Do you struggle with constant hunger? Are you hungry again a short time after eating? Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “Why am I hungry all the time?”
Life as a Former Hungry Girl
As a former "hungry girl" I can totally relate. I was born with an appetite and love of food that for decades was hard to satisfy or understand...
Why did it take so much more food to fill me up than it did other people? Why was I usually hungry again within a short time of eating? Why was it so hard to lose weight even though I followed the nutritional advice of exercising and eating a low fat diet?
It didn't make sense! I ate the same diet as my brother and sister growing up (AKA known as the Standard American Diet or SAD). But I was the one who seemed to need more to be satisfied and was often hungrier again in less time. I ate more and consequently weighed more than them.
Breakfast was most often high sugar low fiber cereal with skim milk or squishy white bread toasted with margarine and jam. All served up with a big glass of orange juice or Tang.
Lunch was usually a sandwich of more squishy white bread with chips or pretzels, cookies and the occasional piece of fruit. After school we often had cookies or some other treat.
Since my Dad worked nights, dinner was not as big a deal as in other families. We might have had soup and a sandwich, frozen pot pies, canned stew over rice, pizza, pasta, or a casserole of some sort.
Vegetables were an afterthought and usually canned.
As I entered my teens and well into my 20s and 30s, I followed the dietary advice of the day. I avoided fats, ate little protein, filled up on carbohydrates and ended up looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy – pale and squishy! I walked, jogged, played tennis, and regularly attended aerobics classes, but the weight clung to me like cat hair to a sweater.
I tried diet after diet, switched to sugar free soda.
After years of experimentation and lots of study, I’ve finally unlocked the secrets to avoid being hungry all the time and am excited to share them with you!
Blood Sugar and Sugar Sensitivity
I finally discovered that I am one of many people who is sensitive to sugar and starch. Highly refined carbohydrates in the form of sweets, breads, refined starches, crackers, rice, flour and cereals, send me on an extremely unpleasant blood sugar roller coaster ride.
After filling up on these foods, my blood sugar rises quickly, then plummets leaving me cranky, shaky and ravenous!
Before I realized what was going on, my hunger would lead me to fill up again and again on low fat highly refined carbs – fruit, bagels, crackers, fat free cookies, pretzels, rice cakes, fruit, etc.
I ended up fat, unhappy, overfed and undernourished because I didn't know how to fuel myself properly. And I'm not alone. Many people are sensitive to sugar and starch which has led to an explosion of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
When you see an obese person, chances are you are looking at a person who has messed up her metabolism and hormonal balance by feeding herself the wrong kinds of foods. I believe obesity is more likely the result of lack of knowledge and understanding than lack of will power.
There is a better, saner way to feed your body and manage your hunger that is worth exploring. It has worked for me and many others and may work for you. It involves getting back to eating real food, balancing meals and snacks, limiting highly refined carbohydrates and eating more fat than the current "dietary experts" suggest.
When you fuel your body properly it has a chance to get back into balance, which is what it is always striving to achieve. When your hormones and metabolism are in balance, your body works properly and weight can melt away.
For the people on the planet who are sugar/starch sensitive, it's about doing what you can to keep your blood sugar steady. Understanding how blood sugar and insulin work in your body can be confusing for those of us without a biochemistry degree so I've found it helpful to think of it in simple terms.
Most of us have bodies that like to be fed very very small amounts of glucose at a time. Think of a very slow steady drip, drip, drip from a faucet. When you blast your body with a lot of sugar/starch all at once, like turning on the faucet full blast, you flood your bloodstream with sugar so it has to release insulin to divert all that excess out of your bloodstream and into your cells.
Unfortunately, to compensate your body usually ends up releasing too much insulin which causes your blood sugar to drop too low and leads to hunger signals and another sugar surge, where the cycle repeats itself again and again.
These constant ups and downs are hard on your body can lead to obesity, insulin sensitivity, diabetes and heart disease. (More About Sugar: The Sweet and Not So Sweet)
Here's What the Folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) Have to Say About Refined Carbs....
