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DESCHROMA Posts: 180
6/3/13 10:14 A

Honestly, I would rule out any physical ailments first. A lot of conditions can make a person oddly hungry. Side effects from medications can as well. Are you on any? Go to your doctor and tell them the issue.

I'm sure you're fine, but better safe, right?

6/3/13 8:24 A

Your macronutrient range is just a guideline. As long as your total calories are good I wouldn't worry about going over your fat grams. Healthy fats are great for the body. I go over in my fat every single day by a lot and I'm still able to maintain/lose.

A little more protein would help as well your eggs and Greek yogurt are great. Cottage cheese, cheese, hemp seeds and sunflower seeds are good sources. Do you eat fish? Some vegetarian protein sources like beans and whole wheat increase carbohydrate intake much more than they increase protein, be careful of that as too many carbs at a meal or snack can leave you feeling very hungry 1-2 hours later.

I'm with Michelle, strength training makes you feel and look amazing, I highly recommend it as well.

Swim team!! That's awesome, I wish I had a pool closer so I could get better at swimming.

MICHELLEXXXX SparkPoints: (7,379)
Fitness Minutes: (5,730)
Posts: 2,197
6/3/13 1:19 A

I think your fitness sounds great. I would do a small change: eggs for dinner and a greek yogurt before bed.

NOBLEEQUESTRIAN SparkPoints: (5,425)
Fitness Minutes: (10,809)
Posts: 243
6/3/13 12:50 A

Thanks guys for all your advice! I will try some of them.

I should probably let you know that i'm a vegetarian, so I get a lot of my protein from eggs, peanut butter, whole-wheat, and Greek yogurt.

Fat-wise, I don't think I am capable of adding more fat without going over my limit. My fat intake is already on the high end, and often goes over by about 5grams or so. I will, however, try to increase my protein intake and possibly reduce the fat intake (based upon Slimmerkiwi's advice)

SlimmerKiwi: Thanks for you advice! My average caloric intake is about 1,600 calories despite the fact that my caloric range is suppose to be between 1,200 and 1,500.. And yes, I have added it into my tracker that I am very active. On the days that I work, I generally put '60 minutes of walking' into my fitness tracker. On average I burn about 800-1000 calories a week. It may not seem like a lot for somebody who is very active, but I am naturally a very small individual and thus burn a lot less calories than others do.

Michelle: Thanks for your advice! I am involved in some strength training, but probably not as much as I need to be. Do you think I should Incorporate more strength training into my routines?
BTW: My jogs on the treadmill are generally intervals. I have exercise induced asthma and distance running is a big trigger of this kind of asthma. For this reason I often do intervals of running and fast walking on extremely steep inclines. However, during the school year I'm on the swim team and do not partake in any interval training.

MICHELLEXXXX SparkPoints: (7,379)
Fitness Minutes: (5,730)
Posts: 2,197
6/3/13 12:19 A

I would focus on replacing the processed grains (pasta, pretzels, crackers, popcorn) with veggies, meat, and healthy fats.
Do you do any weight training, yoga, pilates, or interval training to switch up your activity?

RENATARUNS SparkPoints: (3,938)
Fitness Minutes: (2,155)
Posts: 1,236
6/2/13 8:54 A

OK, I definitely NOT an advocate of low-carb diets like some who I know will respond, but even to me those meals look like a recipe for being really hungry a lot of the time. I assume that's how you like to eat, basically, so will just suggest some minor changes.

Your breakfast actually looks terrific to me, more or less, but maybe you could trade out one or two of those eggs into your snack (hard-boiled) and move what you're now eating for snack into your breakfast. Eggs by themselves don't fill me up for too long, but they do a much better job than an apple or a few pretzels.

My favorite afternoon snack at the moment is baby carrots with hummus -- not extremely filling, but I tend to be less hungry then, and again, better than just a piece of fruit or such. Just a suggestion, I have no idea if that's something you'd even like.

For lunch and dinner: see if you can replace half of the grains (pasta, rice, etc) with black beans, red beans, chickpeas or the like; or with some meat. There's tons of recipes for both sorts of things out there, and in my experience doing that turns a meal that goes right through you to one that has some staying power.

Oh yes, and I do agree with the previous poster that adding more fat could be helpful, but without knowing how much you already use to cook with, it's hard to say if you actually could benefit by that. I would not skimp on oil to cook a meat-free meal, though.

Edited by: RENATARUNS at: 6/2/2013 (08:56)
RUSSELL_40 Posts: 16,826
6/1/13 10:55 P

I knew what your diet would look like before you even posted it. A bunch of carby foods.

You want to reduce hunger. Eat more FAT. A lot of people think it is the protein, or say protein, because of course, nothing about fat could be good. They eat more protein, and get fat along with it. Fat satiates.

I eat a high fat diet, and I have to eat at scheduled times, or I forget to eat, because I am never hungry. You don't have to eat like I do, but you might want to find some fats to add to your diet, like olive oil, cheeses, maybe some macadamia nuts etc.and I think you will find that it will help with your hunger.

SLIMMERKIWI SparkPoints: (138,262)
Fitness Minutes: (33,254)
Posts: 21,854
6/1/13 9:58 P

Perhaps if you slightly reduced the fats and increased the protein you would find that you will have some more calories to spare to help with the hunger.

What calories do you eat?.... and, when you joined SP, did you include that you were very active during the day for long hours, and the amount of structured exercise you do on top of that?


NOBLEEQUESTRIAN SparkPoints: (5,425)
Fitness Minutes: (10,809)
Posts: 243
6/1/13 9:17 P

Thanks guys, I think I will see a doctor and/or dietitian.

