Hungry all the time!

[Chrysalis]

My problem seems to be a bit different than a similar thread I saw on this board and I didn't want to hijack it. I am physically hungry almost all the time. I have been vegetarian for nearly 10 years and for the first 6-7 years I did not have this problem. I think it's because I lived at home where my parents bought the groceries, and there was always plenty of fake meat in the fridge/freezer for me to eat with meals. Since I moved out 3-4 years ago I have been struggling with meals, but most especially this year. I do not always eat as well as I s hould, but on the days where I do eat really well, I am just hungry....

I go through the morning just fine and then eat lunch. A couple of hours after lunch, I am hungry again. At dinner, I'll eat a fully balanced meal, sometimes dessert too. A couple hours later my stomach is growling. or, sometimes even the dinner itself is not sufficient. I have a rapid metabolism and I've been working out regularly for the past few months, which I assume is making it even faster and requires even more calories to be consumed...I have also been transitioning towards a more vegan diet, so I'll leave out cheese and eggs from meals which is less calories...

I don't know if I'm explaining very well. Here's an example of what I will eat

breakfast: i have no appetite in the morning, so I'll sometimes eat nothing. I usually try to force down a muffin, or I'll have a tofu berry smoothie, or pb and banana smoothie, or a piece of fruit or toast with pb.

lunch: usually leftovers from the night before, such as chili with toast, lentil and split pea curry with naan bread, or just a sandwich with soup

dinner: i make sure to include a protein, a grain and a veggie. for example the other night I had chickpea curry with rice and broccoli-with-walnuts on the side and a glass of juice.

snacks: sometimes i snack on fruit or a bagel or whatever is lying around that I feel like eating

what I have tried so far
my first year on my own I lived in a dorm so I was hungry all the time trying to deal with cafeteria food and cooking what I could on my own in our microwave(we had no kitchen) so that wasn't really my fault. The next year I moved into an apartment and had the problem of not eating enough fat, which made me hungry. I started to eat more pb, buying avocados to put into sandwiches or salads, and sometimes make soup or smoothie with coconut milk in it. My third year I just ate like crap because I was so busy, so I focused on cooking healthy meals in big batches so I wouldn't have to live off kraft dinner. This year I am making my meals more balanced like adding side dishes to increase calories, in addition to the other things i learned from previous years.

But I am still hungry all the time! Anyway I'm just wondering if anyone else has this problem or has suggestions. I am a student so I don't always have time to cook good meals for myself, and I'm on a budget also. I would like to eat vegan meals if possible but I've been adding cheese lately because I don't know how else to make myself full without eating food every two seconds and it's making me feel like crap. Sorry this is so long! I just figured I'd answer the typical 'what do you eat' and 'what have you tried' questions in advance lol. I'm sure I could figure this out on my own but I feel so tired of struggling with this by myself and some guidance would be super helpful! Thanks for reading.

[__xrachel]

How much fruit and veg do you eat? And how much water do you drink?

[Fritemare]

Have you tried eating several small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals? I know a lot of people that are grazers. My brother can't eat three meals a day or he'll feel like he is starving. He eats five or six tiny meals during the day.

[Chrysalis]

fruit: i'll usually eat at least one fruit every day
veggies: umm it's hard to say how much. i don't usually eat veggies on their own, i'll just incorporate them with whatever meal i am making like a veggie pizza or whatever. so i have no idea. i definately eat veggies every day though, like for dinner i'll include a spinach salad or sauteed broccoli. one of my meal plans this week is spaghetti with eggplant/mushroom/tomato sauce. almost everything i bought at the grocery store today consisted of fresh veggies and fruit and i buy them every week. does that give you a better idea?
water: i hardly drink any water anymore. i drink mostly coffee, juice or soy milk. So I guess 1-2 glasses of water per day? yeah I know that's really bad :(


ETA: yeah I do sometimes eat a bunch of meals throughout the day if I am at home studying all day. If i'm out at work or campus all day, I can snack on a muffin or something but I don't have much time to be cooking meals all day. I am not really sure what to eat as snacks.

[__xrachel]

Well it's good that you eat alot of fruit/veg because that's filling.
Urrm, usually people feel hungry when they're dehydrated so maybe you should try drinking more water.
If you still feel hungry maybe you should go to the doctor as it could be a symptom of an underlying illness.
For snacks I usually eat celery with peanut butter and raisins. Cashew nuts are really filling. But I snack on fruit mostly.
It sounds like you're eating enough. Have you lost weight? If you're eating enough then I really would suggest you see a doctor.

