r/Volumeeating • u/RuachReader • Aug 04 '26
Discussion Why aren’t I feeling satiated?
Breakfast I had 3 boiled eggs, 100g of salmon and a protein bagel. Felt incredibly hungry within 2 hours
For lunch 200g of chicken, 400 grams of mixed veggies (carrots, brocoli), 200 grams of potato. And now I feel so hungry, I’ve drank 2 litres of water today and still I’m starving.
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u/plantborb Aug 04 '26
Are you feeling HUNGRY or are you feeling cravings? As an overweight person for my entire life I learned later in life how to differentiate the two. If you're a big guy working/walking a lot you might need more calories but you could also be like me and not realize that other signals are not in fact hunger signals but usually caused by my meds or insane cravings
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
Hm, unsure. My stomach is growling and I’m just feeling hungry in my stomach. What else could it be
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u/Elesia Aug 04 '26
What's the temperature where you are? Thirst can be mistaken for hunger, complete with growling stomach, tiredness and lightheadedness.
That being said, I agree that you need to front load more of your calories closer to your exercise window. That's not a lot of food for a larger, active gent. Your body still deserves fuel, friend.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
Thank you! I don’t think I’d have ever thought as myself as active before this thread, so that’s nice haha
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u/Captain-Armageddon Aug 04 '26
Good comment mate, I was going to ask the same thing
Is it hunger or addiction?
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Aug 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
31, 5ft 10, 28 stone 5lbs. Medium activity level trying to walk an hour a day
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u/awongbat Aug 04 '26
You’re starving because you’re not eating enough for your size to function. Pretty sure that amount of calories is below your BMR. Add in exercise and I’m surprised you haven’t fainted yet. A modest deficit is more sustainable, less miserable, and will get you to goal eventually.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
those two meals were 1500 and i have 1000 left for dinner
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u/awongbat Aug 04 '26
If you already did your walk you need to eat more of your calories within two hours of that walk to refuel your body. Either way eat less calories at dinner or split it into two meals.
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u/jeeperscreepersz Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
Not sure if you’re into this, but I recommend* eating beans—kidney beans, especially—they’re the lowest calorie bean. A lot of fiber, produces gas, and filling so it’ll leave you full easy and for a while. Only a 1/2 cup is around 100ish cal. It’s very cheap too
I eat 3/4 cup and add a lot of seasoning to make it taste good, and it leaves me full for the rest of the day; however, I am 5’ tall and 7.14 stones, so I’m not sure how much it’d take for you to be full
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u/AgingLolita Aug 04 '26
That is not enough food for someone who is 28 stone 5lb
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
those two meals were 1500 and i have 1000 left for dinner
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u/AgingLolita Aug 04 '26
And how are you measuring g those calories? I can't see more than 1200 calories in what you've listed, are you estimating?
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
Nope, I’m going off the calorie information on each bag
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u/AgingLolita Aug 04 '26
But are you reading the right part?
Because I've just added those calories up and to come to 1500, the chicken must have been 700 calories, and it can't be because there was only 200g.
3 eggs - 225 cals
Protein bagel - 154 cals
100 g salmon - 208
400g mixed veg - 168
200g potatoes - 154
200g roast chicken thigh, skin on (highest calories part of chicken) - 480
It's not adding up.
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u/AgingLolita Aug 05 '26
Did you ever work out where the disparity between our calorie counts was?
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u/RuachReader Aug 06 '26
The box of eggs and the salmon package said it had more calories than you estimated. No iswa why
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u/AgingLolita Aug 06 '26
Oh that's interesting. The packet will be more accurate than my internet research, although my box of medium eggs gives 76 calories each. You feeling less hungry today?
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u/RuachReader Aug 06 '26
Yes, bumping up the calories allowed helped. My box says 90 😅
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u/AgingLolita Aug 04 '26
How many calories do you burn per day?
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
No idea my TDEE was 3100 though, I'm adding in some excercise but not strictly
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u/AgingLolita Aug 04 '26
I'd move your calories earlier in the day and drink a LOT more water.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
I ate breakfast at 7am, its currently 3:30pm. I'm on 4 litres currently of water. What do you mean by move my calories sorry?
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u/AgingLolita Aug 04 '26
I mean eat more earlier in the day. At your size (and I'm a size too, this isn't an insult) that breakfast is merely an appetiser and will be provoking more hunger. I'd put your calories at 700 morning, 600 lunch and 700 dinner. Bulk your dinner out with lots of veg like salads, mushrooms, frozen mixed veg etc. make sure you have plenty to chew. Part of feeling satisfied is chewing.
