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Old 06-14-2009, 02:07 PM   #1  
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Default still struggling with hunger.

So I'm over a month into this and I'm still hungry ALL the time. I feel like I'm just not getting enough food and I still always want more. I'm also struggling with serving sizes. I always want more. I'm still craving big time.

I feel like I'm doing a good job with my food choices (mostly all whole foods). I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast with fruit or a few egg whites. I eat a small proteiny snack around 10ish. At lunch I eat a big bowl of veggies, with a protein, & carb. I have another small snack around 3ish. Dinner is basically the same principle as lunch. It usually ends up around 1400 cal/day. (I want to aim for less though because I still have yet to have consistent exercise.)

I also am drinking lots of water. I am chewing gum like crazy to try and keep myself from eating more.

I read a lot, that people say their cravings drop down, sweets make them feel ill, they just aren't as hungry anymore.....these things aren't happening with me. I'm still very much struggling and definitely not noticing much of a drop on the scale. In the last two weeks I haven't lost any weight. The week before was two lbs.

It's so hard not to give up. I want to do this, but I want it to work if I'm struggling so much. 0-.5 loss is just not helping the cause.

thanks for letting me vent.

I admire those who have succeeded so much.
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Old 06-14-2009, 02:17 PM   #2  
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Well, a couple things come to mind. First is it real physical hunger? I have issues with head hunger sometimes still, but if I pause and really concentrate on it I realize that I am not actually physically hungry. I know it may seem silly to suggest this, but I seriously cannot tell the difference unless I stop and concentrate on it.

Also, chewing gum may be making it worse. I know it helps some people, but sometimes all the chewing just makes me think about eating even more.

Are you getting any fat in? I know that when I eat really low fat I tend to get hungry more and faster. Maybe eat full fat cheese or add in some oil and see if that helps.

Also, 1400 cal is pretty low at your weight. If you are tracking every tiny thing and you are sure you are eating 1400 you may consider bumping it up to 1500 for a couple weeks to see if that helps with the hunger and it is entirely possible your weight loss won't slow. You are eating well below your BMR right now, so adding that 100 cal a day shouldn't hurt your losses in the grand scheme.

Hope that at least some of that is a little helpful!
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Old 06-14-2009, 02:47 PM   #3  
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Volumetrics baby!!!! Do you know how much yummy yummy salad you can eat for under 100 calories??? Eating very low calorie foods in large quantities will help with the hunger big time.

Sometimes chewing gum helps... and sometimes not. I do find that artificial sweeteners slow down my weight loss and make me MORE hungry. Something to think about with all of the gum that you are chewing.

I hope that it gets easier for you as you go.
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Old 06-14-2009, 03:01 PM   #4  
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More calories. Absolutely. The telling thing is that you've stopped losing weight for two weeks. And make those calories high in protein. I don't know enough about the whole fat issue to say whether you should be eating more or what--but you might look into it.

And, by the by, for starters, exercise doesn't have to be consistent! It just has to get done.

Our stats are similiar and I'm eating 1600 a day: the exercise is in my signature. So is my loss. It's working. But then, I've only ever "dieted" once in my life before this--and I think it makes a difference in how my body is responding.

Good luck to you. It's not good to be hungry.

Last edited by Alana in Canada; 06-14-2009 at 03:03 PM.
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Old 06-14-2009, 03:03 PM   #5  
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I like the volume thing too, I eat a salad bowl full at lunch, like the kind of bowl you serve the whole salad in at supper. I do have to be mindfull of eating enough fat and protien, just like heidi said. I add flaxseed oil to my salad dressings everythime I have one, etc. Carbs are also a careful consideration, I can eat nothing in the empty calorie department, not even crackers, nothing with anything white in it, flour or sugar. They make me instantly hungry, and cravings for days.

I might try to increase your calories and see what happens, if you are less hungry you're more likely to stick with this long term. And you just can't be hungry all the time and not go nuts. I'm 24 lbs less than you and usually hitting between 1500-1600 a day. Usually the less you weight the less calories you need, depending on activity level of course. So as you lose weight, you'll need some room to lower your calories and 1400 doesn't leave you a lot of room.

And one final thought, exercise can help supress hunger, it might be worth a try? Good luck!
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Old 06-14-2009, 03:53 PM   #6  
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Sorry you are having a hard time. My cravings are starting to go away, but I definitely feel one every now and then. I know it will get easier. I don't have any suggestions really, I'm just clueless about this entire process. Trying to learn from these ladies too. But I just wanted to encourage you and wish you luck!
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Old 06-14-2009, 04:07 PM   #7  
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I too eat an enormous amount of food for my calories. Veggies. Veggies and more veggies. Not only do I get a lot of volume for my calorie budget, but those veggies are laden with satiating fiber. Protein also helps to keep me full. I also eat frequently - every 2 hours or so. I do my best to AVOID that hungry feeling.

Drink lots of water. Definitely a good tummy filler. As is a nice big mug of hot tea.

