So when I stay on plan, I am properly on plan but as soon as I go off (for any reason at all really...) I can't stop eating! I am only allowed about 1500 calories a day (calorie cycling) but I just dont fill up, ever! Can anyone guide me? I drink lots of water and green tea! How many days does it take for the insane hunger to go away and for it to get easier??!
I have had the same trouble with restricted caloric intake. I find that if I really plan on eating bulky low calorie foods it works out way better for me. Also, if you still can't fill up, try putting your meal (i.e. 3 oz chicken breast, 2 cups raw spinach, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1 cup steamed brocolli, 1 cup water) in the blender. It comes out a thick delicious soup.
I watched a video series made by the BBC that scientifically proves that pureed foods fill you longer. It really does work. I did this for a week and lost my projected 2 pounds. My calories were perfect and I never felt like I was starving to death.
Try making sure you get protine at every meal and snack. I find if I fill up on veggies and a good protine that I stay full longer then if I eat fruit.
I agree with the above poster as well. I love smoothies. Add a little yogurt or whey powder and it keeps me full for hours.
This is a bit overdone, but It bears mentioning since you seem to be having such trouble at your calorie budget... Are you under counting? Is there a possibility that you are over estimating the amount of food you are intaking? Maybe your body really is hungry. If this isn't the case, another tried and true hunger squelcher for me has been drinking hot water. I like to drink chamomille tea but the act of drinking a hot liquid tricks your body into thinking it's getting more food. Maybe try drinking hot lemon water, tea, or even a hot water with whey protien mixed in (like hot cocoa) before caving to the urge to eat. If you're still hungry 15 minutes after drinking your hot beverage, then have a bag of steamed veggies, yes, the whole bag. A few times of that and you'll likely be cured
I have this problem to and when it happens I try to find someting "safe" to go overboard with. I may eat a small bag of baby carrots or grill a zuccini and put some olive oil and garlic on it. This seems to help a bunch.
AmberJae - I have to try the hot water trick next time.
sarrah, mmm, zuchinni...that sounds sooo good right now... Anyhow, yes, the water trick does it every time for me. I am sad to say I got this tip from a friend with an ED but I employ it in my healthy eating and it works like a charm. I think the thought of drinking tea sometimes just doesn't sound good, but it's not hard to just drink hot water.
ZooDoo is right, FIBER is a great hunger squelchier. Try more beans, greens, and whole grains. Also, you might be under counting your calories or not getting the right nutrition. Make sure you get all the food groups in and plenty of protein.
Also, you may not be hungry and just bored? Sometimes I think I'm hungry and really I'm just bored and work my way into the kitchen. If I do this, I get ice chips, sugar free gum, or celery (good for munching).
There is a lot of advice being thrown out here on this topic, but I have to agree on 2 things when it comes to staving off hunger:
1) add more protein
2) add more fiber (but WITH more WATER!)
1) The protein per gram has less cals than fat and carbs. In other words, it takes more energy to break down protein, so it stays in your system longer and makes you feel fuller. Also, on a molecular level, protein is more useful for the body than carbs and fat. The proteins are broken down (in the form of amino acids) and can be used up to rebuild muscle fibers (which burns more cals than fat). However when carbs are broken down, they are broken down to its simplest form of glucose, and then it is stored in the form of glycogen and used up as an immediate source of energy. If you don't use this energy (ie, exercise), the body converts it to fat.
2) Fiber also fills you up and helps remove toxins in the colon. Toxin removal is helpful for many reasons, mainly though you should be concerned with getting the nutrients from the food you eat and when you have more healthy fiber from fruits and veggies, this helps aid the absorption of the nutrients. Fulfilling all of your daily recommended nutrient requirements is important because your body sometimes has cravings due to nutrient deficiencies. Fiber fills you up because it can't be digested (absorbed), so in essence, you are eating something that will just go right through your system, but will still give you that full feeling.
Suggestions:
-Fruits high in fiber: eat an apple every day, preferably in the morning, kiwis (have lots of nutrients and fiber and considered as a mild laxative), grapefruits, oranges, raspberries, blueberries.
-Veggies high in fiber: kale, Spinach, sweet potatoes, chick peas (garbanzo), black beans, peas, mushrooms
-Protein: cottage cheese, greek yogurt, chick peas, edamame, black beans, and of course your usual fish and chicken are good lean proteins to add to every meal. also deli meats.
The main thing to do is to try to experiment with different foods. I also had this problem where when I started a diet, I could never feel satisfied. It was because I was counting the cals and not really focusing on how volumous the food was. Also, the food I was eating was not balanced with protein of fiber.
Have fun experimenting with meals and find a good combination of protein veggies, and fiber with your foods, and remember to drink plenty of water with fibrous foods as this aids the digestion of it.
Also remember to reduce your intake of white rice, white bread, and white potatoes as these foods never make us feel full. They make us hungrier an hour later because it gets digested so quickly.
I recommend starting at a higher calorie range for a week and each week drop 100 calories. Train your body to get use to lowering the calories bit by bit. Good quality proteins and healthy fats, plenty of lower carb veggies and greens will help tremendously with hunger.
When I started my diet, I ate whatever I wanted the first week and tracked what I would normally eat at that time. It was 2600 calories, I reduced it each week until I was at a comfortable range to lose weight.
Hot lemon water does the trick for me if I feel hungry. I really like in the evenings and it helps wake me up in the mornings, as well! It's great. I do eat breakfast after I have the hot lemon water in the morning, but it helps me eat less. It also helps because you're getting in more of that daily water intake that's so important.
Good luck to you
Have you tried filling up on negative calorie foods like: apples, blueberries, strawberries, celery, etc.? Google it and you'll find a list available to print out. Protein helps too like cottage cheese mixed with blueberries is one of my favorites that keeps me full. Good luck!
I am on cal restristed diet also. What works best for me, are nuts. I buy the 100 cal pack almonds and they help a lot. I will also eat a couple of crackers, just to get by if I have to.
PROTEIN AND FIBER!!! They fill you up! I am on 1200-1300 and I am genuinely satisfied when I get 80-90 grams of protein, 20+ grams of fiber, and keep carbs under 150 g a day. Use Daily Plate, My Fitness Pal, etc to track these nutrients easily.
Cut back on carbs! For me, they make me feel hungrier and less satisfied. A bowl of cereal leaves me begging for another one; two eggs + an egg white (roughly the same calories as the cereal + milk) leaves me satisfied.
Try to make sure about 80% of your food comes from nutrient-dense sources (pomegranates, steak, fish, eggs, kale, as opposed to white rice or desserts). This is a really rough estimate I made up, so don't take it as proven nutritional advice But I do find when I eat really nutrient-rich food I am more satisfied for longer. Michael Pollan suggests one of the reasons for obesity in this country is that we eat nutrient-poor food (processed, fast food, etc) and our bodies beg us to eat more- because even if it's getting the calories it needs it sends signals caling for more nutrients. Just a theory but one that really makes sense to me.
And just a random note- the MOST FULL I can be on the fewest calories is: 3/4 c oatmeal + 1 scoop protein powder + 1 tbs peanut butter. Holy cow. It has something like 40+ g protein, some good fats and complex carbs, and lots of fiber for around 400 calories. When I am hungry or munchy or just can't seem to kick the snacking, this is my "go-to" meal. It is sweet and peanut butter-chocolatey, but keeps me from eating anything else for quite some time.
Please help, I am just so hungry!