Here's an example of what I eat during the day:

Breakfast: Large smoothie (Greek yogurt, and 1-2 cups of fruit) & 3 Eggs
Snack: Pretzels or a large Apple
Lunch: Large Salad(mixed veggies and Feta) with Ranch. 1-2 cups of Couscous and a banana with peanut butter & raisins
Snack: Veggy Sticks and Ranch and maybe a cheese-stick
Dinner: 1.5 Cups of tortellini with tomato sauce + Some more fruit
Dessert: 1 Brownie (I make "healthy" brownies)
Snack: If I'm still hungry I may eat some oil-popped popcorn, cheese-its, etc.

My workouts depend upon my schedule. Currently I'm working as a intern zookeeper so I'm walking around for 10hrs a day 4 days a week. On my 3 days off I generally get on the treadmill for about 60 minutes of a jog.

Generally my protein is on the low-end, but still within my range. My fat is often in the high-end but still in range. My carbs are usually right in the middle. My average caloric intake is probably about 100 calories above what I normally eat.

Edited by: NOBLEEQUESTRIAN at: 6/1/2013 (21:20)
SLIMMERKIWI SparkPoints: (138,262)
Fitness Minutes: (33,254)
Posts: 21,854
6/1/13 6:41 P

I would be inclined to talk with your Dr about this. It could be something medical that is triggering the hunger. Based on the results, it might be beneficial to refer you to a Dietitian.

Do you use the Nutrition Tracker to see just what you are getting, and perhaps where you might be able to tweak your food intake? What exercise do you do? It might be that you are getting more exercise than you realize and may not be eating as much as you genuinely require.

you mention having an extra layer of fat! Have you had a 9 point skin-fold caliper test (by someone qualified to do this) to see just what your fat percentage is?


6/1/13 4:28 P

It sounds like you're missing something in your diet. For me, I can eat veggies until they're coming out my ears but if I don't have some kind of protein with them, I will still feel hungry. It would probably be a good idea to go over your daily menu and see if you are coming up short on any particular nutrient(s).

MEG-NATALIA07 Posts: 679
6/1/13 2:25 P

If I don't include enough fat and protein in my #for the day this happensto me, even eating within and at the top of my range. My advice, trade some of your calories for upping protein and fat.

KCLARK89 SparkPoints: (26,324)
Fitness Minutes: (15,946)
Posts: 1,078
6/1/13 10:54 A

I've found that by making small changes in my diet, I can avoid that as much as possible, because like you, I haven't struggled greatly with my weight. While I love eating fresh fruit and veggies, trying to eat clean and unprocessed low-cal foods like that can make me hungry. Try adding some healthy fats and protein to fill you up for longer.

6/1/13 8:40 A

What are you eating and what do your workouts look like?

CMCOLE Posts: 2,667
6/1/13 8:31 A

lots of great responses.

I hope you get to the bottom of the problem, and come up with a workable solution.

SUNSHINE6442 Posts: 1,901
6/1/13 7:28 A

Hunger is usually caused by not having some fat in your diet...most of your fat intake should be from naturally occurring fat in foods as well as unsaturated fats in nuts, oils, and salad dressings. You may need some omega 3's such as walnuts, flaxseed oil, and fish such as tuna, bluefish, lake trout, salmon, and sardines, black olives, avocados, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds, 2 tbsp. of peanut butter or one egg, or have 3 cups of air-popped popcorn to quell your hunger.

Grab an apple, peach, apricot...1/2 cup Cottage Cheese and a handful of Matchstick carrots, flaxseeds around 75 calories....String Cheese 80 calories,Pear and 1 ounce of light Brie about 120 Calories

1/2 Avocado with stuffed crabmeat 4 ounces crabmeat with a tad of mayo on a bed of lettuce about 6 carbs

MICHELLEXXXX SparkPoints: (7,379)
Fitness Minutes: (5,730)
Posts: 2,197
6/1/13 3:00 A

What's an average day's menu? Are you a runner? What is your current wt/ht?

TAMMYS128 Posts: 62
6/1/13 1:49 A

Hi there, looks like quite a conundrum...

First of all, have you ever tried seeing a dietician? That might be a great place to start for you to make sure that you actually are getting the right amount of calories and other nutrients for your particular body type.

Secondly, have you ever considered that this may not be a physical hunger? I know you said that these are not cravings, and I am not talking about cravings here, but perhaps there is an emotional (i.e. psychological) aspect to your hunger that you may wish to consider?

The fact that you say the thought of restraining your hunger is causing you agony makes me wonder about the psychological aspect!

NOBLEEQUESTRIAN SparkPoints: (5,425)
Fitness Minutes: (10,809)
Posts: 243
5/31/13 10:32 P

Before you answer, please understand that there is no reason for me to be hungry.

I am young, fit, and at a healthy weight (always have been). I don't have a fast metabolism either.

I have tried eating 6 small meals a day, filling up on water or fruits/veggies, getting in more protein or fiber. I get in MORE than enough calories and nutrition. I don't eat junk food, and always have whole grains.

No matter what I do, I am always hungry. Can somebody provide any other answers? I've tried everything and I always seem to still be hungry.....

It wouldn't bother me too much except that I am continuously having to restrain myself from eating more and it's just mental agony doing this day after day (for my entire life). It's a continuous fight that I'm tired of.

Because of my hunger (yes, it's real hunger, not just cravings) I have a little extra layer of fat. It's nowhere near enough to cause me to worry (just about 2 or 3 pounds extra) but I really wish to shed these few extra pounds.

Any advice?


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