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Old 12-16-2008, 12:52 PM   #1  
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Wink Hungry!

It's only my 2nd day of this new "lifestyle" & there's one word to sum up exactly how I feel: Hungry! Do you remember that game, Hungry Hungry Hippos? I'm the hippo. Which one? All of them.

Seriously though, I've only been going at it a little over a day & I feel like I'm starving all the time! I think the main problem lies in making the switch from junky, additive filled food to Whole Food/some organic. Also, it doesn't help that about the only whole foods we have in the house are mini bagels, orange juice, & apples. Another issue might be that by the time I realize I'm hungry & I need to go find food, I have to face this huge blockade of what to eat?! I'm now debating with myself over eating anything at all in the kitchen, because it's all junk that my mom has bought. We haven't had time to properly shop & buy whole foods, besides those few breakfast items, so I think I'm seriously feeling the strain. It's like if I can't eat whole, I don't want to eat at all, because I feel like it would be so much worse. Thankfully we're going to Whole Foods today & doing a little shopping; we're not buying a lot, just a few items (soup, spinach leaves, oats, etc).

I'm just feeling a bit stressed, with a dash of worried thrown on top. I think my body is flipping out because I'm trying to eat so many less calories than I normally consume.. Is it normal to feel this hungry all the time? I mean, I woke up at like 3 in the morning (erratic sleep schedule) & had a bagel, then I had an apple around 8; it's going on 10 right now & I feel famished, like I need to rip through & destroy the entire kitchen, lol. I just feel like I shouldn't be having that huge a breakfast if I want to stay in my 1600 calorie limit.

I don't know, I guess I'm just a little confused. I made a few vain attempts at losing weight when I was younger, but this is my first official effort as an adult. I don't know very much about nutrition, & I'd love any advice or suggestions for dealing with the hunger I'm experiencing.

Thanks again,
Kimmy
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Old 12-16-2008, 01:05 PM   #2  
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Hey Kimmy,

Here's the thing...obviously, if you're not eating, you're going to be hungry. You're going to have a very hard time doing this if you don't have food in the house to eat. I'd recommend eating something (even if its not strictly "whole foods") before going to the store tonight. Otherwise, it'll be way too easy to make bad food choices, which is not what you want!

I'd try to plan out some meals now. When you get your groceries, you want to be able to have easy meals. So get out a piece of paper and start making plans. What are you eating for breakfasts? Lunches? Dinners? Snacks? Once you have the plan, it'll be more obvious which foods you need to buy at the store. Spinach is fine, but if you don't know what exactly you're going to do with it, it is likely to go bad.

In terms of not being hungry, you should probably try to incorporate more protein and fiber. Whole foods carbs are fine, but carbs generally wear off fast. A nice lean protein in there (put some lean turkey breast on the bagel, if you eat meat, a few cooked egg whites, or even a tbsp of natural peanut butter) would help a LOT in keeping you full longer. Also keep in mind that you've been up for 7 hours...a mini bagel and an apple isn't nearly enough to sustain you that long! Eating IS important.

Bottom line - eat something, particularly something with protein, get a plan in place, and THEN shop.
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Old 12-16-2008, 01:06 PM   #3  
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Hi Kimmy, Welcome to 3FC and congratulations on your lifestyle change. My best advice to you is to get to the grocery store ASAP and get you some decent food. Plan a menu and get a weeks worth of groceries at least. Nothing will set you up for a binge quicker than not having healthy delicious food available. Make sure you stock up on bulking veggies, (fresh or frozen or even canned). Make some of that cabbage soup with hearty ingredients to help "fill" you between meals. Buy some whole grain reduced calorie bread, plenty of low-fat deli style meats. Texas Grapefruit are in season and AWESOME this time of year. Yogurts, butternut squash, plain and sweet potatoes, eggs, chicken breast, turkey, lean beef and pork are all good at filling you. Plan, plan, plan.

I am rarely hungry. I eat a lot. It takes time, but you will eventually find foods you love that help with hunger.

Last edited by Lori Bell; 12-16-2008 at 01:09 PM.
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Old 12-16-2008, 01:10 PM   #4  
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That kind of hunger will only lead to bad things. I think it's great the way you want to eat. But it would be far better to eat as best you can before your shopping trip, than to be so restrictive. I'd be starving too if I'd been up since 3am with a bagel and apple.

You can actually have quite a satisfying breakfast on 1600 calories a day. A couple eggs scrambled with veggies (some good ones for this are mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, shredded broccoli) and one slice of whole grain toast. Oatmeal (great with pumpkin stirred in this time of year) and milk, maybe a breakfast sausage. Yogurt with berries and a little crunchy cereal (granola or something like Kashi GoLean). Toast with peanut butter and banana slices.

Bagels can be pretty calorie-dense, and many are just plain over-sized.
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Old 12-16-2008, 01:21 PM   #5  
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I have to second & third & fourth what others are saying here.

Not eating won't help. Even if they aren't exactly the foods you want to be eating the rest of your life, having a portion of the foods in your house will help to hold off hunger long enough until when you can go shopping. Not only will this keep you from overeating later to make up, but your body won't be saying "ACK! No food! Must hold onto fat storage!"

It may be that the first week you'll feel a little strange since you're changing the way you eat, but eating every few hours may help to keep you full and satisfied.

Also, look for foods that are low energy dense. For example, think about 100 calories worth of grapes, vs a 100 calories worth of raisins. Think about how heavy they are in your hands. The volume of food. The grapes are the better deal, aren't they? They'll be more satisfying even though they're the same calories.
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Old 12-16-2008, 01:53 PM   #6  
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Sign my name to this party!

