Hunger - how do you cope?

[Jacklinger]

It's 3:00pm, you've had all the calories you're supposed to have for the day, and you're starving. What do you do? What I do is drink large quantities of coffee, maybe listen to music, go for a walk, or even take a teaspoon of vinegar.

I like learning how people cope with hunger because that's really the only problem stopping you from losing all the weight you want, isn't it? If you never felt hungry and could just eat a small bit of food everyday then you would never be fat.

How do you deal with feeling hungry all the time, or do you not feel hungry all the time?

 

[Jane Dough]

Hunger is definitely not the reason I'm overweight. Emotional eating is the real problem. I can be uncomfortably full and still crave food.

You should be able to lose weight while still eating enough not to feel hungry... Maybe try switching to food that have more volume but less calories. And make sure your getting balanced meals - carbs, fats, and proteins.

A friend of mine works at a children's hospital and one of the kids he works with actually has a medical problem where he is always hungry. I can`t remember exactly what the problem is but apparently he just always feels hungry. His parents have to lock cupboards and apparently he always steals the other kids snacks!

 

[Jacklinger]

For me, I'm just hungry. There may be an emotional component added in adolescence, but I've never felt completely satisfied. Even when I was a tiny kid, my earliest memories revolve around hunger. I'm just hungry all the time.

I'm hungry right now.

 

[Kayshiz]

I think your looking at this the wrong way, as if you have all ready decided that the only answer is to stave off hunger.

If you have eaten what you determined to be all your calories for the day by 3pm, either you are eating before your body is hungry again (making the idea of dealing with hunger for hours pointless if you can;t even let your body come to that point early in the day) or you are eating the wrong kinds of foods.

Perhaps just switching to foods that are more nutrient dense as opposed to energy dense, like fruits and veggies, would be a better solution?

What are you determining your calories for the day to be and what are you eating that your using all of them by 3 in the afternoon?

And where did you hear about the vinegar thing?

 

[KaraCooks]

Totally agree with Kay. If you've eaten all your calories for the day by 3 and you're going to starve yourself the rest of the day, then you're doing something wrong.

That kind of diet is ultimately unsustainable - no one can spend the rest of their lives (or the next 3 months or whatever) not eating after in the afternoon.

What are you eating during the day - how many calories? What kind of food? Give us more info and maybe we can help you figure out how to fix this.

 

[Isabel2]

Personally, if I felt hungry I would up my calories a little. I would rather lose slowly and feel satisfied than lose fast and feel hungry. But of course, with a good balanced diet, you can get a lot for your calories and ought to have enough to spread throughout the day.

 

[CartoonJunkie]

I really spread my calories out so that I can eat all day. I eat a big breakfast so I can stay full at work until my lunch break, a little lunch, a little dinner and a snack here and there. I am never starving.

Maybe try having more little snacks here and there so you can spread out your bigger meals more. I usually find if I have a quick snack, I'll be fine for a couple more hours until my next big meal.

 

[Sunshyne]

I try to NOT be hungry by eating low cal foods and more balanced meals. But if I somehow do feel hungry then I'll allow myself to eat even if I'm going to be above my calorie limit. I just try not to over do it. But letting myself starve from 3pm to bedtime is out of the question

 

[Jacklinger]

I'm always hungry. If I let myself eat every time I'm hungry I will consume about 5000 calories a day and it doesn't matter if it's fast food or fruits and tofu. Though with the fruits and tofu I do tend to consume slightly less, like 4500 cal instead of 5000.

Right now I'm trying not to exceed 1000 cal in a day but I almost always do. I go up to about 1500 most days. There's no explanation for it. I'm just hungry all the time. So I have to just sit here and be hungry constantly.

I discovered the vinegar trick by reading how people used to believe vinegar could dissolve fat in your body and they would take it, and somehow it seemed to work. But of course vinegar can't do that. I figured it had to be doing something else, like maybe acting as an appetite suppressant so I tried it and it did indeed suppress my appetite. But the stuff is so nasty it makes me gag so I can't use it every time or it would make me throw up.

 

[Kayshiz]

I'm always hungry. If I let myself eat every time I'm hungry I will consume about 5000 calories a day...

Possible, but unlikely unless your eating nothing but energy dense foods.

Right now I'm trying not to exceed 1000 cal in a day but I almost always do. I go up to about 1500 most days. There's no explanation for it.

There is a very good explanation for it in fact. You need more than 1000 calories a day. That is why 1000 calories doesn't make you feel satiated.

I discovered the vinegar trick by reading how people used to believe vinegar could dissolve fat in your body and they would take it, and somehow it seemed to work.

If I were you, I wouldn't just drink the vinegar straight. You obviously don't like it, and feeling like that about something you believe is helping you to lose weight will just make you want to stop.

This should be about a lifestyle change, you won't drink vinegar forever.

Please post some more info. Your stats (weight, height, age, gender) and what you are actually eating in a day.

 

[KaraCooks]

I'm always hungry. If I let myself eat every time I'm hungry

Hungry or wanting to eat? Those are two different things.