Even if you're eating something at every meal, if your day looks something like this—a cup of sugary, flaked cereal for breakfast, a slice of pizza or a sandwich on white bread for lunch, chips for a snack, either white rice or pasta for dinner, and then a chocolate chip cookie for dessert—your problem is that you're constantly fueling yourself with nutritionally-deficient refined carbs. Lacking the satiating fiber of their original form, simple and refined carbs burn up quickly in your body, which spikes your blood sugar and then causes it to crash. Low glucose levels are what triggers your hunger hormones, leaving you with a craving for more carbs!"
One of the best things you can do for your body is keep your blood sugar steady so it doesn't have to work so hard. It will reward you with less hunger, better hormone balance and weight loss that feels effortless. I am slimmer, trimmer and more emotionally stable than I’ve ever been. My hunger never roars out of control like it once did.
It all comes down to eating the right kinds of foods in the right ways so that your body's natural hunger/satisfaction signals work properly and blood sugar is kept steady.
Here Are My 12 Secrets To Avoid Being Hungry All the Time
1. Eat real food and avoid the processed, refined nutrient-depleted stuff.
The more nutritious food your body gets and the fewer "empty calories" you consume, the happier your body becomes which results in a healthier metabolism and less intense hunger signals.
Here's what the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) said about it...
It's not calories that satiate your hunger, it's nutrients: fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Unfortunately, simple, refined carbs are lacking in all three and so are many 100-calorie snacks. And they'll just fill your body with fast, cheap calories. So no matter how much you eat, your body will go in search of more food. The result: a sluggish, hungrier you — one who's more likely to dive into the snack drawer.
2. Include protein and healthy fats with meals and snacks.
They take longer to digest and help keep you feeling full longer.
Here's what the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) Said...
Piling your plate with lean protein can help keep hunger pangs at bay. Protein takes a longer time to digest, which means it stays in your stomach and promotes feelings of fullness. But that's not all–it's also been shown to have an appetite-suppressing effect. In a study of 21 men published in the journal Nutrition Research, half were fed a breakfast of bagels while half ate eggs. The egg group were observed to have a lower response to ghrelin, were less hungry three hours later and consumed fewer calories for the next 24 hours!
Eating healthy fats won't make you fat. In fact, just the opposite might be true! A recent review published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people who eat full-fat dairy are no more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes than people who stick to low-fat dairy. And other research has linked full-fat eaters to lower rates of obesity compared to those who eschewed fat. When opting for dairy products, make sure to go with the full-fat options.
Here are some examples of meals and snacks that work well for me:
Breakfast:
Eggs in some form with 1 slice 100% whole wheat toast; 100% whole wheat toast with peanut butter or almond butter and fruit; full fat plain Greek yogurt with high fiber cereal, fruit and a drizzle maple syrup; Steel cut oatmeal with butter or coconut milk, fruit, nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup; cottage cheese with fruit; leftovers.
Snacks:
A handful of nuts; slices of apple with almond butter; popcorn with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (affiliate link) and sprinkle Parmesan; sardines on whole grain crisp bread; cottage cheese with fruit; hummus and raw vegetables. (24 Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss)
Dinner:
Salad, chicken or fish and vegetables; lentil soup; turkey or vegetarian chili; hearty soups, stews or chili; whole wheat pasta with lots of vegetables and turkey sausage; meat, green vegetables, salad with olive oil dressing and small baked potato with butter and full fat Greek yogurt.
3. Eat lots of vegetables.
They are nutritionally dense – full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants – and fill you up. Try to include a rainbow of colors – white, green, yellow, orange, red, blue and purple – everyday. (23 Ways to Get More Fruits and Vegetables into Your Life)
Here's what that folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) said about eating more vegetables...
According to the USDA's 2015 Dietary Guidelines, the average American isn't eating enough vegetables. This is an issue because most leafy greens are rich in vitamin K, a micronutrient that studies have found regulates insulin levels. Vitamin K was found to increase insulin sensitivity, which makes it easier for your body to take up sugar from your bloodstream.
If your body is taking up sugar more efficiently from your bloodstream, it won't need to take more of it in through food, helping to quash your cravings. Even better, veggies are some of the most fiber-rich foods out there, and fiber is what slows the absorption of the foods we eat from the stomach into the bloodstream.
In a Canadian study, researchers discovered that those whose diets were supplemented with insoluble fiber had lower levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone.
