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Old 02-05-2014, 08:41 AM   #1  
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Default Please Help! I'm so confused!

So, I've been around here for a long time. I lost 47 pounds and then gained back ten. I restarted my weight-loss regime (exercise and 1200-1400 calorie intake) last week and immediately dropped 3.5 pounds--Awesome! Except, that Friday night I woke up with the shakes and had to eat something. Ever since then I have been absolutely starving all the time---I tried to stave off the hunger on Saturday, eating more often but about the same calories. Sunday, I just gave in and ate whatever I wanted to eat, pretty much the whole day. My thoughts were that my body was somehow thinking that it was starving so I should just feed it to turn off that starving signal in my body. Didn't work. Still hungry all the time, to the point of feeling sick because I'm so hungry.

What is going on?

My DH said that I sent my body into starvation mode--but how, I'm eating! This has never happened before. My scale has gained back all three pounds I lost last week, so essentially I did a week's worth of work for nothing. I'm frustrated--and hungry. (I have been drinking enough water).

Please help. Thanks.
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Old 02-05-2014, 08:50 AM   #2  
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Was your tummy actually rumbling?
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Old 02-05-2014, 08:56 AM   #3  
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You did not send your body into starvation mode. It takes a long time to be able to send your body into that state. Starvation mode is happening in certain parts of Africa, not you.

You may have sent your mind into starvation mode though lol. A funny thing happens when your body perceives that you are taking away food. At the same time, if you're not giving your body the proper nutrients that it needs it will also rebel. I'm not sure what caused you to wake up with the shakes. But that could just be hunger. You can eat something small to ward off the shakes but that doesn't mean that you need to eat 3 fried eggs, bacon and pancakes iykwim. So what exactly are you eating in this 1200-1400 calorie range?

My doctor told me something kinda funny once. I went to him because I was regularly getting weak. I told him that if I don't eat protein then I start to feel really really weak. So he said.... "eat some protein then." Sometimes it doesn't need to be analyzed and figured out, sometimes you just gotta listen to what your body is really saying.
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:11 AM   #4  
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Paulitens: My stomach just aches and feels empty.

Wannabeskinny: My typical regime is Kellog's Protein Special K cereal for breakfast; a fruit or veggie snack; either a lean cuisine or healhy choice meal for lunch; a fruit or veggie snack; and chicken and some kind of carb for dinner (the carb is a measured serving) It's all typical foods I have been eating for a year so I don't understand why now, all of a sudden after two months off the wagon that I'm getting this feeling. When I get the "I must eat now" feeling I usually have a couple peanut butter crackers.

I'm not eating exorbitantly and I'm not starving myself...what's going on!
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:23 AM   #5  
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Cereal for breakfast = sugar

Your body needs more than sugar. The only cereal that I've ever seen in the super markets that does not contain sugar are Grape Nuts and Shredded wheat. But still, wheat for breakfast and no protein? It seems like the diet you describe is full of carbs and very low on protein. I can't speak for you but my body on that diet would get very hungry too, very very very hungry.
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:28 AM   #6  
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Maybe its a gradual thing - like chipping away. Over time, suddenly you'll feel a big ol' sensation if "i'm super craving food right now!" It could be for some people due to eating around the same thing every day (although we do it consistently for a few years, its so small compared to the 20+ years I ate a varied whatever-I-want)! I love eating the same thing everyday, but everyone is different. OR it could be what is being eaten finally rearing its ugly head!

The cereal even if its packed with protein would leave me quite hungry, the fruit wouldn't help with my sensitivity to sugar (I eat fruit, but not all the time, and rarely combined with grains) and frozen dinners like that for me anyways, don't feel as filling after the veggies are a little limp from being defrosted compared to fresh ones and the pasta. I think that it is definitely possible to feel satisfied with those foods, but maybe instead, don't have them all at once? Like have a special K day, combined with more of that chicken and fresh veg - which is more filling for me anyways. Then the next day, a fruit day and then also with some sort of meat and fresh veg, etc. I find that I can make do with foods that don't super-fill-me-up for quite awhile, but eventually, even if its not right away, sometimes I'll end up getting a huge hunger sensation and then I reevaluate what I am eating. Perhaps trying out something new like that will help.
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:30 AM   #7  
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:-( It's protein cereal.... my dietician said that it was good.

I'm going to go make a protein shake....

Thanks for your advice. :-)
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:36 AM   #8  
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Just brainstorming here: I don't know what you were eating as you gained the 10 lbs back, but if it was significantly more than 1200 -1400 calories/day and significantly different foods, maybe your body is reacting poorly to the drastic change -- both in quantity and type of food.

Why don't you give yourself a "transition" week or two. Raise your calorie level but eat ONLY healthy stuff and maybe aim for higher protein/good fats and lower carbs?

Hang in there. Isn't it funny (weird) that sometimes the very body that has been ours from the moment of birth can be such a freakin mystery to us!

