I'm Sooo Hungry!!!!!!
 

Okay, I'm frustrated. My goal is to eat 2000 per day and I keep going above that.
Usually when this happens, I get so annoyed that I just eat more at the end of the day.
I can't get a hold of my appetite.
And I drink 1 gallon of water a day. That's 4 litres, people!
Shouldn't water be helping to fill me up? I also eat chickpeas, which have a lot of fiber.
My depression is starting to rear its ugly head. :kickcan:

post a sample menu. it's easier to give feedback if we have more information.

At your start weight, you could comfortablypush your calories to 2200-2400 and still lose at a good pace in the beginning before needing to drop them. There's always a little hunger in the beginning, and a little genuine belly hunger between meals is great and normal, but you shouldn't be starving hungry (again, we're talking bodily hunger, not head hunger, which many of us struggle with) during weightloss or you're doing something wrong.

You generally want to eat as many calories as you can to still lose, so my goal if I were you would be to find a higher number that still changes the scale but leaves you more satisfied. Keep your roughage and protein high, simple carbs low. Beans have a lot of calories, you can eat many foods more filling for the caloric buck, and those would be where I would direct you :)

well what i usually do to determine the maximum number of calories to eat is to multiply my weight by 7. I read this in some health article that doing that is a good way of determining how many calories u need. When I get hungry I just munch on some fruit or something else low calorie that you can eat a lot of. I go over my calories all the time but I dont sweat it much. I dont have a "set" number I aim for everyday, but i just TRY not to go over 1800. When i go over eating something healthy then I dont feel as bad lol.

See, and I set between 1800-2000 per day and still lose. All our bodies are different :)

you must be very active lol

Be sure you are mixing protein, carbs and fats. Don't fully cut any out of your diet. Also, maybe some meals that contain more food that is lower in calorie would help. For instance, I can eat one apple, or I can pop 1/2 cup of blueberries into my mouth. I like feeling like I'm eating "more" because it takes longer to eat the blueberries and there is more hand to mouth motion. Try to find foods like that. Even with my chicken breast, I cut it into strips and bake the strips so that it feels like more. You can trick your body.

And remember that you are now cutting calories. You will more than likely feel full for a few days before you body adjusts. Good luck!

You need to add some weight training. Building muscle will help u burn more calories! I warn you that it might seem like you not losing, or even gaining in the first couple weeks, but afterwards it will start melting off. Thats if you keep it up. Cant get discouraged

Try upping your protein. That is what keeps you feeling full and satisfied the longest. You should be aiming for 1 hour of exercise 6 days a week if you want it to contribute to your weight loss - 30 minutes for health.

Do you eat a lot of green foods?

Hmm...
The only thing I notice about the sample is that it looks a little heavy in the carb count. The only vegetable I see is maybe the pasta sauce? Maybe bump up the protein and lower the carb, add in more vegetables? This could help you feel fuller...

hahaha I love salads but if i eat too much i get tired of them. I started buying the spinach leaves instead of regular lettuce and I like that a lot.

You need more veggies, you aren't getting enough fiber which also helps you to be full.

Instead of 3 eggs and a smoothie about about a 3 egg omelette with spinach and feta or some other cheese?

With lunch how about adding a small side salad of romaine and tomato and red onion with balsamic vin? (1 cup/6 oz of romaine, half cup of tomatoes, and 2 tbsp of red onion with 2 tbsp dressing). Then cut down on the chickpeas from that meal.

For dinner do 1 cup of pasta with 5 oz of meatballs and 1 cup of mushrooms and add half a cup of broccoli also. :)

Change the chickpeas or almonds to a fruit and that way you can have some fruit that day as well.

That sound increase your protein and veggies, decrease your dairy and carbs and fruit, and get you going down the scale again.

I agree at your weight I'd aim for 2200-2400 calories.

Take your weight- multiply by 7.5 and that's number of calories to eat :) - they'll give you 75% of your daily intake needed to lose weight :) Re-calculate that number every 10 lbs :)

ETA Saw you don't like salads, then instead of a salad with lunch how about a cup of green beans?

I started at 310, and I didn't lose on 2000 calories/day until I cut out sugars and cut back on starches and fruits. I'm insulin resistant and have PCOS, though, so I knew that carbs were troublesome for me. Once I cut back to one or two servings a meal (two slices of bread, or an apple, or a bag of chips, but not all three), I really began to lose steadily, if slowly.

You might consider lowering your starches and sugars a bit, and increasing your protein and fat. I find that I am much more satisfied between meals (I have almost completely stopped snacking, which I never dreamed possible!), and that I am satisfied with less food. And when I eat lower in the carb range, my cravings for carbs lessen as well.

