[AmyLynn76]

OMG! I feel like I'm always hungry and it's ticking me off It's so hard to not eat. I'm trying but ugh...its so discouraging. I've been googling like a mad women looking for tips to curb hunger and foods that a more filling and still low on fat and cals. I find myself getting mad at other people around me who aren't overweight and seem to be able to eat whatever and not gain a pound. Why oh why can't I just be one of those people who eat like a bird and have a lot of energy? I believe I'm having a pity party lol. I started walking everyday last saturday to try and get used to moving more, then it went and got crappy outside and out the door went any motivation I had. I seriously lack in will power and motivation. I don't know what I'm gonna do. I just had to vent. Thank you for listening

Amy

[goodforme]

Filling, low calorie foods?

Vegetables

If you don't like veggies, like me, dress them up somehow with spices, soy sauce, something to make them tasty.

I buy a bag of frozen store brand stir fry veggies, cost $1.69, and could eat the whole bag if so inclined for 75 calories.

I hope it gets better for you.

[srmb60]

I'm going to suggest that you find a few foods, that you really enjoy, that are satisfying because of their good fat and/or protein content. Eggs or just the whites, lean meats, nuts, a can of tuna ... And spread them out throughout your day.
Fill in the "blanks" with vegetables and fruits that you enjoy.
If the problem is waiting until the next meal, you'll probably have better luck eating 5 or 6 little feeds throughout the day.

[FreeSpirit]

In regards to being one of those people, don't get mad at things you can't change. You don't know WHY they're eating that. You don't know what the rest of their day, or week for that matter, looks like.

Maybe you're hungry because you're not eating enough. How much are you eating on a regular day? More importantly, WHAT are you eating? Are you exercising? Are you drinking enough water?

[onthedietagain]

Hi Amy, weight loss is hard. It requires tons of discipline and self motivation, so don’t fill bad for filling so frustrated, I think it’s normal. The good thing is that you started the process of loosing weight, so congrats on that, good job!!! I can share some little tricks which helped me to lose weight. Just so you know, I love food, I love to eat. Dinner for me is magical time))) and last year when I lost control over my love affair with Nutella, potato chips and French fries I gained 14 lb. The positive thing from that was, I proved to all my friends that I am not lucky and just have super metabolism and can eat what ever I want and don’t gain weight, I am just like everybody else: I got lazy and let myself go with eating and my body punish me for that. Any ways, here is what I used to do when I was starving (not physically, but emotionally, craving the food even I just had dinner 2 hours before):
• Lollypops (sugar free) , really keep you occupied for a while
• Small size sunflowers seeds ( ½ cup ) , takes long time to pill them)))
• Go sleep earlier ( I use to take herbal supplements to help me fall a sleep early)
• Mint gum. Not sure why , but it does suppress appetite
• Brush your teeth after dinner. Maybe it was my laziness, but I didn’t want to eat after I brush my teeth at 7 pm, because I would need to brush it again.
• Big cup of fruity tea, and by big I mean big one.
• When I feel like I can kill for teaspoon of Nutella, I would get up and walk outside around the block, very fast. For some reason it helped me to shift my thoughts.
• And of course, pictures of you slim and some movie stars on the fridge.

Good luck and stay strong!

[Everlasting]

Amy, I've been having the same trouble. Now I'm trying to get some protein in with every meal. Pretty much what someone listed up there... I usually have 1 egg with breakfast. Some tuna or grilled chicken with lunch and supper. And I have some nuts that I can take a small handful of if I'm feeling really hungry. Peanutbutter could be a good supplement too, but it has lots of sugar, and as Onthedietagain said up there, I don't keep it in my house because I love it too much.

This and LOTS of veggies is great.

LOTS of water as well.

I'm also taking a multivitamin now, because I read that since we're eating lower calories, our bodies could be deficient of certain nutrients, and that's why you get hunger cravings.

Try to stay clear of things like white and wheat breads, crackers, potatoes, sugary stuff... That stuff can be filling, but it tends to give me that sugary crash and leave me starving an hour later. (If you love potatoes, sweet potatoes are a less carby alternative!) When I do eat those things I make sure I have a protein with it. I've decided to cut out those few things I listed above here, and discovered, that I can still live without them! Not saying I won't have them every so often, but I don't need to eat them daily, and then I don't get that horrible crash that leads me to binge.

