I feel hungry all the time
 

I have starting trying to lose weight (I need to lose about 25 pounds) and live a healthier lifestyle. I have been trying to eat a more healthy and balanced diet, but in doing so I feel like I am CONSTANTLY hungry. I did have a very high carb, empty calorie diet before (literally almost all of my calories were carbs or sweets) so I don't know if my body is in shock from not getting an obscene amount of carbs? I also went from eating 3 meals a day (2 of which were fairly large) to 3 smaller meals with the largest meal being lunch and 2 snacks (one between breakfast and lunch and the other between lunch and dinner). I try to keep my calorie count around 1700 while burning about 500 calories per day. Am I doing something wrong or does my body just need some more time to adjust? (I have been doing this for about 2 weeks now)

I would hope you would have adjusted by now, but maybe you just need more time. I recently did the same thing. I had been exercising but not losing weight, infact I had been gaining. This had been going on for about 3 years. It was a slow gain. I finally got to a weight I was very unhappy with and decided I needed to tweak my diet. I started tracking everything I ate, and changed my portion sizes. It was very hard for a while. I figured out I was eating way too much chocolate (I always had an excuse for it). For a while I was fighting the hunger, but then it changed. I still have my days when my appetite is insatiable. Usually it is right before my period, or during, but sometime it is random. I do cardio 5-6 times a week and weight lifting 4 times a week. When i burn lots of calories, I tend to be hungrier. I guess my body knows what it needs. On days like that I try and tell myself I need the fuel, but make it good fuel. I have been tracking my calories since the February, and has added weight training to my exercise routine in January. Since February I have lost about 8 pound. I attribute it to both the muscle building and staying under my calories. Your meal plan seems fine to me. I have not cut way back on the carbs, just the sugar. I eat a lot of fruit when my sweet tooth gets the better of me. I rarely have chocolate anymore. Hey, all things in moderation right?

How is your progress so far? Are you seeing changes in either measurements or on the scale? Is your mood in anyway affecting your hunger? Do you eat good fats like Avocado, or low salt peanutbutter?

I hope this helps!
 

It sure does stink to be hungry. I am doing the same thing, getting off of my major carbs and sugar type diet. I didn't realize how much junk I ate until I started tracking it on fitday.

I haven't been watching what I eat for very long, but I am trying to keep my carbs under 100g per day. It's been great so far because I can eat filling things to satiate my hunger (hard boiled eggs, lean chicken breast, salads, cooked or raw veggies) but they won't give me a crash like a sugar or carb. Also, your body won't store these excess proteins as fat - like it would the glucose from carbs, so I don't feel guilty. I know that if I'm hungry, I can eat and if I'm not hungry enough to eat more protein, I must not be REALLY hungry - just craving things.

Maybe come up with a plan to deal with your hunger - such as: when my hunger gets to a level 3 or 4 out of 5, I will: eat ______, drink water, drink tea, or _______ (whatever). It works for me.

Good luck!

Also, SLOW DOWN when you eat! Make your meal last! I tend to rush my meals especially when I eat alone. So I try very hard to slow down. Work a crossword puzzle when you eat or read while you eat. Make your meal last at LEAST 15-25 minutes, if not longer. Pace the bites and chew it well.

Figuring out what's wrong, without additional information such as what you are eating and how much of it, will be like taking a shot in the dark.

You said you getting calories from sweets? That's your first step, stop the sweets and replace it with fruits (apple, orange, cantaloupe). You can also have Jello (Sugar Free) once a day.

I learned the hard way, just by eating small amount of calories, does not mean you will lose weight. You can eat 800 calories of nothing but sweets a day and your body wont lose any weight over time.

I will give you two example based on my own experience.

When it comes to fruits, I only eat 2 per day (choices are apple, orange, blueberries, or cantaloupe). If I eat any other kind of fruits, I will not lose any weight whatsoever.