Last edited by Mrs Snark; 02-05-2014 at 09:38 AM.
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:52 AM   #9  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitie9399 View Post
:-( It's protein cereal.... my dietician said that it was good.
I have such a hard time believing that. That's so confusing to me that anyone that claims to be a dietician would think that's a healthy breakfast. If it comes out of a box I don't eat it.

I'm not on a carbs tirade or anything, but refined white flour and added sugar is by definition not real food.

Ingredients:
Ingredients: Whole grain wheat, wheat gluten, sugar, rice, soy protein isolate, wheat bran, defatted soy grits, contains 2% or less of salt, cinnamon, malt flavor, L-lysine monohydrochloride, sucralose, BHT for freshness. Vitamins and minerals<bold>:</bold> Reduced iron, vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol), niacinamide, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin A palmitate, vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), folic acid, vitamin B12.

Those are the ingredients. You know what they say, lots of ingredients and no nutrition. All the words I've highlighted in red are words for sugar. This is processed food at its worst really.

Why not try having a scrambled egg with some frozen spinach, and a slice of toast (must be labeled 100% whole wheat in order for it to count as whole grains). Or instead have some yogurt with almonds and fruit. Or an egg sandwich on whole wheat with tomatoes? Or a slice of cheese and fruit? Or a small bowl of oatmeal with real fruit? I can list a dozen more breakfasts that are not going to give you the shakes.

Remember, what works for us when we're young doesn't work when we mature. When I was young I was able to eat Fruit Loops for breakfast every day and not gain weight or feel jittery but now if I did that I'd be back to square one.

Sorry for the rant, I have a particularly sensitive pet peeve about cereal. It takes up an entire aisle at the grocery store, it's full of sugar and refined wheat, offers no nutrition, costs a fortune and is a breeding ground of false advertising. And don't get me started on muffins (which are a healthy sounding invented word just to get people to eat cake for breakfast.)
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Old 02-05-2014, 09:57 AM   #10  
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I just use my doctor appts for the physical results (and even then I don't take it at face value, I evaluate those too), I am way healthier when I don't listen to my doctor! Or at least do some side research on my own. hahah but I never bother to argue. Just nod and keep on getting the good results.
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Old 02-05-2014, 11:23 AM   #11  
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Hi Kaitie

You said

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaitie9399 View Post
My typical regime is Kellog's Protein Special K cereal for breakfast; a fruit or veggie snack; either a lean cuisine or healhy choice meal for lunch; a fruit or veggie snack; and chicken and some kind of carb for dinner (the carb is a measured serving) ... I'm not eating exorbitantly and I'm not starving myself...what's going on!
I don't know about you, but if that was my eating routine I definitely would feel hungry. For me I would have to do exactly what Mrs Snark suggested

Quote:
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Raise your calorie level but eat ONLY healthy stuff and maybe aim for higher protein/good fats and lower carbs?
If you go too low on calories, fat or protein it will be hard to sustain.
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Old 02-05-2014, 11:26 AM   #12  
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So, my reaction is going to be key here. I could be annoyed that I was just publicly shamed for eating a cereal that I've been eating for almost a year based on a registered and qualified dietician--who knows me (and I've lost 47 pounds) or I could ignore the public shaming and put on my happy little smiley face. Or I could just be passive-aggressive and moderately address the issue--that sounds good.


My problem isn't my breakfast, it's the insatiable hunger of the last few days. It doesn't matter what I eat or how much water I drink, the hunger is still there. Protein, sugar, carbs, veggies---anything I eat I still have an insatiable appetite.

Mrs. Snark, I gained the weight back after yet another failed IVF--depression weight, giving up, not caring about jack-diddly. And I agree, according to myfitnesspal, if I keep doing what I'm doing I should be 157 pounds in 5 weeks--yet I'm gaining weight.
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Old 02-05-2014, 11:35 AM   #13  
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I'm sorry you took it as a public shaming, that was not my intention at all. I even went as far as to say "sorry for the rant" because cereal has that particular effect on my as do medical professionals who don't know what they're talking about. It wasn't a shaming of you, it was an opinion about cereal.

Stress is a huge factor in our lives and our bodies do react to it in different ways but weight gain can be typical, it is for me! Fertility issues caused a lot of stress for me too and weight fluctuations as well. It made me feel so out of control and food was a great comfort. What have you tried to do in terms of stress management?
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Old 02-05-2014, 11:53 AM   #14  
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Some dieticians have to be at the bottom of their class. That cereal is more junk. You aren't getting adequate protein, there are too many carbs and too much refined foods.
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Old 02-05-2014, 11:53 AM   #15  
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Special K is probably the least satisfying food in the history of food. You need to make sure you eat fat and protein on such a low calorie amount or else feeling like crap from hunger and binging will be a constant issue. Your meals sound very small in volume and low in fat and protein.

If you want to lose on said calorie amount and be able to function in life, getting the most nutritional bang for your buck will be key.

Try eating one or two giant meals a day instead of three squares? Calorie cycling that you can eat a little more on some days? There are a lot of options. Also consider that unless you're 80 years old trying to go from like, 110 lb to 100 lb, you may be able to lose on more calories.
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