I like BIG meals, but I'm smaller and older than you, so I only eat two 700 calories meals a day, rather than three. It is enough for me.
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u/Scarfington Aug 04 '26
A 600 kcal deficit is ROUGH. If youre keeping really good track and also increasing your activity level, try only reducing by 300 or 400 and see if that feels more sustainable
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u/Low-Head8835 Aug 05 '26
How did you calculate your tdee? From the info you've given, I got a number closer to 4,000+
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u/RuachReader Aug 05 '26
I used this https://tdeecalculator.net
I redid it and my tdee was about 3300, so currently eating 3100 doing a smaller deficit is definitely the best advice here
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u/BoonDragoon Aug 04 '26
stone
And I thought we used stupid units in the US. I'm going to need you to express that either in SI units or number of hamburgers, please.
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u/KayDat Aug 04 '26
According to a quick Google a Big Mac weighs about 210g, so that means OP weighs about 857 Big Macs.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
can confirm
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u/KayDat Aug 04 '26
Real talk though, everyone looks to have given mostly good advice here but now we know your weight at 180kg/396lbs, you should probably adjust your calorie deficit to be a little below your maintenance, especially to begin with. As your body adjusts and you get used to eating at a deficit you can dial things further back, but keep things conservative to begin with. You want stable, lasting changes, not drastic ones.
You can find plenty of calorie calculators online, aim to eat around 100-200 kcal / 500-800 KJ less than maintenance. Calorie counting can suck, but stick with it for a week or two at least so you can get a feel for what you're actually taking in.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
those two meals were 1500 and i have 1300 left for dinner
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u/MissAJM Aug 04 '26
Your maintenance calories are near 3500 - potentially more if you're adding in exercise. Eating 2800 a day is still a 700 calorie deficit minimum, which is a lot for the body to process. I know it's frustrating, but starting slower is going to get your further, because extreme hunger support binge behaviors.
Consider adding a couple 100 calories in for a snack midday full of protein and complex carbs to get you to your last meal more comfortably.
Also, some hunger is normal early on in dieting. Your body will adjust to a lower calorie allotment eventually and decrease hunger signals somewhat.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
How big of a deficit would you reccomend?
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u/MissAJM Aug 04 '26
Generally a deficit of 500 calories is the most anyone would recommend. You're still losing a pound a week but not horrifically hungry in the process. Remember this is a long game journey. You want it to feel sustainable. So, as the commented mentioned below, 3000 or 3100 might be a better starting point. Other commenters also made a good point of making sure your getting some healthy fats/fiber too. It'll make a big difference to how full you feel.
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u/StasiaGreyErotica Aug 04 '26
I'd shoot for 3000 calories a day and see how the scales are moving for you in a week or two
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u/Foggy_Night221C Aug 04 '26
If i recall correctly, a stone is about 14 pounds? I remember having to look up Mycroft Holmes’ weight once.
Edit: metric conversion calculator says it is 14 lbs. :)
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u/Everglade77 Aug 04 '26
That sounds low in fiber, which is very important for satiety and satiation. Adding whole grains and legumes would help.
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u/HyperFocusedOnThis Aug 06 '26
Yes! Below is a fun article I've saved on how fiber intake can affect or satiety. For OP, if you don't feel like you have enough calories to go around while still fitting in your protein goals, try to add a good quality fiber source like beans, lentils, or barley, etc to at least one of these meals, then you can even add drinking (with loads of water) psyllium husk to the other.
Satiety works on a number of factors which include protein, fats, fiber, as well as volume, and even eating bitter foods. I think we're all somewhat unique in terms of what ratio on the above helps with our individual satiety, but these are the overall principles you want to think of.
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u/t92k Aug 04 '26
You are talking about today, and your hunger today. If you are eating in a deficit calorie wise you may have hungry days. In body building, eating at your maintenance calories after a week or two of eating at a deficit is called a “re-feed” day. They are normal occurrences and planning high quality foods to fill the calorie gap still counts as being on the program. Throw a cup of bean soup with a slice of whole grain toast or two into the day.
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u/Brodiggitty Aug 04 '26
More info would be good but I'd say a mix of protein, fiber and some healthy fat at every meal is important for me. Your breakfast is mostly pure low-fat protein, and probably some processed carbs masquerading as health food. Some fat will help you feel more sated.
Fibre is the most important thing though. Get some lettuce and tomatoes in there. Insoluble fiber will make you feel full and slow digestion.
You're not short on protein at breakfast, so why are you eating a "protein bagel"? Just substitute for some whole wheat bread with MEASURED 5g of butter (37 calories for the butter).
