Always Hungry

[tina08]

I've been a veg*tarian for almost a week and I feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry. I guess this is ok since I'm trying to loose post-baby weight but really....it would be nice not to constantly have a growling stomach 30 min after I eat. :hungry: I've kept my portions about the same, is it because I don't have the fat and sugar content that I would normaly have in my meals? How do you make sure to get enough to eat?

[Dolly]

In my experience it is easy to have veg meals that are very low in fat without meaning to, and I find meals with little fat to be less satiating. Your portions might be the same but the calories could be less. I like to add something like olive oil or nuts to help make meals more filling if needed; I have no idea about the sugar, though.

But even if you are trying to lose weight, I don't think its good to be hungry so soon after eating! I'm sure you've heard this a million times but fiber also helps fill you up and combined with fat especially makes for a very satisfying meal.

That's just me though (and I'm pretty new at this too!) good luck with your meal planning! :)

[SonicEarth]

Eat more.

[ripvanfish]

That's the beauty of eating healthy, you get to eat MORE.

Although I admit, sometimes I just want my stomach full and it gets annoying.

Why do I crave fried noodles now?

[lirpa1]

I'm finding quite the opposite to be honest. When I ate meat I used to eat breakfast, then snack afterwards, lunch and then a snack, and dinner followed by dessert and I was always hungry. I have been vegetarian for 2 months now, and I am doing well to eat three meals a day. I just feel full after eating, and hardly even snack except for maybe an apple or banana during the day.

[Skylark]

If you eat whole grains, like brown rice, whole wheat, etc. along with beans or lentils, you will likely fill up a lot faster and stay full. I could barely finish my rice and beans yesterday at lunch, and I didn't get hungry for another five or six hours.

[Koehnae]

I've been a veg*tarian for almost a week and I feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry. I guess this is ok since I'm trying to loose post-baby weight but really....it would be nice not to constantly have a growling stomach 30 min after I eat. :hungry: I've kept my portions about the same, is it because I don't have the fat and sugar content that I would normaly have in my meals? How do you make sure to get enough to eat?

Out of curiosity, could you give some examples of a typical meal for you? It might help pinpoint why you might be feeling hungry. Not eating enough grains and fats, as others mentioned, does seem to be a common problem.

[tina08]

I haven't been doing this long enough to have eatten anything more than once but here are some of the things I've been having.

Quinoa with mixed veggies, fried tofu and white beans
"Ricotta" stuffed shells and bread with vegan butter
Chili with veggie crumbles, beans & tomatoes with a tortilla
Soy yogurt, fresh fruit and tea for breakfast

[Skylark]

Those sound like filling meals, but it would depend on the amount of it you're eating. Sometimes, if a person is accustomed to eating very dense foods, like lots of meat, their stomachs will fill up faster than a person who is accustomed to eating less dense foods, like the foods you're now eating. It might take some time for your stomach to adjust to eating more at a sitting. On the bright side, eating more whole grains and such makes bowel movements a breeze! No need to sit and grunt for half an hour!

[sb729 }i{]

I'm pretty new at this too...I've been a veggie for coming on 3 months.
I think since it's not even been a full week for you, (and if you've eaten meat your whole life, a week virtually nothing to your mind/body) your body is adjusting to not having that "full" feeling when eating meat, which I feel weighs heavier in your stomach, leaving you feeling much fuller. (and lethargic! and worse!)
I think you should snack more for now, apple, banana, grapes, yogurt, nuts, carrots, whatever....in between meals. I always find I feel more full when for my meals I have something such as potato, or rice, or pasta.

[Kiran]

Tina,
When you are eating a whole foods based vegetarian diet, you'll often end up eating larger portions of food. As long as its not junk, you'll do fine and the pounds will come off. Be careful of scarfing down cheese, its not a crutch you'll want to lean on.

If you need to lean on some ready-made foods, look for Amy's frozen vegetarian meals, pizzas, etc.

Focus on eating healthy meatless meals and snacks, not portion size, etc. Be sure to drink lots of water while your body adjusts. Give it time and you'll be feeling great! :bobo:

[gratefulheart]

The first 3 weeks of becoming a vegetarian, I was starving! No matter how much I ate, my stomach would start growling, 30 min later, as you said.

