Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hungry

Why do I always get so hungry late at night?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:32:35 -0800

Why do I always get so hungry late at night? I tend to go to bed around 12:30-1 am, though it usually takes me a long time to fall asleep. I always get hungry around 11-12, and if I stay up later than usual I get especially hungry. I usually eat something, but even then I don't feel full. I've been this way for several years, if not forever; I don't remember ever not being like this.

Maybe-relevant info: I'm 23 and male. I don't have any relevant health problems except a tendency to fall asleep late and wake up late (for which I take melatonin). I eat pretty nutritiously, mostly vegetarian. (I may lack some protein, but I try to get it from legumes; I might also lack some kind of vitamin, but I'd have no idea how to tell). I don't exercise much, though I think I had the same problem back when I did exercise more. I tend to consume a lot of caffeine, mostly tea (which I usually avoid drinking after 8 pm unless it's decaf).

Does this happen to anyone else? It seems like everyone else I know eats dinner somewhere between 6 and 8 and then doesn't eat anything after that until falling asleep, so it seems pretty weird! It's supposedly unhealthy to eat late at night, so is there anything I can do about it?

Anonymous just because I included a lot of identifying information.

Hungry baby at night

Blackwatch — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:09:40 -0800

Why is my baby still waking up hungry twice a night? Our baby boy is nearly six months old and wonderful in every respect, except one - sleeping.

He goes to bed at 7.30pm as part of a well-established bedtime routine: bath, feed, story, bed.

He goes to sleep without much fuss, but invariably wakes up around 12.30 pm and 5 am. He appears to be hungry. He's always screaming (he hardly ever does that unless he's hungry) and always drains 8oz of formula both times.

He's a big boy for his age, and we've started him on solid foods - baby rice, pureed carrots, broccoli - that kind of stuff.

As he approaches six months, we think it's about time he slept through the night.

Should we start reducing the volume of his night feeds to get him out of the habit?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Can't stay full!

yellowbkpk — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:13:34 -0800

I'm trying to watch what I eat, but I'm hungry all the time! What should I eat to help curb the hunger? I've been keeping track of what I eat and exercising trying to count calories (and make the calories I do eat more healthy than cheeseburgers and milkshakes).

The problem is that as I do this I get hungry every 3 hours or so. I'm eating salads, fruit, some vegetables, staying hydrated, etc. but I just can't seem to last from breakfast to lunch or from lunch to dinner.

I'm trying to eat healthy snacks between meals, but I'm quickly losing interest in dried fruit and nuts.

Is there something wrong with what I'm doing that is causing me to hungry so often?
Can you suggest some snacks to eat to curb the hunger between meals?

Hungry Cat makes me INSANE

batcrazy — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:24:42 -0800

Why is my cat always hungry? I have an 11 year old indoor Maine Coon cat who is currently driving me to drink. He has always been a needy cat who begs for food and attention, but the last few months have ratcheted his behavior up to insanity.

I can't cook food in the house without him climbing onto the counters, meowing incessantly. I can't open the fridge without him trying to climb in and get something. I can't leave the trash can unsupervised in the kitchen or he'll tip it over to get food out raccoon style. I am constantly hiding my food--I even ate a sandwich in the bathroom the other day to get away from his whining.

He has Iams cat food available to him all day and night long, he has water always available to him, and I feed him a can of fancy feast wet food a day (1/2 in morning, 1/2 at night). When I relent and give him table scraps (deli meat or chicken), he scarfs it down as fast as he can so he can beg for more.

He's an indoor cat, so he hasn't been exposed to anything outside. I've checked his stool for worms and so far, nothing. I've googled and some folks suggest thyroid conditions while others say it could be diabetes.

He's not overweight--if anything, he's lost weight in the last year or two. He's about 10 pounds now. I have another cat in the house who is 10, eats the same foods, and doesn't drive me crazy, so I don't think it's the food (either type or quantity). The other cat doesn't eat all of the food for both either--if anything, I have to protect the wet food of normal cat from crazy cat or crazy cat will eat both dinners.

1) Any ideas what could be wrong with my cat? (YANAV, I know).

2) Any home/OTC remedies I can try prior to an expensive vet visit?

3) Any suggestions on DC area vets that offer cheap labs/visits? I cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars for anything these days, including, unfortunately, my cat.

Does anyone else hear odd noises in their heads when they are hungry?