When it comes to vegetable, Green beans good, Yellow beans is no good. Skinless chicken breast good, ground beef is no good. I also found it interesting that Eggplants, Okra, Carrots, and Corn is no good and conflicts with my weight loss.

At the end each body is different, but without a doubt you have to watch what you are eating, not just how much.

If you're hungry, you're hungry. Whether you call it a craving or 'real hunger,' if it's what makes you want to gnaw the sugar off a sugar cookie, it will bother you and bother you until you can distract yourself with something else. So go find something to distract you and take up all your attention so you don't think about being hungry (admittedly, this is difficult if you work in an office and get bored easily). Going to the gym might help because working up a sweat and pushing yourself will make you think about: working up a sweat and pushing yourself.

I can cut all the things you can name out of my diet and I will just end up wanting them, eventually, and sometimes very urgently. The best goal of all to have, IMO, is the ability to eat everything and anything, and eat in moderate portions, and stop when a certain (individual) caloric limit is reached. That's pure gold, and worth working on, because it will help you for your entire life (and eliminate the urge to try this diet and that diet...)

I heard that if you're hungry, it means your body is done burning the calories from the food you've eaten, so it's now burning fat from your body to use as energy. So if your full, that means your body is still burning calories and energy from food and not from fat, so you're not going to lose weight. I don't really know. I just want to know if it's normal to feel hungry all the time when your on a diet.

I hope you have adjusted to your new diet by now. There was a time that I was always hungry too and craving too much sugar. Thus making me pack so much weight. Having sedentary lifestyle plus eating so much is a real bad combination especially when when have a history of diabetes in the family. I got alarmed by the speed of my weight gain so I decided to go on a diet. But my will was not as strong as I was hoping so yes, I still end up giving in to my hunger pangs. It was so frustrating especially when my sugar level has started to increasing. Thankfully a friend recommended a diet supplement called Prescopodene. It curb my appetite within days and dieting became easier. I started feeling less hungry and my weight started dropping down. The same goes with my sugar level. I also can now exercise because I have started feeling light so exercise became easier. I still have a long way to go though. Thankfully, Prescopodene has no side effect.

Please ask your doctor about any supplements that are recommended to you that are supposed to curb your hunger. It's a simple thing to ask your doctor - and what is at stake is your health! It may seem tempting, especially if you feel desperate (hungry) but you should know what your body is getting into and if it can possibly have a reaction. That's why a doctor is your best source of information about supplements to curb appetite, increase metabolism, etc.

When you eat less, over time (important - over time!), your appetite cravings diminish. Some people say, 'Your stomach shrinks...' but I believe that once you've succeeded in fasting for a reasonable interval (a day at most, if you are just starting), your mind also has experienced the success of saying 'no' to something that you think you feel controls you (appetite). This is a great benefit. I'm not recommending fasting - it is a religious ritual in many faiths - and it's also something to ask your doctor about. I mention it because when you don't eat, it affects your body as your body is affected when you DO eat.

I started dieting and cutting calories about 3 weeks ago. I eat the paleo bread, theres 5g of fiber per slice, so filling. I make organic egg white, organic turkey burgers, or organic quinoa veggie burgers with it.

I also eat a LOT of organic raw broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, sugar snap peas, celery, etc. THere is high fiber but high water content as well, and because of this, I struggle to get 1,000 calories in a day.

High protein + high fiber + water = FULL

:) hope this helps

note: sugar craving sometimes can feel like hungry, but its not

Hey Creative Dancer, It took me 10 years to lose 10 pounds because I always tried to make dramatic changes to speed up the process. But that approach actually lead me to gain 30 pounds in total! It sounds like while your change in diet is healthy it may be a shock to your system even if you've been doing it for a while. The thing that made the biggest impact for me was introducing change slowly... for example just make one snack healthier, then a week later the next and then small changes to one meal - maybe a week later add a little extra exercise... and pretty soon you'll create a lifestyle that suits you and you'll see that you're reaching your goals - small changes make huge differences! :) Kelly

Sugarfree gum
 

In my venture of becoming a figure competitor, I found that chewing SF gum helped me get through the hunger. Extra makes some great dessert gums. The other trick I tried was a little bit of peanut butter to get me through...hope that helps and keep up the fight!

whole foods diet
 

This is the good advice. You shouldn't feel hungry. You won't last like that. Fill up on vegetables. I have no weight problems and this is essentially my diet. I plan my meals around piles of veggies, rather than around meat like most people.

