Crazy hungry and not sure what to do! Wall o' text to try to describe my problem

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rescue363

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Okay, not pregnant, I know that. This has been going on for a few months, and I have taken pregnancy tests, so I know that's out of the question. But I don't know what the hell is up with me. I am having problems with satiety. I feel hungry, a lot, and even after I eat a satisfying meal, it's like two-three hours later, my stomach's rumbling. Nothing sees to really make me feel super full -- even I eat or drink a lot and I feel stuffed, it's like it never happened a couple hours later. I try to space out meals, do light snacking, whatever, but nothing is fulfilling! It's bothering me because I am having this bizarro appetite and I don't know all of what's causing it. When I'm able to practically out-eat my near 200-pound boyfriend, it's making me wonder if something is wrong. I have panicked and even thought "omg diabeetus" but I don't think that's it either, because even before I came to Asia, it was kinda like this, but not as significant as it is now.

This is my situation: I'm a vegetarian, 27, been on Mirena for a few years, 5'5" or so, and around 120lb. I take B & C vitamins daily. I'm currently in S.E. Asia for work, which I'm wondering if that has anything to do with this. (Before I left, I had a health check and blood tests, and everything was normal.) I rarely drink alcohol, because it makes me sick. I don't smoke, I don't do drugs. I never drink soda or boxed juices/drinks. I only drink water, tea, smoothies I make at home, or fresh juices from street vendors.

I used to go running outside, but gave in and got a gym membership because I didn't want my pasty white heat-stricken corpse to be found on the beach. I try to go to the gym every day and if I don't make it, I don't let myself go more than one day without. I usually spend just under an hour there, splitting my time between running (or other cardio, but mostly running), and lifting. Everyday, I am sweating like a stadium-full of teenage girls at a Justin Bieber concert, because it's so hot and humid here, and I also have hyperhydrosis. It's a never-ending battle to ensure hydration.

So, this is what I did/ate today. Maybe this will demonstrate if I'm doing something bad/good/weird here.
  • Woke up around 8:30, had two small whole wheat crackers lightly dipped in some blueberry jam, because I was starving and didn't want a grumbling stomach at the gym. I sprinkled just under a teaspoon of creatine on the jam and wolfed the crackers down.
  • Gymmed it up for about 50 minutes - about 25 or so cardio (ran a couple of miles, did some elliptical) and the rest lifting and doing stretching/abs.
  • Picked up a coffee on my way home (less than 12 ounces, one pump of dark chocolate with two espresso shots and no-sugar-added, high-protein soy milk)
  • Breakfast was ~3/4c dry oats, cooked with some water and the same soy milk, cinnamon, and a small scoop of dried golden raisins
  • Snacked later on a little chocolate croissant (I knowwww...! But it was small. Because it's Asia. Things are cute and little like that.)
  • While running errands, picked up a fresh-made carrot-pineapple juice-smoothie, with the pulp blended in, no added sugar or anything. I didn't see how much produce the guy used to make it, but I wager it was three or four carrots worth with a 1/4 of a pineapple.
  • Snuck a bite of a few cashews, some pieces of mango, a few little squares of feta, 1/3 of an apple over the day
  • Made big dinner around 5:45 containing about 60-70g of some thin egg noodles, fake vegetarian chicken made from soy protein, vegetables (handful broccoli, a carrot, an onion, garlic cloves, 1/3 bell pepper, .5 cup green beans), all cooked in a bit of soy sauce, some light sweet chili sauce, fresh ginger and chili peppers, and maybe 2 tbsp oil. I didn't think I'd eat it all when I looked at it in the pan, but I'm eating the last of it now! And I could seriously eat more if I had made more.
  • Consumption of lots of water and some green tea
Now, I'm aware of naughty sugar, and I try to cut it out as I can. But it's so damn hard when there's an abundance of fresh fruit here. I try to limit how much fruit I have in a day because of this. I also try to avoid soy sauce/salt as I can, and I try to eat slow as I can. As a vegetarian for going on 15 years, I know the importance of protein and stuff, but seeing as I'm living in a developing nation, I can't just buy all the great stuff I had back at home. I do my best with tofu, nuts, vegetarian meats (which are easy peasy to come by here, since lots of people are Buddhist), low-sugar/higher-fat yogurt when I can find it, and cheese (I drop the good money for real cheese). And I haven't noticed anything much different with my body, except my feet hurt more from not wearing real shoes and sometimes my skin feels heavy and swollen from the extreme humidity. Oh, and my BMs aren't daily, either. I used to be a once-a-day pooper champion. :/ In fact, while I haven't weighed myself in awhile, I think I either lost some weight or maybe have toned up (I hope I hope) a bit from working out. Alls I know is that a pair of pants I bought for work now sit a little lower and feel a little baggier.

I just don't know what to think of this. Constantly snacking, eating what I think should be plenty of protein, drinking fluids to feel more full, getting fiber through fruits and veg, and I'm still raging hungry! Am I working out enough to necessitate more calories, or is there simply a black hole inside of me that I have been unaware of? More protein? More squats and oats?

Ugh, any ideas or advice would be appreciated! I guess I can also try to find a Western doctor here, if there is one. If advice suggests I find one, I'll go hunting.

Edit Thanks for all of your thoughts and advice!! I must learn to resist the fresh delicious fruit available here :( and work on implementing more fat/protein in the morn
 
@lilchan92 Yes, I think I got one last time I came to Asia, actually. D: I'm fairly certain I don't right now, though. I think my bowel habits have changed considerably, as I am not eating some of the things I would have been eating at home, like Morningstar, hearty soups (lentils included), pizza (Papa John's, whimper), and whatnot. I have been trying to incorporate even more vegetables, but maybe my bowels have just adjusted to the new environment and eating habits.
 
