Feeling hungry :(
 

Hello everyone, I've lost count of how many times I joined FitDay over the years...

I have just started my lifestyle change (I'm on day 2). I am counting calories, weighing, etc. I'm very clued up about nutrition and for me, I have had past success with eating more lean protein and any bread or pasta being wholemeal or low GI.

I'm quite certain I'm making the right food choices. Problem is, I'm still hungry! After dinner I get hungry right away and when I go to bed my tummy is growling so much my husband is kept awake!

I suspect I've miscalculated my calorie intake. I calculated it as 1200-1300. I am 78kg, 163cm tall, about to turn 37yo and do moderate exercise (will be starting a twice weekly bootcamp, intense 1 hour sessions).

I've just done another calculation which puts my intake at about 1400 for the day.

I will be increasing my protein when I start weight training (I want to lose fat but also gain muscle mass, I have done this many years ago and it went well... until I stopped and got fatter!)


How do you deal with the hunger pangs??? Do they go away? Do I just have to get used to it, or have I calculated my calories too low (at 1200-1300)?

This is my first post, I've looked around but I apologise if I'm repeating something that has recently posted.

What is your fat intake? Fat, beside being essential for nutrient transfer and neurological functions has been shown to satiate hunger. I personally will eat about 10 almonds and drink a glass of water when I am feeling hungry. I beleive the healthy fats in the almonds help be conquer my hunger pains.

I have read of others strategies for over coming their hunger by using popcorn, vegetable sticks (celery, carrots, brocolli, etc.), and sugar free pudding. Do some experimenting to find what works for you. I don't believe any life style change that has you hungry all the time is sustainable long term.

I can be satisfied at 1300-1400 calories but I have had to change what I eat to include more vegetables and salads (with little dressing) so the quantity of food I eat now is greater but less calorie dense.

Hi BooyahBabe,
Since you already have a handle on the whole nutrition thing, it will just take some experimentation to figure out calorie density and which foods seem to keep you and your tummy satisfied.

For example people often recommend high fiber foods to "fill you up". Well that totally backfires for me. Some foods, especially apple, just make me hungrier about an hour later.

One of my best weapons in this battle has been soup. I am particularly partion to the "soup in hand" products. They range between 80 and 120 calories. The warmth seems to trigger fullness, as does the volume helps too.
You could plan in a before bed snack. I would suggest avoiding the sweet stuff, but there are options there too, like the pudding cups - 50 calories of tasty chocolaty-yum, fruit cocktail cups, or skinny cow fudge pops.

Some days I totally hit the target and stay within my calorie limits without any hunger pangs. Some days I totally miss it and have to cave in. It is always a work in progress ;)

Drink lots of water and ignore the hunger pangs for 20 minutes before giving in. Works for me. Also, I got a popcorn popper for christmas from my daughter that allows me to pop 1/3 c. popcorn using only 1 T. oil. It makes a HUGE bowl of delicious popcorn, which I have at night when I get hungry. The poppers work in the microwave and cost about $20.

thanks :)

I have some nuts during the day and a tiny bit of olive oil, depending on what I'm cooking, being mindful of the calories.

In the past I used to have my two tablespoons per day of Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend. I had read a lot about "eat fats to lose fat" and it seemed to work for me. I was thinking of doing it again but I'm concerned about how much it blows out my calorie count.

I already drink loooooots of water. I have a piece of fruit but I feel hungrier afterwards!

I think I'll try the soup, I'm supposed to make a batch today.


Thanks again!

Oil is going to pump up your calorie count. There are less than half the calories of oil in the same quantity (grams) of carb or protein.

Fiber: an apple has fiber. But there are lots of foods that have fiber, and some may be much more effective at helping you feel filling. Protein is also filling. So, if you can combine those two, you've probably got a winner. I am a big fan of GG crackers (Whole Foods has them, also amazon.com) even though they are basically pressed bran and you wouldn't seek them out if you were looking for a tasty cracker. As far as filling you up, they do just that. With some low-fat cottage cheese, that's a good filling snack. Eat two or three - they are extremely low in calories (in fact, they show up having zero points plus on the WW calculations!).

But what I'm wondering is: why talk about calories and being hungry if you haven't informed us of how tall you are, what fitday suggests for your caloric intake (there are tools to figure all that out - figure out what is your BMR, taking into account what your activity level is, and coming up with a daily calorie number for you...) Is your BMI (figured on fitday) showing that you are overweight?

I eat a ton of veggies. Extremely low cal, easy in the summer. That way I munch all the time, but not on heavy things. I know it's kinda boring XD but I'm content

I agree with the others about experimenting. It sounds like you basically do like I do: higher protein. For me, that's key. When I get the right protein balance/amount, I have little or no hunger, even with few calories. Some things to consider experimenting with:

- does it make a difference when you eat your protein? For me, it works best if it's fairly evenly split between the 3 meals.

- What proportion of carbs/fats/proteins gives you the best hunger control? For me, I need carbs to be no more than a third of my calories, and protein to be at least a third, better if it's 35-40%. I can tolerate a pretty wide fluctuation in fat% without it effecting my hunger feelings, but try to keep it under 33% or it tends to rob me of protein calories.

- Are there any foods that just plain make you feel fuller, for no obvious reason? I can't explain it, but, for me the order of hunger satisfaction is: beef/pork > turkey > fish > chicken > eggs. (assuming equal amounts of lean choices). I eat all of those choices, but use that knowledge to balance a day, ie not have a day where my protein is eggs for breakfast, fish for lunch, chicken for dinner. That will leave me hungry.

Anyway, for me, the whole secret is in the protein management, but it took a bit of noticing to make it really work.

Nice info has given about the fitness and health and deit
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workout routines

Hi there,

For me, sometimes I just become "snacky" and I have to ignore the pangs. I get in the frame of mind that I'm in control of my hunger and (I know this sounds crazy) I embrace the pangs as a sign that I'm winning the battle. Of course, this goes along with knowing I'm eating a sensible amount each day, with good nutrition. Usually my snacky phase will pass after a day or two, and I get a bit of an emotional boost knowing I 'beat it'. A psychologist might tell you this is a horrible way to look at it, but it works for me!

Also, personally, I find if I have a bowl of cereal (something with decent fibre) with milk at some point during the day I'm much less likely to get hunger pangs. I hope you find the foods that work for you :)

Kate