[davina]

Hi all.
So I began seriously following OA at the end of February. I seemed to have lost the first 30/40 pounds at an expected pace.. but by june july I started with bingeing again but not daily like I used. august,september and october also continued with a few binges but not as many as I usually would have. anyways all of November has been a clean slate, no binging, 3 mostly balanced meals a day with occasional fast food combo but as a meal and not a binge. At the moment I am no longer doing OA but kind of just eating things I think are good for my body or at times things I want to eat as long as it's done as a meal. anyways with all this month I didn't drop a single pound like I am getting super frustrated now. The previous months I could understand as I was bingeing on and off. some huge progress that I have to be grateful for is that I have not gained the weight back, which by now in past attempts would have already happened. this month I started swimming(not for weight loss reasons) but just to get all info out there......I am wondering if I am eating too many grains though...a meal plan I have been kind of following suggests them for every meal so I have been having 1/2 cup of some kind of starch at every meal usually. this is supposedly to balance the carbs/proteins for blood sugar ,etc....but now I'm having thoughts of dropping some starch for 1 meal or 2 but this also worries me as it is going into restriction mode and I don't want to do that either......originally I had taken wheat out but I've started eating whole grain sandwhiches again on occasion....I am wondering though since I have pcos which increases insulin in your body(or something like that) that I need to limit carbs due to these hormonal issues. I am so confused though because I already feel hungry as it is but still have a significant amount of weight I would like to come off me. but more importantly is to tackle the eating issue and not go back to full time non stop eating/bingeing.....I don't even know what I am talking about anymore but I need to see the scale start moving again because I am getting really frustrated.....I also eat a lot of hot sauce and wondering if i should cut it out due to sodium. any thoughts or ideas are appreciated. thanks for listening

[city_southernbelle]

You sound exactly like me. Like to a T. The only difference really is that I am ten pounds heavier and I've been the exact same weight for about two months now. I started out at 272 and now have stalled between 246-249. The first few months I was off and on clean eating, mostly bingeing a bit because I was working out like crazy but for about three weeks now I have been eating pretty clean and working out even more than before and still no change on the scale or in my clothes.

But I guess its just all about listening, observing, and controlling what your body needs over what your body wants. Like if you're gonna binge or eat out of boredom why not binge on fruits or veggies which was what I was thinking last night when I was eating ice cream instead (been stressed out as of late). I once did it and I know I can do it again, I just have to get back to that mindset of mind over matter.

And I really think a plateau is a state of mind, not a state of being. I think even when we don't see any results on the scale or in our clothes, we're losing somewhere if we're doing everything right, its just not going to show until later on down the road. I mean think of it like this. We have so many different deposits of fat and the loss has to hit everywhere. So you could be losing in a not so obvious place like in your hands or your feet, which won't make much difference on the scale or in clothing. Like I recently found out that I can't fit into a size ten and a half anymore.

It may seem hard now but if you tackle down on what is truly the issue, realize that weight loss takes time when you have a lot of fat to lose in so many different areas of your body, you too will get to a point where there will be no such thing as a plateau really.

And look on the bright side, we're both not gaining so we're obviously doing something right, now we just need to find the trigger to picking up the weight loss which is probably more often than not what we are eating more than anything else.

And yes stop with the hot sauce or limit it greatly! It has a lot of sodium. If you don't drink enough water then that is probably also the problem. Water will help with the sodium intake if you drink enough of it which could be keeping you from seeing any fat loss, the more sodium the more your body is going to retain water which ultimately slows down weight loss. And sodium also increases appetite.

[davina]

It's just really frustrating because I feel the only way I will lose any more is a lot of calorie restriction. Ive never had so much weight to lose,in the past 50 pounds got me to a decent weight as I started at 220 and the absolute lowest weight I've ever been was 170(and that was very low calorie, lower carb and overall hungry
100 pounds seems so daunting without starving. It feels like naturally my body requires fewer calories now to keep losing but my appetite hasn't shrunk you know? I am thinking maybe I need to shift calories and stuff myself with more vegetables or something..I am starting to looks at extreme diets again(which I know would be disastrous for me) all the while starting to binge again and eat crap...Do you limit your carbs at all? rice,breads,potatoes??

[faiora]

Originally Posted by davina

It's just really frustrating because I feel the only way I will lose any more is a lot of calorie restriction. Ive never had so much weight to lose,in the past 50 pounds got me to a decent weight as I started at 220 and the absolute lowest weight I've ever been was 170(and that was very low calorie, lower carb and overall hungry
100 pounds seems so daunting without starving. It feels like naturally my body requires fewer calories now to keep losing but my appetite hasn't shrunk you know? I am thinking maybe I need to shift calories and stuff myself with more vegetables or something..I am starting to looks at extreme diets again(which I know would be disastrous for me) all the while starting to binge again and eat crap...Do you limit your carbs at all? rice,breads,potatoes??

I think limiting carbs has the benefit of making you feel less hungry so it's easier to eat fewer calories, so yes, that's a good option. But you can also just pick your carbs more carefully. I've been experimenting with what makes me feel more full, and while brown rice and steel cut oats keep me full for a long time (especially the oats), other things like triscuits (even though they are whole grain) almost seem to make me hungrier. I think it's the processing that makes me digest them faster into sugar.

Another thing that would help in the long run is lifting weights or doing squats, or other muscle-building activities (not cardio... nothing wrong with cardio but it's more of a quick burn than a long term thing). That'll build up your lean mass which burns calories all by itself all day long, even when you're sleeping. Eating lots of protein is helpful, too.

