So hungry after eating

[bright_eyes]

I am constantly hungry right after I finish eating (even 20 min) later and it is so frustrating! I know I'm pregnant and all but this just doesn't always seem normal. I'll eat a ton of food and will feel like I can't eat anymore, even if I wanted to. But then 20 min later, I'll feel so hungry, like I didn't eat at all.

Example- for breakfast this morning, I had scrambled eggs with onions and red peppers,all cooked in butter, and a side of asparagus with a butter slathered on. I had 5 eggs and about about 5 or 6 spears of asapagus. You'd think a meal like that would last awhile, but I felt so hungry 1/2 hour later.

For lunch, I had about 3/4 cup serving of quinoa, about a cup of veg. chili, and about 1/4 cup of steamed spinach with a bunch of butter slathered on.

It doesn't seem to matter what I eat- it always feels the same. It's been like this before I got preggo, but now it just feels worse because I feel like my stomach will feel more full faster, so I'll have to stop eating even if I still feel hungry.

Is there any reasons why I might still feel so hungry when I've just finished eating a huge plate of food?

Any ideas of things I can eat that will be a little more satiating?

[Marsupialmom]

What are you drinking?

[bright_eyes]

Water, probably not enough though. I make a smoothie every morning with rice milk and I usually have about a glass of raw milk each day.

[PaulaJoAnne]

You might be needing a few more carbs. Try adding 1/2 cup of brown rice for breakfast, and see how you feel.
Your baby is going through a growth spurt right now, so if you are not putting enough in at meals, the baby will pull from your body what it needs.

[claddaghmom]

TETO but that sounds like a starvation diet to me!

I was eating about 12oz of spinach and 14oz of lean beef a day, on top of a couple pcs of fruit in the morning, a cup of oatmeal, a cup of smoothie (yogurt/fruit) and usually some dairy (my unhealthy splurge: icecream) everyday. I also managed to pack in some chips, crackers, trailmix, etc for snacks.

Then again, I squeezed an 11lber out so you might want to steer clear of my diet....

[bright_eyes]

I am having a hard time with carbs because I can no longer have gluten, which I just discovered at the beginning of this pregnancy. I'm still struggling to find things to replace the wheat I had been eating. I often have oatmeal for breakfast but I think oatmeal is bothering me, so I've been trying not to. I do eat a lot of fruit, though. I have a fruit smoothie each morning but didn't this morning at breakfast because I made one on the middle of the night (I woke up starving!) And then I eat fruit through out the day and as a bedtime snack.

Oh, and I was totally guessing on the measurement amounts, I could be under guessing how much... It felt like a lot of food for both breakfast and lunch. Like I said before, it doesn't really matter what I eat- I usually eat a plate FULL of food and feel quite full, until I leave the table and then the hunger hits again!

[bright_eyes]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

TETO but that sounds like a starvation diet to me!

I was eating about 12oz of spinach and 14oz of lean beef a day, on top of a couple pcs of fruit in the morning, a cup of oatmeal, a cup of smoothie (yogurt/fruit) and usually some dairy (my unhealthy splurge: icecream) everyday. I also managed to pack in some chips, crackers, trailmix, etc for snacks.

Then again, I squeezed an 11lber out so you might want to steer clear of my diet....

lol! I used to eat like that. My whole life I've actually been unsatiatable hungry and would eat tons at every meal. Ds was a 10 lber!!!

But ever since I cut out gluten, I find I need way less food. Or maybe it's that I feel like eating way less food because there's never any thing to eat. If I could eat gluten, the hungry thing probably wouldn't bother me as much because I can think of a million things I would love to stuff myself with. I couldn't stop eating when preggo with ds, and even after and before pregnancy. But now that I feel so limited in what I can eat, it's a huge pain to be hungry!

So maybe, I just really am not eating enough???

[hummingmom]

I agree with the PP; that doesn't sound like a ton of food. Everyone's definition of "slather" is different, but assuming that you added about 3 tbsp of butter (total) to your breakfast and lunch, then the nutrition calculator I'm using puts your calorie intake at around 1300 for both meals together. If you subtract the fiber, it's closer to 1200. That would put you on track for just under 2000 calories per day, which isn't enough for most pregnant women.