4. Limit excess sugar.
If you must have dessert, have a small amount – just a bite or two at the end of your meal – so it doesn’t send your blood sugar soaring. Avoid sugary drinks including soda and fruit juice. (Here are 11 Simple Ways to Deal with Sugar Cravings)
5. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners.
They perpetuate your sweet tooth, causing you to crave more sweets, and they they interfere with your body’s hunger/satisfaction signals which can make you hungry. I noticed I was often ravenous within an hour of drinking a diet soda. Opt for a big glass of water with lemon, vegetable juice, green tea or sparkling water instead. (Top 4 Reasons Why I Stopped Drinking Diet Soda)
Here's what the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) said about sugar and artificial sweeteners...
Whether it's diet or regular, soda is one of the sugariest foods you can consume. And while many of us know sugar makes you crave sugar, artificially sweetened products and sugar alternatives (like aspartame, acesulfame K, and sucralose) can actually ramp up your appetite even more than real sugar, causing increased calorie consumption over time.
According to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that while drinks sweetened with glucose and fructose (two components of regular table sugar) increased satiety and decreased the hunger hormone ghrelin, drinks sweetened with an artificial sweetener were not able to affect satiety hormone signaling at all.
3 meals or 6 meals for weight loss success?
6. When you eat eat.
Stop multi-tasking through your snacks and meals. Your brain and five senses are a big part of digestion and satisfaction. If you eat while watching television or answering email, you won't really taste your food which can lead your body to send out hunger signals even though you've eaten.
Here's what the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) said about eating while doing other things...
Everyone knows that you eat with your eyes, but it turns out, your ears also play a role. A new study, published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, tested how our perception of the sound of eating food affects our eating habits.
They had two groups of participants eat crunchy foods, one with white-noise-producing headphones and the other without. These headphones were intended to mimic everyday behaviors of distracted eating, such as watching TV or listening to music while you eat.
It turned out, participants who were less aware of the sound of the food, because of the levels of white noise, ate more than those that could hear the food they were eating. Step away from the TV (or computer, for all you cord-cutters out there) and lower the music during dinner.
And if you're out to dinner at a busy restaurant, maybe think about ordering something crunchy! As long as you can hear the food you are eating, it'll make you aware of the fact that you're actually eating food.
When you're unaware, you basically forget that you're eating, which can lead to an increase in food consumption.
7. Get enough sleep.
When you are overtired your body may send you signals that it needs more energy in the form of food. I often feel hungry when I am tired and really need a nap. Studies have demonstrated that people who are sleep deprived weigh more.
Here's what the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) said about lack of sleep...
If you feel like you're always delving into your office snack stash, you might be able to blame your lack of sleep. Nutrition expert and star of "My Diet is Better than Yours" Jay Cardiello explains that when you don't get enough sleep, levels of leptin (the "I'm full" hormone) drop, which in turn increases appetite and makes comfort food more appealing. Besides stimulating your appetite, certified holistic health counselor, Seth Santoro, explains a lack of sufficient sleep "can cause you to burn fewer calories, lack appetite control and experience an increase in cortisol levels, which stores fat.
How to Drink More Water
8. Drink lots of water.
Most of us don't drink enough water and again, your body may inadvertently send you a hunger signal when it's really thirsty, especially if you have a habit of ignoring thirst. If you are hungry and there is no real good reason you should be, have a big glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Your hunger may disappear. (Here are 23 Ways to Drink More Water for Weight Loss)
Here's what the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link) said about lack of water...
A study in the journal Physiology & Behavior suggests people inappropriately respond to thirst over 60 percent of the time by eating instead of drinking. That's because your hypothalamus regulates hunger and thirst, and sometimes it mixes up its signals.
Just sipping on H2O is the solution to quelling your hunger pangs and, ultimately, helping you slim down. In fact, preloading meals with water can shave hundreds of calories from your daily intake. A study published in Obesity found that drinking two cups of water before eating led people to consume 75 to 90 fewer calories over the course of a meal.
Next time you're hankering for a snack, knock back a cup of water first and wait 20 minutes. If you're still hungry, eat something.
My slow cooker is my favorite kitchen tool for making healthy cooking, eating and meal planning easy!
More Reasons for Always Being Hungry and What You Can Do About Them...
