[alannabanana30]

I'm a 23 year old female, 4'11 and ~174 pounds.
Just after new years i decided i was going to really lose weight and i was in the upper 180s.
I started counting my calories and excising 3-4 times a week from home. I followed a 30 minute cardio workout on youtube, and eventually added a 5 minute ab workout to it.
I loved it because those 10-14 pounds fell off so quick, everyone noticed.
But then my back started to hurt (Herniated disc in lower back, insanely tight upper back/neck muscles).
I stopped working out for a bit and when i felt better i didn't get back into the workout.
Even with watching my calories my weight isn't dropping, so clearly it's only working with the workout/calorie counting combo.
My calorie counting stopped a bit while i was on vacation, but i'm back into it as of yesterday. I'm aiming for a 1200-1300 cal a day diet (which i find can be very hard some days!)
I usually pre-plan my meals a day, or even a week in advance. I count the calories and make sure its something i enjoy so that i'll want to eat it.
I've noticed that sometimes I still get very hungry and nothing pisses me off more than the fact that fruit and veggies always make me hungrier!
For example, tonight at work i had made myself a wrap with pita bread, veggies, ham, cheese and on the side i had carrots and cucumbers with hummus. I ate the wrap and felt pretty good but was still a bit hungry so ate my veggies and dip. After the veggies and dip I was starving again!
That was supposed to be my last meal of the day, but now its 3 hours past my shift, i'm in PJs and ready for bed and I'm starting to get hungry again.
I know eating something low cal like veggies won't fill me, but i really don't want to eat anything over 150 calories and be way off my budget!
This is so frustrating.

[dayoneagain]

Firstly, it sounds like you're using the word hungry to make yourself feel better about wanting to go off your plan. It's probably not hunger, it's probably thirst or just your brain playing tricks on you. Drink a large glass of water (or two!) and tell your brain to shut up.

I like to think of willpower as a muscle - the more you work on your willpower, the stronger it becomes. The first time you tell yourself NO it will be hard, but the more you do it the easier (and more normal) it feels.

I have realised that when I want to binge the reason I drive myself crazy thinking about whatever is in the cupboard is because I allow myself to believe I have a choice to make. You go back and forth in your mind thinking 'will I or won't I eat XXX?' and get yourself obsessed thinking about that decision. STOP. It isn't a choice. You've already made the decision. The decision is NO you aren't going to eat anything outside of your plan today. Focus on the fact that the decision has been made. There is no question about whether you will or you won't. For me, that instantly relieves the frantic thoughts about "hunger" and I can be calm and focused.

[goldengirlamy]

I have a really hard time starting at 1200 calories when I have lost weight, I had to start at 1500 then 1400 when I realized I was hungry earlier, drink more water and wait. Then I worked down to 1300, which usually was a 6 week process to get there. Just remember you didn't gain your weight over night and your not going to change overnight either.

I also have herniated discs and back problems. I cannot do floor muscle work, I will be in pain for days after and it completely kills my motive. I do light work on an ab ball,swimming, light twisting...those might help...

[seize the day]

As far as losing weight without exercise, they say it's 80% what you eat and 20% exercise, so unless you have some type of medical imbalance, eating low amounts should cause you to still lose weight (though it may be a slow loss). Exercising will certainly help speed up the loss and can help sustain it (not to mention the more you are toned up, the smaller you look and the more calories you burn -- meaning you can eat more ) but you don't want to hurt yourself again -- I would suggest talking to your doctor, a trainer, or a physical therapist to get tips on exercises that you can do that won't aggravate your injury. Also, walk, walk, walk -- start with short walks and then lengthen them each week.

I agree that you probably aren't "hungry" after eating the fruit/veggies, so much as you are thirsty -- but I would say that snacks are always best if they are balanced, meaning don't eat fruit or veg alone, eat them with fat or with protein (or both, ideally). For instance, half an apple with a table spoon or two of organic peanut butter will keep you full much longer than a whole apple because it has fat and protein. If the veggies and hummus aren't filling you up, maybe you need to add some missing nutrients or more fat or more protein. I find that if I add a dash of olive oil and a sprinkle of feta to my hummus and then eat peppers, cucumbers and carrots, I end up feeling really full and satisfied (though it is higher call, it is also better macros).

Consider making your "meals" smaller, and having higher cal snacks or eating a couple small meals a day instead of meals and snacks. I eat avocado with a lot of my snacks/meals because it is creamy and high in fat, but still really healthy and a little bit goes a long way. I find that having meals that contain a bold flavor or that feel very rich help me feel more satisfied. One of my favorite meals is an avocado salad that I make by cutting an avocado into chunks and mixing it with some black beans, diced tomatoes, diced onions and a little bit of lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper and hot sauce (if I am in the mood for spice, I may also add some cayenne pepper). 1/3 -- 1/2 cup of the salad with some grilled chicken or grilled fish can be a really good small meal, and it's full of essential nutrients. To bulk it up, sometimes I add some quinoa to the mix or eat it with a few (8-12) tortilla chips like a salsa/guacamole.

Another thing, is make sure you measure everything. Often when people count calories they underestimate the amount of food they are eating (ie. two tablespoons can easily turn into 3-4 tablespoons of milk in your coffee if you are just pouring it from the carton). so you may think you are eating 1300 cals and then find out you are really eating 1600.

Remember, everyone is different and there is no one-size-fits-all diet, so find what works for you and your tastes. If it stops working, mix it up, figure out what you might be missing or what you might be overdoing.

Good luck!