I don't know, but I'm nursing and I'm STARVING all the time too! I'm sure the weight would be falling off if I wasn't eating all the time! I attribute it to the nursing though. I always had kind of a smallish appetite before so it's really making me crazy to be hungry all the time.

Shaky without food could be hypoglycemia though. Have you had your blood sugar checked?

Are you a thin person? Sometimes people with a higher metabolic rate are hungrier. Higher protein and fiber foods may help keep you feeling full longer.
HTH

I think Polly's right about how a higher metabolic rate contributes to that "always hungry" feeling. I too am a vegetarian and work out regularly now. I find that when I do work out consistently and my weight is down a bit, I have to eat snacks or "small meals" throughout the day in order to keep my energy up. I actually plan out pretty much exactly what I'm going to eat, and what time I'm going to eat it, every single day. (Of course, this is easier to do during the week when I'm working - I tend to go "off schedule" on the weekends much more.) I'm not vegan, so I eat cheese. I find that low-fat mozzarella string cheese is an excellent source of protein that seems to translate into quick energy for me. A handful of raw almonds is good for this too, or an apple, slices slathered with natural peanut butter.

As long as your weight and health are fine I do not see anything wrong with eating when you are hungry. Someone just made up the notion of "three squares a day" and the notion stuck for most people.

I our eating patterns are related to gender and genetics. Some of our ancestors may have been "grazers", nibbling all day from sunrise to sunset, and some "hunters", gorging and then resting for a couple days.

Many smaller meals throughout the day are better for you than a couple of big ones, with a fast in between.

My daughter had Graves Disease, and sometimes the symptoms aren't so evident. I'm not trying to push you in that direction, but just thought I'd throw it out there.

It could be that your body is low on a specific vitamin as well, like complex B, that has happened to me in the past. Got a "B" shot and WOW!!! It was amazing. :c) LOL Then the minute it wore of (literally not kidding) it felt like some one had pulled the plug. I could feel my body wind down. Weird.

Yes, I have been so hungry too I ate everything but the drapes yesterday.

I would keep a food diary and see how many calories a day you're eating. You might think you're eating enough, but nursing and pregnancy require alot of calories.

Also, look at if your foods are high on the glycemic index - ie white breads, etc. Those foods always make me hungry again really quickly.

I find when I eat alot of carbs at breakfast, I'm hungry again really soon - like starving at lunch! Maybe you need to eat more protein at every meal. Even though you feel like you're getting enough protein, write everything you eat down for a couple of days and then see where you are calorie and nutrition wise.

One last thought is you should get some of those luna or greens nutrition bars. They're really good for you, and would be an easy way to get a food fix inbetween classes or when you start to feel shaky.

This would happen to me too when I was pregnant. When I got hungry I had to eat - right then. I remember one morning I was late for work and didn't have time to eat at home so I thought I'd just grab something at the office deli when I got there, so I jumped into the car and was on my way down the road when I started getting dizzy. Fortunately, there was a McDonald's right there and I pulled in and bought a plain english muffin and some OJ. I had to recline my seat and lie there for a few minutes until I felt better!

Even for non pregnant women, I am a big believer in eating whatever you want whenever you feel like it but only eating until you are satisfied and eating reasonably healthy foods.
At regular meal times only eat if you feel like it and only eat what satisfies and is appealing.

Make a list of all the foods that are low calorie that will satisfy your hunger and eat those.
Here are some of my favorites:

Shelled edamamae
popcorn
raw almonds- all raw nuts, really
apples especially, but all fruit
whole wheat bread with peanut butter
whole bread with turkey
rice cakes
flax seed crackers
hummus
french onion soup - no cheese
cheese and crackers
fruit smoothies -non dairy
plain fat free (greek) yogurt with a dab of brown sugar and fruit
celery sticks and yogert, spices

BTW Anele, congrats on being pregnant! How exciting is that! :c)

kgwlisa: Yes, I agree about the weight! I don't lose weight when I am nursing the first year, but the 2nd year it comes off pretty quickly! I never felt hunger like I did when I was nursing! I'll be getting the glucose test this weekend for the PG and I can ask about the results. I wonder if it just tells them pass/fail or gives actual numbers?

polly: I am not skinny, but I am slim. (Well, not now, being pregnant!) I am 5'1" and not pregnant weigh about 97-100 lbs. I know people with true high metabolisms who are very skinny-- this is not me.

auntjen: Do you find that working out helps CURB hunger, by chance? I don't work out at all. I was wondering if that would help.

dilly: Totally agree that smaller meals are better . . .it just seems like I have so, so many of them!

lukk: I will ask my dr. about Graves . . .I do wonder about missing some sort of vitamin B. Where did you get a shot? Thanks for the congrats!

newdawn: LOL!

caroleoh: Yes, I have definitely noticed that simple carbs do me a lot of harm. I try not having them often, or if I do, pair them with something (like pita + hummus). Food diary and the bars are a great idea. We were at the store a few months ago and DD saw one of those shakes that is for weight control-- said it would curb one's appetite. DD said, "Mommy, you should get that! You are always hungry!" Maybe I should!

bumble: I agree with you 100% . . .I truly believe if we listen to our bodies regarding food, we will eat right. That being said, I don't know others who eat SO often/never feel full for long so I wonder if something is wrong. I like your snack list! Many of those are my favorites!