9. Stress
Is Stress the Reason You Can't Lose Weight? According to the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link), While stress may shut down appetite in the short term—it pumps out the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) that triggers the body's fight-or-flight response and puts eating on hold—if stress persists, it's a different story. Your adrenal glands then release a different hormone called cortisol, which will not only trigger your hunger hormones, but it will also pull lipids from the bloodstream to store them in our fat cells.
10. Eating Too Quickly
Hunger hormones take anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes to get to your brain, according to Cara Stewart, RD, LDN, so if you wolf down your entire meal in under 5 minutes, you'll most likely eat more than your fill. Which is why it's best to eat slowly, something I'm still working on!
Here's a slow down strategy that can help... When your entrée arrives, dive in and eat half, then wait at least 10 minutes before eating more. While you chat and sip water, your stomach will have a chance to digest and decide whether you've had enough—no matter what the plate's saying.
11. You're taking in too much food porn.
Looking at those "food porn" images of oozy yolks dribbling down cheesy burgers is going to make you hungry—even if you weren't before you started scrolling.
A review published in the journal Brain and Cognition found that when we see "food porn," it exacerbates our desire for food through a channel of neural and physical responses called "visual hunger." The "hunger hormone" ghrelin increases in response to seeing food images, actually making your hungrier!
That's why I gave up watching The Food Network a couple years ago and avoid food-porn sites like the plague. I also try to avoid being exposed to tempting food commercials by recording my favorite tv shows and skipping past them.
12. You have food in plain view.
According to the folks at Eat This Not That (affiliate link), A study, conducted at the search engine - Google's - New York office dubbed "Project M&M" found that placing chocolate candies in opaque containers as opposed to glass ones curbed M&M consumption by 3.1 million calories in just seven weeks.
Keep snacks out of sight, and only reach for them when your tummy is rumbling and hungry enough to eat an apple. This was one of biggest lessons learned from the powerful book, Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink. Creating a Healthy Weight Loss Environment will do more than all the willpower in the world!
6 Best Filling Foods to Eat When You Are Always Hungry
Here are 6 of the best foods to eat that can help you feel full longer:
- Beans - eat them on their own, add them to salads & soups or puree them into a light yet satisfying dip.
- Brothy soup - all the liquid will help fill you up for relatively few calories - one of my best secrets for staying slim. The key is sticking with broth- or tomato-based soups instead of cream-based ones. Think minestrone or butternut squash.
- Eggs - a great low calorie protein rich food perfect for breakfast, lunch, supper or a snack.
- Greek Yogurt - high in both protein and water, two great sources of satiety, but remember that plain is a better choice because it's free of extra sugar.
- Non starchy vegetables - packed with water, fiber and tons of vitamins and minerals, veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers, and leafy greens fill you up with minimal calories.
- Oatmeal - has it's best filling potential when cooked with water or milk, rather than mixed into muffins, breads or granola.
Related Posts:
Essential Ingredient for Weight Loss
Is Stress the Reason You Can't Lose Weight?
Updated 4/12/16! I Originally wrote this article back in 2011. When 20 Reasons Why You're Always Hungry, from the The Experts at Eat This Not That (affiliate link), showed up in my inbox this week, I decided it was time to compare how what I said back then based on my personal experience, compared to the latest science-backed information.
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Richard
I have read your article and relate to it 100% I am forever with my head in the fridge or presses not long after eating a wholesome meal.. I follow the steps as you've pointed out yet I still feel hungry all the time. I am 20 years of age and weigh 55kg my height is 5ft 6" although I stay up quite a lot into the night I still manage to get the 8hrs sleep required any ideas why I don't gain weight? Thank you
Dan
Through my years of research on sickness I have come to believe the lion's share of causes has its roots in diet. It is strange to me no matter what malady of mine I research (obesity, type II diabetes, low tesotoerone, fatigue, insatiable hunger; just to name a few) and no matter what book I read or webiste find the cause is imbalance and the answer is the diet prescribed above.
Why are we creating a nation (now a world) of food addicts when the answer to most illness is a simple diet like the one above? Follow the money. There is little profit to be made in healthy people.
Kudos to Martha and the people like her that keep getting this message out!