@rescue363 You're just not eating enough. I plugged your food into fitday.com and using your estimates it comes out to about 1900 calories. For your height and weight, you expend 1300 calories a day just by existing, and your total daily energy expenditure will be higher than that. Using this health calculator http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced if you plug in your height and weight, factoring in 8 hours of sleep, 1 hour of walking, and 1 hour of moderate exercise, it says you should be eating around 2200 calories. So you're hungry because you need to eat more food!
 
@brevis Ooh, thanks for that calculation. I would agree with you, and a couple others, who say it's probably not enough calories. It just felt like a lot of food, but I guess I need a lot more veggies and nuts to make a better calorie goal.
 
@rescue363 You're eating mostly sugar and carbs so no wonder you are hungry. Fruit is ok to eat but personally I think you're eating too much, one or two pieces a day is good. Add in more protein and veggies. Do any stores where you live sell whey protein powder? That is an excellent way to get more protein. I would suggest eating more eggs too.
 
@daneenkareem I'm going to find protein powder. It has to be here, somewhere. I think my landlord sells Amway on the side, so I'll ask to look at a catalog.

Wish I could do eggs, but I can't. :( They make me feel sick. Luckily, tofu is stupid cheap here, as well as vegetarian meat (their own bizarre brands here, but just as good), so I think I'll have to work on implementing those more into the menu.
 
@rescue363 First of all up vote for "Omg diabeetus" you're hilarious you can tell from this post.

Any who. You don't eat very much. At 5'2" 120lbs I found out recently that I needed 2300-2600 calories a day just to stay the same weight. If you're hungry and you're not gaining a ton of weight I really don't see the problem. Trying having your body fat measured so you can have a better idea of what you need to be eating.

I went through a phase where all I wanted was salt. I wanted to put salt on my salt. When previously I had been an avid salt hater. But since my body craved it I gave in and eventually I didn't crave it anymore.
 
@shahbaz Oh my gosh, I have had the salt thing happen. I used to never like salt on anything, but as I've gotten older, suddenly SAAAAAAAAAALT. I rarely will use it now in my own cooking, but so help me jeebus if I accompany my boyfriend to KFC and he's got some fries..

What do you think caused your salt craving?
 
@rescue363 So, judging by your example day here, it seems like it was not until your afternoon cashews where you had something that wasn't made 100% of carbohydrates.

You don't need to have diabetes to have your blood sugar be a little out of whack. As we get older, our endocrine systems aren't what they used to be. Little kids can eat a bunch of sugar with next to no consequences, but once you hit your 20's, insulin resistance starts to set in. All carbohydrates process down to sugar once they hit your bloodstream, and eating mostly carbohydrates for an extended period can keep your insulin levels constantly elevated, which stops your body from turning to your normal fat stores for energy, which can make you constantly hungry.

You probably need to eat a more balanced diet. A good rule of thumb is to never eat carbs by themselves. Put some butter on your bread. Instead of a smoothie, have a protein shake. Eat some eggs. Nuts. Cheese. At least a third of your caloric intake in every meal should be something that is neither sweet nor starchy. It's harder when you're a vegetarian, especially where you're living. But try to bring more protein and fat into your life!
 
@rescue363 I mean, this is just a guess but that food seems like it's probably all under 1000 calories, and, if you burned a couple hundred calories at the gym, then that would put you definitely not eating enough. Heck, even if we're generous and we say you ate 1500 calories and you burned 200 at the gym, for example, that means you only got about 1300 calories that day which is probably well under your TDEE. Calculate your TDEE, count your calories, find out how much you are burning at the gym...a doctor won't really be able to help if you can't give them the basics.
 
@carleannah My TDEE, according to some random calculator, is 1987. That seems a little high, but I did say I'm moderately active which I think is true. I go to the gym almost daily, I bicycle often to work, I walk around a lot, I'm on my feet a lot (cooking, cleaning, etc.).

I guess it just feels like it's a lot of food, but as you say, probably not a lot of calories. Last night, I did have an addition to my food list. I did have ice cream for dessert >:) I think that fat and milky goodness helped.. that's excusable, right?? :p
 
@122r This is KEY. I went from ravenous & miserable all the time to satiated and happy simply by adding more fat to my high protein diet.
 
@rescue363 Do you track what you eat and compare it to your TDEE? What you're eating doesn't seem like a ton of food, but it also depends on your height, weight, goals, and so on.

Also, you seem to be eating a lot of carbs compared to fat and protein. I'd suggest eating a lot more protein and some more fat. (Some people feel satiated on a low-fat diet, but I find that even when I eat a ton of protein I need some fat to feel full.)
 
@mistressjosie Came to say exactly this, I'm just seconding what BionicKid has said.

I went through a phase when I started a more rigorous fitness program than my usual where I was distractingly hungry. I've subbed in high-fat or high protein snacks like hummus, guacamole, or plain greek yogurt once a day to help the cravings. Not sure if you have easy access to these kinds of things where you live though.
 
@dawn16 Avocados just are now coming into season. Had my first taste the other day. Not as good and creamy as Haas, but it'll have to do. Luckily, all the other ingredients for guac are easy to come by here. Hmm. Maybe I'll start a guac diet. Delicious..
 
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