Am I just going to be hungry forever?

[whothehellknows]

I'm just finishing my first week on MFP. I've stayed under my recommended calories each day and increased my exercise where possible. I did have a bad tummy midweek, which helped keep calories low, but I couldn't really exercise for a couple of days.

I was expecting that my stomach would shrink or I'd get used to fewer calories or something. But I'm starving and lethargic and feeling like crap. Is this going to get better?

What food choices are you making? I find it works best if you save your calories for filling meals of lean protein, tonnes of veg and a small serving of unrefined carbs.
Also don't eat under your calorie allowance, eat it all and the exercise you have earned. And drink loads.
Also I am always hungrier around my period.

Loads of water, herbal teas etc.

If you've had a tummy bug then you've probably gone under your calories by quite a bit for a couple of days - is that the case? If so then I'm not surprised you're hungry. Allow yourself to eat some of those calories you've missed out on. As long as you use the calories sensibly you should be able to fill up without destroying the diet.

I was pretty far under for a couple of days, but I've picked back up again since. I feel like I'm making fairly nutritious choices, and getting better as I keep logging everything I eat. I may have screwed up last night, though. I had to eat out with a client, so I ate a half portion of a fairly healthy main- but since I don't know the nutrition info, I may have under estimated my calories. I woke up hungry at about 3am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I'm zombified now. I'm just hoping that at some point this will all become habit and I'll feel full up on the lower calorie intake than I had before dieting.

You may already be doing this, but if you eat wholesome, nutritious foods and avoid low-fat, high-sugar crap you shouldn't be hungry.

I had mfp set to 1200 when I lost weight and honestly wasn't hungry. Did it by having 3 meals based around protein, fruit and veg, with no snacks.

Eggs are great for breakfast - three large eggs, scrambled with butter, comes in at around 300cals and will keep you full til lunch.

At lunchtime, go for soup or else a salad with avocado, chicken, tuna, smoked salmon, etc. Couscous is good. Toulouse and carrot sticks, too.

Then have an ordinary dinner (noodles, fajitas, pasta, casserole, whatever) in a sensible sized portion, with loads of veg. Under 1200 easily there, and loads of food!

I do like wholefoods (although I don't go for the green veg as much as I should) and they make up a big part of my diet. I would normally take in quite a lot of fresh fruit during the day, but I've had to cut back to one or two portions a day to stay within my calorie limits. I wonder if that's partly where my energy dip is coming from.

Have you thought about the 5:2? Only two hungry days and it's very effective.

I have thought about it. Am I right in thinking that 2 days each week you stay under 500cal? I could probably manage that, and eating more on the other days would probably help give me more energy to exercise.

I did weightwatchers 13 years ago.
I was hungry for 6 months.
Never again.
Over time 1/3 of the weight crept back on.
Then I discovered 5:2
2 days a week you eat very little, but its a mindset thing so not too hard.
The other 5 days a week you eat like the thin person you will be.
I've been doing it for 2 1/2 years and never plan to stop.

I used to be a massive eater but now I can easily do 1200 calls a day without feeling hungry. It is all about food choice. Tbh fruit is not a great choice as it is full of sugar. Better to have an egg (70 cals) or a couple of ryvita with low fat ricotta (100cals) .

I am sure you will get used to it fairly quickly.

Tbh having the half portion was probably not a great idea, better to go with a starter , eg prawns or calamari, and salad as that is a full meal, but a balanced healthy option rather than half of a fish and chips or pasta dish. Hard to say without knowing what you ate!

Good luck

Oh and also some days, maybe five a month, I do just feel crap so eat more. Often due to tiredness or recovering from illness or time on my cycle. Those days I do just let myself eat an extra two or three hundred cals without going too mad or feeling bad about it and no harm done

Yep 500 a day two days a week, they're easier after a while and you can find really filling low cal things like home made soups, also snack on celery, green apples, asparagus, papaya.. All calorie neutral or very low cal.

I'm not on mfp or know calorific values but this is working for me:

Breakfast - 1 or two hard boiled eggs or a banana
Lunch - 2 falfael with a salad of spinach, tomato, grated carrot, sliced pepper
Dinner - chicken stirfry, courgette, pepper, spinach, carrot, beansprouts
Snack - hard boiled egg

I was the queen of crisp snacking but I am full on this combination