Constant miserable hunger feeling....any ideas??

05-20-2003, 11:23 AM

Hi Everybody -
Found this board in my search for answers and thought someone might be able to help!
I recently changed my diet and eating patterns in hopes of dropping a bit of excess fat. I actively lift weights and just wanted to trim down a bit to be able to actually see those nice muscles I work for! Current weight is 155 at 5'5" with a goal of approx 135-140.
I've always been a "snacker". Never really paid much attention to regular mealtimes (other than a sitdown family dinner every night) and just always grabbed a handful of something when hungry...could have been anything from pretzels, cookies, carrot sticks, nuts, cheese, etc..
Anyway, I really started watching what I eat and have been trying to adhere to "regular" meals.....approx 3-4 smaller balanced meals spaced out every few hours with some snacks in between.
The problem is, since actually trying to eat meals without constant nibbling, I have discovered that I am constantly hungry. Even right after eating I have an "empty" sensation in my stomach, stomach is growling, and I feel physically hungry. Seems to actually be worse the heavier the meal/snack is in protein (I thought protein was supposed to keep you satisfied longer and it makes me hungrier!). I also have Iron Overload/Hemochromatosis so I was trying to carefully select protein sources other than meat that would not flood my system with Iron. So for protein I've been mainly using milk, whey, cheeses, beans, nuts with a little meat thrown in here and there.
The constant hunger is really quite miserable and has been going on for about 2 months (thought that maybe my body just needed time to adjust to the "new" way of eating but after this much time seems unlikely??).
It almost seems like the larger the meal the worse my feeling of "hunger" afterwards. Everyone else that ate the same meal says they're "stuffed" and I feel like I'm starving! My stomach just seems to empty out instantly after eating!
My blood sugar levels also appear to be fine too (we have a home blood glucose meter so I began checking it frequently). No pain in my stomach....everything seems to be normal except for being STARVING all the time!
Does anyone have any clue what's wrong with my overactive stomach??
I'm currently eating about 1300-1500 calories per day and I do try to eat a balanced diet. I've lost approx 7 pounds in the last 2 months but I'm just miserably hungry all the time!
Thanks in advance for any light (hopefully blinding!) that anyone can shed on this!
All The Best -
Laura

05-20-2003, 11:32 AM

Instead of munching on nuts or preztels, munch on carrots, or celery, apple slices. Lots less calories..

Instead of doing 3 meals, do 5-6 small meals throughout the day. 3 meals, two snacks.

Like this..

Breakfast-
Bowl of oatmeal and small glass of milk

(Snack optional if you have a big time space between breakfast and lunch)

Lunch- Sandwich and salad

Snack- Fruit and 2 slices deli meat

Dinner- Chicken, whole grain rice, veges

Snack- Same as above snack

05-20-2003, 12:42 PM

Thanks for the input!
Unfortunately, your suggestions look pretty much like what I'm eating right now.......that leaves me starving!
This morning I had a bowl of oatmeal, a few sliced strawberries in the oatmeal and milk. Within 45 minutes my stomach was growling and I was starving! Sometimes right after I finish eating I have that *hungry* feeling (and again, meals that contain more protein or just protein seem to be even worse for me).
When I used to snack and nibble all day I was fine but I just can't seem to eat real meals. Maybe I have been a nibbler for so long I just can't eat "meals"??
I am determined to get to my desireable weight and have just gotten to the point where I put up with the hunger pangs until it's time to eat again but it's miserable!
Sometimes, in the morning, I actually dread eating my first meal since I know it will start the whole cycle over again for the day!
Even before my first meal in the morning I'm hungry but I don't have that awful "growling stomach I'm ravenous" feeling.
I seem to have tried every combination I can imagine for meals also. Heavy carbs (good ones like whole grains, veggies, etc.), heavy protein, half carbs half protein, more fat, less fat, etc.........nothing seems to work!
I'm doomed!
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/redface.gif)
Laura

05-20-2003, 10:10 PM

Thanks for the Atkins tip. I did try Atkins a couple of years ago and I was so hungry all the time I couldn't stand it! Plus, with the Hemochromatosis, I really need to watch how much meat I consume..........which would be really hard to accomplish with Atkins anyway.
Even now, I've tried adjusting the ratio of carbs/protein/fat and the more protein I include the worse I feel and the hungrier I am.
Oh well....I guess I just need to learn to live with the constant hunger to get to my desired weight (I have been losing but it's really miserable).
Thanks again for the input!
Laura

05-20-2003, 11:36 PM

40 carbs 24 protein 8 fat for breakfast, lunch and dinner

20 carbs 12 protein 4 fat for snacks

I do 20 carbs 12 protein and 4 fat for breakfast since I am pretty thin and just looking to tone up and lose little body fat so I don't need as much calories. How many calories do you think you got from snacking all the time? It really adds up, so you may even be really cutting back calories and starving yourself.

Here are some suggestions so you don't eat a lot, feel fuller, and lose weight at the same time.