Right now I'm trying not to exceed 1000 cal in a day but I almost always do. I go up to about 1500 most days. There's no explanation for it. I'm just hungry all the time. So I have to just sit here and be hungry constantly.

Um. No. 1000 calories is a ridiculously low amount of food. You don't say anythinga bout how much you currently weight and you still haven't posted anything about what you do eat - but even so ... there's no need to eat so little and starve yourself.

Drinking vinegar to suppress your appetite is not only silly, it's unhealthy. It's bad for your teeth, your stomach, your esophagus, etc.

Eating a healthy balance of foods in reasonable amounts should not leave you hungry. Again, if you'll post what you're eating and how much we oculd probably make suggestions for you.

 

[Jacklinger]

Start Weight 320
Current Weight 237
Goal Weight 200

My doctor said as long as I ate 5 oz. of protein, and some carbs, a day I could cut my calorie intake as low as I wanted. We decided that could be as low as 500 calories if I could stand it. I wouldn't need to increase my intake until I hit ~200 lbs then he would reassess how much I needed.

And yes, I used to eat 5k per day, I counted it. It consisted mostly of fast food but could also be healthy foods too. Sticking to healthy foods did not decrease the calories I needed much.

What's the difference between wanting to eat and hunger? Why would I want to eat if I wasn't hungry? I do want to eat all the time, because I'm hungry all the time. I want to not want to eat all the time, but I can't help it.

These days I eat a bagel sometime int he morning, and a turkey sandwich for lunch, and for dinner, usually something like a TV dinner from Lean Cuisine. Some of those Lean Cuisines are tiny and I will eat two of them. I drink coffee throughout the day too and put a little bit of cream in it but no sugar.

 

[caddyguy]

Dude eat.

I am 214lbs. I'm losing about 2lbs a week and I eat 1500-2000 calories per day and work out 5-6 hours per week. I'm almost never hungry. I eat a lot veggies and a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. You have lost alot of weight but nobody can sustain the rest of their life starving.

 

[Xenon1]

Hi Jacklinger,

I remember sometime ago in my studies I came across some studies about people who are genuinely always hungry. It can be a physiological thing. In medicine they call it hyperphagia/polyphagia and it can be caused by numerous things...sometimes it can be something as simple as a lack of / no transmission of the chemical that is sent to your brain to indicate that you are full, in other cases it can be caused by a genetic disorder with chromosomes...but this is obvious in early life because of physical "abnormalities."

I understand how you feel because about a month after I gave birth I felt like this for three days...it drove me nuts! I would eat and be hungry while I am eating and after eating I would still be hungry, and I really ate enough and was not dieting or anything. I refused to keep eating and just dealt with the discomfort and luckily it passed after three days.

Maybe you should talk to your doctor about it. I think sometimes anxiety can cause a chemical imbalance which causes this also...so it might not be something too technical...if it is anything at all.

All the best to you and good luck with the remainder of your weight loss!

 

[Jacklinger]

Hi Jacklinger,

I remember sometime ago in my studies I came across some studies about people who are genuinely always hungry. It can be a physiological thing. In medicine they call it hyperphagia/polyphagia and it can be caused by numerous things...sometimes it can be something as simple as a lack of / no transmission of the chemical that is sent to your brain to indicate that you are full, in other cases it can be caused by a genetic disorder with chromosomes...but this is obvious in early life because of physical "abnormalities."

I understand how you feel because about a month after I gave birth I felt like this for three days...it drove me nuts! I would eat and be hungry while I am eating and after eating I would still be hungry, and I really ate enough and was not dieting or anything. I refused to keep eating and just dealt with the discomfort and luckily it passed after three days.

Maybe you should talk to your doctor about it. I think sometimes anxiety can cause a chemical imbalance which causes this also...so it might not be something too technical...if it is anything at all.

All the best to you and good luck with the remainder of your weight loss!

Thanks for your input. My doctor has no idea, or at least has not told me, what could be causing my constant hunger. The only time I get a break from it is when I give myself a stomach ache from drinking too much tea or coffee. But otherwise, I'm just always hungry. I've been hungry since I can remember. My first memory in life is of eating and not getting enough. My only option is to starve, or feel like I'm starving. If I don't, I'll die, because of my diabetes. It hurts a lot.

 

[KaraCooks]

Your doctor is an idiot. 5g of protein per day? That's going to lead to muscle loss - which you've already probably lost a huge amount of.

Most doctors know jack aobut proper nutrition and losing weight the healthy way. I don't have anything against doctors, mind you, I just have seen too many of them give dangerous stupid and/or useless advice to people who are trying to lose weight.

At your current weight you should be eating around 2500 calories a day to lose weight. You should be getting at least 150g of protein per day. You should be getting 20% of those calories (about 500 of them) from healthy fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

No wonder you're hungry all the time. I'd be starving to death if I ate the equivalent of what you're eating.

What kinds of foods do you eat to get to your 1000 calories per day?