It's also harder at first. Your belly is used to being full, and it feels funny without that uberfull feeling. You can slowly work down to smaller calories, say over the course of a couple weeks. Keep exercising, because the more muscle and strength you build, the faster your metabolism will be. It'll help you burn the fat faster, AND you can eat a little more.

[Get n healthy]

I get the same way. I have found i have to have lots of protien and fiber with every meal and snack. A peice of fruit will leave me searching for food in about 30 minutes. A cup of yogert...i am hungry in about 5 minutes. So i have to rely on string cheese, kashi bars, fiber one cereal, eggs, anything with protien, fiber, or a small amount of fat. It will tide you over, give it a try. Good luck!

[SCraver]

The first thing that popped into my head when I read your post was that no one said it would be easy. if it were, everyone would be thin.

The second thing I thought - protein. Protein and fiber. I went to sparkpeople.com, and put in how much I wanted to lose and by when. Then it gave me ranges to stick to. Calorie range, fat, protein, fiber. I find if I work at getting in all my protein and fiber then I am fairly well satisfied throughout the day.

I try to eat meats with meals: eggs, chicken, shrimp, pork, turkey, small amounts of beef

For snacks I try to balance my proteins and carbs: 1 oz. cheese with an apple. String cheese with fruit. Low fat cottage cheese with fruit. A few peanuts with half a Fiber One bar. Chobani Yogurt.

[beerab]

I agree with the others- if you are really hungry so much you are probably not eating enough. How many calories are you eating? Also you don't have to be starving while dieting... Google "low calorie filling snacks" and tons of stuff will come up.

[Renwomin]

Amy, your post made me think about an program I posted about on the forum

How To Be Slim

It is a BBC program that illustrates a multitude of scientific studies that you can watch online. The reason I think it would be good for you is they address two things you mention. One, they show a couple of friends one super skinny that seems to eat whatever she wants and one overweight and the both of them believe they eat about the same amount.

Secondly they mentioned a couple of things that help people stay feeling full longer. Several people here mentioned eating protein. In studies, protein has been found to have a better lasting filling effect than both carbs and fat. (Carbs is second to protein, btw.) The other thing they mentioned which is brilliant is that soups help people to stay full longer, especially pureed ones. When we drink water it helps us to feel full for a time but it drains out of our stomach, but water in soup stays in our stomach longer keeping us feeling full.

I know this can be really difficult. Hang in there! We are all trying to change old habits and it takes time and some patience with ourselves to find what individually works.

[fra]

I don't have suggestions about food, I seem to have periods of time when I'm always hungry and yet my diet doesn't change content-wise so... I take it as just a phase and wait for it to pass like a bad weather day xD

Motivation wise, when you can't walk outside, my first thought is of course dancing. I "dance" in my room, alone, privately, so I can shake how much i like without facing any audience and when you get into it.. dancing makes you SWEAT!

[mygritsconfessions]

I have found sometimes my binging is hormonal and tends to happy a few days before my period. Other than that, I have found eating whole grains helps me feel fuller longer and more content. Also, every other day I enjoy a protein shake for lunch, which also makes me fuller longer and content.

[juliastl27]

im also interested in how many calories you're getting?

i used to starve myself and then be disappointed with the scale. sometimes more IS less.

[AmyLynn76]

Well as far as how much i'm eating goes. I went to sparkpeople and put in my info and it said i should have 1200-1550 a day. I'm leaning more towards the 1550. Today at around 7 I had coffee and a special k bar. then i ate a sugar free pudding around 10 or so. then lunch i had a (lite) bologna sandwich, slice of cheese, lite miracle whip and white bread. I kinda have to work with what I've got in the house food wise right now. I can't go to the grocery again till next week. Honestly I'm not really sure what I should be eating. I'm getting all the info i can to make a grocery list and meal plan to help get started. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed.

[juliastl27]

1550 doesnt seem unreasonable to me, but everyone is different. are you sure its actual hunger and not just cravings? sometimes its hard not to think about all those junk foods you gave up.