Your protein intake sounds fine, around 30 g per meal, so I wouldn't suggest adding a lot more meat (unless you were substituting it for something else, e.g. sausage instead of some of the eggs). It really sounds as if you just need more energy-dense foods, whether high-carb or high-fat. Higher-fat dairy products, like cheese, whole milk, or whole milk yogurt, would be especially filling and nutritious additions, either with meals or between them. :

Vegetables and most fruits are pretty low in calories. I've been grain-free (SCD) for the last five months of this pregnancy, and if it weren't for eating large amounts of good quality fats -- well over 150 g/day -- and a pretty significant amount of bananas, I would have starved.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by bright_eyes

I am having a hard time with carbs because I can no longer have gluten, which I just discovered at the beginning of this pregnancy. I'm still struggling to find things to replace the wheat I had been eating. I often have oatmeal for breakfast but I think oatmeal is bothering me, so I've been trying not to. I do eat a lot of fruit, though. I have a fruit smoothie each morning but didn't this morning at breakfast because I made one on the middle of the night (I woke up starving!) And then I eat fruit through out the day and as a bedtime snack.

Oh, and I was totally guessing on the measurement amounts, I could be under guessing how much... It felt like a lot of food for both breakfast and lunch. Like I said before, it doesn't really matter what I eat- I usually eat a plate FULL of food and feel quite full, until I leave the table and then the hunger hits again!

I feel for you then! A couple years ago I went through an intense gluten sensitivity (and will probably never know why ). I eliminated direct and incidental gluten. VERY hard but avoiding the pain was worth it.

Currently, I've come to the sad conclusion that DD is probably at least slightly sensitive to dairy so I am working on eliminating it. I <3 dairy lol.

What about sugars?

[bright_eyes]

Originally Posted by hummingmom

I agree with the PP; that doesn't sound like a ton of food. Everyone's definition of "slather" is different, but assuming that you added about 3 tbsp of butter (total) to your breakfast and lunch, then the nutrition calculator I'm using puts your calorie intake at around 1300 for both meals together. If you subtract the fiber, it's closer to 1200. That would put you on track for just under 2000 calories per day, which isn't enough for most pregnant women.

Your protein intake sounds fine, around 30 g per meal, so I wouldn't suggest adding a lot more meat (unless you were substituting it for something else, e.g. sausage instead of some of the eggs). It really sounds as if you just need more energy-dense foods, whether high-carb or high-fat. Higher-fat dairy products, like cheese, whole milk, or whole milk yogurt, would be especially filling and nutritious additions, either with meals or between them. :

Vegetables and most fruits are pretty low in calories. I've been grain-free (SCD) for the last five months of this pregnancy, and if it weren't for eating large amounts of good quality fats -- well over 150 g/day -- and a pretty significant amount of bananas, I would have starved.

No, I do eat way more!!!! I was only talking about what I had today for breakfast and lunch. I didn't include supper (since I haven't had it yet- it's only 4 here) and my bedtime snack. I try to snack between meals, but I don't always. When I say slather, it's probably not that much- probably 1/2 tbs each time.

So, since I think I'm confusing people, here's is what today looks like (I'm guessing on food amounts for the rest of the day). I'm randomly guessing on the amounts, so I'm probably off a little
Early morning (like 4 am)- smoothie, with 2 hanfuls of spinach, 1/2 banana, 3/4 of frozen berries, 1 tbsp of coconut oil- all blended with water
Breakfast- 5 eggs with onion and red pepper, aspargus with 1/2 tbsp of butter
Snack- 3/4 cup of fresh pineapple
Lunch- 1 cup (probably was a little more) of veg. chilli w/ chickpeas, kidney beans, and sweet potatoe, quinoa, and steamed spinach
Snack- 1/2 cup quinoa, and a cup of steamed cauliflower
Supper- 2 bowls of ground turkey soup w/ potatoes, carrots, celery, peas and homemade chicken broth (maybe a salad w/ romaine lettuce, not sure yet)
Snack- banana and/or apple w/ a glass of raw cow's milk

The thing that bothers me is that my stomach will feel totally full and I'll have no desire to eat another bite, and yet I still feel like I'm really hungry. I can't find things that will fill me up for at least for a little while. I hate how I will eat a ton of food at one sitting and then feel like I didn't eat anything just 20 min. later. Shouldn't food fill you up for at least an hour???

