Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

It's so frustrating, but I honestly feel like I'm hungry all the time. I eat what should be satisfying meals, but an hour or so later I'm hungry again. I'm staying under my calorie and fat counts and meeting or exceeding my protein limits. Shouldn't that mean I should feel full? But I rarely feel satisfied.

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

no, you are not alone.

I found out my cholesterol is a little high, so i've been eating this healthy oatmeal with flaxseeds every morning, and i feel like only an hour later, i'm STARVING...
I recently starting making smoothies to try to fill me up..its been helping a little.
But even when i eat almonds or a string cheese as a snack, they do not fill me.
I noticed i tend to be hungrier in the in the daytime than at nightime..but i guess that is good.

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

Did you just change up your eating plan (lower calorie counts, etc.) or have you been eating like this for awhile?

I ask because I started watching what I was eating again in early January, and the first week or two I was pretty hungry. But then I seemed to adjust to the smaller portion and new way of eating, and I feel relatively satisfied most of the time. So if you just made a change, maybe you need time to adapt?

Are you sure you are getting enough calories, fat (you need some), etc? If you are, then maybe could you just add some extra volume to your meals without lower calorie foods like adding a large green salad with dinner or steamed veggies?

Also, if you are hungry in between meals, can you add in some healthy snacks (or hold back something from your meals so that you can eat it later as a snack.... like if you normally have a piece of fruit with lunch, wait and have it mid-afternoon). But I would try to bulk up the snacks, too - like have some grape tomatoes with a string cheese or put the almonds in a yogurt instead of just having one small thing alone.

Hope this helps! HATE feeling hungry!

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

I guess I'm having a hard time adjusting to smaller portions. I do try to have 3 real meals and snacks in between. It's the portion control that kills me. My body just wants more. I guess I just need to keep at it and train my stomach that less food is still satisfying. Getting older sucks! I miss the days of eating as much as I want, not working out and still being super skinny. Those days are long gone.

Message edited 2/22/2013 12:04:59 PM.

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

me! always!
but that is what got me the extra lbs in the first place..
but joining WW has helped and i have had a slow steady loss.
the few things that helped me was figuring out my time of day where i was most hungry (3pm-7pm)
i start the day with a green tea and an orange, around 12 i eat a plain greek yogurt with a 1/2 tsp of PB, small banana and drizzle of honey and a sm bag of popchips..
this keeps me full until about 3:30 then i eat an apple and an oatmeal. this keeps me until like 7 when i eat dinner and a small sweet afterwards. i keep ice water on hand which is helpful too.
it's not the same everyday but figuring out my worst hungry time of day has made a huge difference.
i too miss the days i could eat what i like without consequence!

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

im always hungry!!!!

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

since eliminating gluten, meat and dairy (I am vegan) I am not hungry inbetween meals and feel no need to snack

are you eating whole foods or processed foods? I would change to all whole foods and no gluten- I bet you will feel full

another benefit of being vegan- I don't really watch portion sizes- I eat as much veggies as I want- they are very filling and very low in calories- what about trying an all veggie meal?

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

I firmly believe that gluten and processed foods make you hungier

I elimated all processed foods very quickly- just watch Food Inc- half way thru I thru out everything processed

and by the end I was vegan

100 calories of almonds will keep you fuller longer then a fake food 100 calorie pack of chips

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

I have a physically demanding job so I feel like I'm always hungry. I have to be careful spacing out my meals - that helps a lot.

I find that whether I eat whole foods or processed (I'll have a protein bar or shake when I'm short on time), I am often hungry if I eat fewer than 4 times a day.

Are you eating enough calories?

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

are you eating a lot of carbs or sugar? those things can make you hungrier.

Re: Am I the only one who is hungry all the time?

I've been doing much better with sugar, but I am definitel carb dependent. I don't feel satisfied if I don't have a bit of carbs. But I've been better there too. I'll have half a whole wheat bagel instead of a full. Been eating a lot of quinoa instead of pasta. When we do have pasta it's whole wheat or brown rice pasta. Things like that. I really don't think I'm prepared to give up carbs altogether.