I'm back on 1200 calories a day until Memorial Weekend because of some pretty feasty eating on Mothers Day and Graduation. Yikes, the scale is up (7 freaking pounds) and I'm fighting back. Funny, I ate 1200 to 1500 calories a day while losing (1200 most days) and never had a huge hunger problem...I got used to it I guess. But right now...this very minute, waiting on hubby to finish the grilling...I AM STARVING. I could eat a horse.
Yuck, I wish I wouldn't have OD'd on Cake and Ice Cream the last 2 weekends, (and a few times during the week) If I would have steered clear of the freaking sugar I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be having this crappy problem.
I'm hungrier on 5,000 calories of high-carb food (even healthy carbs) than on 1,800 calories of low-carb.
In 40 years of dieting, I've never had this easy of a time with weight loss, because I learned to eliminate "rabid hunger."
I've learned that there are many types of hunger, and for me there's a huge distinction between "rabid hunger" and "normal hunger."
What I call rabid hunger, isn't just uncomfortable, it's miserable. I can't distract myself from the thought of food, and I feel half-starved even when my stomach hurts from eating too much. If the food I'm eating is high-carb, the more I eat, the hungrier I get.
For me, rabid hunger is triggered by three things. TOM (especially when I"m not on oral contraceptives), prednisone or other prescription steroid medications (which I'm on periodically for my autoimmune disease), and high-carb (especially high glycemic) carb intake.
Resisting "rabid hunger" isn't just difficult, it can be a 24/7 test of white-knuckle willpower.
Eating relatively low-carb, avoiding high glycemic carbs, eating a lot of fiber, and taking prescription birth control are all ways to control rabid hunger.
There's not much I can do about the prednisone - except to eat even lower carb than usual and remind myself that the intense willpower needed while on these meds is temporary (if I would ever have to take prednisone as a permanent med, I'm not sure what I would do).
When I can avoid "rabid hunger" triggers, I have no problem with "normal" hunger. I find it easier to eat nothing all day, than to eat high carb, for example. Because fasting triggers intense hunger, but it's normal hunger, not the irresistable "rabid hunger." Eating nothing isn't very practical though, so reducing carbs, taking birth control, and using prednisone to treat my autoimmune and inflammatory issues as a last resort makes the most sense for me.
I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (more than 6 servings daily, and often 10 or more servings per day), and while that does mean I spend more time in the potty, I don't think it's time wasted. Obesity and rabid hunger have been much bigger wasters of my time. Also there's some pretty persuasive evidence that the more fruits and vegetables a person eats, the lower their risk of colon cancer (now there's a time waster, I'd rather avoid).
If you're ok with the level of hunger you are experiencing, that's all that ultimately matters, but I don't think any of us are alone. While I often say "we're all different," when it comes to weight loss that's not precisely true. While there is a lot of diversity when it comes to how and why a person gains weight and how each of us best lose it, I don't think any of us is so unique as to be unable to find another person with our same issues.
Totally me. In fact, I gain when I can't exercise because I am generally a bit over my maintenance calories. So I have to find a way to get my exercise in.
I actually had this problem yesterday and only ended up with 968 calories. That resulted in a gain cause my body likes to revolt at that point. I also had to eliminate carbs to control my hunger. Sugar just leads to more sugar for me.
I didn't get fat because of my hunger either. I got fat because I would buy a pint of ice cream, plan to eat it, and then I would eat it because I wanted to even when I was stuffed. Of course then I would follow it with a salty snack for reasons I cannot explain. I guess I planned to eat junk and as I have said on here before, I went so far as to get it and hide it so I could eat it late at night when no one was awake. I made decisions to eat and never because I was truly hungry.
Now, the reason I don't feel hungry relatively often is because I crave things like a cup of warm chicken broth. I make a salad with huge amounts of lettuce and very little dressing. I end up eating these things that really fill me up but have almost no calories and I do it over and over and over again. The fact that I drink so much water probably helps as well. At 10 PM I sit down to log my food for the day and realized the mistake I made, so now I have to plan better. Also, even on low carb I have to eat the bulk of my carbs in the evening because if I eat them in the morning I will be hungry during the day. For me, I guess it is all about food choices and that is why i chose my woe.
