I am somebody that never really had weight issues as a young person, but at the age of 48 I am finding myself unhappy with the pounds that have crept onto my body. Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of what I am putting into my mouth, making sure it was nutritious and not empty calories, or full of fat and sugar. I have also been active, participating regularly in bikram yoga, running, gardening, golf, and lifting weights. But making sure I get enough exercise and eating a balanced diet haven't been enough, and every year I am finding it harder and harder to find clothes in my closet that fit. So I finally decided to take the plunge and go on a diet. I've researched my daily calorie requirements, and plan to lose weight in a reasonable way, at a pound a week. But the calorie thing is really frustrating. I must have been eating way more than I was burning off, because now trying to keep myself to 1300-1500 calories a day feels so restrictive. I feel hungry a lot, and feel so deprived. I look around at thin, fit people and think "why don't they have to suffer like this?" I guess I am just throwing myself a little pity party. Anyone else care to come to my party? I promise to serve only low-cal healthy fare!

I think it's harder because of age. And honestly, as a taller and active woman, you should be able to eat more than 1500 and still lose weight. It's having eaten 2500 a day that got us (or maybe just me) overweight int he first place.

Are you tracking what you're eating? I know that eating major carbs, such as pasta or oatmeal, digest faster for me and make me hungrier sooner that lean proteins such as ham or chicken do. I've had to really change what I eat and make it convenient, and I really don't feel deprived.

There are plenty of people my age who I see eating junk all the time - brownies 3 times a day, coke and a kitkat for breakfast etc. and they look wonderful. Oh well.

You may be right about my being able to eat more than 1500 calories and lose weight. I am pretty new to this, having only started in the last days of December 2009, so I may find that I can eat a bit more and still lose. I've just been researching those online calorie calculator things, and those probably aren't really accurate for each individual situation.

It seems like the more I exercise, the hungrier I get, and it's like a vicious circle. Maybe it will all settle down after I stop thinking "diet...diet...diet" all my waking hours. I am tracking every morsel I put into my mouth. I will try to focus more on lean protein and less on complex carbs, and see if I can get rid of the constant growling stomach. Thanks for the advice, and the sympathetic ear!

If you're hungry, you need to eat more! It's not healthy to suffer--and may end up sabotaging you in the long run.

At 5'2" and 130 pounds, the calculators say I should be eating 1500 calories a day to lose weight, too. Yeah, right. I'm miserable if I don't take in 1800 minimum. And those are 1800 calories worth of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish and nuts--not candy or anything unsubstantial. Sure, it will take longer to shed the pounds, but what's the hurry? I'd rather be happy and patient for six months than be unhappy for two.

When your stomach is growling, it needs a snack. You've probably read all about the healthy options out there: greek yogurt, almonds, string cheese, hummus dips, etc. There are also ways to make you feel fuller at meal times:

-Start with a broth-based soup course
-Make chew-intensive main dishes like pork chops instead of ones that go down easily like spaghetti. How full we feel is directly proportional to how much we chew (hence, shake-like meal replacements rarely work).
-Add vinegar to your foods. I'm serious; I read a study that people who consume vinegar at a meal eat less later in the day. Hot and sour soup and macaroni salads made with vinaigrette are some of my favorites.
-Along the same lines, drink water with lemon (nothing sugary or bubbly; just water and lemon does the trick)

Finally, make sure you're actually hungry and not something else. You probably know the dangers of interpreting boredom or stress as hunger, but you could be sick as well. I thought I was constantly starving until a doctor prescribed an acid reducer and I started popping Maalox like they're Altoids...it turns out the "hunger" was really pain.

Just wanted to say, yes it is hard, but it is really worth it. And as time goes on, it does get easier, too! Good luck to you!

Gardendiva, I agree it is very frustrating. I'm 53 years old and my metabolism has slown down to a crawl. I know that age and years of yo-yo dieting contribute to the fact that to lose weight I can't consume more than 1300 calories, to maintain 1500 and to gain only 1800 + ...

But not everyone is the same, some can lose weight on 1800 + calories, we're all an experiment of one. The calorie counters on most sites are not accurate because they don't take into account so many factors.

I remember when I started calorie counting I was shocked at how many calories I was actually consuming and this made me realise that this was why I was gaining so gradually over the years.

Hope this helps...

Great advice tkm! The "chewing" idea brought forth a light bulb moment for me. It's easy for me to lose control over a plate of pasta, but pork chops...not so much. I will definitely get more vinegar into my diet too. Thanks for the good tips.

Ilene, I agree that it is shockingly easy to consume more calories than we even realize. Keeping a food log was the first step I took in this process, and it was an eye-opener. Hopefully I will settle into a routine that works for me, and I won't be so crazy about every detail over time. I'm so glad I have you helpful people to lean on for support!

The calorie calculator at freedieting.com is really pretty accurate. The most weight I ever lost (consistently and as "forecast") was with the UK weightlossresources website which you have to pay for. The calorie calculator at freedieting is almost spot on the same as WLR's and so should work well.

doughnut, I like that site there's a lot of fun calculators... I specially like the body fat calculator, it puts me at 22.02% fat, HA!! NOT only in my dreams

That body fat calculator has me at 12%! Pretty funny. It only takes into account waist measurement.

You're all muscle Ilene - I'm too scared to use a body fat calculator!

Yes, I know pretty funny... but it's fun to dream