As far as the cravings, it takes some people longer to get past them then others. Be sure you don't even take a bite of whatever it is you're craving. That one bite will keep your wants for them alive and kicking. You want to KILL those wants, and, at least for me, totally and completely abstaining from them was the miraculous answer for me. Also keep busy, busy and more busy. Take your mind off of "the food".

Perhaps if you listed a full days menu we could give you some more pointers, help you tweak it a bit, if need be.

And lastly, I think you can (& should) safely add in another 100 - 200 calories. But make sure you put them to good use - fiber and/or protein. Perhaps in the way of an additional snack or two.

Hang tough, give it some time. With a little tweak here and there, a bit of patience and some perseverance, you will get that scale moving downward and you will get more into a "groove" and more comfortable with your new lifestyle.
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Old 06-14-2009, 04:24 PM   #8  
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yeah what CF said Volume in the food you eat certainly helps...a whole apple instead of apple juice, air popped popcorn instead of corn, etc. It takes you longer to eat (it takes your head a little more time to catch up with your stomach in regards to feeling full) & there's more of it per serving!

Chewing gum helps me but only when I know I just need to have my mouth busy. Other than that I'll graze on raw veggies spritzed with wishbone salad spray all day....I'm a big time grazer

Have you tried seeing what the recommended calories you should have to lose weight? 1400 calories seem so low for your weight....you might be losing well on it but it's leaving you hungry then it could lead you to falling off the wagon and binges. Just for fun I went to the calorie counter on the Daily Plate and for your height and weight should be about 1,777 a day to lose 2 pounds a week.
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:49 PM   #9  
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Thank you all so much for your replies. It's nice to hear what works for others.

Today was a very hard day for me. I feel like I'm just barely hanging on to threads here trying to lose weight. I so badly want to be able to do this. I don't want to give up. I don't want to shed any more tears over this struggle.

I did add a bit more calories in today. I will try to eat more veggies when I'm hungry. I'm definitely not a veggie person but I will just keep working on it. I really want this to work.

Oh and I never thought about the connection between gum and it making the cravings worse. It's actually quite possible. I was just trying to keep my mouth busy, lol.
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Old 06-14-2009, 07:52 PM   #10  
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RomanceDiva - 1,777 calories? wow. that seems really high. Most likely because of my past issues with eating disorders, I just can't imagine losing weight with that many calories. It actually kind of scares me.

Last edited by Cinnamon; 06-14-2009 at 07:52 PM.
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Old 06-14-2009, 09:19 PM   #11  
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I used to binge a lot (enough to gain 100+ pounds in a year) so being hungry all the time won't help you get past that In fact when I did diet and go way too low was when I would just cave and eat everything in the house.

Gradually work your calories up....I didn't mean to start eating 1777 calories (that is if you are a 30 yo woman, 229lbs, and moderately active...I should have expanded a bit more in my first post.) a day but giving you a chance to see that you are probably setting your calories way to low.

I'm a weight watcher (25pts) but go on the daily plate to check up on my sodium intake and now I'm trying to tweak my carb intake as well. It's a nifty tool that would probably help

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Old 06-14-2009, 10:06 PM   #12  
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Girl- go on thedailyplate.com and put in your height, weight, and what you're trying to lose, and they will give you how many calories you should eat on a daily basis. I am at 210, and I am near 1600 calories/day. It may seem counterintuitive, but eating the quality calories your body needs is the key to success! I've lost almost 70 pounds that way!
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Old 06-14-2009, 10:26 PM   #13  
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I don't count calories but I am focused on whole foods and I think veggies, foods you have to chew a lot are a big help to feeling full. Like carrots -- by the time I am done crunching the baby carrots I have with lunch, I'm full and sick of chewing!

I also think you can probably eat more than you think. Just try and balance your meals with proteins and fiber to help you stay full.

I don't really like salad, but for example, lunch is usually a toasted slice of whole grain bread with lean meat/organic peanut butter, baby carrots and another veggie. When I started I would have some homemade soup too and I still dropped weight. Then I just didn't need it anymore.

Don't be scared to tinker around to see what works for you. I think when we're afraid to experiment we rob ourselves of really finding a sustainable lifestyle that works for us, as opposed to just a diet or short term change.
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Old 06-14-2009, 10:30 PM   #14  
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Great advice from everyone here

I would add that looking into whether you are getting enough protein with your meals to keep you full? And also looking at that connection between "mind" hunger and a real physical hunger. When you are used to eating large portions (as I have been in the past) its sometime hard to make the transition. I find soups really filling too.

You really shouldn't be ravenous on most days . . .there is no way anyone would be able to deal with that for the long term - so kudo's to you for sticking through the hunger so far!!!

Let us know how you go/feel and what works to curb the hunger.
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Old 06-14-2009, 10:34 PM   #15  
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Oh - I meant to add . . . your first post said that you are "craving" still - are you including in your week a little sumtin "naughty" . . . so for me that is sometimes some brazil nuts and a diet vanilla coke - but something that signals to your brain that you are not on a "diet" I have found really important for me.
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