I talked to the nutritionist who told me that this is normal and won't last forever. The body is so used to the bloated, weighted down feeling of having meat,etc. that when we introduce "clean" foods into our system that our body doesn't have to work so hard to break down, we're left with an unfamiliar empty feeling in our stomachs.

once the body gets adjusted to eating differently, the hunger will stop. that is if you make sure you are balanced in other areas too. you can't just eat vegetables all day with nothing dense in calories.


i heard a recent stat that it takes about three months of doing something before it becomes a habit. so make sure these first months are the best they can be so you can be healthy and happy.:bobo:

[Toast]

The first 3 weeks of becoming a vegetarian, I was starving! No matter how much I ate, my stomach would start growling, 30 min later, as you said.
I talked to the nutritionist who told me that this is normal and won't last forever. The body is so used to the bloated, weighted down feeling of having meat,etc. that when we introduce "clean" foods into our system that our body doesn't have to work so hard to break down, we're left with an unfamiliar empty feeling in our stomachs.


That is interesting. When I turned vegan from vegetarian I felt so hungry all the time, my stomach used to growl! Maybe I had felt fuller when I ate dairy products. It doesn't growl like that anymore though but I eat a lot though.

[Eclipse27]

I'm sure the reason you are hungry is because you are not getting the same fats you got from eating meat.

An excellent (and much healthier) replacement of this is avocado.


Try this for a sandwich: Lettuce, tomato, avocado, and put some Pace (or which ever) salsa on it as well. Sprouts go well on it too.

But yes, avocado is a great help.

[citykitty]

Hi, I've been vegetarian about 4 years, but only (almost) vegan for the last two. I'm in my sixties, so can't tell for sure what is part of the natural aging process (post-menopause and all that) and what is the vegan diet; whatever, I put on a very fast 25 pounds! I started reading everything I could get my hands on, and have finally come up with a plan that works for me. The weight is slowly coming off with a disciplined combination of diet and exercise. I had to [I]increase my fat and protein intake[I] (strange as it sounds). Breakfast is my biggest meal; I shoot for 15 - 20 grams of protein. I restrict calories the rest of the day; try to stay under 1400 calories a day. Work? Yes, definitely. But it's worth it. I wish you the best of luck. Oh, by the way, I also drink lots of fluid throughout the day. Once you hit your stride, your body will tell you what to eat and just how much.

[Sharon Picone]

I've been a vegetarian since 2000 and the first year was the most challenging for me in terms of eating healthy, well-balanced meals. I can absolutely relate to your situation. I was constantly hungry and was eating loads of bread and pasta. The pounds started piling on (not a good thing!!).

In my experience, the keys to staving off hunger pangs are: 1) Lots of fiber and water and, 2) about 5-6 small meals throughout the day (yup, I'm not kidding). I have found that this works very well for me. It keeps my metabolism revving and my energy up. And psychologically, my brain isn't telling me that I'm depriving myself. For what it's worth, the following is a typical meal plan that I follow daily. I do vary it regularly so that I don't get bored, but maybe it'll help to get you jump started. You can also vary the times of the day that you eat each meal to suit your lifestyle. Drink lots of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated and to help you feel full. Here goes:

6 am: (Breakfast): 1/2 cup cooked steelcut oats (loaded with fiber) mixed with dried apples, sprinkled with 1 tablespoon chopped or slivered almonds, 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, 1 tablespoon ground flax and 2 chopped walnuts. Topped off with 1/4-1/2 cup soymilk and a little agave nectar or honey (this will keep you going for at least 2-3 hours). Agave nectar is sold through health food stores. It's sweeter than sugar, so you use less (which means less calories-a very good thing).

9 am: (mid-morning snack) 1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce mixed with 1/2 cup cottage cheese (I got this tip from my personal trainer. It's a great fat burner). A smidge of agave nectar or honey if you want it a little sweeter.