Everyone has given you good advice. It's better to eat something that's maybe not entirely healthy than to let yourself get to the place where you're so starving that you eat until you can't move.

Have an apple. If you've got it in the house, put 1 T of peanut butter on it and that is a great healthy snack.

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Old 12-16-2008, 02:03 PM   #7  
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I started 15 days ago and I eat every 4 hours with nothing after 7:30pm unless it's a piece of fruit and so far I have not been hungry and I am losing weight.

The trick I think (for me anyways) is to never, never skip a meal because then I'll be starving and binge.

It's easier for me because I live alone and I cleaned out my fridge and kitchen. There is nothing "bad" to eat in there. I have to go out if I want something fattening.

Lot's of good info already here, as it's already been said you shouldn't be all that hungry.

It took me a while to grasp the concept I am not going to lose weight by denying myself food, I am going to lose weight by eating healthier food in smaller quantities spaced out so I won't be hungry.

good luck!
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Old 12-16-2008, 02:06 PM   #8  
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I appreciate you wanting to go to Whole Foods but they can be somewhat pricey. You can find plenty of good food that is good for you at the regular grocery store. Good fruits and veggies. They should have Kashi items that are not all perfect but most have some redeeming value. Oatmeal even steel cut ones should be available at the regular grocery.

Plan the meals. The worst week for me was the first week because I didn't know what I needed. I literally made a menu for the week. Plan everything the first couple weeks. Then you will understand how to eat and what you need to have.

Good luck.
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Old 12-16-2008, 02:24 PM   #9  
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Everyone here has given great advice. I confess, that I had a hard time listening to when I first started. I am a calorie counter and it didn't seem like I could get enough to eat on 1200 calories a day.

Then I started eating frozen meals ... all varieties, but Kashi is my fave. I'm still shocked by how much food I can get for <300 calories. A quick frozen meal is a great way to cure hunger and stop a binge. When it's a serious binge, I grab one of those Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwiches. They only have 210 calories and are ready in under 2 minutes.

I also buy frozen fruit, and eat it out of a bowl like cereal. It's filling, yummy and very low cal.

** Of course these past few weeks have been bad for me from a nibbling perspective. I am sure that Harry and David is the devil! Even with the best laid plans, those cookies are irresistible!
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Old 12-16-2008, 02:48 PM   #10  
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I forgot to say that I do make trips to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods from time to time to get special items but I try to get most of my stuff at the regular grocery.

I like the toasted almonds at Trader Joe's and some things like that.
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Old 12-16-2008, 03:40 PM   #11  
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Kim, you know you can always call me if you ever feel frustrated. If you have bad food in your house, try eating it. Make sure you don't go out of your calorie range. Eating slowly no matter how hungry you are makes the difference as well. The other day I ate 1 corn dog, only 1. I ate it slowly and by the time I was done I wasn't hungry any more. Try drinking a glass of milk, or having a slice of cheese. Stuff like that coats your stomach and makes you feel less hungry. I sometimes do sit ups or some sort of activity, and then drink a glass of cold water after and I don't feel like I want to go and eat everything in the kitchen. It's better to eat when you know you're hungry and have it be a little bad, than to wait and go and eat everything in the kitchen. ^_^ CALL ME!!!



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Old 12-17-2008, 01:41 AM   #12  
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I'd like to thank you all for the support, & much needed advice! I really took your words to heart, & though I tried to stubbornly ignore them at first, I realized that it just wasn't practical. You were telling me everything I needed & didn't want to hear; for that I greatly owe you.

So, I did get a chance to go shopping today (thankfully). It was a little frightening, but also very exciting, as this was my first time actually "grocery shopping". I've bought an item or two from the store before, but I've never actually gone grocery shopping. The only company I had was my GF, & she was as inexperienced with the ritual as I! However we did very very well I believe! I was a little worried, going in with a very limited amount of money (as most of my money's gone to gifts), but strangely enough by the time we were done shopping we had enough food to last us about 2 weeks, for almost exactly the small amount I had! It was helpful that we found a few very good deals, but it just seems like everything fell into place. I find that I love shopping, it's very fun! I can't wait for the next opportunity to go out & do it again.

Basia: Thanks for the support as well. It really means a lot coming from you! I'm sorry I didn't call today, but everything was just so hectic! I'm going to give you a ring now, & hopefully it's not too late (though we did talk till much later the other night).

Last edited by UrthWurm; 12-17-2008 at 01:44 AM.
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Old 12-17-2008, 10:12 AM   #13  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UrthWurm View Post
I'd like to thank you all for the support, & much needed advice! I really took your words to heart, & though I tried to stubbornly ignore them at first, I realized that it just wasn't practical. You were telling me everything I needed & didn't want to hear; for that I greatly owe you.
You know, one of the great things about giving advice is that it not only helps the advisee, but the advisor too! It really helps you solidify what beliefs and tools you're using, and remind you of where you're not following your own advice!

Quote:
Originally Posted by UrthWurm View Post
So, I did get a chance to go shopping today (thankfully). It was a little frightening, but also very exciting, as this was my first time actually "grocery shopping".
An initiate! LOL. Grocery shopping is kinda fun as you start to turn into a foodie.
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Old 12-17-2008, 10:15 AM   #14  
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Quote:
You know, one of the great things about giving advice is that it not only helps the advisee, but the advisor too! It really helps you solidify what beliefs and tools you're using, and remind you of where you're not following your own advice!
Oh so totally. I find that when I have to think about what I do and why I do it ... and then explain it ... it really helps me. It happens to me when I talk photography, too.

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