One other problem I have noticed is that when I drink my water room temperature it fills me up. For some reason when I drink it cold I can't drink as much and it makes me feel a little hungry. Weird...
One day, a personal trainer/friend of mine introduced me to a wonderful treat on a day that I had eaten a cheese omelet, wheat bagel, greek yogurt, popcorn, carrots and hummus, jello, and some fruit ALL BEFORE NOON! I was STILL hungry at 2pm. I had Zumba at 6pm and knew there was NO WAY I would have the energy to do it b/c I was completely hungry, despite eating all of this!
He nicely said, "I'll bring you a PowerBar to eat--it's 360 cals & 30g of Protein. They are rare to find at the market, but I'll stop at a convenience store who I know sells them and bring you one."
I was SUPER skeptical, but I promise, after eating that bar--I wasn't just really full, but I was NO LONGER hungry. When I got to Zumba at 6pm, I was pumped--more pumped than I'd been in a very long time! Now, I'm addicted, I think to this Dulce De Leche' bliss!!
He was right about them being hard to find, but I just ordered a case off of Amazon. I eat one seriously almost every day. I have found no other bar in comparasion!
I'm on 1200 calories a day and I am rarely hungry and YES, I sometimes DO have to force myself to eat because I top out at 900 or 1000. Also, I don't eat meat and I'm still very satisfied with my food intake. It's silly to make blanket statements that people are lying or mismeasuring or fooling themselves just because that isn't your OWN experience
Like kaplods said, it comes down to carbs for me. I cut out almost all grains and a lot of fruits and maintain around 150 or so net carbs a day. I aim for lots of protein and lots of fat. Eating a lunch of Greek yogurt with two strawberries cut up in it, a Wasa crispbread with peanut butter, and 1 oz of cheese (about 500 cals) keeps me fuller much longer than a plate of pasta. Not only fuller and more satisfied, but not even wanting to eat food just for the sake of eating food. That's been pretty key for me.
I would suggest cutting carbs way, way down, even things like whole grain crackers and watermelon which seem harmless enough, and focusing on avocados, nuts, cheese, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, milk, seitan, tofu, tempeh, and, if you eat meat, fish/steak/chicken.
Also, I'll preempt a JohnP post suggesting intermittent fasting by advocating for it as well. Restricting eating to a narrower window of time often curbs appetites and reduces hunger, paradoxically. When I IF, I'm a bit hungry for an hour or so in the morning (nothing a cup of tea can't quell), then eat a large lunch, and have to remind myself to eat *something* for dinner to ensure I get proper nutrients. I have no trouble staying under my caloric intake and, again, paradoxically, never find myself unsatisfied after a meal.
id just like to add, my mom, whos 5'6 and 125 pounds on a good day, eats like a bird. unless i buttered her bread (which she hates) i dont think i could force her to eat 1200cals a day. i think she would be stuffed on 1200. i do believe that smaller, thinner people can be satisfied or even have difficulty consuming 1200 cals of healthy food. (maybe take out/fast food would be easier)....
I am newbie here and want to apologize for my 'lying' comment earlier. It was meant in jest and didn't come across that way in cyberspeak.
I would starve, literally, on a 1200 calorie diet. My bodybugg averages 2500-2700 calories a day burned so that would be a 1500 deficit - way too big to maintain at my current stats. I eat 1500-1900 and lose roughly 1 to 1.5 a week, which jives with the math. It think the deficit is what matters and if you are eating with big deficits and little hunger - kudos to you! I can't do it
You guys are awesome. That you all for the tips and suggestions. The longer I continue to eat smaller - the easier it is to be satisfied on smaller meals. My sweet tooth is pretty much gone.
I find that the longer I eat healthy - the more I CRAVE eating healthy. I don't crave JUNK like I used to. I still slip (usually on the weekends) and have refined garbage. I think I need to focus on not doing that. Having a routine all week and then throwing a kink in it on the weekends probably isn't helping me.