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Dan! I appreciate your kind comment.
bonnie
sounds like me but I have a very sensitive stomach so I can't have a lot of high fiber I love nuts but can't have them so many things I can't have.. I have gained so much weight so sick of being fat but I'm hungry all the time
deepti
switch on plant based diet , you will be cured from all stomach and weight problems.
Cindy
I have a few other tips, they are intense but they work!
1. Bikram Yoga. It's not for the faint of heart, it's very intense, 90 minutes of intense yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees. I know it sounds crazy but it does soooooo many things for you. One of them is controlling appetite and actually making you crave healthy food. I don't know how it works, I only know it does work. Many studios offer a $30 for 30 days trial to help you to start and see what it can do for you.
2. Juice Fast. Whenever I fall off the wagon for a while and start eating the SAD again for too long (and let's face the truth here, most of us do), I do a juice fast, aka the lemonade diet. Again, it's intense and not for the feint of heart but I have honestly found that the longer I am on this juice fast, the easier it is to do. I know it sounds crazy but I have really found it to be mind over matter. If you're going to do it, please read Peter Glickman's book and Stanley Burroughs book, "The Master Cleanse" first. They are both a very fast read. Do the cleanse exactly as Peter Glickman and Stanley Burroughs tell you too.
These methods will keep you from falling off the wagon for too long.
Cheers everyone!
Cindy
Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Cindy! You are right, your approaches are intense and extreme, and if that works for you, more power to you. I've just found that as I age, a more gentle, gradual, balanced approach to change works best for me 🙂 I've done both Bikram yoga and juice fasting, but neither for very long.
Fran
Thanks for this article! And to all your readers who left such helpful comments. I am most definitely sugar sensitive and have modified my diet and exercise similarly to your description over the past several years. I can add one suggestion to the discussion - I carry low sodium turkey jerky or other jerky in my handbag especially when I travel. I am allergic to nuts, so this high protein snack keeps me satiated. I also carry a small bottle of water. Hope this helps!
Martha McKinnon
I Fran. Thanks for taking the time to share your turkey jerky suggestion. What a great idea for a high protein snack for those allergic to nuts 🙂
Gina
Thank you for the inspiration. I can relate to every thing you say.. But sometimes I think I'm just plain greedy. I can't stop at one. Nice chocolate, biscuits, half pack of crisps, tasty leftovers.
My life is a battle with food.
nocturneheats
Thank you for this ,ive been on a strict diet for almost a year now because of my bad acne and its almost clear with some marks that are coming back because of my binging on the foods that I wasnt eating like breads, rice and nuts. I tend to binge on all kinds of nuts specially cashews and im really struggling ,I eat all healthy food and my diet is pretty low sugar (25-60 grams/day natural sugars ONLY) ,I also exercise and do yoga ,however these binges are ruining all the efforts ive done in the past 8 months and I cant control them ,please help!
nocturneheats
In addition i track everything I eat using an app called diet master which tells me all the nutrients in my food ,however I cant help but binge ,I feel hungry all the time even after eating some almonds or drinking loads of water ,my calcium levels are ok ,im not really low on any mineral or vitamin according to the app. Im 5'9 and weigh 130 pounds ,what should I do?
Martha McKinnon
I nocturneheats,
Thanks for your comment. I'm really not an expert with binge eating. I used to binge on certain foods like CheezeIts and Icecream but it's been decades since I've had those struggles, thank God! I'm a big believer in the mind-body body-mind connection and that everything we experience serves a purpose. Clearly your body is trying to tell you something! Do your cravings happen at certain times of day? Are they related to certain emotions? Do you get enough rest? Are your stress levels high? There are just so many variables! What do you think your body might be trying to tell you???
nocturneheats
I'll read more into it but thanks for your concern ,I also realised that drinking two cups of cold water in the morning really helps ,im going to try hard to stop binging.After all these years do you have any weak points in your diet?binges?cravings?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Nocturneheats,
Two big glasses of water in the morning is a big one for me. I feel myself perk up like a dry plant! I live in Arizona so need to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. At this point in my journey, I live by the 80/20 rule. I try to eat nourishing real food 80% of the time but also indulge in "fun" food 20% of the time, treating myself to wine, pizza, chocolate, and other treats. These days I call myself a food snob and am always seeking out the highest quality food possible. So when it's pizza or chocolate I make sure it's really delicious and worth the calories. This approach works for me. As a result I have very few cravings any more. I also set my environment up to support me. I believe we are designed to eat food when we see it and are exposed to it so I don't keep food - beyond a fruit bowl - out on the counter. If you want to explore more about this I have a review of a great book here: https://simple-nourished-living.com/mindless-eating-by-brian-wansink/
Just be patient and keep trying new things and you will figure out what works best for you!
