Hungry all the time!

hi everyone, im new to the site and happy with my weight but interested in learning more nutritional information and new workout regimines. My caloric intake per day should be 1800 according to this site but i find even with my filling meals im hungry right after! I have homemade porrdige for breakfast, a fruit for snack sometime in the morning, strawberry yogurt and granola for lunch, nut mix in the afternoon for a snack and a good sized supper. i find in the mornings and afternoons im always starving though! I am tired of being really hungry but dont want to exceed the caloric intake. any suggestions?

1800 is a very low calorie intake... The 'standard' for a lightly active adult woman (over 21) is about 2000.  If you're under 21 this rises to 2100-2200.  If you're more than just lightly active you could easily need 2300-2400... 

Make sure you're getting a good balance of foods.... Carbohydrates like porridge, fruit and granola are fine foods but you also need plenty of protein (meat, fish, nuts, beans, tofu, eggs)  and fats to make a meal satisfying.  So try to get some at each meal.

Finally... whatever your calorie target says, if you're hungry - eat something.  Bodies are not machines and our energy needs are not always something you can plot out with a set-square and three decimal places.  If you had an extra 200 or 300 cals here and there you'd probably find it makes no difference to your weight whatsoever.

I'm not sure about the calorie intake.  Your height, weight, age, activity level all factor in.  Is the 1800 for someone who is sedentary?  Do you exercise?  Are you trying to maintain a certain weight? Have you tried eating smaller meals but more of them during the day?  When you are hungry, have you tried filling up with good fiber.  When I get really hungry but am reaching my 2600-2900 calorie total, I eat something filling like shredded cabbage with lowfat dressing or 4 eggwhites and no yolks or 2 apples.  So if you are on a calorie restrictive, but healthy, diet, then there are ways to help satisfy the appetite and be healthy at the same time.  Drink a full glass of water before eating.  I have found a great tasting, reasonably healthy bread of only 40 calories a slice; so I can eat 4 slices of that with a peanut butter mix w/water and only take in 210 calories and feel as if I got a filling snack.  Sometimes I eat a pound of baby carrots which really makes me feel good and full and has next to nothing for calories.  There are many great fruits and vegetables that can fill the stomach and also appease the appetite.

I do exercise when i can, though it doesnt happen too often.  the 1800 intake though was calculated with exercise being involved though, im trying to stay somewhere around 121-23 and just tone up.  i havent tried the smaller meals throughout the day though because im not sure how small the meals should be, what they should consist of and if i have to exercise (when i do) more to accomodate for the extra meals. where did you find this bread!! that sounds amazing, only 40 cals. the pb mix, are you talking about pb2, how do you find you like it?

gi jane, wont those extra 200-300 calories make me gain?

The bread is D'Italiano Light--40 calories.  The peanut butter mix is Fitnutz--50 calories per 2 tablespoons.  You can use a Search Engine to find both of them and check out the Nutritional information.  I love the peanut butter mix, especially the crunchy which is 60 calories per 2 tbs.  It only took me a couple of times eating it to no longer notice that it doesn't taste as "rich" as regular peanut butter.  For breakfast this morning, I had 4 slices of D'Italiano with 4 tablespoons of Fitnutz.  Total = 260 calories.  Other members can ring in and state if they think D'Italiano and Fitzutz are healthy or not.  I think they are and will continue to use them.  I remember when I first went from regular Mountain Dew (which I used to consume by the gallons) to Diet Mountain Dew.  I could barely tolerate the Diet.  Now, I do not like the regular--it is too sweet.  I think initially one might miss the full flavor of real peanut butter (with all its calories), but I have had absolutely no trouble switching to Fitnutz and liking it. 

As far as how small the meals should be: This is just an example of what I was eating when I was losing weight--it varied quite a bit but it is representative: 

1) good breakfast  600 calories ( 6 egg whites, 2 tbs. bacon bits, 1 tablespoon EV olive oil, 1 8 oz. glass of juice, 1piece of whole wheat toast)

2) snack (2 apples--160 calories)

3) lunch 500 calories ( 2 cups of cooked small red beans from dry with bq sauce, baby carrots

4) snack (1/4th cup of almonds--160 calories)

5) supper 500 calories (shredded cabbage with sunflower seeds, diced turkey, ground flax seed)  

6) fresh strawberries (80 calories) Total = 2000 calories

Using fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, lentils and legumes in general, and whole grain pastas, breads, and cereals are almost always good for snacks unless someone is allergic to them.

I also think a person needs to consume some healthy seafood like salmon and halibut, and the occasional lean meats like light chicken and turkey, lean ground beef, and lean pork.  The iron and protein those supply are needed by most people, unless they have a really well-thought out vegetarian diet.

There are many people in the motivation threads that can offer some really good meal plans.  What I chose worked well for me over the last 4 and 1/2 months, but I do not think the kinds of healthy foods I like are typical of what most people like.