup, chicken or cheese right before I go to bed. That strawberry smoothie-thing sounds good too!

I'll be patient and see what happens...

also.. most experts say (i know.. i don't really trust experts either but i believe this stat) that it takes 3 weeks before your body knows what you're doing to it.. i.e. if you quit smoking it will take about 3 weeks for the intense cravings for a cigarette to go away.. if you start eating less it will take about 3 weeks for the extreme hunger to go away (so true for me!) and if you exercise, you should change up your routine every 3 weeks or so because your body get's used to the routine.. i believe this.. friends say that it took them 3 weeks to be free of the nicotine habit, and for me it took that long for my body to get used to eating less.  for me so far the exercise portion, i am trying to gradually increase my walking speed (started at 2.7 i'm up to 3.4 consistantly and trying to get up to 3.6) and i'm still losing fast.. but when i start to hit a plateau i'm going to go on to the eliptical.. just my 2 cents.. :) 

I've heard foods with a high water content will make you feel full.  If your problem isn't getting full in the first place, but staying full, I've heard if you eat a snack of protein and carbs together, that's supposed to be great for keeping you full ^_^ .

First, why are you trying to get below 1500 calories a day?
Do you know what your basal metabolic rate is, or what your caloric intake should be to maintain your current weight?
You truly do not want to go below 500 calories a day of your maintenance requirements, and you want to lose about 1 pound a week - that's it.

A lot of folks on this site talk about sub 1500 calorie diets, but I wonder if many know why they are there?  If a doctor put you there, that's one thing, but to arbitrarily shoot for a low number because you think that will cause you to lose the weight, you may be doing more harm that good.

If you are ravenous, check your ratio/mix of foods, too much carbs and not enough proteins and fats will not keep you satiated.  Also, not enough intake in regards to your maintenance level will actually shut down your metabolism, and you'll cling on to the weight.

Good point, chief89. I'm 5'5" and 143 pounds. I jog or do a spin class for an hour 5x a week. This site says that I burn about 1800 a day if I'm sedentary. So I thought 1500 or less would help me burn about 500 a day, because of exercise...

There are many web sites you can visit where there are calculators that will help give you a strong idea of what your metabolic rate is based on your height, weight, age, sex and activity level.

If you spin 5 days a week, you certainly are not sedentary, you'd probably be classified as "lightly active".  However, if your job is something like a school teacher, where you are standing, pacing, walking the bulk of the day, your activity level is even higher, you'd be amazed at how many calories you burn this way!

It would probably lean more towards sedentary if you were in a cubicle all day with few opportunities to get up and around, and if you came home and sat on the couch.

The numbers produced here are a good general baseline for "averages".  If you really want to "fine tune" things and really hone in on the ideal intake for you, to lose weight (fat), check out some other sites for metabolic rate/basal metabolic rate calculators, and take that into account to reach your goals here.

This is a great site, and a very nice tool to use, but it's really using "average guidelines" so if you are really, really serious about all this, go out and find ways and tools to really define your rates, and find out for sure where you need to be to lose weight. 

Also - remember... "zig zag" your daily calories!  You need to keep your metabolism constantly guessing so it does not get comfortable and start slowing down on you.  Your metabolism likes consistency and for things to stay the same.

Eat your 500 calories below your metabolic rate for three days, and on the fourth day, eat at or slightly above that rate, then back down again for three days.  Or, vary your daily intake by jogging it around 200 calories a day different one day to the next.  This is a very effective tool to keep your metabolism working for you!

I just thought SOMEONE should post this but you are not supposed to go below 1500 calories per day, as your body will go into starvation mode and you will not loose weight.  It is good to vary your calories, but for women please don't go below 1500 men I believe it is 1800.  There are some really good tools on this site that will help you figure out what your best calorie intake is.  Just go into the Tools section.  I am only saying this for your own safety.