I am not at goal, but I am comfortable at my weight. The problem is I feel ravenous ALL. THE. TIME.
I eat about 1300 calories a day, and I average one pound a week (loss).
There's a huge part of me that wants to go up to 2000 calories a day just to make the hunger pangs go away. (Just a side note, I've only felt this hungry in the last week or so, for the past seven months 1300 calories has been enough.) I don't workout, I don't follow a low carb diet or anything like that.
(If you need any other information, just ask.)
My biggest fear is that I will regain the weight by bumping up my calories instead of just maintaining in the 180s. Also, I made a one year commitment to this journey and I'm only in month 7.
You have done fabulous things for yourself since October so make sure you give yourself a good pat on the back for that.
I'm not sure what your next step should be but you have to do what is right for you. Just be careful with the 2000 calories (your maintenance would be about 1880 using the "ladies weight x 10" calculator), most people tend to undercount their calories and if you play it that close to your maintenance amount (esp. without exercise) you would have to watch your scale pretty close (which may as well be dieting!).
Are you sure you just aren't having a bad day? PMS maybe? This thread is so unlike you and your positive attitude and commitment to yourself? I know we all have rough days and of course you are entitled to too! But this isn't the Mozzy that we all know and love.
Whatever you decide, we will be here for you. And you can't leave us, esp. if you decide to go into maintenance. We need you and your posts here.
Oh Mozzy..... I send you a I am sorry that you are in this frame of mind. But whatever you want to do... we all are here for you. Maybe you just need alittle time off to just be? and see what it would be like at Maintenance? I see a few people trying that out just to make sure they can do it. You have come so far and done so very well, that whatever you decide... you will be able to do it. You inspire ME and everyone in this place!
Second, for the last 2 weeks I've been off plan, I haven't worked out much and I've been eating around 2000 calories a day, a few days even more than that. I was feeling depressed so I didn't really care. I did continue to log in MFP and weigh myself daily though, and was surprised to see the scale only go up about 2 pounds. That actually made me happy because even though I've read differently I was sure I was gonna be stuck eating 1300 calories a day for the rest of my life.
My point is I'm sure you can bump up your calories a bit (maybe a couple of hundred calories) when you're feeling hungry, without it derailing your efforts.
I'm a firm believer in if you're hungry you should eat. You're probably burning off more calories than you think even though you're not actively exercising. Has anything else changed in your routine? Walking more? Going out more? etc?
Your mantra of commitment vs motivation has really inspired me. You're 7 months in, only 5 more to go. You got this!!
I feel like I'm in the exact same situation as you. My original goal was actually 170 and then I bumped it down to 160 when I was around 180 as I knew I still had at least 20 pounds to go. However, I'm now sitting at 173 and have been for the last couple weeks and am really satisfied with where I am scale wise. Like you, I was a strict calorie counter, though my intake was higher than yours, 1400-1600. What I've decided to do for the last couple weeks is continue to eat healthy, but if I want a snack I'll eat it or if I go over my goal it's fine. I'm also not weighing myself as often as I used to. I was a daily weigher and I became way too obsessed with the scale so I'm trying to only check once a week, so far so good. This makes me feel less guilty on those days I do go over my calorie count. I've averaged about 1750 calories a day these last two weeks and actually have still managed to lose a pound! Which in my mind is fantastic!
Now to make a long story short, I would recommend bumping up your calories, maybe not quite to maintenance mode (you said 2000 calories), if you've been eating at 1300, I'm sure even 1700 will be enough for you to be satisfied hunger wise, and you still may end up losing weight, though much slower. A break may also be necessary. Try not counting anything for a week and then get back on track if you want to.
The one thing I think you need to ask yourself is: why is 1,300 calories suddenly not enough? Where's this ravenous thing coming from? Because feeling deprived and hungry for days on end is definitely going to throw your head out of the game.
Are you not getting enough protein? Or veggies? Or fruit? Are you eating more carbs? Did you add any new food to your diet? Or did you eliminate a stand-by food from your diet? Are you exercising more? Or less? How's your sleep? How's your stress level? Is it emotional hunger more than tummy hunger? Etc. etc. Do some detective work until you find the culprit who committed ravenous on you.