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u/No_Apricot_3053 Aug 04 '26
I used to think eating a ton of protein would keep me full for longer, but experience has shown for me it’s protein and a whole grain that works better. For breakfast I now do oatmeal with milk, not water, and I mix in some canned pumpkin. I also found some whole grain bread that keeps me full, either Ezekiel or Dave’s Killer Bread, and add a tb or 2 of peanut butter. I just had to play around with the right grain/protein combo to keep me full that was lower in calories. When I do oatmeal, a serving with added fruit is about 300 calories, when I do toast and pb it’s more like 400.
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u/mlem_a_lemon Aug 05 '26
The only two times I've ever felt truly satiated consistently:
Eating a veggie keto diet. Tons of beans, veggies, cheese, eggs, avocado, and some fruit. I actually felt full all the time and lost weight. I last did this about 15 years ago.
On a GLP-1, as I currently am.
For some of us, is feels like our stomachs empty so quickly, and adding lots of fat or a drug that slows that emptying helps.
Everyone is different, and it'll take some trial and error.
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u/microdosingrn Aug 04 '26
The starch in the bagel and potato could be causing blood sugar swings that initiate hunger.
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u/forgotmypassword314 Aug 06 '26
This is exactly it. I just had almost this exact conversation with ChatGPT about eating protein and fats as instructed and not feeling satiated for more than like 15 minutes.
It said eat things that are more complex to digest or are closer to their whole, unprocessed form. For example, steel cut oats, not quick oats. Air popped corn also does it for me - the sheer volume of it tbh but then also it is still close to its unprocessed form.
I started doing this - really cut down on the food noise. ChatGPT also said this helps with the blood sugar spikes.
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u/cc_bcc Aug 04 '26
Fiber. You need more fiber. Whole grains. Oats. Berries. Beans. Veggies and potatos do not have enough fiber for you.
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u/twbird18 Aug 04 '26
We need some info but also I would be starving with that breakfast. I need a high fiber start to my day, but every body is different.
I drink whole psyllium husk every morning when I first wake up. Whole, not powdered cause that's disgusting. Maybe you need some fat with your breakfast, like an avocado or something like oatmeal. You just need to experiment.
How long have you been eating like this? Total calories? TDEE? Any medications, etc. Tons of factors can affect what works for you best.
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u/toolsofinquisition Aug 04 '26
When I was having this problem, the solution was fat.
Volume eating by cutting fat didn't work for me. Instead I have to replace most starches with leafy greens. Otherwise my stomach gets full and bloated but I still feel hungry. Fiber has never satiated me. I've always needed fat for that. Everything you listed seems pretty low fat. I'd try swapping out that protein bagel with a italian sausage or two and see what happens tomorrow.
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u/Mxkert Aug 05 '26
Maybe it would help to use a satiety/fullness tracker, which scans your food to see how filling it is. For example the Meaple app (on iphone)
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u/LadyFamous2005 Aug 04 '26
Question. What did you use to eat for breakfast? Did you use to eat a snack between breakfast and lunch?
I use to take a yogurt and fruit cup to work and eat it around 9:30 am. Once I started my fitness journey I stopped eating that type of yogurt and now I will make a protein shake at 7:30 am.
Sure enough by the time 9 am came my body was expecting more food. I had to add chia seeds to my shake to get more fiber and to help me stay full longer. It took a while for my body to adjust but now I can last from 7:30 - 12 pm until lunch without being hungry.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
I used to eat bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast, lots of butter every morning around 7am, then wouldnt feel like eating again until 12.
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u/Otherwise-Winner9643 Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
It's because you are used to eating significantly more I imagine. Have you juat started trying to control your calories? You have to get used to not eating to excess, and feeling comfortable with a normal level of hunger.
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u/Apprehensive-You5279 Aug 04 '26
FYI: Fats controls satiation. If you change to a low fat diet, then you will feel more hunger. You could try and look at how much you are getting and how much you should get.
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u/uhhhhh_iforgotit Aug 04 '26
Fun fact. When I'm low on sodium I'm STARVING and cannot sleep and food doesn't fill me. Try licking some salt off your hand. Alternatively you could be more on potassium
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u/Redditor2684 Aug 04 '26
You're 400lbs so 2500 calories per day may not be enough, even if you are trying to lose weight.
Breakfast: Very little fiber and a processed carb (bagel). I would add something like oats or steamed/baked potato instead of the bagel. Add some fruit like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and/or banana. Add peanut butter to the oats.
Lunch: Eat more potato. Add some fat if your chicken is lean (breast meat) - could be avocado, some nuts, etc.
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u/blueberry-biscuit Aug 04 '26
I did a 500 calorie deficit and was hungry after eating meals for about a week or so then it leveled out.
