[lindystar]

HI : )
Gee Whiz !! I have a question about hunger when dieting. I am counting calories, getting about 1200-1400 a day. I weigh 202, I'm doing an hour of cardio a day, plus sometimes 20 min of weights, and abs. I am doing the 3 a day dairy thing, getting at least 1800mg calcium a day, trying to get 25g of fiber a day, I drink about 100oz of green tea a day, stray away from salt, use lots of spice (you know for the supposed metabolism hike you get from hot peppers), keep a food journal, and try to eat healthy things not junk. A little protein at every meal, and some fiber to keep me full. But AHHHHHH I'm just so darn hungry !! I'll eat a meal and and two hours later my stomach is like HELLO!!!!! Whats up? Do I need more fiber? Can you get too much? I try to eat a healthy snack, squash, spinich, low cal soup, or something, but then I'm just hungry in an hour again. Snacking on veggies is great, but I can't do it all day, I'll end up eating 2000 calories !! Is this normal? Do I just plain have to be hungry to lose weight? That sux. Please if you have any advice, I would love to hear it. I don't want to give up!! But I will go loopy if I"m hungry all the time. : ) Thank you, Lindystar

[Marianna]

Perhaps with the amount of exercise you are doing you need to consume more calories.. perhaps a sustainable 1600 - 1800 calorie intake would be better? I know that not eating enough calories can make us just break out and binge, and I suppose that our eating changes are meant to be long term and sustainable... when you feel real hungry how about grabbing some nuts or a low fat yoghurt to get some protein and that should stop the hunger.

[kykaree]

What about carbs? Are you eating grains, brown rice, legumes, carefully weighed pasta? If you are doing exercise your body needs fuel. the "small" amount of protein worries me slightly, perhaps you're not getting enough. In my experience protein with low glycaemic index carbohydrates, like the ones I mentioned, will keep you satisfied.

You need to do a lot of playing around when you start exercising to find what works for you, but you'll get there. I was sticking to 1200 calories religiously and went through the biggest plateau. It wasn't until I decided to have a "hang it" week, where i just said hang it it's not working I am having a break" that the weight started to come off again, so now I keep to 1500 on some days and 1800 on others.

[stagemomx3]

You need to eat more! AT 200 pounds 1200-1400 hundred calories is low even without the exercise! You are setting your body up to go into "starvation mode" and start hanging on to every pound it can for dear life. With that much exercise daily you could probably eat 1600-1800 calories and still lose weight. However don't jump your calories up right away, do it gradually! Start by adding in an extra 100 calorie snack after you workout.

[lindystar]

Thank you for the reply, I'll still lose weight eating that much? I guess you are right, I just want to loose more than only a pound or half pound a week. Patience sux too, but Thank you.

[kykaree]

Lindystar what do you want to lose? If you lose more than 1 to 1 1/2 pounds a week you are not losing fat. Your losing muscle. You really don't want to do that. Muscle is what burns the fat. If you want to do this one time, and keep it off for the rest of your life, you have to do it safely. I know you just want it gone, but it doesn't work like that. This is the girl who has lost 63lbs in twelve months. Right at the recommended rate.

Sorry to lecture you!!!! But you really shouldn't be hungry all the time, if you are truly hungry then you need to eat!

[lindystar]

Oh, yes, I do get grains, I have ww bread sometimes, well maybe only once or twice a day, and I eat total cereal. But I don't have them at every meal. I've been trying to avoid them for having so many calories. Oh, and the protein, I usually have a serving of dairy at every meal, so yeah I do get enough protein I think. If I can eat 1600-1800 calories a day, then maybe I can incorporate some more grains. That would be nice. Very nice. Thank you so much for your replies !!! : )

[kathyhegg]

Lindy, I think what the others are saying, that on top of the dairy you are having, have an egg, or some cheese, or grilled chicken breast with your meals/snacks. Also, when you look at the big scheme of things when you compare the calories of lowfat dairy, protein and carb which are pretty much similar and compare them to fat, you can pretty much eat as much as those that you like along with your fruit and veges. I think you should definately look at 1800 cals a day, but multiply that by 7 and then stagger the amounts each day so say, 1400, 1600, 1500, 1900, 1700 etc.

Kathy

[angeleyezx]

I find soup filling, I make my own from canned peeled tomartoes and harbs or low cal cuppa soups or weightwatchers soups

[srmb60]

Lot's of folks eat every two hours. Rather than dividing your calories between three meals that are perilously far apart, divide them up over the whole day.