Every body is different. Some are more carb sensitive than others.

A lot of good suggestions already but I would also say that I would keep a food log of what you are eating and when and see if there is a pattern. If you are hungry at night, which a lot of people are, save a few calories so that you can have a smaller snack or even a smaller meal at night.

I used to think I had to eat a big breakfast because I had heard that so much but I was actually eating a third of my calories for breakfast and found out it caused me to over eat the rest of the day since I was eating long before my body had had a chance to even get hungry or "wake up".

Now, I am eating more in tune with my body and I find that I am eating less. If I get up around 9:30am and I don't really get "moving" until 10 or 10:30 am, why should I eat a breakfast when lunch is so close? I realize that bucks conventional wisdom about always eating breakfast but now I am more inclined to either miss it altogether or only have a small cup of skim milk.

Like someone else said here, never underestimate the "power" of eating healthy. By that we all mean whole foods like eat an apple rather than having juice, have a piece of low fat string cheese instead of a cup of skim milk, grapes instead of raisins,etc. If you choose the right lower calorie foods that still have a lot of ability to fill you up it will go a long way in reducing the hunger you feel.

I have since discovered that my metabolism runs a little faster than others so I get hungrier faster than some others. The benefit from that is if I eat the correct portions of foods I lose weight faster than others. The challenge is to not overeat, even healthy foods, or to eat foods that are high in calorie but low in nutrients; ie, junk food, fast food, etc.

Thanks for bringing this up becaue I know that it is something that I have to deal with every day. I just sink when I hear about someone eating 1200 calories, I see their food menu, and they say they can't eat all of that. That has never been my problem! Never!

So, if you can think of your hunger as your body is burning off the food you just ate and feel good about that, which is what I try to remind myself, then you will enjoy how well your body is working to rid itself of the extra weight.

This.

The Atkins diet was originally created for very heavy patients who had difficulty exercising. That is what severe carb restriction was created for. Intensive exercise at your weight may be detrimental to your body, unless you're being closely monitored. Weight loss is rarely more than 10% exercise, anyway - it's almost entirely diet.

At your weight, you're probably borderline insulin resistant. If that's the case, it will be even harder for you to lose if you're eating too many carbs. I'm not trying to be insulting, just realistic - when I was 255 pounds, I was insanely insulin resistant. Going the slightest bit off plan caused a weeks long stall. The good news is, I have more leeway now. I can have a piece of birthday cake without worrying that I've screwed up the next month. :P

In any case, extreme hunger at that calorie level is a sign that you're doing something wrong. Your meal plan, IMO, is too heavy on processed foods. Don't drink your calories, even in the form of a smoothie. Some studies have shown that drinking isn't as satiating as eating (flipside: some studies have shown no difference). Also, there is good research to indicate full-fat dairy increases insulin sensitivity and lower type 2 diabetes risk. People who use full-fat dairy tend to have lower BMIs than people who use reduced-fat.

You may be able to eat more, be less hungry, and still lose weight more rapidly on a lower carb WOE (way of eating).


I lose better and have far less hunger on low-carb calories. To lose weight on a normal carb food plan, I have to cut calories to 1500 or less, and I'm hungry all of the time (even on 3000 calories eating this way, I feel like I'm starving all of the time). On a moderately low-carb plan, I can eat 1800 - 2000 calories and am far less hungry doing it, and the weight comes off more consistently.

On a very low carb diet (such as Atkins induction) I'm less hungry (to the point I forget to eat, which is really weird for someone who's been hungry 24/7 all of her life), and I can lose more rapidly and more steadily.

I avoid cutting carbs that low, because with my diabetic meds it makes me more prone to low blood sugar issues.

I'd really suggest trying lower carb. It's possible that you'll find a dramatic difference.

Don't stress too much about mistakes. I quit more weight loss plans because of feelings of failure than of true failure (I was losing weight, just not at the speed I was satisfied with).

Controlling hunger is important, because it's hard to stick with a plan that leaves you hungry.

Volume is one way to feel full, but for me there's both stomach and brain hunger to deal with. Even if my stomach is full to the point of discomfort, if I eat too many carbs, I feel like I'm starving, that I HAVE to eat.