nocturneheats
This plan sounds really good ,its a little familiar to mine which also consists of mainly steamed ,cooked and raw vegetables.Herbs and spices; fresh cilantro ,parsley ,ginger etc... ,fish and beef ,starting from now ill eat the breads and rice in the 20 percent ,maybe it'll calm down the binges and the cravings ,tell me more about what your meals consist of please. Thanks for your response and sorry to bother 🙂
nocturneheats
And thank you so much for suggesting the book, just reading through its main points is helping me.
Martha McKinnon
You're so welcome! The book helped me a lot! Hope it does you too!!
Evie
What do you do when you can't afford any fruits, veggies, soup, yogurt (lactose intolerant as well), fish, turkey, salad, etc. If I went through the list of stuff my dad couldn't afford to buy to feed us I'd be here all day.
At our Save-A-lot a bag of small, on sale apples are about 3 dollars. At walmart (for the decent sized ones) it's $4. And of course an apple isn't a meal. One Ramen noodle pack is 16c. One pack is a filling meal (barely- it's not healthy at all, which is my point).
For meat, we have to buy yellow tag (almost expired) ground chuck, sausage, or pork chop.
I have asked my dad to go the extra mile and buy 100% whole wheat bread because I refuse to eat white anymore.
So again, how do I eat healthy on a very low budget?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Evie, Thanks for your comments. There's a great site called BudgetBytes.com that specializes in eating healthy on a budge. All the recipes give cost information too.
Marcia
Thanks so much for this article, Martha! I've been off and on the healthy eating wagon for a long time. I eat well about 60 percent of the time, but I tend to eat too many carbs for snacks, and I also get lazy the later it gets in the day. "I don't feel like making a healthy dinner. Let's get DiGiorno's!" I also think I eat a lot of hidden sugar that I don't think about (coffee creamer, jelly). I used to have frequest blood sugar issues, and while I've kept them mostly at bay with high fiber and high protein (yay, eggs and beans!) they're starting to creep back in. I'm also struggling with the only downfall of my birth control - it makes me hungry all the time! So I'm trying to figure out what will actually satisfy my body so I'm not hungry thirty minutes after I eat. A lot of what you've said is things I knew, but I appreciate you stating them straight out, as well as giving simple suggestions for meal ideas. I rarely take half an hour to prepare a meal - I'm hungry dangit! - so simple, quick suggestions are awesome. I think I need to give cottage cheese another try. I've never cared for it before, but maybe I just need to find the right mixer for it. 🙂 Thanks so much!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Marcia, Glad the article helped! Sounds like you've had an amazing number of realizations about what isn't working for you and what you need to try!! Way to go 🙂 The key is to just keep experimenting to come up with what works for you!
Tom
Thank you for this clear and helpful article! I'm overweigh and eventhough I'm on a mix of diet and exercise and actually do lose weight, I feel hungry all the time, except just after I eat.
I knew about drinking water and I do drink a lot but still my hunger torments me. After reading this I realized what I'm doing wrong. I enjoy some ketchup with my food. I use it on almost everything. Ketchup is fat free, but it contains quite a lot of sugar. It's clear this might be why I feel so hungry so soon again! I will eliminate high sigar things from my diet and follow your advice! Thanks again!
