I’m eating 2,300-2,400 calories and I still feel HUNGRY

[booneville701]

I’m new to veganism, it’s always been a goal of mine to go full plant based as I had been vegetarian for several years & im really glad I finally started this journey. I’ve been working out consistently for about a month and have been tracking macros to make sure I’m eating enough and lately I still feel really hungry & crave ALOT (macros for reference: 115 protein, 288 carb, 77 fat & im 5’1 110 lbs). Is there a reason for this or has anyone been through this and have any tips? Is this just my body asking me to consume more calories or is it just that I should be eating more as a plant based gym goer?

 

[maxgraham]

@booneville701 Anything less than about 3400 and I’m still hungry. It’s all down to activity level, your body wants fuel to repair.

(For reference I run 40ish miles a week and resistance train 4 times)

 

[mommabird]

@booneville701 How active are you? If you are starving all the time then you are probably eating too little. Have you used the TDEE calculator?

 

[devandt]

@booneville701 Are you gaining or losing weight? Is it your goal to gain or lose weight?

Some ideas:

• You might just not eat enough. If you're losing weight it's normal to be hungry. If that's unintended you should increase your calories. Even if it's intended, perhaps increase your calories to be losing weight more slowly.
• People are different in what satisfies them in terms of macros and volume. Playing around with protein and fats especially helps many people to not feel hungry, others benefit from eating more vegetables to increase volume and decrease calorie-density.
• It's possible there are specific nutrients you're missing out on. You can track your food on cronometer to see whether you're getting anough iron, zinc, etc.
• Sometimes people feel hungry because their food is not satisfying on an emotional level. Say you're eating white rice with steamed veggies and chickpeas all the time, mix it up. Try new recipes. Try veganizing your favourite childhood recipe. Try mock meats. Try making vegan mac'n'cheese.

 

[audreyann]

@booneville701 More fat and fiber was the solution for me. I got better when I switched from more beans and chickpeas to soy products and veggies.

 

[lina0531]

@booneville701 Eat low calorie dense foods. Giant salads, protein shakes with xantham gum, lots of water, increase your protein intake even more.

 

[dawn16]

@booneville701 Thirst is often misconstrued as hunger. If you’re getting enough fiber and fat and still feeling hungry, my guess is that you’re dehydrated.

 

[dawn16]

@booneville701 I would say listen your body and EAT your body will know what’s best for it.. maybe you have been unconsciously underrating in the past

 

[iconoclaust]

@dawn16 My body seems to think it needs 6000 calories of pizza and chicken wings.

 

[dawn16]

@iconoclaust Stuff yourself with the right calories.. just eat fruit, pasta, rice, oats, vegetables and so on

 

[iconoclaust]

@dawn16 I do.

Your body doesn’t know what’s best for it or we wouldn’t have an obesity problem.

Even with high fiber vegan foods I’ll still overeat if I don’t watch my calories for the day.

 

[barefootinbeth]

@booneville701 Just eat more calories

 

[zemanel]

@booneville701 I train for Ironman and as training builds up I need more Calories. My diet is plants, so I move more to beans and lentils and have a bowl of mixed nuts available all day which I grab each time I pass. Remember that the Calories in the food in not necessarily the Calories your body will extract from it, we all seem to be different in that respect. Avocados are good also.

 

[christian_vassal]

@booneville701 Honestly what helped me was just testing out what foods made me feel full (usually testing out higher fats, carb, protien, etc), and figuring it out