-30 mins. before you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, mix 1 cup warm water, 2 tbls apple cider vinegar, and 1 tbls honey. If you drink this, it will help curb your appetite a little bit, plus the warmth makes your stomach not feel so hungry, and apple cider vinegar helps with weight loss, and many, many other health problems.

-If you are hungry, make some decaf tea (Like I said, the warmth helps with hunger)

-Drink water! Although it feels like you're hungry, you may just be dehydrated.

05-21-2003, 09:59 AM

We are soul mates! I am hungry ALL THE TIME! I went on a diet last month and now I gained two pounds????!!! It seems I get sooo ravenous that every four or five days, I have to eat extra for the day and that puts on the weight. I am feeling discouraged.

I was hungry on Atkins too. The weird thing, the only time I was ever not hungry in my life was when I started Prozac. I lost tons of weight. That lasted like a year and then I got hungry. Since then, the Prozac doesn't have the same side effects, even if I start it after not having had it for a long long time...

You know what? Maybe we should learn to exercise, eat healthy and live with the weight. I am tired of this starving feeling. If I am not overeating, but eating healthy and working out, then maybe I should just let my body be what it wants...

Or then there is liposuction!!!! :]

05-21-2003, 11:38 AM

Maybe I'll try the vinegar/honey mix. I've heard that vinegar (and other "acid" foods can help to slow down digestion).......or maybe I should try the Prozac idea!
Seriously though, the ratio of protein/carbs/fat that QweenyBluEyes suggested is approx what I started out doing and that's when I noticed that my stomach just simply always felt empty (since I was then trying to eat regular meals instead of nibbling all the time). QweenyBluEyes suggested ratios should be great for most people (right in line with most of the data I have from various weight lifting sites, nutrition info, etc. and I had high hopes when I started)....but it leaves me starving!
Before I started my diet *change* I did chart everything I ate/snacked on for about a week and I was eating between about 1600-1800 calories per day so it wasn't like I was gorging myself every day. I also drink a lot of water (approx 1/2 gallon per day).
I actually visited with a nurse/friend yesterday who has succesfully lost over 50 pounds in the last year. She suggested that based on my description it sounded to her like I was either having an exagerated insulin response to food (but my blood sugar levels seem to be fine??) or that my stomach was hyperacid which is simply causing it to empty out too fast. I also had that idea last week and tried using acid reducers/antacids for a few days but that didn't seem to have any effect either.
I've heard that some people continue to produce insulin approx an hour after eating (which is just about how long I can make it before the hungries kick in). Even though a persons blood sugar levels don't appear to be *clinically* low the re-release of insulin can spark hunger attacks.......anyone ever heard of this??
Still searching!!
Laura

05-21-2003, 12:31 PM

A large insulin response would leave you hungry and cause you to store fat. A doctor can do a blood test to measure insulin response to blood sugar. If your blood sugar is normal but insulin levels are high than you are insulin resistant, and one symptoms is hunger. Stablizing the insulin response is the answer but with Hemochromatosis the iron level in Atkens may be to high . I looked at my iron level and it was 150% of recommended amount. Without being on low carb the high fat would add pound .
Not sure how much iron is in fish, chick,.... I know organ meet is high liver,....

05-21-2003, 12:37 PM

Prozac to lose wieght is a bad idea. You may lose more than wieght like sex drive.

05-25-2003, 09:07 PM

when I was on weight watchers, every time the "hunger monster" struck, I would drink alot of water. It usually helps for a while and helps you get to the next meal

05-26-2003, 07:21 AM

On Atkins I drink about a 20 oz bottle of water every 2 hours , sometimes more of it is hot out, but 7 to 8 bottles a day.
Also if hungry I would eat 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs for a snack. After 4 hard boiled eggs you are not hungry for several hours. I did that for snacks(breaks) at work.
I found eggs and bacon for breakfast worked good for killing hunger. 4 soft boiled eggs with lots of butter and 1/2 pound of bacon .
Lots of fat is the answer to hunger.
I lost 80 lbs in about 6months got side tracked ( going out to eat) and put 20 back on , but it is still a net lose of 60 lbs.

05-26-2003, 07:29 AM

There may be to much iron in eggs and bacon for fireflyarts. Didn't say what the treatment for Hemochromatosis is.

05-27-2003, 12:38 PM

Hey Everybody -
Thanks for all the responses and ideas!
I think at this point that my problem is either too much stomach acid or perhaps a mild ulcer. The "hunger feeling" is too strange to just be "hunger" and seems to come on within 1 hour of eating a full meal(could set your watch by it almost!). But this doesn't happen if I eat little bits at a time.
I'll visit the doctor this week and check it out!
I'm kind of in a pickle as far as protein is concerned also with the Hemochromatosis. There's only a few forms of protein that don't contain iron...dairy and eggs are the 2 best. Soy does also but it doesn't agree with me. There's also beans and grains combined too (to get a complete protein).
Anyway, if anyone has ever experienced anything like this and discovered it was a *mechanical* problem like an ulcer or hyperacid stomach let me know!
All The Best -
Laura

Constant miserable hunger feeling....any ideas??

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