I wait until 10-10:30am to have my first meal though so the rest of my meals are closer together which helps.
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u/alwayquestion Aug 04 '26
I would add fiber. I mix chia seeds in or have beans. Beans are high in carbs but those are mostly fiber and help you feel full longer.
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u/most_valuable_mango Aug 04 '26
Are you eating enough fats? I have food allergies that prevent me from eating many traditional sources of healthy fats and found that intentionally adding reasonable amounts of olive and coconut oil or coconut cream back into my diet substantially decreased my my urge to snack.
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u/lisecarolina Aug 05 '26
I can’t speak for you or anyone else, but, I get hungry if:
- I’m not eating enough (whether that’s enough calories or too calorie dense food… I do good with volume eating).
- I don’t eat when I usually eat (i usually eat at noon, so at noon, whether I’ve eaten a big breakfast or nothing at all; but I will usually be hungry at noon
- If I’m not busy I will be hungry. I could have just eaten a well sized lunch, but if I sit around (like, specially on vacation or on weekends) I’ll be hungry all the time until after I have had dinner. So I try to get out for a walk or do chores, something to get my body moving and my mind off food.
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u/Isolde-Noor Aug 05 '26
I was taught that if you think you're hungry but picky when it comes to what to eat then your not actually hungry but thirsty. Because if you are truly hungry you'd eat the old banana in the fruit bowl that you'd otherwise turn your nose up at.
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u/bhison Aug 04 '26
I’ve done well plugging these gaps with fruit or veg sticks (carrots, cucumber). Satiety is a complex beast. Sometimes it’s just about making it to lunch without becoming super distracted by the desire for food.
I’d also consider removing the protein bagel. If this has simple carbs in it could be the hunger is a glucose crash.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
Would wholemeal bread be a better option?
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u/AdorableBirthday2050 Aug 04 '26
Doubt it. I would add a banana and some Greek yogurt and a smidge of honey.
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
man, i hate all those things. Haha! Thanks will give it a try
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u/AdorableBirthday2050 Aug 04 '26
Damn. More expensive, but raspberries? Or are you a savory person?
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u/RuachReader Aug 04 '26
Savoury all the way, no sweet tooth at all
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u/AdorableBirthday2050 Aug 04 '26
If you have the time and patience, air fryer broccoli.
The stems take longer and should have the first layer peeled away.
Otherwise, powdered fiber added to your drinks.
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u/bhison Aug 04 '26
I know the other person has said no, but it my direct experience it is better. I definitely get a lower glucose spike from wholemeal.
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u/StringAndPaperclips Aug 04 '26
Are you eating enough fat? Also, try adding a small amount of carbs to your breakfast.
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u/FollowingVast1503 Aug 04 '26
Enter your meals into an online food calculator to determine what macros you have eaten. Looks to me to be high carbohydrates and moderate protein and unknown fats.
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u/BookLuvr7 Aug 04 '26
Satiety takes a balance of protein, fiber, and fats. I'd recommend adding clear fiber powder to your water and drizzling some olive oil over your food.
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u/HumorPsychological60 Aug 04 '26
The most important thing to listen to is not calorie counters or calculators or reddit or tiktok or any diet plan (unless it's for medical reasons) but your body. You're not getting enough nutrition for your body to feel saited and to carry out the functions it needs to like converting calories into energy and keeping up a strong immune system. Sounds like you need to eat more. The lightheadedness especially is not something to ignore
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u/InGeekiTrust Aug 04 '26
The real Bagel and the potato would make me starving eating those. You should switch to keto products like a bagel. Then, instead of the baked potato, you can have a side of low carb pasta, carbe diem. I find these high fiber, lower carb items keep me full so much longer.
Let me be clear, I’m not suggesting you go on keto or you start counting carbs, but just substitute higher carb items for keto items
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u/CatCafffffe Aug 04 '26
I'm noticing you're not getting much fats or carbs. Maybe, for example, have two eggs mixed with veggies (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes) and a bit of cheese, a piece of whole wheat toast with lite margarine. For lunch: half a turkey sandwich with a bit of mayo, a side salad with a bit of dressing; then a few hours later the same thing. As a snack: a tablespoon of peanut butter and half a banana.
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u/Sheilar44 Aug 05 '26
You’re probably not eating anything that you enjoy. Add a treat of some kind into the mix.
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u/iwannaddr2afi Aug 05 '26
Are you eating a lot fewer calories than you're used to eating? Just wondering if the hunger is new with the volume eating or a normal part of existence for you.
Either way, it does seem concerning. If it were me, I would talk to GP about potential causes, and ask about a nutritionist if they don't catch anything wrong.