[bright_eyes]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

I feel for you then! A couple years ago I went through an intense gluten sensitivity (and will probably never know why ). I eliminated direct and incidental gluten. VERY hard but avoiding the pain was worth it.

Currently, I've come to the sad conclusion that DD is probably at least slightly sensitive to dairy so I am working on eliminating it. I <3 dairy lol.

What about sugars?

I hate intolerances!!! It is so hard- I miss being able to just eat whatever sounded good to me.

Can you be more specific with your questions about sugar? I'm not sure what you are asking.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by bright_eyes

I hate intolerances!!! It is so hard- I miss being able to just eat whatever sounded good to me.

Can you be more specific with your questions about sugar? I'm not sure what you are asking.

I was referring basically to junk foods in general. Like, will a little bit of sugar help out? What about dairy?

Do you know of any "kosher" dressings that you can add to a salad?

[bright_eyes]

I've been eating a ton of full fat, unhomogenized yogurt. I generally don't eat any junk food, so I'm not getting much sugar in my diet, other than a little bit of honey when I do have oatmeal. I don't know, maybe it would help me out??? I've got some ice cream in the freezer I could eat to see if it would help...

[FairyRae]

Maybe add some nuts as between meal snacks--good fats and they can be filling? I'd add another green smoothie into your day (I drink a/b 4 cups a day and they help fill me up)--your diet sounds similar to mine but I'm not pregnant (nursing a 2yo though) and I think I eat 1 meal more than you and maybe more snacks...I feel like I'm usually eating all day long! I'd try to add more planned snacks between your meals--when pregnant I certainly couldn't go w/out a midmorning and afternoon snack/minimeal!

Good luck filling up!


ETA: BTW, as far as meal ideas that might be filling, salmon seems to be really filling for me. It's one of the few meals I can eat and not feel hungry for a good 3 hours. Usually I'm ready to eat much sooner after a meal...(I really am an all-day-long grazer...)

[Zenzero]

I'd definitely say a lot more fat but you also said you are probably not drinking enough water...this could definitely be a factor...I often feel hungry when I am actually thirsty.

[BetsyPage]

How long ago did you cut out the gluten/grains? I found that I went a period of time where I was famished when I first cut them out.

I agree that make sure your fluid intake is good, your MW/dr can check you for hydration of course. Adding some more nuts and cheese would probably help... you could add some cheese to your scrambled eggs, for example. That would probably not greatly increase the volume of food, but maybe the density?

[Carley]

I just found this via google: http://glutenfreemommy.com/30-snack-ideas/

You might have already seen it, but it does have some great carb ideas!

You HAVE to eat more carbs for your pregnancy!


You also might feel totally full yet still hungry because of the quantity of fruits & veggies... totally a great thing, but they're not as nutrient dense as other foods. They'll totally fill your stomach up, but they might not give you the nutrients your body wants to develop your baby.

Here's some ideas for adding more nutrient dense foods into your diet:

smoothie, with spinach, 1/2 banana, 3/4 of frozen berries, 1 tbsp of coconut oil- all blended with whole milk yogurt or whole milk? or Avocado

Breakfast- eggs with sausage , cheese, onion and red pepper, aspargus with 1/2 tbsp of butter - and avocado, served over gluten free grain

Snack- pineapple drizzled or blended with yogurt or coconut milk

Lunch- veg. chilli w/ chickpeas, kidney beans, and sweet potatoe, quinoa, and steamed spinach YUM! Add some avocado or soured cream on top!!