I'm also a huge fan of upping your protein.

[icmethinner]

LindyStar - I started South Beach this week and love it - haven't been hungry between all the meals and snacks allowed and have been losing! You seem to have a similar appetite to mine so you might like it too! Just a thought.

[LLV]

Originally Posted by lindystar

Thank you for the reply, I'll still lose weight eating that much? I guess you are right, I just want to loose more than only a pound or half pound a week. Patience sux too, but Thank you.

No, honey, no no no, you have to do it slow and safely. If you deprive your body of the calories it needs (and I fully agree with the others, you're not eating enough food) it will start feeding off of your muscle. Yeah, you'll lose weight fast... but you'll lose muscle right along with the fat. If I'm not mistaken, your body will feed off of the muscle before it goes for the fat. So you have to eat enough calories to keep it from doing that.

It's taken me 19 months to lose this weight and I'm still trying to get off the last 8 or 9 pounds. But I refuse to drop my calories any further because I want to do this safely. If it takes me another 6 months to get these last few pounds off, then so be it.

Fast weight loss is unsafe weight loss. Eat healthy, eat often (small meals to keep you from getting too hungry) drink lots of water (because water is a pretty decent appetite suppressant as well) stick with your exercise, eat more food than you've been eating, and the weight will come off eventually

Remember: ICKY - Impatience Can Kill You.

ICKY ICKY ICKY.

lol, just something a friend of mine told me once when I used to be a leadfoot in my car. If she was with me and I was driving too fast, she'd look at me and say, "ICKY!" and it would remind me to slow down. Then I got into the habit of it saying out loud to myself when I would notice I was driving too fast again. Just one of those little things that kind of sticks in your head and I used to say it to myself during my weight loss if I found myself trying to push things too hard because of my impatience. I'd take a deep breath and say, "ICKY, Linda, ICKY."

Kind of silly, but it worked for me.

[penpal]

Originally Posted by LLV

No, honey, no no no, you have to do it slow and safely. If you deprive your body of the calories it needs (and I fully agree with the others, you're not eating enough food) it will start feeding off of your muscle. Yeah, you'll lose weight fast... but you'll lose muscle right along with the fat. If I'm not mistaken, your body will feed off of the muscle before it goes for the fat. So you have to eat enough calories to keep it from doing that.

Great post Linda!

I'll second what you said. I've been there and done that (1200 calorie diet) and found myself on a "plateau" for the longest time because my body was hanging on to every morsel and I was so hungry and thought about food all day. Now that I'm consuming 1500 - 1600 (closer to 1600) per day I don't get hungry at all. Once or twice a week I'll eat 150 or 200 extra calories to mix it up a bit.

I'm losing just under a pound a week on average. That doesn't mean I lose steadily, sometimes I don't lose at all for a couple of weeks then lose 1 or 2 pounds. Hey, it's taken me DECADES to put this weight on!

At the rate I'm losing, I'll reach my goal in a year's time and that's fine with me. It's a bit like a game my son used to play "Snails Pace Race" - the last one to the finish line is the winner. At least I'll probably MAKE IT to my goal if I don't feel deprived and ravenous.

P.S. I like that "ICKY" thing!

[LLV]

Originally Posted by penpal

Great post Linda!

I'll second what you said. I've been there and done that (1200 calorie diet) and found myself on a "plateau" for the longest time because my body was hanging on to every morsel and I was so hungry and thought about food all day.

That's what's happening to me now. My maintenance calories are 1700, so in order to lose I've been eating about 1200, sometimes 1300. I'm not really starved, persay, because frankly I've become accustomed to hunger and it doesn't really bother me that much anymore. But I'm wondering if upping my calories for a while might help because I've been hovering at 141-142 for what seems like forever. My plateaus get longer and longer.

[penpal]

Originally Posted by LLV

That's what's happening to me now. My maintenance calories are 1700, so in order to lose I've been eating about 1200, sometimes 1300.

Those last few pounds must be really hard to lose. I'm not sure I'd be able to stick to 1200 or so calories for long. Maybe you can try eating one or two hundred extra calories a day for a week or two and see if that helps get you off your plateau. Hopefully you'll be able to maintain your goal weight at a reasonable amount of calories.

Congratulations on coming so far and thanks for all your good advice on this forum!