I'm hungry all the time...

I started dieting and exercising about two weeks ago.  The last few day I've been very hungry almost all the time.  About an hour after my lunch and dinner, I find myself hungry (very hungry) again.  Is this related to a low metabolism, a fast metabolism, not eating right, or something completely different?  Is this something I should be worried about?  I want to lose some weight, not eat tons of calories.

What are you eating? If you are getting your caloreis from alot of processed foods (which have a low satiety value) and not consuming enough lean protein sources and whole, unprocessed carbs (ie" whole fruits, veges, grains, legumes), you are going to be hungry again quickly after meals.

Tonight for dinner I had a salad with fat free ranch.  It had lettuce, tomato, celery, and a couple other veggies.  I also had a bowl of stew which had a rather large amount of pork and a very large number of beans.  About an hour later I was starving again and had another bowl of stew.  Thirty min after that one I was again hungry and I had a yogurt which made me less hungry (although it did not completely resolve my hunger).  Fifteen min after the yogurt I was again starving again (about an hour ago).  I felt like it was too late at night to be eating more so I haven't had anything else.

it does not matter what time u eat.

how much r u eating, maybe its too little for u

Normally I keep track of the calories but I wasn't really able to do so with this meal.  I really have no idea how much pork or beans I ate tonight but I can tell you that it was a lot.  Definitely the salad was around 200 - 300 cals with the salad dressing.  The meat and beans I have no idea.  Honestly, I have a hard time even believing that my stomach was able to digest all of my dinner before I was hungry again.

By the way, I'm male, 29, 5' 9 and 180lbs.  According to the BMI calculator I'm mildly over-weight.  I am trying to drop my weight down to the normal range.  I have a sedentary lifestyle.  I work at a computer all day.  When I'm done working I usually do about 30 min of exercise per day (for the last two weeks).  I started diet/exercise because I noticed gradual weight gain over the last 4 or 5 years and I want to "head it off at the pass" or whatever.

So anyway, now that I've been hungry constantly the last few days, it almost seems like a wasted effort if I end up eating more.

May be a silly question but are you drinking enough h20? ;-)

Lack of fluid can make you feel really hungry, and drinking a couple of cups of water can make you feel really full!

Even better, hot drinks are filling - like plain unsweetened tea, coffee or herbal drinks... try having one of those when you get hungry an hour after eating.

The Basics: Make sure you're drinking plenty of water through your day, and have a big glass before you sit down to eat. Also make sure you're getting a good protien/carb ratio going, both of which can help you feel "full" longer... Make sure you're eating ENOUGH to keep up with your activity level. Remember that healthy snacking between meals (every 1.5 to 2 hours) is perfectly okay, so long as you're keeping around your calorie target. 

For Me: I was really struggling with this problem and falling off track time and time again because I never seemed to be satiated. My CC recommended target (w/o exercise) is 1500 calories and I was struggling to keep to that. This week as an experiment I started making myself "big" breakfasts. (I'm talking healthy, but shooting for 500 calories...) This has been a miracle worker for me. I've been able to have my breakfast, snack on something very reasonable (fruit, veggies, etc) mid-day and then sit down to a sensible dinner. I've actually been at less then 1500 most of the week (excluding my day "off" from counting) and still feeling satisfied. Now, I haven't been exercising, because I'm sick, so I'm wondering if I'm going to be starving, again, when I get back into the physical stuff, but I'm def. going to keep doing this as long as it works. Something for you to try out, maybe?

Good luck with everything!   

Original Post by typical_guy:

By the way, I'm male, 29, 5' 9 and 180lbs.  According to the BMI calculator I'm mildly over-weight.  I am trying to drop my weight down to the normal range.  I have a sedentary lifestyle.  I work at a computer all day.  When I'm done working I usually do about 30 min of exercise per day (for the last two weeks).

Hunger does not happen when the stomach is empty... it also happens when blood-sugars dip too low.  Causes can be.... inadequate calories, poor balance of foods, irregular eating patterns. 

Run your stats through the CC calculator and use a 'light' activity level since that is a good average for someone doing half an hour of exercise a day.  Set a target date for a healthy weight based on losing about 1.5lbs a week... no faster than that.  You'll probably need to aim for an intake of  1900 cals on a regular basis to lose weight safely and healthily.

Next.... do keep track of your food intake with the CC food log.  It's very easy to eat too much or too little if you don't keep a record.  Weigh and measure portions rather than guessing.  I

As others have said get a good balance of different foods at each meal.   If you aim for 1/2 your plate full of vegetable 1/4 full of complex carbohydrate and 1/4 protein (either animal or vegetable) that's not a bad way to ensure meals are balanced.

Eat regularly and space your food out reasonably evenly throughout the day.  If you're on 1900 cals aim for a 400 cal breakfast perhaps, a 600 cal lunch, 700 cal supper and 200 cals of snacks.   Good luck

It sounds like you had a good mix of food for dinner, so I'll skip the advice on filling foods. 

As gi-jane said (she always gives great advice), make sure you're spacing your meals well.  If you wait too long between meals your blood sugar drops, and when you finally do eat your body sees all that food coming in and overcompensates to deal with it.  It's ready to deal with more than you gave it, and now that you have all of these chemicals in your bloodstream to deal with food, your body tells you it's ready for more. Some people need 6+ meals a day to correct this, some people (like me) are happy on 3 meals a day.  If you're having this problem, I'd suggest more.