See your doctor. Being tired and always hungry could be adult onset diabetes or a number of other conditions. Before reassuring yourself that it make be pregnancy/nursing (and that may be a possibility) get checked out.

Lucille-- I will. But, do you think (I am crossing my fingers here) that since my glucose has been tested before (with these same symptoms) and it's been fine, that it isn't diabetes? What other things could it be? I'm looking up things on the 'Net!

Anele- I think you fit the bill for very thin. At 5'2'', I normally weigh 130lbs and I wear a size 6-8. (right now I'm 4 weeks post c-section) I normally work out 3-5 times per week, and find I'm hungrier when I work out. At that weight without exercise, you probably do have a higher metabolic rate.
Frequent small meals that are healthful and high in fiber and protein is the key.
Also, since you are pregnant, you are probably giving monthly urine samples, which would show glucose or ketones in the urine if it were diabetes. You will also get a glucose tolerance test, which would tell you.

I don't think that sounds too thin to me, for 5'1". My best weight for me is in the 130's and I'm 6'.

I'm nursing right now and I'm starving all the time. I wish I could get rid of some of this baby weight, but it is not happening.

I do think you're normally a little on the thin side based on normal weight charts for women so you may very well have the high metabolism.

I would ask your doc if they tested your thyroid hormone as several docs will do this for women who are pregnant as a routine screen since too high values can cause m/c.

Last time I was hungry like this all the time and super skinny 110lbs and 5'7" I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

The glucose test should check you for GD and they should be able to tell you a number.

Does this happen when before you were pregnant or nursing too? That is probably your key to ruling out any illness vs. having high metabolism.

Well...it wasn't in the arm! LOL But it worked. Lasted a good week to ten days. I take vitamin B supplements now in addition to iron.

You may not have Graves, but you could be experiencing a hormone inbalance caused by your thyroid, I'm glad you'll ask, especially since your pregnant.

Most of the time when we're tired, we instantly think oh! I need iron, but vitamin B is a big contributer to energy levels.

BTW, for those women who have a hard time taking iron supplements and don't take any vitamin B this product made by Solgar is awesome. I get it at the Vitamin Shoppe, it's easy to swallow and gentle on sensative stomachs. Even though it says take 3 times a day, (which for me is WAY too much) I've been taking it once or twice a week for years and swear by it. I can definately feel the difference if I don't take it for a while.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hematinic Formula by Solgar

I strongly suggest having a full blood panel done to rule out problems with the thyroid, pituitary gland, or hypoglycemia. For the thyroid and pituitary you'll want tests for T3, T4, the "sensitive" TSH, and TBG. The blood sample should be taken after fasting, preferably in the morning.

I have Graves Disease. The symptoms developed over no more than one year. (I have a maximum timeframe, because of the last normal bloodwork.) I lost a little weight, but not quickly. I wasn't remotely "thin". You can't judge by weight alone. Many of the other symptoms were perfectly normal for my age, so I didn't realize that anything was wrong. Also, we have an amazing ability to not notice changes in our bodies. I didn't realize how badly I was shaking. To make matters worse, even close friends were too polite to comment. Fortunately, a man at work, who was known for his total lack of tact, teased me about the tremors. He saved my life, because things got pretty bad before we got the disease under control.

Getting the medical side checked out is a good idea, and you might also want to talk to a nutritionist. The one I saw recommended more fiber and protein for me. Are you sure that you know exactly how much is "enough" for pregnancy? I'm asking mostly because it was a surprise to me how much fiber and how much protein I was supposed to aim for just normally. I suspect that the amounts when pregnant could be higher.

So many great ideas here. What I am going to do is start keeping a comprehensive diary-- about my food (calories, protein, fat, etc.), energy level, amount of sleep I actually get (which I think I tend to underestimate since my 4 yo has been waking us up many times every night lately!), etc. Then, if I see some changes I can make, I'll make them and see if it helps. If not or if things look as they should, then I'll go see the dr. and have my diary to show. I will get the bloodwork as recommended as well.

On Sat. I go for my glucose test, so I'll find out those results soon.

As for my weight-- I know if I get too much thinner (like 88-90 lbs instead of 98-100) I stop getting my period, so I think this is a good weight for me, and it's been consistent (other than the pregnancy/post-pregnancy times, LOL!).

Thank you all so much-- this thread has been extremely helpful, and I feel better now that I've formed a plan based on your tips!

Yoga, that is so true. A few years ago when my daughter was living in Michigan with her husband and we were still in California, we met in Vegas for a Mother's Day holiday together. I noticed immediately that her eyes looked a little buggy and later she too was a bit shakey. The whole visit she was very tired and I while she was sleeping, I could see her heart was literally pounding like she was running a race. Before she left, I told her something didn't seem right and she needed to see a doctor as soon as she got home. She actually got preturbed with me for saying something thinking I was just being critical of her (because of the buggy eyes) but I made her promise and luckily she kept it. She went to the Doctor's later that week and to her surprise, the Doctor confirmed something was wrong.

I'm so glad that like my daughter, you too caught it in time and are doing well. That little thyroid is just not something to fool around with. --Lukki