Please Help the Hungries - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Schmoodle · 10-29-2007, 03:36 PM

I have been having a rough time lately chicks, and it scares me. Please share your beachly wisdom with me. I have been sooo hungry, I just want to eat all the time. My weight loss has definitely slowed, though not stopped. I was a very regular 2 lbs/wk. Two weeks ago, I stayed the same. Last week I think I was down half a lb, but it's hard to tell on my scale. Also, I have been tempted by bad things which I wasn't having too hard a time avoiding until now. I think this may be because:

A - TOM is coming and it's weird this month - I thought I started yesterday, but it was a false alarm. I always am a little hungrier the week before, but not like this.
B - It has gotten cold and my body wants to put on some winter fat.
C - I recently stopped tracking calories on Fitday. Maybe I am eating less calories than I think and going into starvation mode.
D - After 5 months on South Beach, the honeymoon is over and the cravings and bad habits come back.
E - A combination of the above.

I'm not so concerned about slower weight loss, as long as I keep losing and don't have to starve.
Here's what I've had today:
B: 1 hardboiled egg, 2 turkey sausage, V8, coffee
S: Another egg, 1/2 cup skim milk, sauteed squash
L: Good sized bowl of stuffed pepper soup, 1 cup grapes
S: Hot tea, 1/2 cup ff greek yogurt with almonds
S2: spoonful peanut butter
I've also had 6 glasses water.

As you can see, I've been in the kitchen a lot today. I've been coming back to 3fc all day too, reading posts, trying to find inspiration. What do you think? Do you guys get hungrier in the fall? Did you have this problem after 5 months on plan/40 lb loss?

GONNABE165 · 10-29-2007, 03:40 PM

Schmoodle hang in there. I tend to want to eat more when the weather starts to change it's almost like I am scared there won't be enough to eat in the winter months. I hit a 5 month frenzy as well but part of mine was due to personal stuff. Keep at it and keep hangin in here - you'll do just fine

favepairobluejeans · 10-29-2007, 05:32 PM

Schmoodle, I'll bet anything that TOM is more the culprit than anything. I too get absolutely ravenous when TOM is approaching. I haven't had mine yet since starting the diet, so I'll be curious to see how I'm doing that week. I don't know if you can, but maybe getting out and going for a walk, or window shopping ( somewhere AWAY from the FOOD COURT!!! LOL) or going to the Library to get a good book, would help.

I[m assuming you're in phase 2, so if you really have too, indulge in that ONE thing that you just have to have NOW and then tomorrow get over it! Even Dr. A says that sometimes you're going to eat something that you know is not good for you and you might even over-indulge. He then points out that the key to handling this is just going right back to the healthy things tomorrow and not deciding that since you "cheated" you may as well just give up. From all I've read, SB is not an all or nothing proposition. Its supposed to be a way of living, which allows the occassional slip-up.

Go for that thing you have to have, acknowledge the choice you are making, acknowledge that you are not failing by making that choice and then tomorrow, maybe all those hormones will get back in order and you can get right back to eating the way that's right for your body.

Lisa

dixied · 10-29-2007, 06:24 PM

I blame TOM too. I'm a week off schedule (if I was regular enough to have a schedule) and I'm starving today. It's just 5pm here and I've eaten 1370 calories. That's not leaving me much excess for dinner, so I'll either find something low calorie or I'll just go for an extra walk tonight.

If you're hungry, eat some more as long as it's all beach appropriate. If you're thinking it might be the cold, have some soup, that will warm you up.

Schmoodle · 10-29-2007, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the encouragement chicks. The tummy monster is quiet for the moment, sated with chicken and broccoli and yogurt. I plan to have a cup of herbal tea before bed and hopefully he will go to sleep for the night. Wish TOM would get here already. If that's what it is then it's ironic, because in my whole menstruating life (33 years now), I never noticed that I got so hungry just before my TOM, because really, I just never got hungry much because I was ALWAYS eating. Lisa, I did give in and have an entire Hershey bar on Saturday night. That is where it ends, although it will be so tough not to eat candy on Wednesday.

weezle · 10-29-2007, 08:09 PM

Oh mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn......... chocolate............

femmecreole · 10-30-2007, 07:48 AM

No more TOM for me, but the change in weather has affected me a tad. This may sound weird, but I have found that my "perfect" breakfast is now a turkey sandwich and it seems to keep me going longer than eggs etc...It's more "hearty" and sets me up for a better day.
I take a piece of multigrain bread and put a little mayo/dijon mustard on it, then I PILE on the turkey and a little mozzarella and run it under the broiler...then I PILE spinich on top of that, cut it in 1/2 and fold it over. Sometimes I also drink a v-8. For my morning snack, I've been slicing a small apple and also bring a chunk of live active cheese to school with me. Yesterday I cooked a pot of red beans in the slow cooker and had it over a little brown rice and then a small salad later on in the early evening...and then a peanut butter cup. So, this is just me, but maybe stretching a meal out over the course of a few hours may help. I am always hungrier in the colder months and I think part of it has to do with not playing outside as much! I also guess we are going to have to go with more frozen vegs since we don't have as many fresh here during the winter months. My loss has slowed to maybe a lb or less a week, but the scale is still moving down, so that's better than the alternative.