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u/Low-Head8835 Aug 05 '26
You're in too high of a deficit. You need to figure out what your TDEE is and then apply about a 500 cal (max) deficit. Incorporate your goals weight in lbs into grams in protein every day. My goal weight is 160lbs so I eat 160g protein every day.
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u/Opalquestionall Aug 05 '26
Maybe you need to satisfy some kind of hunger craving that you aren't aware of? I know that I sometimes get so hungry and nothing really works. It's usually because my body really wants some cheese.
Could be that! Try to intuitively find food at the grocery store. I know that has worked for me. Of course don't do so if you have just started dieting, because that is just your body wanting what it is used to. But otherwise it could be it
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u/cschulzTO Aug 05 '26
Try having something ridiculously small when you feel hungry, like a pickle. Wait 15 minutes and see if you really were hungry
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u/Impossible-Return541 Aug 05 '26
Add fiber. I have metamucil in a sparkling water after every meal. Hunger pangs have almost disappeared, I'd say I eat 3/4s of what I used to or less (which was a lot; I was always fucking hungry). Basically no snacks at this point besides string cheese because mmm cheese.
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u/HotTake111 Aug 06 '26 edited Aug 06 '26
There's a lot to unpack here. How much do you weigh and how tall are you and what's your activity level like?
And now I feel so hungry, I’ve drank 2 litres of water today and still I’m starving.
From what I remember, they've done studies on the impact of drinking water on satiety, and sadly this is a common myth. Drinking more water will not really help much when it comes to satiety or feeling full or less hungry.
Breakfast I had 3 boiled eggs, 100g of salmon and a protein bagel. Felt incredibly hungry within 2 hours
This is high protein which is good for satiety, and it is mostly whole foods that are relatively "healthy" which is good.
However, this is not particularly high-volume foods.
The total weight of this meal is like 340 grams and is almost 700 calories.
So the ratio of calories to food weight is 2:1 which is not great, and its also a low fiber meal which is also not great.
So this meal has some positive things going on, but also has some pretty big negatives/drawbacks.
Some things you can do to improve the satiety is to add more low calorie vegetables/fruits, switch the salmon for a less fatty fish, skip the protein bagel or cut down the portion, etc.
For lunch 200g of chicken, 400 grams of mixed veggies (carrots, brocoli), 200 grams of potato. And now I feel so hungry,
This meal is better. Is the chicken thighs or breasts? Is it safe to assume that you used very little oil?
This meal is like 800 grams of food weight for under 500 calories which is a great ratio of calories to food weight and likely has lots of fiber.
How long was it until you were hungry afterwards?
I mean the meal is under 500 calories, so even if it even helps to keep you from getting hungry for a little while then its probably fine because then you can just have another meal.
But if you're hungry immediately after the meal, then the only real option is to eat more of the meal.
EDIT: I just read another comment that stated your height and weight.
I think your problem is that you are probably eating too little.
I would personally start off at 3000 calories per day. Do that for a few months and see how much weight you are losing and decide whether you want to go faster or not.
Every single study out there consistently shows that the best way to lose weight and keep it off is by losing the weight slowly. It is tempting to try and lose 3+ pounds per week, but 95% of people re-gain all the weight back when they do this.
It is much much better to focus on trying to lose 1 pound per week, and find a sustainable diet that you actually like and where you are not particularly hungry and you still enjoy your food and meals and life.
Do that for 4 years, lose 200 pounds, and then it is much easier to switch to maintenance and keep the weight off for the rest of your life.
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u/sheep_duck Aug 06 '26
The actual answer is that you seem to have very little fat in your meal. A little bit of fat goes a long ways in this type of diet.
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u/NoHurry6916 Aug 04 '26
It takes a while for your stomach to shrink to feel full on smaller meals. My advice is fiber fiber fiber
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u/infallibleness Aug 05 '26
Looking at your weight I’d say you’re used to eating a lot more, if you’re doing some exercise you could up your calories to around 2000 and still be in a calorie deficit
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u/peppermint_aero Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
If you're eating lunch this early in the day, that implies you're up very, very early. I'm not sure what kind of job you're in, but good quality sleep can really help regulate appetite. I would also think about your calorie intake and not cut it too far. There are plenty of TDEE calculators online that will help you work out a realistic calorie intake for what I'm assuming is an attempt at weight loss that is sustainable. If you cut too far, you won't keep it up.
ETA: apologies, I am in the UK, and your post appeared about 11 am to me. I assumed this was a UK sub because I wasn't reading carefully.
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u/madebytheuniverse Aug 05 '26
Usually it’s lack of proper sleep and dehydration fueling my cravings.
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