Xianny — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:50:16 -0800

Does anyone else hear odd noises in their heads when they are hungry? When I get really hungry, as in stomach-growling hunger that makes you feel kind of dizzy, I also hear scritching noises in my head. I'm just curious about whether anyone else experiences this. These noises are kind of high-pitched and sound a bit like crickets chirping. They sound like they're entirely in my head, and they're pretty loud and not very pleasant. They don't really cause any discomfort but I really want to know if anyone else has this!

I'm hungry! Oh, wait ... I'm not. What's up with the fleeting hunger pangs?

grumblebee — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:31:42 -0800

Is it normal to have a hunger pang and then, a couple of minutes later, to not be hungry? I'm dieting and it's going well. More important, I'm trying to learn to eat only when I'm hungry. I can't believe I'm so out-of-touch with my body, but I have a hard time telling when I'm hungry and when I'm not. (I'm sure I'd know if I was famished, but I'm talking about garden-variety hunger.)

I'm slowly getting it. I'm slowly starting to think, as I'm reaching for the chips, "Wait! Am I hungry? Hmm. No, I'm not!" And so I stop reaching for the chips.

But every now and then -- when I haven't eaten for a while -- I get a pang: that sort of stomach-eating-itself feeling that's a little like heartburn. I get that, and I think, "I'm hungry! I should eat." But I find that if I wait a couple of minutes, the pang completely vanishes, and I can wait several more hours before I'm definitely hungry.

What's going on with the pangs? It feels like my body is signaling me that I'm hungry, but after the signal, it's going, "Okay. I made the effort to signal. I'm not going to bother with continual signaling. If he still hasn't eaten in a couple of hours, I'll give him another warning."

How to Stuff a Wild Panini

iconomy — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:57:50 -0800

I have a Snackster. It makes yummy sandwiches that look like this. More yummy sandwiches are wanted. There have been a few sandwich posts here, but none that deal specifically with stuffed sandwiches and panini type sandwiches, which is what I'm after.

In addition to grilled cheese of every kind imaginable, I've made Reubens with great success, and have done a sort of Panera artichoke and turkey and caramelized onion sandwich, and have made mini calzones of sauces and cheese. What else can I try? Yep, I know how to google for recipes - I'm looking for sandwiches that you yourself have known and loved personally. My Snackster is hot and looking for action!

How do I use a condensing deep fat fryer?

ajbattrick — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 06:09:48 -0800

How do I use a condensing deep fat fryer? I've gained a deep fat fryer through my local Freecycle, a Moulinex Supremia C.AMOV AAS6P1 and I can't find a manual online, or get one from the manufacturer.

I want to make some chips with it, but having never had one or used one before, don't know where to start.

I know that is a condensing model, with freezable ice packs that help reduce the steam, but that is all the previous owner told me.

I'm only hungry when it rains... wait, what?

disillusioned — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:12:51 -0800

HungryFilter: Whenever I am really hungry, I feel/hear the sensation of rain/tiny stones running down the back of my throat. What the hell? If you've ever heard a rain stick, it sounds/feels (I'm not sure which, really) like that, in the back of my throat/head, but only when I'm very hungry and haven't eaten all day. It seems to be triggered by opening my mouth slightly, but perhaps not always?

Is this tied in some way to blood sugar? What is the nature of the sensation?

This has been the case for as long as I can remember. I'm 21, male, and in decent enough health. It doesn't hurt or anything, but it's a curious sensation, like the fizzing of soda, but more pointed.

Anyone else with this experience know what I'm talking about?

Much appreciated!

Why am I hungrier on days when I have breakfast?

raf — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:54:06 -0800

Why am I hungrier on days when I have breakfast? I don't usually eat breakfast. (I do maybe one day out of three.) When I do, I'm much hungrier for the rest of the morning: if I don't have breakfast, I can wait till 1pm or later to have lunch, while if I do I'm starving by 11:30. This seems odd to me, since I've always heard it's healthier to eat breakfast (and that it helps you eat less overall).

Possibly relevant background info: I'm currently on a mild diet. (I just stopped drinking soda and snacking as much, but I pretty much eat normal meals and have a small snack whenever I'm hungry. I've lost 15 pounds in three months.) I don't think there's a difference in how busy or awake I am on days when I have breakfast, but there might be one I'm missing. The breakfasts I do have are usually fairly small: a bowl of instant oatmeal or cereal.

