Why am I (F, 140lbs, 5”1) soo hungry on 1600 calories - whether I exercise or not?

@mathewbailey08 I used this calculator https://tdeecalculator.net and selected in moderate exercise - does that mean it factors in my BMR, exercise and calories burned from daily activity (roughly of course)? It said my maintenance was around 2100 with moderate exercise (intensive exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times per week) so I cut 500 from that number.

Idk if this helps, but it says when I'm sedentary my maintenance calories would be 1600.
 
@wolly Can I ask how long you've been eating 1600 calories/day?
Also, do you have a reason for eating 1600 calories vs another number of calories?

When I first started eating in a deficit, I was very hungry throughout the the day for a couple weeks. I used intermittent fasting to help me so I would have dedicated times of the day when I could eat.

I didn't stay at this deficit long as I was only trying to lose a couple pounds of fat before bulking muscle, but I would say after about 3 weeks I had completely adjusted to the deficit diet.

After the deficit, I upped my calories from around 1300/day to 1650/day (current; 5'2", 119) and found it difficult to eat that many more calories in a day.

I really think it's all an adjustment and making sure you are starting with the right number of calories for you.

Here is a good article to read that includes a calculator to determine your calories and macros https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/

Also, you aren't eating a lot of food for the calories you're consuming. Rice is super high cal and low in protein - trying switching out for quinoa or another seed. Nuts are also really high in calories without being filling.

Hope this helps
 
@janerollag Honestly, I try it every few weeks and give up because I'm too hungry. I based on on this calculator https://tdeecalculator.net which said my maintenance calories with moderate exercise were 2100 (2079 but I'm rounding up lol), so I took 500 from that.

I'm going to try to fast till about till midday today, currently drinking a black coffee and feeling okay. I've never really tried IF but heard lots of good things from this thread. I sometimes get shaky and weak when I don't eat enough but think this may have more to do with my body's reaction to a lot of processed sugar than anything else.

I'll change up my next meal prep with this advice in mind, thanks! I added more nuts because I hear a lot of people say fats will make me feel more satisfied than loads of carbs, but it doesn't feel that way haha.
 
@wolly Add fibrous veggies in large quantities (Broccoli is a winner). Huge amount of volume for the calories and will keep you reasonably full.

Things like nut / seed muesli are delicious but also very calorie dense. IE volume vs calories is shit house, that's your problem. Rice is also very dense in calories for the volume and I generally try to use lower amounts.

I use intermittent fasting to kind of get around the hunger cravings, I don't eat till 1pm. It was a struggle at first but now I just get up have a black coffee and I'm good.
 
@cindychar Meal prepping again tomorrow so I'll definitely add a shit tonne of broccoli in and less rice, thanks! I've read a lot that more fats (e.g. nuts) keep you satiated for longer but it really doesn't feel that way. Having a black coffee and waiting till midday to eat atm, feeling ok so far. :)
 
@wolly I've heard that too, and my wife has like 4 almonds and she's full.

Me on the other hand, I could down 3000 calories in fruit and nut mix in one sitting and want more.
 
@wolly OP: You didn't mention adjusting your calorie goal to accommodate what you burn while working out. If you are not doing that, that is probably why you are struggling. You have to track the calories you burn while exercising, and add that to your daily total, too. If you don't add that to the equation of calories in vs. calories out, your deficit is too high, and you will get hungry, weak, and eventually, it will negatively impact your health, in the same way it might someone with an ED. Food is fuel. And, not getting enough is bad for your progress, as well as your hair, your bones, your brain, your heart, and pretty much every other part of you, by extension. Cut those calories, but too high of a deficit is dangerous. If you haven't already downloaded an app like My Fitnese Pal (free), those really help keep track.
 
@mathewbailey08 I factored in "moderate exercise" to the TDEE calculator, got 2100 cals as my maintenance and took off 500 for the deficit and use MFP to make sure I'm getting all of these calories. If I still feel like crap in a few days I'll definitely increase my intake, thanks for this! It's not worth doing myself damage, I just need to find a balance.
 