 

[jkristina]

i would suggest you up your MUFAs. fats and proteins will sustain you. carbs will not.

 

[Jacklinger]

Your doctor is an idiot. 5g of protein per day? That's going to lead to muscle loss - which you've already probably lost a huge amount of.

Most doctors know jack aobut proper nutrition and losing weight the healthy way. I don't have anything against doctors, mind you, I just have seen too many of them give dangerous stupid and/or useless advice to people who are trying to lose weight.

At your current weight you should be eating around 2500 calories a day to lose weight. You should be getting at least 150g of protein per day. You should be getting 20% of those calories (about 500 of them) from healthy fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

No wonder you're hungry all the time. I'd be starving to death if I ate the equivalent of what you're eating.

What kinds of foods do you eat to get to your 1000 calories per day?

Not 5 grams, 5 ounces, that's about 1/4 pound of meat. I usually eat more than that in a day though. And I think I stated it before, I usually have a bagel in the morning with my coffee, then a turkey sandwich for lunch and something like a TV dinner for dinner. That usually adds up to about 1300 cal when you add the cream in the coffee. On the weekends I usually end up eating more than that. I also walk for an hour a day and lift weights 10 min about 3 times a week.

And the funny thing is I'm not losing any more weight right now. I don't know why. Maybe I'm eating too much still.

But even if I was eating 2500 cal a day like you suggest, I would still be hungry. Anything less than 5000 cal leaves me feeling hungry. I've been dieting for 20 years and that's just one constant that I can't change.

 

[Xenon1]

Anything less than 5000 cal leaves me feeling hungry. I've been dieting for 20 years and that's just one constant that I can't change.

Ah ok might be different then! I think with the physiological thing I was explaining before nothing satiates you @ all. I'm not a doctor anyhow so maybe you should check with a gastrointestinal specialist just to be sure.

2 things I know and I just wanted to share with you...be careful that your calorie intake is not too low...if it is too low your body does not make much use of your stored fat but uses itself ...like slowing down functions and using muscle and organ proteins, which may cause potential organ damage.

Another important thing...if you have vinegar after you have protein it will increase your creatinine levels which could really affect your blood pressure and kidney function over time.

All the best and be safe!

 

[Blubber2]

Unless you really do have a medical condition, you're hungry because you're not eating the right types of food. Plus 1000 is super low for a guy. But even at 1000 a day, you could be eating 10 cans of tuna! (probably not the most tasty, but I bet you wouldn't be hungry). But yeah you should definitely increase your calorie intake.

"These days I eat a bagel sometime int he morning, and a turkey sandwich for lunch, and for dinner, usually something like a TV dinner from Lean Cuisine. Some of those Lean Cuisines are tiny and I will eat two of them. I drink coffee throughout the day too and put a little bit of cream in it but no sugar."

First of all, a bagel is a really poor choice. All of the breads you consume should be whole grain or whole wheat (whole grain is better). And a Lean Cuisine is also a poor choice. A bagel and a lean cuisine will only make you hungrier throughout the day. And cream in your coffee? That's bad too. If you really want something in your coffee, try a tablespoon or so of Unsweetened Almond breeze almond milk instead of cream.

You should try as hard as you can to stay away from any frozen or pre-made meals. Most of the times these things are processed in ways and have ingredients in them that make you crave more food.

For one thing, in the morning, since you're a coffee drinker, drink a cup of coffee before you eat anything. And try replacing your bagel with lean protein like fish or poultry breast and a piece of fruit or 1 slice of whole grain toast. I think banana's and cut up red apples are both great filling fruits. And make sure you're drinking a LOT of WATER throughout the day in addition to your coffee.

I don't know what your turkey sandwich is composed of, but try replacing it with a sandwich made of 1 slice whole wheat bread (cut in half) - be sure to read the ingredients of the brand you buy - and one whole can of tuna. I add vinegar and pepper to my tuna and even though that sounds gross, it actually makes it taste similar to the way mayonnaise tastes on tuna. You could also add lettuce and tomato or any other veggies. But don't add any high fat, high sugar, or chemically condiments.

For dinner, make your OWN dinner. If you're a busy dude, premake meals for yourself. Like soup, make a giant pot of soup (with veggies and chicken breast) that will last you several days (and if you don't know how to cook #1, learn. But #2 soup is easy. Just add a lot of water, veggies, and raw meat, in a bowl and I actually make mine in a big bowl in the microwave cooking for about an hour.) You can have several servings of this soup and it's still low calorie.

sugar free gum is also a great appetite suppressant in my opinion.

I suggest #1, set out how many calories you can have PER MEAL and if you exceed that, eat lean protein like a can of tuna. And then you will be able to spread your calories out during the day. and #2 STAY AWAY from processed food and white/processed carbs. If you eat only natural foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats (fish and poultry breast) and nothing processed, you should have no trouble staying full and staying under your calorie limit (which you should increase anyway).

If you don't like the taste of natural unprocessed foods, then perhaps you're not as hungry as you thought

Good luck.