How do I stop myself from gaining all the weight back?

jspierre — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 08:25:21 -0800

I've lost 50 pounds and need to keep it off. I'm also by nature a "grazer" (wanting to eat all the time), which is how I gained all the weight, but calorie restriction just isn't working any more. There's I'm a 5'8" male, 30 yrs. old, 167 pounds. I started off in June weighing 217. This is like the 3rd or 4th time I've lost this much weight. EVERY SINGLE time, at the end of the weight loss phase (around this exact weight), my body becomes super-hungry and I find myself cramming EVERYTHING I can in. So, I try to restrict calories to stop regaining weight, and it just gets worse, until I end up grazing all day long on unhealthy foods until I'm stuffed and sleepy at the end of the day. I am really scared of gaining all the weight back again, I know it can't possibly be healthy to keep gaining all this weight back and losing it again, so I need to change something to make the weight loss stick this time, but I'm at a loss...all the search results I get aren't much help.

My body seems to be angry at me for restricting it (around 1000 cals/day) for all this time and seems to be determined to put the weight back. My optimal maintenance calorie intake is about 2200 calories a day, but it just seems like I can never hit around that number -- I always go way over and feel like I can't control it and my appetite is out of control.

What are some good maintenance ideas that work? I am really good at losing the weight, but keeping it off is a HUGE struggle. Are there any foods that I can eat pretty much freely that will really keep me from feeling hungry all the time? I'm also away from home quite a bit, so foods that are highly portable (i.e., don't require refrigeration and can be carried in my backpack) are the most helpful. It seems like a lot of things I eat just make me want to eat more. Also, exercise ideas that won't make me hungrier in the long run?? I'm so confused...help!

Chicken and waffles and Canada

Tbola — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 17:30:06 -0800

I live in Ottawa, Canada. I'd like to try "chicken and waffles". How far would I have to travel? ...If that's too far for me - what are my options - a breaded chicken breast and some Eggos?
Seriously. I have no idea.
Do you use syrup? Gravy? On everything?
Is it a 1/4 chicken?

Thanks in advance.

Why are my cats so hungry?

kimota — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 19:41:14 -0800

Why are my cats so hungry all of a sudden? Three cats: Azrael, female, and a frail, somewhat senile 21 year old; JJ, male, an overweight 3.5 year old; and Kokomo, female, slightly overweight and about 18 months old. They've all been used to being fed pretty much Friskies or Kroger wet food in the morning and the evening with some dry food to graze on throughout the day. (Once upon a time, JJ used to hog all the food, but for the last year or so, he lets the ladies go first.) It used to be the case that if they didn't care for some food, they wouldn't eat it (or at least they'd leave some of it behind). At some point, my wife bought some cheapo wet and dry food exclusively for about a month, and the cats just couldn't get enough of it. Since then, they've been put back on the better food but cry all the time for more. I tried giving them double the food as an experiment, and they still wanted more after only an hour, which changed the issue from a curiosity to a concern. None of them has lost or gained weight since this has been going on, it looks like they're eating the same proportions relative to one another as they used to, they're all solely indoor cats, and there's no sign of worms in the litterbox. Any ideas why they're so hungry?

Mysterious hunger bouts

purple_frogs — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 16:54:43 -0800

In relation to this fpp about food and mental health, I have recently been getting drastic bouts of hunger, confusion and depression when I eat late (even an hour later than usual), or don't eat enough at a meal. These bouts last about 3 hours, and once they start even stuffing myself won't help. Has anyone had this, know what it could be, or know how I could try to solve it? Here are my symptoms: I tend to have a full lunch around 1 o'clock. By 5, I often start to get light-headed and find it difficult to concentrate. I usually have some nuts or fruits around this time, but they don't really help for long... if I don't have a full dinner by 7 or 8 (and some days I have so much to do that this is difficult), I will often get this terrible hunger, an overpowering feeling of emptiness and lethargy; I can't think clearly, and I start to feel down and depressed. I usually don't feel like eating at this point, but I know I have to, and so I try to eat to the point of stuffing myself, but it doesn't go away. If I eat before the symptoms start, I can usually prevent it from happening, but once it starts, it lasts for about 3 hours no matter how much, or what, I eat.

Sometimes this happens even after I eat a big meal: whatever I had isn't enough somehow, and this feeling sets in until I find the "right" food to fill the gap. Fish, in particular, will leave me feeling empty an hour later, no matter how much I eat. White bread usually does not help, either.

This has been happening on and off for about 3 years now. I've spoken to doctors about this, had tests for hypoglycemia (negative) and diabetes (negative), and even seen a neurologist, but no one has any clue what this could be. Their current theory is anxiety/depression, but I'm sure it's distinctly related to food and eating. Is there some nutrient I'm not getting or not absorbing?

FWIW: I'm white, male, just under 30, and not over- or under-weight. I am lactose-intolerant.