Processed food is evil. Quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat are good guys.

Green smoothies have been my Godsend lately. I replaced huge fried egg/veggie/grain breakfasts with that. (I over eat in general) I sure feel great!


Banana orange apple and a leafy green like chard. Maybe some hemp seeds.

Recently I have connected my sugar pig-outs with coffee consumption. I keep coffee drinking to weekends now. What a difference! That took 3 or four weeks to adjust to. It's still hard, but I can sleep and I don't crash in the afternoon.

Oh yeah, something I don't do enough but has amazed me is how filling a big salad can be. A dark leafy green and good lettuce like romaine as the base, then add in just about anything! Avocado is nice, some nuts or seeds, peppers and other vegetables, strawberries, tomato.... A simple home made dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar with other flavors in it kicks butt.

Some fat and protein will make it go a long way!

hunger
 

Ive always had this problem for years. I figure that between meals and snacks, Ill drink my daily amount of water. That way I feel full and not hungry. This is always followed by a nice walk or bike ride. Dont want to bloat from all the water Im consuming.
:p

I have successfully lost 5 pounds in last 7 weeks by using a disciplined diet plan and by doing cardio and other exercises in the gym which helps me to burn my calories.

In my diet plan I have given stress to the calorie counting. Calorie counting is not just about the calories you intake but about the KINDS of calories you intake.

So to lose weight just focus on your calorie intake followed by a planned diet plan.

tips to reduce hunger
 

Whenever you feel hungry try to drink lots of water and juice. This will reduce your hunger and make your stomach full. And follow a perfect balanced diet these tips will always help you to stay healthy.

Re: I feel hungry all the time
 

Your routine of eating is in the right way, that is three meals a day and 2 snacks in between the main meals. But you must take care of the following things, so that you will not feel hungry after eating all these meals.

1) SET THE PACE: Try to spend at least 30minutes eating each meal. It takes about 20minutes for your brain to realize you're full. Eat each of your meal properly and chew your food, don't gulp it.

2) Snack Properly: In between main meals you do snacking 2 times. But snacking should be done properly. i.e, After breakfast take the snack only when hunger pangs strike you. Take the 2nd snack in the same way when you feel hungry after lunch.

3) DRINK ENOUGH WATER: There are chances that you feel thirsty and mistake it as hunger. So drink enough water before and during a meal and is a good way to slow you down and consume fewer calories through out the day.

4) Give up the crappy practices: Quit smoking, drinking and other crappy practices. Drinking can affect your consciousness and you'll not realize the quantity of food you're consuming.

5) Satisfy Your Craving: Satisfy a Craving with a Healthy grub than ignore it and risk a junk-food binge later.

6) HAVE A GOOD SLEEP: Sleep gives you energy to burn more Calories during the day.People who sleep fewer than Six hours a night are 27 percent more likely to become Obese.

Try these tips and I'm sure you're gonna succeed in your weight loss journey:)

When I started dieting I couldn't beat out the hunger feeling either. Basically, I found out I had an ulcer and that's why I was constantly hungry. Try eating low cal Popsicle to help ease the sweet tooth.

Hello Creative Dancer,
The only way to not feel hungry is to eat a lot of protein.

Instead of eating pasta, rice, bread, eat the amount you would eat of carbs in protein, speacially meats.

And what really has helped me not stay hungry is protein shakes.