Pacergal29 · 10-30-2007, 08:36 AM

Maybe we should name this the 5 month itch. We must have started this journey about the same time! Boy do I feel your pain! I have been maintaining for a month now, but just barely! I have been thinking this weather is playing a huge part. Here we are ramping up to the holidays and gosh do I dread them! Thank goodness for 3FC and you guys for keeping me in check and honest (even if I don't like it). Schmoodle we can and will do this together!

My best advice (preaching to myself too) is even if you do slip, hop back in full force and don't beat yourself up over it!

Willpower to us all!

little chick · 10-30-2007, 08:36 AM

You are doing great.... just remember how well you have done so far.

favepairobluejeans · 10-30-2007, 08:53 PM

" My loss has slowed to maybe a lb or less a week, but the scale is still moving down, so that's better than the alternative.[/QUOTE]

I had a dietitian tell me that between 1/2 and 1 lbs a week was the fastest anybody should ever lose weight if they expect to keep it off and not invite it back with a vengeance.

There's a reason why Dr A recommends Ph1 only for 2 weeks, and that's to get us on a healthy weight loss routine. He talks in his book about Ph1 being more about the blood chemistry and the wieght loss is the by-product of fixing the blood chemistry.

Definitely don't beat yourself up over 1lb or less a week, that's PERFECT!

Lisa

Schmoodle · 10-31-2007, 08:18 AM

Thanks for the encouragement chicks, I do feel better today. I was not quite so hungry yesterday. The day before I felt like chewing on anything in sight! I will take 1/2 lb or 1 lb a week and be happy with it. I don't even mind a week with no loss. But when it stretches into two weeks, I guess I start to get a little panicky. I am probably spoiled from losing 2 lbs/wk very regularly for so many months. The trouble with my scale is that I can't really tell half pound increments, but I like it that way. I am probably just looking for trouble, since this has just seemed all too easy up until now, and I feel like I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I will keep on keeping on and focus this month on getting serious again about exercise. I'm not going to worry about these stupid goals I've set, monthly, birthday, Christmas. At the time I set them, it seemed like they were going to be so easy to make, but maybe I am just adding to the pressure.

JustMare · 10-31-2007, 09:03 AM

I get the worst sugar and chocolate cravings when it's that time. Argh. Hang in there. It will pass.

beachgal · 10-31-2007, 10:21 AM

Schmoodle, you did the right thing in posting and seeking help and support.

You're not the only one to go through times like this...we certainly understand!

First of all, I highly doubt that "the honeymoon is over" I had at least 2 years without any cravings at all...five months is a short time. I think it's much more likely a combination of TOM, low calories, not enough veggies and water, and sugar getting back into your diet.

Some of us can do little cheats and not start craving. But most of us have to do at least 3 days of P1 after any sugar gets back into our bodies if we want to stay away from cravings. That Hershey bar is very likely to have made your blood sugar start yo-yo-ing again and revved up your TOM cravings to a really high level.

You may want to consider doing P1 just as long as it takes for the cravings to go away. If you know that TOM starts cravings for you, have a plan in place to deal with it--chew gum, plan fun activities to keep you busy, pamper yourself in other ways, etc. Definitely add more veggies to your diet to make you feel more full, drink a bit more water (8 glasses at least), and enter your calories into Fitday again. I agree with you that you may not be getting enough calories.

I hope things work out much better soon. Don't forget that we're always here, come what may!

GONNABE165 · 10-31-2007, 10:48 AM

Schmoodle glad your having a better day and remeber just hang in there and keep hanging around here we have alot of support to give for times like these - it all will work itself out.

Pearlrose · 10-31-2007, 11:19 AM

I started to feel my resolve dropping and then I started to really look at my food journals and noticed grains overtaking menu and hardly any vegetables all day. Started day 1 phase yesterday and had bad headache so I know I need to stay on for a couple of more days to get back on track and hopefully this will help with my two month plateau. Hang in there this is for life