@wolly Step 1 would be: be lazy and poor enough so the hustle of prepping / buying a dish sounds worse than going hungry.

More practical:
  1. Establish and keep "feasting windows" throughout the day. Breakfast at 6, lunch at 9, dinner at 2pm, supper at 9 pm - you get the idea. If all else fails, you will be hungry only during these hours, so that's a improvement right?
  2. Drink before eating.
  3. Eat vegetables / fruits in between if the craving is just too much
  4. Try to keep yourself occupied in between - study a new thing at work, draw comics at the edges of official papers, flirt or browse reddit
  5. Look up slow and fast digestion. In general, simple carbs are broken down quickly whereas compound not. Here are simple carbs in your diet: yoghurt, berries, rice (well moderately), that apple pie. Not too much, but you obviously don't eat the same every day (in that case you have a bigger problem tbh) so focus on that.
 
@wolly 500 calories are almost 25% deficit its normal to feel somehow hungry when you are on a deficiy.

From personal experience try upping your fats / protein.
And reducd short-chained(!) carbs.
 
@wolly Calorie counting is, in my experience, the single worst way to "diet" that drove me into deep food/eating /lack thereof obsession and it quickly becomes dangerous and out of hand. Eat when your body is telling you it's hungry! :)
 
@dawn16
Eat when your body is telling you it's hungry!
Click to expand...

But that's what everyone does by default. If it works it's great, but people are blessed/cursed with different natural "setpoints". If you have a high setpoint and you eat whenever you're hungry, you're not going to lose weight no matter how healthy the food is.
 
@dawn16 While it helped me, it ended up biting me in the ass. With calorie counting I managed to lose 20 pounds, be healthy and fit and look good, but after that it started to get too much and at some point I saw food as number of calories and macros. It became a real problem and then I had a horrible eating disorder that made me really depressed.
Is calorie counting bad? Not at all, but it was just a tool that wasn't for me. I still use the idea of it nowadays but I don't count every single meal in a calculator but only keep an approximate idea in my head.
 
@his_word_is_truth Calorie counting helped me too, but you're right it takes the fun out of food. Shame it turned into such a problem for you, it can be hard to find a healthy balance.

The thing is though, shouldn't it take the fun out of food? I love to eat as much as anyone, but it's pretty serious. We only have one body, and the shit we put into it should be scrutinized and understood rather than just shoveling food we 'think' is good down our throats without really understanding it (like the majority of our obese population)
 
@dawn16 I counted once when I meal prepped to try and take most of the counting out of everyday but I have had problems in the past with restricting way too much and being obsessive which leads to a binge eventually. Just have to find a balance somewhere because I feel crappy when I constantly overeat unhealthy food.
 
@wolly i have this same problem, I did my research and went to the doctor. I was told that it had more to do with my bodies sort of circadian rythm (not sure correct terminology) then anything. At certain times of the day your body releases Ghrelin which is the hormone that makes you hungry and if you dont give your body what its used to getting it will continue to release more until it does increasing hunger. My doctor put me on a 4 day fast in order to jump start the weight loss where I was limited to just 500 calories in the morning and as long as I kpet under I felt fine the entire day, but if I had any more then that or anything sugary I would literally be starving all day long and miserable. I dont understand the science behind it but after the fast its significantly easier for me to eat at a deficit then before and what im doing now is eating every other day which is working really well for me. (clarity: 500 calories on a fast day early in the morning only, second day just eat normally) I dont know if this helps, but it worked for me.
 
@obadimu That's interesting, I've been reading up on ghrelin and leptin. I definitely get more shaky, weak and get a headache after a lot of processed sugar (e.g. cake, biscuits) and have to have a nap. I'll look into this.
 
@wolly Have you considered fasting (starting with gentle fasts)? Something to think about, it's not for everyone! If you DO play with fasting, don't do too much at once. I lost my period by doing that -.- But it should help your hunger signals (and your brain) adjust. Finally, don't stress about it too much! Food is more than numbers, and so are you!
 
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