I'm still hungry!

I would aim for 6 small meals spaced throughout the day 2-3 hours apart. Make sure each meal is balanced. If you have fats, carbs and proteins at each meal in moderate amounts, you will probably find your hunger starts to curb a bit

PSHIAVONE 2 has it right. Most people think protein is a great way to curb hunger, when in reality, it usually comes with fat . Meanwhile you hear all the time about people starving after eating a protein shake, which has more carbs, and low fat.

I eat 65% fat, and have no hunger at all. Of course for you I would suggest more lean meats, in smaller quantities. You might try some oil in some dishes.

The best thing I think you could do though, is just have a serving of some sort of nuts, or an oz of cheese, on hand. That way you just have a small amount of fat, only when hunger strikes. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how well these snacks can delete hunger.

Drink lots of water, and tea. Whenever you feel hungry, try drinking water, wait a few mins, and then if you're still hungry try some fruits or veggies for a snack.

Sleep. Drink more water (if you're dehydrated you'll feel even more fatigued)
Good fats.
Protein.
Fiber.

What's your exercise like? Make sure you're getting enough fuel for whatever you are burning or your muscles won't have enough to keep up the intensity.

I would suggest paying particular attention to your daily fiber, protein, and water trackers... all those will help you feel fuller longer -- yes, those should be in balance with the others, but try shooting for at least 20g of fiber a day, more than 8 oz of water a day, and more than 60g of protein a day...

Are you getting enough sleep? If you've been eating like that for a few months, your body should have adapted to the lower amount of food by now. Maybe with all the stress your body just needs more rest and is currently trying to gather the extra energy from foods instead?

Eat more fiber, it keeps you feeling full longer, and also drink a lot of water. A lot of the time when we think we are hungry we are actually just dehydrated, so water will fill you up and give you what your body may be asking for.

I know when I don't get enough sleep, I feel hungrier the next day. So right now, that could be what your problem is. Also I've noticed now that it's colder out, I am hungrier more often, not sure why.

There's nothing wrong w/ snacking, you just have to eat healthy foods when you do it. What about planning your next day's food the day before? I plan up to a week in advance, and put it all in the tracker. When planning, I usually leave 150-200 calories so I can add in anything extra I might eat that particular day, but that's it. Otherwise, I stick to the plan. It also helps to take the thought out of it since it's already planned out for me. I don't think so well in the mornings, so already knowing what to put in my bag for breakfast, snacks, and lunch really helps me, and prevents me from forgetting things and going out and buying something that's less healthy.

And, since I usually plan larger yummy dinners, I have something to look forward to all day... it helps me throughout the day if I'm tempted to buy a candy bar or something else while I'm out and about. I can ask myself "well are you willing to eat less of your really delicious dinner in order to eat this candy bar?" and the answer 99% of the time is no.

Fiber and protein are two things that will satisfy. However, if you are busy and under stress, it can just be eating to calm yourself, masquerading as hunger. In which case, you can try to manage yourself in the midst of the stress, manage the stress by managing what's around you causing that (drop some activities, choose different things, etc.), or, more likely, try to do both.

I feel the same way. It doesn't matter how little or how much I eat, I'm always still hungry. I wake up in the middle of the night so hungry I feel sick. I've adjusted my eating to include more protein and less carbs. I hardly ever snack because my calorie goals don't allow for it, so 3 meals a day is all I get, but it just doesn't seem to be enough.

Hi!

You're exactly right about the snacking! (My Hubby-God-love-him nags me all the time about snacking.)

"Snacking + Small Meals" when you're snacking smartly. When I feel hungry, I know I need a protein snack right away, like a serving of almonds, or a protein shake. I also have a real craving for crunchy/salty, so I buy the 100-calorie Special K Crackers, which have more protein than normal crackers, so they fill me up. I also like Pretzel Rods, because they're cheap, almost fat-free, and right around 100-calories for a serving.

I've also replaced my old go-to brownies with fruit, simply because I can eat more of it, and it really fills me up. Its also Fat-Free! I eat alot of Hummus too, but remember it has many more calories than salsa, so be sure to watch your portion.

Keep up the Good Work-
Remember, you're unique- so your weight-loss journey will be unique also.

I used to be hungry all the time until I raised my fat limit. I eat 3oz of fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and trout at least 3 times per week. I also eat nuts and seeds on all my salads. You would not believe what 1/2 once of walnuts or almonds does for satiety what eaten a top a fresh salad. Sometimes you need to adjust your calorie intake and amounts of macro nutrients based on how your body reacts. I am not sure how we call 50% of your daily intake as carbohydrates to be called balanced. It seems quite lopsided in favor of carbs.

Edited by: PSCHIAVONE2 at: 12/8/2012 (08:09)

What is an average day like for you, menu and activities?

have you adjusted your goals as you have lost? in other words, if you started out at 180lbs, 2lbs per week may have been quite feasible. but 30lbs later, you need to have cut your goal down to not more than 1.5lbs per week if you're under 5'6" and down under a pound if you are 5'6" or above. you also need to make sure that your goals have been adjusted so that your weight is 150lbs, not 180lbs in the goals. while you're in your goals, make sure that your calories burned number reflects the actual calories that you are burning in a week accurately. this will make sure your ranges are accurate for where you are now.

and as far as snacking goes, i skip meals in favor of snacks because that works for me. i am a grazer and a nibbler and eating three square meals just doesn't work for me. so i don't really eat proper meals, but i have about eight 200 cal or so snacks throughout the day. in some ways it takes more balancing than eating meals and more planning to have more options available. but for me, i'd rather have a hummus wrap with veggies and fried rice for dinner, and i am perfectly happy having 200 cal portions of both rather than picking one or the other and eating 500 cals of it. it's certainly not for everyone, but if not snacking is difficult for you, snacking all the way might be an option.

You shouldn't be hungry!

Are you eating ALL your meals?

Do you have healthy snacks? Smart snacks can be very beneficial - I generally have at least 2 a day and up to 4 snacks. I just account for it in my daily calorie allowance.

What calorie range do you eat? A lot of people tend to UNDEReat thinking that they are doing their body a favour but the reality is that they are more inclined to be doing harm!

Are you doing extra exercise but not adjusting your calories to account for it?

Are you on any medication or NEW medication that could be contributing to this?

I hope that this gives you some food for thought (sorry about the pun - not intended - LOL!)
Kris

So I'm really trying to be good about tracking my calories, and have done a really good job of it the last few months. But lately, even with my balanced food intake (fruits, veggies, proteins, carbs, fats, etc. I'm making sure I've got it all) I'm still really hungry! Part of it may be that its the end of a really busy semester and my body is so tired it needs some extra fuel...but I'm afraid that it will interfere with losing weight.

SO! Am I the only one? I'm not trying to starve myself, but snacking is my weakness. How do you control that?

Thanks!