I have been trying to lose weight for weeks now. I count out my calories and then I manage to eat over them come the weekend and even sometimes at the end of the day. I have been losing and gaining the same 4 lbs week after week.

I wish I could just get commit and stick to my calorie count. I am trying to keep up with the exercising but I was hoping if I just stuck to my calories I would atleast lose something and the exercise would just be an additional health benefit.

Gah! Why is it so hard to have self control?!

How frustrating!! I know for me, I have to take exercise out of the equation to really lose. Yes, it's important, but I don't do much cardio (makes me HUNGRY), and bodyweight strength exercises are soooo good for you and can help stave of muscle loss so you're burning fat. I find that I have to make the calories I eat count- for instance, 140 calories of protein/healthy fat (like an egg), wayyyy beats a serving of white cheddar cheese cheezits (150 calories). I am on a low calorie diet, but I get most of my calories from protein and if I have carbs, they're likely to be from fruits or veggies or things very high in fiber. So net carbs are lower.

And unfortunately, a hallmark of dieting is being hungry. If you want to burn fat, you have to not eat those calories. Once you shift to burning fat it's easier, but that first week isn't fun. For the record, the nights I go to bed hungry are the nights before I see losses on a scale.

Hey girl. Know how you feel. Are you just counting calories but eating whatever? I'M finding that WHAT I eat affects how I feel/the scale as much as how many calories I eat. Sorry if this is a dumb question...I'm a newb

I wouldn't say that hunger is necessary in order to lose weight. Hunger is what will continuously make you regain. We have a biological response to hunger that you cannot control, there is no control for hunger. It's primal and it's beyond us. Unfortunately for most of us we over eat so much and for so long that our normal hunger and fulness signals become confusing. Many people, like myself, come to feel that anything other than fullness is hunger. We become accustomed to eating too much and feeling full. It has helped me tremendously to become more acquainted with my true hunger and fullness levels and I've used a hunger scale similar to this to keep track of my eating https://yoursassyself.files.wordpres...nger-scale.png I am now pretty comfortable with eating when I'm at a 3 and stopping when I'm at an 8. I am working towards eating when I'm at a 4 and stopping at 7.

Being hungry at night on a consistent basis is a sign. It means that whether or not you have fulfilled your calorie requirements you have not fulfilled your hunger requirements. Sure, you can white knuckle it and hope that you get used to hunger and hope your "stomach shrinks" like so many believe. Or you can address your hunger as being legitimate and find a way to eat that won't sabotage your health but also won't result in a hunger that left untended will lead to overeating and weight gain as you are experiencing now.

When I was dealing with the issue of night time hunger I kept track of my eating using the scale above except the "Mood" section I used for comments on how I was feeling about myself before and after like did I feel guilty or joyful or anxious etc. I figured out that on the days that I ate a really good solid breakfast (I'm not a calorie counter but I would estimate between 400-600 cal) I ate really lightly for the rest of the day, very little or no snacking and ate very healthy meals. I also saw that on the days I cheated myself on calories (because calorie counters tend to save calories and shave calories from meals early in the day) my whole day was spent longing for food, thinking about food, dreaming about food, arguing with myself about not eating, and eventually caving in and binging at night usually with a big bag of chips. So I made it a rule, have a good breakfast no matter what. I wake up, I satisfy my hunger and my day sails smoothly with hardly any cravings.

So don't be frustrated with yourself. Listen to what your body is telling you. Constant hunger is not a requirement for weightloss. If it was then it would've worked for you.

Well said! Especially the part about mistaking anything less than full as hunger. Hunger is not a part of dieting. You should never ignore true hunger feelings (growling stomach)

If you are truly feeling physical hunger on an adequate calorie amount daily, you may need to look at what you are eating as the reason. Choosing whole foods high in fat and protein, or paring natural sugars or whole grains carb (like rice or fruits) with a fat /protein (cheese, avocado) can help you stay satisfied longer. Eating processed or package foods like most granola bars, that are high in carbs and processed sugars my leave you feeling hungry sooner.

I am trying to eat healthy. I've been cutting out most processed foods and things like that just because we've switched over to a more natural lifestyle. I still find though I keep binging on things. Like organic ice cream... It's still ice cream!! I wouldn't say I feel super hungry at the end of the day or at night but its more of a combination of being bored but so tired after work that I want to sit and relax and not get up.

I am going to start focusing on filling my nutrients and not just the calorie count. I feel though even if I am eating fruits/veggies and more healthy foods like eggs and stuff I still don't meet the nutrient needs completely. I always focus on keeping my fiber high for other reasons. But my protein usually falls short. I am on MFP if anyone wants to be friends!

Keep going Firecracker! It's great to recognize boredom & fatigue at the end of the day behind the desire to eat. Maybe you can find something that won't interfere with your weight goals. If i'm not hungry but want something to put in my mouth anyway, I have some tea that will work, or steamed veggie like caulifower in chicken broth. Distraction works well too, though I'm usually wanting to do nothing but relax & watch tv. Once in a while I can get myself to do something like easy yoga stretches, or just my own made up ones. It gets me in touch w my body in a pleasant way.

I've found that eating processed food just makes me want to eat more processed food, especially sweets. Organic ice cream is still largely processed fat and sugar. I eat a lot of protein & that seems to control hunger, stop cravings. The longer I go without sweets, the less I want them. Then I can tell it isn't food I want after all.

I'll look for you on MFP

Have you ever looked into the Beck books? I first got mine from the library, and I've found them incredibly helpful! Here's a link to one

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M70...VeL&ref=plSrch