Tricia
You post is right in line with my Chinese doctor/acupuncturist. He said I wasn't sleeping because my tummy is sensitive to sugar and refined white flours that convert to sugar quickly. He said if I have to eat it, do it before 3 pm. Well, after half-heartedly doing it, I did a strict 2 month sugar fast (he said 70% dark choc and honey ok). The first 2 weeks were brutal. I read labels and everything has added sugar. I used a square of dark chocolate to keep me sane after meals. Within 2 months I felt amazing and my tummy was the flattest I've seen in years!! I didn't lose weight, but I'm pretty thin to start. But no more bloatsville and pudgy tummy! My moods and sleep were way improved. I stuck with it for 2 years but since Thanksgiving, I've bee off the wagon. I don't go crazy with sweets but having them at all really messes me up and I'm hungry and bloaty all the time, and I've gained, like, 7 pounds. So I'm glad I found your post to remind me. Sugar free is a happier, healthier me!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Tricia, thanks for your thoughtful comment! I too end up overindulging from time to time. It always feels good to get back on the wagon!
Tricia
Oh, and when you don't eat refined sugar and white flours, fruit tastes like HEAVEN.
Martha McKinnon
So true, Tricia!! Our tastebuds love the reset that happens when we skip the refined stuff!
Marcus
I love your information, but it has the same problem that other weight-loss programs have for me. I react very badly to salicylates, found in most fruits and vegetables, and a trigger for severe angina for me. Eating a bowl of fruits or vegetables presents a toxic, life-threatening meal for me. Most meats, eggs and fish are OK. So are most grains and some legumes.
What are my alternatives?
Martha McKinnon
Marcus, everyone must tailor their diet to meet their individual needs. One should never eat anything that is toxic to their bodies. Eat what works and avoid what doesn't. Hope this helps.
Diptimayee Sahoo
Thank you so much. Now I got the reason of my endless hunger. For a few months I am taking sugar rich foods in breakfast and lunch as I am living in hostel. And though I eat a lot, still after 1-2 hrs, I feel like dying out of hunger. I don't do any labour still everytime I am feeling hungry. Even I have gained weight. Now I understood that it was because of starch-sugar sensitivity. I will reduce sugar intake as much as possible, hope I won't feel this much hungry anymore.
Diane
Thanks for these helpful tips. Very helpful!
A trainer once told a friend and me to eat 10 almonds as a late afternoon snack each day. She said, "Not 9 and not 11, but 10 almonds." We laughed at her little rule, but since then, I have implemented it, and it helps me to know how many to eat that is reasonable, and to eat them slowly and enjoy the process. No feeling like I over did my fat intake and enough protein to tie me over until dinner.
Iva
I've always been hungry, I mean I hav never been in control of my eating..I take lots of food only to feel hungry an hour later...
My body gains weight very quickly and even though I want to lose weight ,its so hard when u like have this psychological hunger...
Thus year I was diagnosed with bulimia nervosa ,am just three months into recovery n I really try to eat small portions cause I know if I binge I will vomit everything
Nicky
I truly do not understand what is wrong with me then. I already do almost all these things. I eat right, i dont watch tv when i eat, i dont watch "food porn" I eat a lot of vegetables, I drink a LOT of water. I eat at a moderate pace, I am not stressed, i live a pretty normal life. Why, am I always hungry? I cannot remember the last time I have felt, FULL. I just eat and eat and eat, sometimes until I throw up! Then, it makes it worse because my stomach is now empty and I feel hungry as hell all over again. God help me.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Nicky, Maybe it is time to turn to God! Here's a book that might help: Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food
Shirls
Yep! Have known this for a long time - problem is not how to stop being hungry all the time, but how to stop being hungry for the food that makes you hungry.
kookiestarch
I think keeping ourself busy can also benefit us. Like cleaning the house, playing sport or any hobbies that includes a lot of body motion and time is quiet good.
It's been a few years since, I've said to myself that I should start dieting. Whenever I start a day or two, after a few days or a week my habit comes back. But when I was very busy on a performance for an event in our municipality which includes stretching and dancing. Every morning we dance for about 3 hours then continue another 2-3 hours of dancing. And in the starting from 5 pm, we have another performance practice for the same event. We start with stretching for flexibility and then dance for 4 hours then we have our snack (which was quiet unhealthy).
In all those activity, I sometimes don't feel hunger. I forgot to take snacks which was good but I always eat breakfast,lunch, and then my dinner was the food given to us after practice. Then I was surprised when my teacher said that I somehow lose weight. And I was very happy about it but since the performance was cancelled because of the pandemic. My habit of eating came back and i gained more weight which is why i really want to lose. My current weight is 65+kg and i want to weight 55 kg. Wish me luck.
Harley
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