[davina]

thanks for the suggestions.
I'm like always hungry tho. like literally 1/2 hour from my meal, my stomach is already empty..when it's a clean, normal meal, but still filling like a turkey chili with lentils,mushrooms carrots and rice and then a big salad.
Its like the only thing that ever makes me feel full is a mountain of fast food binge.
protein also does nothing for me whatsoever. unless its the protein in 2 cheeseburgers or something :/
i am white knuckling just not gaining further weight let alone losing more.
maybe my ideal body size is 237 pounds.
I;m torn about eating less carbs/starch because I am already hungry as it is and low carb makes me worse. maybe I will try incorporating regular snacks into the day.

[faiora]

Originally Posted by davina

thanks for the suggestions.
I'm like always hungry tho. like literally 1/2 hour from my meal, my stomach is already empty..when it's a clean, normal meal, but still filling like a turkey chili with lentils,mushrooms carrots and rice and then a big salad.
Its like the only thing that ever makes me feel full is a mountain of fast food binge.
protein also does nothing for me whatsoever. unless its the protein in 2 cheeseburgers or something :/
i am white knuckling just not gaining further weight let alone losing more.
maybe my ideal body size is 237 pounds.
I;m torn about eating less carbs/starch because I am already hungry as it is and low carb makes me worse. maybe I will try incorporating regular snacks into the day.

I felt exactly this way before I started. In fact, I told my doctor almost exactly the same words you just said: "I feel hungry CONSTANTLY. You don't understand. I eat a huge meal and half an hour later I'm hungry again!"

I think it's in a different thread I talked about this but I'll repeat it here...

First off, the "patient educator nurse" at the heart clinic I go to told me I'm probably dehydrated, and that I should drink more water between meals (not at meals). I rolled my eyes (on the phone) at the time, because I felt like I drank plenty of water every day, but I started carrying my water bottle around more anyway. And I have to begrudgingly admit she was at least a little bit right. Within a week I was having less trouble with my appetite.

At the same time, I started paying attention to my food. I didn't change a lot right off the bat, but I did switch to whole grains which made a big difference. And when I started eating steel cut oats for breakfast, I would stay full for hours. I haven't kept up with eating oats for breakfast, but I know the option is there if I start having hunger problems again.

The most notable thing, though, is that it's easy to get off track. If I eat a large amount of simple carbs in one sitting, especially if it's in junky food like fast food or pizza, it may make me feel satisfied in the short term but it's a downward spiral in terms of hunger. My body immediately tells me when I'm not at capacity anymore, and sends all the hunger signals it can. "FEED ME MORE JUNK NOW." And this about 20 minutes after eating!

It's not only "junk" food that has this effect; Triscuits, which are whole grain, and whole wheat bread (which often has sugar added) also make me feel hungrier after I eat them. But regardless of which food is causing the problem, MORE food is actually WORSE. It's like my stomach gets stretched out then gets annoyed at me when it's no longer stretched.

So again, I think the thing to do is to pay attention to which foods make you feel full longer, even if it's just a little bit longer. Try eating a full cup of oats in the morning with no sugar added, and note the time your hunger makes itself known. Try brown rice. Try a steak.

Another thing to keep in mind is that "hunger" can be indistinguishable from other feelings. But if you're "hungry" and you don't want to eat vegetables or brown rice or chicken breast, then you're not actually hungry—you're experiencing cravings, which can cause your hunger signals to fire off. I have this issue still, and mostly I deal with it by having what I want, but only after having something healthy first, and only in reasonable quantities. In other words, I plan out my junk food so that I'm not binging anymore.

[pixelllate]

I get hungry at times too. My hunger queues are just affected by my former body - it doesnt correlate with what my body needs because my whole life I have been eating too much. Personally I just white knuckle and bear through the hunger. Its not so bad, I do satisfy the hunger but when I know that I've had enough I stop.

[freelancemomma]

Originally Posted by davina

thanks for the suggestions.
I'm like always hungry tho. like literally 1/2 hour from my meal, my stomach is already empty..when it's a clean, normal meal, but still filling like a turkey chili with lentils,mushrooms carrots and rice and then a big salad.
Its like the only thing that ever makes me feel full is a mountain of fast food binge.
protein also does nothing for me whatsoever. unless its the protein in 2 cheeseburgers or something :/
i am white knuckling just not gaining further weight let alone losing more.
maybe my ideal body size is 237 pounds.
I;m torn about eating less carbs/starch because I am already hungry as it is and low carb makes me worse. maybe I will try incorporating regular snacks into the day.

There's always going to be a trade-off. For me, right now, it's between eating what I want to feel satisfied and keeping the vanity pounds off. I currently maintain on 2,000 cals per day, but could easily eat twice as much -- in one sitting, for that matter.

I never feel fully satisfied (in terms of quantity) after a "normal" meal, regardless of macronutrient composition. I do find I'm overall less hungry if I eat a good breakfast and lunch, a couple of small snacks, and a small supper. Conserving calories throughout the day in order to eat a big dinner would drive me nuts physically and mentally. It's a question of experimenting with your own physical and psychological needs, IMO.

F.

[davina]

thanks for all the insight guys.
I think that restricting is not the way to go.
what I feel i need to do is just continue on trying my hardest not to binge.
it may take a few solid months of that before the weight regulates.
i will try drinking more water, although i hate plain water so maybe some crystal light water. soups fill me up so may need to incorporate more of those.
maybe will slow down with the fast food meals as they probably have more calories than I think.
if I can stop bingeing for a significant amount of time that will be a miracle in itself. I just need to stop focusing on the weight or it will ruin everything.
also trying to find different coping mechanisms, have been going swimming and enjoy that. will be starting a course soon too to keep myself busy and occupied. it is so hard when not working but I will keep trying.