[piratemoon]

You could try incorporating oats into your breakfast smoothies to try to make them a little more substantial.

I'm no expert, but it could be a blood sugar thing, or even tapeworm! (I hope not.) Go to a doctor if you are unsure.

All the best,

pirate x

[Chrysalis]

thanks for the advice. the tapeworm did cross my mind. haha i watch way too much House. Now that I think of it I am not sure if I AM getting enough calories due to my increased physical activity. I'm going to try drinking more water and I bought some cookies and crackers to snack on between meals. I have FitDay account that I forgot about, so I'll log everything into that for the next month and see how I'm doing.

[vheogl]

From that to me it doesn't seem like you're eating a huge amount, not calorie wise anyway for someone who sounds fairly active. In the morning you should be eating breakfast, if you're not hungry for it or feel sick in the morning, which is putting you off food, to me this signals a blood sugar issue and you need to force yourself to eat something. Try oatmeal or cereal, or maybe toast and fruit. Whatever it is it needs to be based around carbs. After a while of forcing breakfast it should get easier and you should actually be hungry for it.

If you're hungry you should be snacking mid morning, something small but that will keep you going, a muffin, raw veggies and hummus a bagel or something. Try to avoid things with sugar highs that won't sustain energy levels, such as chocolate or cookies but a protien/fat such a hummus will make you feel fuller.

Then have lunch, something carby that should keep you going all afternoon, have a desert with it. Lunch should be a bigger meal than dinner. So leftovers is fine, just make sure it's not a tiny amount. Have another snack in the afternoon if you're still hungry or early evening depending on what time you're planning dinner.

For dinner what you're already having seems fine, but try not to be too carb heavy in the evenings.

Throughout the day if you don't have the chance to snack try smoothies or soy milk, it can help with hunger and fill you up a little.

Personally i think your issue seems more with you're not really eating that much for your activity level or your body. Though if you're concerned go and see your doctor and check your thyroid function etc. Though i wouldn't be that worried unless you're eating a lot, hungry and losing weight unintentionally.

[Lucious]

Protein is key. You need protein at every meal (aim for about 2 grams per pound of body weight for the whole day). Protein will keep your stomach full. But you also need to eat plenty of fruits and veggies that are low in calories and big in volume.

Make sure you eat constantly throughout the day. I manage to eat 1400 calories a day and eat every 2 or three hours. If you eat small meals, you will be constantly satisfied. Try to eat 5-6 small meals a day.

[Libellula]

i eat over 2000 calories a day through regular meals, snacks, beverages.

My typical day is
B: a granola bar/breakfast bar (at least 180 calories like a luna bar), 12-16 oz of soymilk, and a serving of cereal (dry)
S: Fruit cup, crackers and cheese
L: PBJ on wheat bread, fresh fruit, potato chips (hey, it's my one vice and I don't do it that often)
S after work: more cheese and crackers, some fruit or veggies
D: tonight it's leftover fajitas with chick'n, cheese, lettuce, salsa; steamed broccoli, water
S: probably a bowl of cereal.

[tammay]

Have you tried eating several small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals? I know a lot of people that are grazers. My brother can't eat three meals a day or he'll feel like he is starving. He eats five or six tiny meals during the day.

I second this. I used to also be hungry all the time eating 3 big meals, even when I ate snacks like fruit in between. Now I plan 5 mini meals, meaning that each meal, for the most part, includes protein, fat, and carbs (and veggies if I can squeeze them in). This doesn't mean I'm in the kitchen all the time - a "mini meal" can be something like a handful of nuts (protein and fat) and a piece of fruit (carbs) or some store-bought hummus dip with celery sticks and pita bread (I try to get whole grain, though it's expensive!)

I'm still eating the same amount of calories, etc., that I would be with 3 big meals but I just make them all a bit smaller. I think the effect is more than physiological (though they say that eating small meals as opposed to big meals keeps your metabolistic fires burning). I think it's mostly psychological for me. If I know I'm going to be eating something that constitutes a "meal" in terms of its nutritional make-up (as opposed to a snack which might contain just one or two of the macronutrients) then I'm more inclined to not get that panicky feeling like "Yikes, dinner is three hours away" (and a piece of fruit or a bagel won't hold me for 3 hours :D).

Anyway, if you're interested in seeing some samples of the kinds of meals that I usually eat, feel free to PM me!

Tam

[cheech]

Aways rule out an underlying medical issue, such as insulin resistance which will make you feel hungry all of the time even if you are eating a normal amt. of food.