And as smash-uk said, are you drinking enough water?  Sometimes hunger is actually thirst - if you're not dehydrated, thirst doesn't necessarily feel "thirsty," it feels "hungry."  Try drinking a glass of water and see if you feel more full.

Finally, if you're getting enough calories, eating filling foods, drinking enough, and spacing your meals, you really just might need an adjustment period.  I would think two weeks would be enough, but we're all different.  Hang in there, and experiment with what keeps you feeling full.  If you're hungry, try something small with a lot of fiber or healthy fat - vegetables, peanut butter, nuts or seeds, etc.  Good luck!

Honestly, unless you are a diabetic, your blood sugar will not EVER "drop low" during the 1-2hours you are experiencing  between your meals/snacks.  Actually, non-diabetics rarely have blood sugar drops, because their bodies are efficient at mantaining normal metabolism.  You should even be able to sleep 8-10 hours at night and STILL wake up with a normal blood sugar; it shouldn't be "low". 

This brings me to the big question that I haven't seen mentioned yet: Have you been tested for Diabetes?  Your hunger seems to be disproportionate to your intake; this could be a sign of high blood sugar.  One of the biggest symptoms of diabetes is excessive hunger; the other two telling symptoms are excessive thirst and urination as well.  Not to scare you, but as with starting any diet,  you might consider a physical if it's been more than a year since you've had your blood glucose checked.  Also, certain thyroid conditions can cause similar symptoms.  These are easily checked with a blood test.

On the other hand, you may be experiencing a side effect from medication, if you take any.  Some medications can cause a ravenous appetite and cause you to gain weight. 

Another possibility, other than not enough fluid intake, might be simply that: you are thinking about your diet and your restrictions too much!  We always seem to want what we can't have, right?  You may need to find some distraction methods to keep you from constantly thinking about food...not easy to do, but if you feel hungry after a meal, drink a full glass of water and wait 15 minutes and then re-evaluate if you still feel hungry.  If so, then have a sensible snack!  If you are miserable, you're not going to be successful so...be good to yourself!

I hope some of these suggestions help. 

My family has a history of type 2 diabetes.  I didn't really think my weight would put me at risk for it though, I'm only a little over what's normal.  I do actually get headaches pretty regularly when I'm hungry.  I'm not sure about the excessive thirst thing, I happen to sweat a lot (always have) and I to urinate frequently but I've always done that too.  Another thing is that some of my family has a history of grave's disease (thyroid).

Is it normal to get headaches when you haven't eaten anything recently?

I was that way for a while - then I cut our all sugar and processed foods. My diet is nearly 40% protein.  Now I'm not getting hungry and can maintain my 1200 calorie/day level (where before I was eatting over 3000cal/day!)

I've also cut out caffiene - which I think helps.

You'll find your trigger points. It's just trial and error I think.

Maya

First, as others posted, get a check up and bring it up with your doctor.

If all is OK, then up your protein, water and fiber intake. All these three when eaten together really satiate hunger.  

Maybe start thinking about what's been different in "the last few days". Were you exercising more? Don't forget to include things such as climbing stairs more, walking more, just general running around more. Those count too. Maybe eating particularly irregularly? As other posters have said, you may just need to find your trigger points.

Also, if you've been hungry more in general it may just be that your stomach is adjusting to the smaller portion sizes that goes along with CC'ing. I was that way for about the first three weeks, then suddenly it was as if my stomach had shrunk. Now I cannot finish a meal that I would have polished off without a thought earlier. So, it could be your body is adjusting now and in another week or so the problem will go away.

You need to discipline yourself into doing the counting.  Whether you use the website or a notebook, you have to get an idea of calories in and calories out to know whether you have a deficit.

My experience at "slightly overweight" was that I could not get a decent weight loss deficit (500-1000 calories) without a lot of exercise.  I can remember times when I was almost cramped with hunger before dinner, lying on a couch resting so that I would not be in the kitchen grabbing handfuls of snack food.  That's what it feels like if you're trying to control your calories by not eating.  Exercise will make you hungry too, but not while you're doing it, and not with the hunger pangs.

Original Post by typical_guy:

My family has a history of type 2 diabetes.  I didn't really think my weight would put me at risk for it though, I'm only a little over what's normal.  I do actually get headaches pretty regularly when I'm hungry.  I'm not sure about the excessive thirst thing, I happen to sweat a lot (always have) and I to urinate frequently but I've always done that too.  Another thing is that some of my family has a history of grave's disease (thyroid).

Is it normal to get headaches when you haven't eaten anything recently?

 If you have a family hx of type 2 diabetes and you are overweight, than you ARE AT RISK and should have a simple screen at your doctors office. Your doc can do a simple blood test called a "fasting blood glucose" as a way to screen you for diabetes and pre-diabetes...Trust me, I have been a dietitian and diabetes educator for many years and I see people your age and younger and less overweight than you who are diabetic and pre-diabetic every day... The symptoms of headaches and extreme hunger can often be attributed to "hyperinsulinemia" which is a common occurance with pre-diabetes (a fasting blood sugar 100-125mg/dl) and reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which is often a pre-cursor to type 2 diabetes can cause those symptoms as well.