I've had this happen to me...I decided to let myself eat 2,000 calories one day just to give my body a break. I've read that it helps regulate hormones to give your body some extra calories. I did it at night because I worried that during the day, I might end up binge eating due to my perfectionist mentality. I then got back on track the very next day and it really helped. You could try something like that to re-charge your battery, so to speak.
If that doesn't help, then perhaps you could add 200 calories to your regular eating plan that is made up of protein and healthy fats and fiber. If you're eating refined sugar, no healthy fats or not enough protein or fiber, those things can lead to increased hunger.
There's also stress and not getting enough sleep. Those things can definitely stimulate appetite. I'm just putting it out there because I think it's something to consider.
I am really impressed with your commitment and dedication, as well as your accomplishments. You can definitely figure it out.
Rather than adding 700 calories all at once, could you try adding 200 calories of vegetables? I bet that would go a long way in helping you feel full, without much risk of gaining.
Thank you everyone for your replies. I'm having a bad day and am not in the right frame of mind to respond today. I will reply tomorrow (hopefully). Thank you again!
We all have those days (weeks? ) where we lack a bit of will. My suggestion would be to look back at old pictures and see how far you have already come. You should be darn proud of yourself! Sit quietly and reflect on what makes you happy and the answer (whatever that may be for you) will come. I know that reading your posts often brightens my day and I'm sorry to hear you are having a few bad days. Whenever I get that way I take a deep breath and tell myself "This is only temporary. This too shall pass." I hope that you feel better soon.
I, like many, am usually hungrier before TOM- also angrier and on edge. (PMS original )
Thoughts
a) maybe it is something hormonal?
b) whatever it is, it is OK! You are not a robot.
c) maybe you are exhausted. I'd be if I achieved as much as you in 7 months.
d) relax a bit and see the big picture - what do you want? to be 145lb or happy and healthy and in the process?
e) take a looong walk to clear you mind, exercise, dance, get the endorphins working. Think.
f) plan a good food week, enjoy something you love, maybe something seasonal you haven't had for a while?
I would be ravenous at 1300 cals a day too! I found that when I go below 1400-1500 I set myself up for a binge.
Is there a reason you are not exercising? Injury or health related?
Before this baby I was running and it burned a lot of calories. I was able to eat 1800-2000 cals a day (at 150 lbs) a still get a small steady weight loss, or cut down to about 1500 and get a pretty decent weightloss. FOr me I'd rather work out (hard and long) and be able to have that little extra food during the day. It kept the binges away too. I needed it, because when I was down to almost 140 lbs, there was no way I could eat like 1200-1300 cals a day without being hungry all the time. So I increased my running miles, problem solved lol.
I totally understand!! I have been having days like that too. I have given in and eaten too much; as a result I have been bouncing in the lower 180s-upper 170s since March. I, though, know I am not going to be happy staying at this weight so I am trying to really get it under control so that I can reach goal. I think I am starting to dial in some triggers for that "ravenous" feeling i.e. thirst, eating some type of bread, boredom, stress. I am also upping my exercise intensity.
Do some soul-searching. Take a few days off from dieting, weighing, etc. See how you feel after that. If you like how you feel, great and start enjoying maintenance. If you don't, great and jump back on plan with a renew spirit.
You have to decide what you will be happy doing. Just know that whatever you decide, you have my support!!
Perhaps this is just an indication that you need a maintenance break, and to change what you're doing. A change is as good as a rest, right? But both are better
Why not try upping your cals by 100/day each week, and see how that affects everything? Then once you stop losing weight, stop upping your cals there and take a break? If you're into the idea, a maintenance break like that would be a great time to start lifting, to keep your muscles maintained and rev up your metabolism. A maintenance break is brilliant as well for experimenting with different foods and how they affect you, to focus on stress reduction etc. 1300 cals long term is stressful on your body AND your mind. It sounds like after a long period of deprivation, you might need to balance your hormones. Find something you can live with forever
I totally agree, by the way, with everything Novus has said.
There's absolutely more than one way to lose weight, and what works for one person won't work for you, and vice versa. What you needed 6 months ago might not be what you need now. It's good to tweak what you're doing now and again if you don't feel your plan's optimal for making you feel good.
I would though strongly suggest that you focus on exercise and hormone balancing... Read the Metabolic Effect site sometime, there's some great info on there. The only way your cals can go is down, right now. Maybe take a break, then find another way that fits you better for the future
Help? Advice? Hugs?