I've learned that "brain hunger" is just as physiological as stomach hunger. It's not a mental "mind" game as much as a physiological reaction to carbs, especially the salt/carb/fat combo that David Kessler talks about in his book The End of Overeating (Barbara Berleley's book Refuse to Regain is really good too. It's a great book about maintenance, but it's useful to read even if you haven't reached your goal weight - I haven't, but maintaining what I've lost is as important (more important in some ways) as losing more

I don't believe I've seen this comment yet, but sorry if I'm repeating:

Why don't you try eating several small meals per day if your schedule allows? You're already doing quite well eating five time per day with your snacks, but you could try thinking of it as 5-6 meals instead of 3 meals and 2 snacks. Like split your regular lunch in half and eat part at 11 AM and part at 3 PM. Overall, just redistribute your calories throughout the day so your snacks are larger and your meals smaller. Maybe if you don't fill yourself up so much during meals you won't feel so empty between meals.

This is a great thread with lots of great advice. I've been able to lose weight with higher carbs (like you are eating now) and with lower carbs (like I am eating now) and I feel more full and satisfied with the lower carbs. That smoothie in the morning would throw me for a loop - especially with fat free milk.

I do drink a shake everyday, but it's a high protein, low carb shake and I LOVE IT. Great for me when I'm running to get the kids ready for school, packing lunches, etc and I don't have time for a sit down dinner yet.

I'm not on a super low carb diet, I eat about 100 net grams a day, but none of them are from simple carbs - zip! I eat one apple a day with peanut butter, hummus with fresh veggies, and eat whatever I make for the family that night, minus the starch (so, if it's stirfry with rice, I skip the rice and throw on a few nuts. If it's pasta with sauce, I make a bed of broccoli slaw (cooked) with the creamy sauce). I am eating typically 1500-1800 calories a day and averaging 2 lbs lost a day. And I exercise every day for an hour 6 days a week - by walking only. Walking is an amazing exercise. For now I've used the Walk it Out game for Wii Fit, so it's walking in place, but I also use the treadmill and walk around the lake near our home. For my weight and out of fitness level, walking is good enough - picking up the speed as I get more and more fit.

Good luck to you, but you got a lot of good advice here!

I have a really hard time when I am feeling hungry on my diet, especially if I let myself get "too" hungry. Then, I find that I start snacking on junk while I'm cooking my healthy meal. Or I eat too fast, so I eat a bigger portion than I really need to be eating. That said, I also try not to panic when I am hungry. When I know that I have eaten recently or had a decent amount of food, I sometimes wait a few minutes to see if it passes. I try going for a quick walk, doing some stretches, listing to music that gets me going, drinking a glass of water, popping in some sugar free gum. Sometimes the hunger passes.

I also find that I am sometimes hungry because there are other things going on... Like I often eat in front of the TV (a terrible habit, I know, but not one I'm ready to change), but I don't otherwise watch much TV. So, sometimes, just sitting down on the couch with the remote will cue hunger -- but it isn't real. Other things that might be going on, for me, include being bored, feeling upset by something that happened in my day, being over tired, feeling antsy or keyed up, or having a specific craving.

The only other thing that I would add is that smoothies don't really work for me. I know that other people really like smoothies, and they can really pack a nutritional punch. But, I like to chew my food. For me, having the yogurt, fruit, etc, separately makes me feel much more full than blending them together.

I hope this helps! Hang in there and good luck!!

Too much foods, too many carbs. Trying going

1 egg
1 slice of wheat toast

snack- smoothie

lunch- salad/greens/tblsp of dressing

snack- fruit *apple banana*
Dinner- lean protein, veggie/complex carb

Drop those calories by eating less but still getting full with fiber/protein.

Are you you a veggie? Is like beans/chick peas and all the yogurt your attempts to get in protein? Just curious.

P.s. I think you should be reducing to about 1600 in order to start seeing a loss. At this caloric intake *most/some* people maintain and never lose.

Good Luck

I didn't read all of the responses...but I would definitely replace some of the carbs with veggies and lean meats.


Try maybe egg whites instead of whole eggs ad some cheese and vegetables. I love egg whites, american cheese, with spinach and bell peppers, broccoli is a great way to add it in too.


I do better on lower carb diets. For me...I try to have 1 or 2 servings of grain and have everthing else be veggies, fruit and lean meats.


Mix it up a bit...that's a lot of Chick Peas!

Have to disagree about getting rid of egg yolks. Egg yolks have lots of trace elements and good fats. The evils of eggs are over - they are a super food. If you HAVE to lower it just because, use two whites to one yolk, but don't get rid of all the yolk.

So glad to see some other low-carb folks showed up on the second page.