I tried the low carb thing for a while. I was meeting with the trainer at the gym (who had a backgroundin nutrition) and we were limiting my carbs. After a couple weeks I thought I was going to go postal. I was just SO unhappy, hungry - like Kaplods rabid hungry - and miserable. I get about 200 g of carbs a day. That seems to be the magic number for me. Sometimes a little more if there is beer/popcorn involved (which I am trying to limit the booze).
I think I am going to go back to having a few almonds during the day... (emerald cocoa almonds are to die for). I haven't eaten those in forever and I think they helped. (a little fat and a little protein)
I also think as I get more and more used to my exercise, that will help too. I have been pushing myself with running and have also taken up biking. (Training for a triathlon I am registered for in September and I am doing a 10k next weekend)
I have a feeling if I was exercising less, the hungries monster would go away (at least a bit). But the exercise makes me feel SO good. It levels my moods. Makes me feel good about myself. I had a dream the other night that my thighs were slim from all the running I've been doing.
I'm not normally a calorie counter, but I do "audit" my days in and out throughout the week/month, as well as keep a rough estimate in my head most days. When I calorie counted, I ate around 1750 and usually had to fight the hungrys on a regular basis. Now, I've found that I am someone who routinely eats far under that, and it's not unusual for me to measure, count, etc. for a few days in a row and find that I consciously have to eat more to even hit the 1200 mark. (nowadays, when I stop losing, I usually find I am eating too low)
I attribute it mostly to getting rid of most carbs. Without sugar, I don't have cravings that usually manifest as hunger. Also, there's a whole source of calories gone from each day! I do eat lots of veggies though- roughly 5 cups a day or more on days that I'm really sticking to my plan. So, with a diet based around an overabundance of vegetables, and lean protein, it's not hard to keep my calories unintentionally quite low. It's all in the source. 1200 calories of Mcdonalds will leave you hungry 4 hours later, 1200 calories of broccoli would leave you stuffed for quite awhile.
(for the record, when I do have whole grain carbs, my calories are much easier to keep in a healthy range. but, when I'm "tightening the belt" on them, so to speak, I am someone who has to consciously force myself to eat more, even though I don't feel hungry)
Hey SCraver, just a quick note- I find I do MUCH better if I eat fewer, larger meals rather than small nibbles/200 cal meals throughout the day. I never get full after 200 calories and I'm left unsatisfied and thinking about food until my next mini-meal. Sometimes this leads to overeating, sometimes just to dissatisfaction and hunger. Because I usually practice IF I eat two large meals a day, which keeps me from getting hungry. When I don't practice IF I only eat 3 meals, but no more than that. That may not work for you, but I do want to relay my experience in case the mini-meal attempt doesn't help.
Restating that being HUNGRY doesn't mean we're DYING
It's hard, yes, but if we're eating enough food to sustain us, it shouldn't kill us to wait until next meal time to eat, whenever that may be - or even, if you know mealtime is a good way off, we should be able to have a decent healthy snack and resist overeating just because we're "hungry".
Of course, that is probably the reason most of us are HERE to begin with... I know it is true for me!!!!... overeating is just too easy when I'm "hungry" or "rabid hungry" or "starving"... one of my problems is eating too fast (when I get that rabid-hungry feeling) and then, therefore, I automatically overeat. I have to really monitor myself to eat slowly.
On the other hand, I can't seem to make myself eat if I'm not hungry. Then I run into the danger zone of overeating later on because then I do get hungry & eat too fast, & so on. But if I try to make myself eat if I'm not hungry, I just end up feeling nauseated. Ugh.
Last edited by Beach Patrol; 05-20-2011 at 11:35 AM.
I eat about 1800 - 2000 a day and I exercise a lot (though not as much as I want).
I don't know what qualifies as "a lot" but I am always much more hungry when I exercise.
I eat 200+ grams of protein daily and I am always hungry unless I just had a big meal. This is the #1 reason that I practice intermittent fasting. I eat a big meal at 2:00 PM and a big meal at 6:00 PM and a small snack at 10:00 PM. So for 1800-2000 calories it would be like 800-1000 for two meals and 200-400 for the late snack. Helps a lot to eat bigger meals. At least it does for me.
