What to do when hungry on a caloric deficit?

[dcyshy]

TL;DR - I’m M21, 195 lb currently, 5’11” and maybe 28% Body fat. Cronometer says to eat 2200 calories a day to maintain a 0.75 lb weight loss per week goal (light activity level of 3-4 days strength training and rest of week is 1-1.5 hrs walking a day). Not sure if I’m eating enough bc I’m getting hungry. Should I be eating more or is my caloric intake okay and I’m just doing/calculating wrong?

So for context, the pst couple weeks I’ve been on a caloric deficit. I’ve been trying to hit 2210 calories per day to maintain my .75lb per week goal. Sometimes I exceed the 2200 calories limit bc I’m okay with that as long as I feel full enough that I can sleep peacefully ya know?

I’m M21 with a light exercise regimen at the start of my journey (rn I’m alternating between walking for 1.5 hours a day or hitting the gym and doing strength training depending). So I’m doing 3-4 days of strength training a week and rest is walking bc I enjoy the fun from these.

Am I eating enough for my weight and exercise routine or should I eat more? I just don’t know what to do rn..

 

[jayallen]

@dcyshy Look up volume eating. Good ideas for how to eat bigger meals that will hit that “full” feeling. Other option is to focus on protein heavy meals as it should leave you more satiated. Final get ok with feeling hungry. We live with an abundance of easily available high calorie food. Our bodies crave that, but at some point you gotta be ok being in a little bit of discomfort. Build that mental resilience.

 

[dcyshy]

@jayallen I already hit protein targets daily. Close to 140g which is what I aim for. But I’m hesitant to turn towards getting ok with feeling hungry. I’ve tried that before and I tend to gain weight faster as I lessen my weekly activity rate. That’s bc it AppRently decreases your bodily metabolism if you eat lower calories for a period of time (I just googled this today. Sorry I don’t have a source atm)

 

[waiwai25]

@dcyshy Drink tea. Eat low calorie snacks. Fill up on veggies

 

[dawn16]

@waiwai25 Second teas! I drink strong herbal stuff. Really helps curb hunger.

 

[dorcas_12]

@dcyshy I wouldn't call your activity level light. You may be significantly underestimating calories needed. In my case the bigger the deficit the worse the hunger.

 

[thebibleistruth]

@dorcas_12 Yeah…. Don’t see me walking for no hour … lol.. he def should be added more calories!

 

[cjthesearcher]

@dcyshy It is normal and expected to be hungry at a caloric deficit. I would suggest monitoring your weight and see how much you are losing. If you are losing more than expected weekly, then maybe you could reduce your deficit a little. But if not, I suggest sticking with the deficit a bit longer to try and achieve your goal. One question would be what is your goal? To make sure you're not eating at a large deficit for too long, pin pointing the goal you are trying to achieve and only staying in the deficit until then.

I have been in a caloric deficit for multiple months and understand the struggle of feeling hungry outside of your calories. There are days where the hunger is tolerable, and others where I knew I had to eat a bit more before bed. What helped me stay in the deficit was playing around with meals and snacks to find higher volumes for less calories. Incorporating fruit and veg, rice cakes, low calorie wraps, pb2 instead of peanut butter, smoothies with protein powder and a ton of frozen fruit, etc. Some other tips are reducing your food window so trying to push back your first meal if you can, having 0 calorie flavored drinks, planning your full day of eating the day before.

 

[howeryall]

@dcyshy If you’re purposely eating below maintenance calories in order to lose weight then you’re going to feel hungry at times; not much you can do about that really. With that said you can try snacking on stuff with minimal calories like celery and drink lots of water, tea , black coffee.

 

[katie4469]

@dcyshy You are probably hungry because you're not eating enough calories. If you're doing 3-4 days of strength training per week and walking 1-1.5 hours a day, that's a lot of activity. Definitely not "light". I would suggest choosing a more appropriate activity level that will give you a higher calorie target.

 

[christodoulos]

@dcyshy Apples have surprisingly high satiety for the amount of calories they contain. Eat a small apple (better skin to apple meat ratio, therefore more fibre and more nutrient dense). Also potatoes… put them in the fridge and the next day they are super satiating (the process of cooling them down increases resistant starch). And just in general eat more cals from protein and high fibre sources.

 

[pamcaid]

@dcyshy How long have you been eating 2200 calories/day? How much weight have you lost?

Knowing those things will allow you and others to calculate your actual calorie deficit.

I find that prioritizing protein and getting a decent amount of fiber helps keep me satiated.

 

[thecodsterman]

@dcyshy How much protein are you getting?
More protein will make you fuller longer.

Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes, oatmeal for breakfast, and psyllium husk in my protein shakes are my personal weapons of choice against hunger pangs

 

[dfgre6y5t]

@dcyshy Are you hungry because your stomach is rumbling or hungry because your body is getting dizzy or having hallucinations? For stomach rumbling, it's just gasses passing from stomach to intestines or indigestion.

Stomach growling is normal and once I learned that a growling stomach does not mean I am hungry, I can ignore it, drink more water and just go about my day.

Your body in a fasted state just makes energy from stored fat so technically I am not hungry because I have energy.

I've done 48 hrs no food just water (working towards longer lengths) and I haven't gotten to the point of hallucinations or wild mood swings so I believe it's only in extreme situations where hunger and malnutrition can affect the body like that.

 

[dcyshy]

@dfgre6y5t I get that. But my mind is telling me I’m hungry and my stomach is grumbling. Water doesn’t help at all. I’m not feeling full enough

 

[jmbttown]

@dcyshy Question, why would a person NOT be hungry if they are in a calorie deficit?

 

[jamila]

@dcyshy Listen to your body. If you are hungry, you need more calories. It's that simple. Stick with nutritionally dense food.

 

[dcyshy]

@jamila Yes that is true. I’m afraid of overeating though because I’ve had a small phase when I used to stress eat. Whenever I get anxious or feel stressed, food feels like an easy way to lessen it. So I’m hesitant to eat when I’m hungry like this.

 

[jamila]

@dcyshy If you focus on unprocessed or minimally processed food, it's extremely difficult to overeat.

This is because whole foods contain lots of fiber that make you feel full. For example, try overindulging on apples, cabbage, or pinto beans. It's pretty much impossible to go overboard with these high-fiber, low-calorie foods.

When it comes to compulsive eating habits, most people go for low-fiber, highly processed, nutritionally-deficient foods like ice cream, cookies, candy, etc. The secret with these foods is to keep them out of your kitchen. Don't buy junk food.

 

[dcyshy]

@jamila Thank you. I’ll buy some fruits like apples and grapes and oranges when I hit the grocery store this week. Illl try eating more fruits for snacks.