Softykins~

If I was eating what you are (in that menu example that you provided)....I would not lose any weight and in fact, would probably gain weight. Why? For me, for some reason, it HAS to be low-carb. VERY low carb....meaning NO simple carbs....with about 75% of my carbs being vegetable. Otherwise, I'm in trouble (hungry constantly....starving, in fact....and constantly craving...and craving carbs)

IMO....I've come to believe.....there are those of us who....due to some metabolic etiologies.....cannot lose weight on low-calorie plans...like many others here have great success with. I believe that our metabolisms are VERY different from theirs.

But whatever the cause.....all I know is that with calorie-counting....all I had was failure...time and time again. But with low-carb....success...and almost too easy, in fact. And the only exercise I did (and still do) is walking every day.....and hit goal in about 8 months. I still eat very low-carb to maintain. I cannot deal with the binging and cravings that simple carbs cause for me and it is just so much easier and better for me to avoid them altogether.

But....that's me (and apparently quite a few others here, too). I throw the idea out there because what can it hurt to give it a try? (I did Atkins....well, still do actually....just a somewhat tweaked maintenance stage).....but just in case you DO happen to be one who can't seem to lose the calorie-counting way.....this will show you that....and give you a chance at success. When losing weight, there is nothing so demoralizing as getting no results week after week.....until you finally give up.

deena :)

I agree

[QUOTE=twinmommaplusone;3729206]Too much foods, too many carbs. Trying going

1 egg
1 slice of wheat toast

snack- smoothie

lunch- salad/greens/tblsp of dressing

snack- fruit *apple banana*
Dinner- lean protein, veggie/complex carb


I totally disagree with this idea..1 egg is okay and slice of whole wheat toast is fine..mixing protein and carb is good if you want to keep carbs in your diet.. You need something to balance out the carb..so protein is great in terms of keeping your blood sugar stable..

If you really need to have a smoothie, i would reccomend that you cut out the banana and replace it with more berries..they are low on the glycemic index and lower in calories ..you could get away with 1 1/2 cups plus yogurt and milk(skim or 1%)

Lunch: you need a protein with your salad..you will starve if you just have a plain salad..spice it up with seeds(Sunflower or pine nuts) or chicken or cheese or a bit of egg

Dinner: totally agree..

It needs to be balanced..but i reccomed you highly cut that banana out cause its full of sugar and something eaten thats high in sugar can cause you to feel hungry faster cause your blood sugar rises and falls..fast..but protein stabalizes it.

I find myself in the same situation, I'm so hungry all the time. What I have been doing is keeping very low calorie foods on had, that way even if i'm close to my calorie allowance I can still snack on them. Some of the foods I snack on are pickles, olives, cucumber, sugar free jello and frozen berries. I made a cabbage soup that has 25 calories per cup. The other night I was desperate to eat something before bed, and I had some canned green beans, only 20 calories.

Try making sure you eat 2 cups of veggies with lunch and dinner. That makes it look like you have a lot more food, and often the fiber will fill you up.

Oh, those Carbs...Some of us need to limit them...
 

I can agree about the whole foods: my 28 yr old daughter is finally just 19 LBS from her goal weight after working on her final 75 LBS for over a year (maintaining in between). What finally helped her was a website called "The Captain's Lady". The diet aks you to ear whole and unprocessed foods mostly. Recently she moved from the "sensitive" diet on that site to a hypoglycemic one-almost the same but allows for more a little protein and fewer carbs. She said today "how am I still losing 2 LBS a week when I had 3 'bad days'" (ate some food not on her list) and "didn't do ALL of my exercise?I told her that she finally fixed her metabolism-she's SO close to goal!
AND, RE the carbs: Just this week my sister had the carb discussion with her leader at WW. She looked over my Sis's journal and said to cut back on the carbs and fats (even tho she stuck to her points) and two days later, she dropped another POUND! The Veggies like broccoli, etc make your body work harder to burn calories because those carbs need to be broken down. Although marketing pushes those 100 calorie pacs and bars at us we may eat way too many carbs unknowingly. Sis's were a about 230 a day when they should have been about 160.

I put my initial loss down to th efact that I cut MOST of the refined carbs out; I easily cut out over 100g a day...!:carrot:

I agree eggs aren't bad for you- in fact I ate eggs everyday (at least 1-2) and my cholesterol went from 230 to 187. :)

I wouldn't lower your calories to 1600, that's just too little to live on for your weight. I think changing up the carbs like you said will show a big improvement :)

Fiber might help. Because I know that nighttime is my worst time for overeating, I take Fiber Choice Weight Management tabs with a full glass of water before I even leave work, and that seems to help somewhat. I have a friend who has lost 40 pounds by eating an apple before lunch and supper. Fiber is filling. You just have to be careful to increase fiber intake GRADUALLY, or you will end up bloated and miserable. I learned that the hard way!