Snack- quinoa with walnuts, currants/raisins/cranberries & whole milk

Supper- ground turkey soup w/ potatoes, carrots, celery, peas and homemade chicken broth (maybe a salad w/ avocado) + baked potato (or sweet potato)

Snack- banana (apples are high fiber low calorie) a glass of raw cow's milk - or rice coconut milk pudding You could also blend this with a frozen banana & a little cream if you haven't met your caloric intake for the day (or your BODY is starving)


I'm not saying you have to do all of the above on one day, but you get the idea. If your body is full but your body is famished you've got to get something into it stat! Just a Tablespoon of cream or 1/2 an avocado can make a huge difference when it all adds up at the end of the day!


Nutrient dense foods!


/edit You could also try counting your calorie intake for the day. This (free) program gives you all your stats (carb/protein/calorie/nutrients) http://caloriecount.about.com/

You could track for a day & see what you might be missing. It'll also give you a target for your height/weight/pregnancy

[Carley]

I'm a total geek & entered your food in calorie count:

Fat - 33.9% (72 grams)
Protein - 17.6% (84 grams)
Carbohydrates - 48.5% (231 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 0.0%

Daily Sodium Intake - 3,095 mg
Daily Sugar Intake - 76 grams
Daily Cholesterol Intake - 1,115 mg
Daily Saturated Fat Intake - 36 grams
Daily Fiber Intake - 35 grams

Calories Grams Fat Carbs Protein
1,920 2123 72 231 84


You're on the low side of adequate Carbohydrate intake & the high side of Fiber intake. You're eating more grams of food than you're receiving calories from! No wonder your belly's full!

ETA: I didn't include some of your veggies because they're so low in calories they don't even count (i.e. spinach at a whopping 7 calories/cup PACKED (= 2 handfuls or more). You're getting even more fiber than entered above!

You also might be low on calories!

I don't know your (PREpregnancy) weight/height but for a 5'5 woman 30 years of age burns 2037 calories NOT pregnant. You'd need 300 extra calories making your target 2337.. probably sounds impossible to you, but if you replace those low calorie fiber rich foods with some nutrient dense foods you'll be set!

This is an even more accurate program for estimating your calorie needs http://www.phord.com/cc/


Good luck OP!

[Millie Ivy]

Great Job Carley! I was going to do the same thing.

OP- You could stand to get at LEAST 300-500 more calories in a day, and that should be easy with some more nutrient dense food. I honestly wouldn't snack on just fruit or veg alone, but add it to something more dense with fat and protein. ;-)

[bright_eyes]

Wow, thanks Carley! It's interesting seeing how many calories I'm actually getting. I didn't even have that bedtime snack yesterday (milk, apple, banana) and I didn't have a salad at supper (I did eat 3 bowls of soup, though), so I ate even less calories. I felt really naseous in the evening (which I haven't experienced at all this pregnancy) so I couldn't eat anything else.

Part of the problem is that I always feel so uncomfortable. The symptom I had that lead me to discovering my gluten intolerance is chronic stomach/abdominal pain/discomfort. Lately I've been feeling it again even though I've been cutting out gluten and I haven't been cheating on eating gluten every now and then. All day today, I've felt discomfort (somewhere in my belly- I can't tell what's what with my big preggo belly), which makes it hard to want to eat.

I just feel like my digestion is all out of whack and I'm not sure what all to do to fix it. I can't wait until this pregnancy is over so that I can figure out if what I am feeling is pregnancy related or not.

I recently went to a lady who does muscle testing and she told me that I need to cut out dairy. She said butter and yogurt were fine and small amounts of raw milk were fine, but I shouldn't drink it every day. She said cheese was definately out, even the raw cheese I've beeng getting. She told me to add in colustrum, fish oil from small fishes (she said no to cod liver oil, which I was wanting to get), calcium, millet, and a probiotic to my diet. I've only added in calcium supplements when I remember to. Does anyone know how accurate that muscle testing thing is for food intolerances, and such???

So I've been drinking less milk and eating no cheese, but I have been trying to put plain yogurt on as much as possible. I put butter on as much as possible. I feel bad that I'm not getting enough calories. This gluten thing has been harder than I thought it would ever be!!!