Noon: (lunch) 1 generous serving of salad (your choice of veggies, but I use lettuce, grated or chopped carrots, thinly sliced radishes, 1 whole tomato chopped, sliced cucumber topped off with homemade vinaigrette (less calories than storebought and consisting of a little red or white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, some oregano (or combination of herbs of your choice), and a little agave nectar or honey to sweeten it a smidge).

3 pm (late afternoon snack): 2-3 fruits of your choice. I like to make a fruit salad of strawberries, blueberries (a superfood that's packed with antioxidants), pitted cherries and then mixed with some agave nectar or honey. You can serve it with some low fat yoghurt or soy yoghurt.

6pm (dinner): Beans and rice, or Stuffed omelette (sauteed onions, green or red bell peppers, mushrooms) with 1-2 slices whole wheat or spelt toast, or a Bowl of veggie soup with toast, or Curried tofu with veggies, etc. etc. Keep dinner fairly light and I've found that eating protein rather than carbohydrates for dinner doesn't turn into fat. Eating carbs later in the evening does not give your body a chance to burn it up before bedtime, so I always eat protein, if possible at this time of the evening.

Another tip I'd like to offer if I may (it's taken me 8 years to figure this out), as a vegetarian it is VITALLY important to get your daily dose of B12. Vegetarians don't get enough of it since many of us don't consume fish or seafood. B12 is essential for brain function, to stave off depression and for energy. I use a sublingual B12 supplement that comes with a dropper. You should be able to get it at your local drugstore. Make sure you get the sublingual supplement and not the one in tablet form. The liquid goes straight into your blood stream, which is exactly what you want. The tablet form is a waste of money, since your body does not fully absorb it and it takes hours and hours for your body to feel some of the benefits.

I know I've given you a ton of information and it might seem a little overwhelming at first but hopefully it will help to give you a headstart. It took me years to figure out this stuff and I wish that I had someone at the time that I became a vegetarian that could help me. Don't get discouraged. A vegetarian lifestyle is well worth every second.

Good luck and happy eating (and snacking) :)

[felishi]

normal.

But it took me a really long time to stop being hungry all the time. Now I eat like I used to.

[nellamore25]

I haven't felt hungry yet, it's been 4 days.
Typical day for me:

8am:
-1/2 cup oatmeal (100% rolled oats), small apple cut into small pieces and blueberries mixed in. Sprinkled with cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey.
-cup of non-fat european style yogurt.
-Water, mix of vitamins

11:30 - 12:
-Whole wheat pita with a tablespoon of hummus, carrots, avocado, bell peppers
-4 meatless meatballs

3pm:
-Celery stalk with some peanut butter

6-7pm:
-Brown rice + beans mixed in
-Spinach, cucumbers, avocado
-A few soy nuggets, or tofu

I carry around a Luna bar with me everywhere I go in case I get hungry. Seems to work so far!

[antisocial_lbx]

eat more, if your stomach isn't comfortably full and satisfied after 15-20 minutes of slow and conscious eating, eat more. your stomach knows when it's full. don't be afraid to eat more because you're eating healthier. it's one of the perks of being a vegetarian :)

[Indieorganicveg]

Before I was vegan I was HUNGRY all the time. I still am. I eat and eat and eat and never get fat, it's a joy.

[Pinkmama]

Just a thought...but you mentioned being post-baby...if you're nursing yep, hungry all the time is normal and you need to have a snack ready when baby starts feeding!

Clarexxx

[Humanicide]

I've had these feelings of hunger after eating as well. Mostly when I eat eggplant dishes, but, it really is just that you need to eat more. write down what you've eaten, you're probably eating one or two meals a day, tops. My family are all meat eaters and relatively un-supportive of my decision, so unless I have money for groceries I have to go without eating, which sucks. Just eat more, at least thats my problem.

[Dogma]

As I said in a previous thread, the portions may be the same, but the density is different. Ultimately when your stomach digests everything, a vegetarian diet of equal portions will be less and thus create less energy to burn. This lack of energy is subconsciously allocated to lack of food and thus, there's your hunger.

It really couldn't be simpler. If you're hungry, eat more.

[Dogma]

you mentioned being post-baby...

This too will cause hunger, again just eat more.