I am on the crew team. Translation: I do CRAZY exercise 6 times a week.
But somehow I cannot seem to lose weight.
I am vegetarian.
Does anybody have ANY ideas on little things I can do to my eating habits?
During the week:
Breakfast: Fiber One with skim milk and rasins and half a grapefruit.
Lunch: Carrots, peach, orange, yogurt.
Dinner: Whatever is made... from a low calorie cookbook, always under 450per serving.
Problem: I NEED to eat something afterwards. And this is usually where I get tripped up if I do, because I'll eat and eat and eat trying to find something that satisfies me and NOTHING seems to. Therefore, I stuff myself. And I'm tired of people saying, "Oh honey! You need to eat more during the day!" No, I really don't. I've tried before, I do the same thing everynight reguardless.
First, let me say congrats on your weight loss to date! =)
Do you know how many calories are you eating in a day? To keep hunger at a minimum, eat often throughout the day with some protein at each meal or snack! The protein will keep you fuller so you'll be less likely to binge after dinner. Beans, boca burgers, tofu are all really good sources of protein. Since you eat milk, cottage cheese is excellent for protein and can be enjoyed throughout the day. Mix with some pineapple for a yummy treat. There are several soy products out there that you can enjoy at all times of the day. There are soy sausages you can have along with your breakfast, soy lunch meats and hot dogs... Nuts (almonds,cashews,soy,peanuts) and dried peas are really good too if you are looking for an on the go snack. Also some fats would be good too to satiate you longer. It's no magic remedy, but over time you'll see your eating habits change at night if you change your eating during the day...unless you are eating at night for a reason other than hunger..
There's no way that's enough on a crew training regimen, which is very likely the reason you can't lose weight.
Your lunch really is more like a snack. Can you maybe have a more substantial lunch and spread the rest (fruit, yogurt) out over the rest of the day? If you eat a piece of fruit or a healthy snack every 2-3 hours you probably won't be as ravenous.
Have you talked to your crew team manager/trainer to see if they can suggest a nutritional diet that matches your energy expenditure? If you're not giving your body enough quality fuel to run on, it goes into starvation mode. To be a strong productive member of the team, you don't want to be tired and rundown. It doesn't sound like you're getting enough protein either, which is a difficult thing for vegetarians. There are some good protein drinks and bars on the market made with splenda so they are low cal too. Might make a good supplement as a snack.
Well...recently on the low carb boards we have been talking about how satisfying unsweetened soy milk (vanilla, chocolate or cappacinno flavored) with some splenda is. Heat it up on the stove and drink it like hot chocolate with a dash of sugar free hazelnut syrup and cinnamon.
I would think by your diet and admirable exercise routine you would be melting away. I wish I had some good suggestions for you!!!!
I am totally the same way. I mostly drink slim fasts during the day, with a snack bar, and when I get home I eat eat eat! I have also been told if I eat more during the day, this won't happen. Tried that, I still feel like eating all evening long, from dinner to bedtime. So I bank up my calorie allotment in anticipation of the inevitable.
It's the same for me as you describe it...
"because I'll eat and eat and eat trying to find something that satisfies me and NOTHING seems to."
I eat something sweet, then I need a crunch and salty, then I need something sweet again, then cheesy,....it's like my body is never satisfied. It does not want water!
What has helped me from time to time is to keep myself busy after dinner. Sometimes I go for a walk, and then go straight for the shower and brush my teeth. This has tricked my body into thinking I'm going to bed, the day is over. Luckily my kids are old enough now I can have more "me" time to do these things, so it's a new thing I'm trying. I just have to be more consistant. After spending the day with first graders, all I want to do is watch my Tivo, sit and eat. Eating relaxes me. As soon as it warms up again, I plan to walk more instead of watch tv and eat. I just have to get off my big butt and do it! LOL!
Good luck to you, I totally understand and know how hard it is.
You are not eating enough protein. And I think you should try to eat more fiber in the form of low-GI veggies instead of fruit, because I think between the lack of protein, low food consumption, no snacks and fruit consumption you are creating a low-blood sugar situation that will then lead to a cravings and/or a binge.
And I know you don't want to hear this, but you DO need to eat more during the day. But not just more food, better quality food. Yogurt and fruit is NOT a lunch, especially not when you are exercising quite a bit. The whole point of exercise from a weight loss point is to increase muscle mass and burn fat - you can'e effectively do either (especially not increasing muscle mass) unless you eat enough food and especially enough protein, as aminoacids are VITAL to the creation and repair of tissue.
You can do that on a vegetarian diet, too. How about something like this:
Breakfast: smoothie: low-fat plain yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen unsweetened berries, 1 scoop stevia-sweetened whey protein or rice protein
Snack: low-GI veggies, small handful of raw, unsalted nuts
Lunch: salad with lots of greens, 1 Tbsp good fat (olive, avocado, flaxseed), cottage cheese or eggs (if you are lacto-ovo)
Snack: another smoothie, or raw veggies with hummus or low-fat eggplant spread or similar
Dinner: tofu, tempeh or beans with steamed low-GI veggies and 1/2 cup brown rice, quinoa or other very nutritious grain
This is just anexample of course, and it's more food, but more importantly it's more nutrition. That's what your body is looking for, nutrients - that's why you cannot stop eating and don't feel satisfied, your body needs nutrients and won't turn off the hunger signal until it gets them.
Thank you all. (Especially, FitMomEB) for your feedback. The whole lacking nutrients thing makes ALOT of sense. But how do I get them? Really, it's CRAZY hard to get protein without CRAZY calories being a vegetarian. So alot of people would just be like, "duh, eat meat", but really, I find the stuff disgusting. And... I would try that food plan, but it doesn't appeal to me AT ALL, so I'd end up eating even less and then eating MORE crap at night.
Nikki, another good source is beans. I'm not a big meat eater either and rice and beans with some lowfat melted cheese is quick and easy, and it's become a staple in my diet. Not only does it provide a good amount of protein, but it also kicks up your fiber intake, which has been a huge help in my weight loss.
You can also check out some vegetarian cookbooks (just thumb through them) and see what kind of ingredients they suggest.
Nikki -
I was a vegetarian for a while and I totally understand, believe me - it can be hard to get enough protein as a vegetarian. But you need to keep trying, because it's a vital nutrient.
You got some suggestions about protein sources - keep experimenting with them until you find several ones you like. Protein powders are a good way to get some additional proein in without eating lots - but avoid soy, vegetarians already have enough in their diet normally. Look for stevia-sweetened whey protein isolate: Jay Robb's is the one I normally use.
Heellp Meee.
