[Beach Patrol]

In no certain amount of time, so far I've lost 34 lb. I'm happy & proud of that so yay me!

But now, it seems, the past few days anyway, I've been hungry-hungry-hungry! Whereas before (at least the past year) that I've been counting my calories & adjusting as needed, I was happy with the amount of food I've been consuming. Learning to "un"learn the bad habit of over-stuffing myself.I think that is a great deal of the success I've had thus far. BUT! - the past few days, I've been having cravings that I haven't had in a long while, and wanting more & more food. Monday I ate just over 2,000 calories! (my normal day is 1,400-1,500 calories) and yesterday I had 1,755 calories... ACK! I was just HUNGRY! -hungrier than normal, anyway!

I thought I was heading back down the "gluttony trail" again, and possibly starting to undo all my hard work.

Then today - I read an article that touts "After dieting, hormone changes may fuel weight gain" - and here's a quick excerpt:

Scientists have known for years that hormones found in the gut, pancreas, and fatty tissue strongly influence body weight and processes such as hunger and calorie burning. And the reverse is also true: A drop in body fat percentage, for instance, causes a decrease in the levels of certain hormones (such as leptin, which signals to your brain when you're full) and an increase in others (such as ghrelin, which stimulates hunger).

Oh sweet merciful Zeus!

Sometimes it seems that our bodies completely work against us in trying to get healthier!!!

Of course the article goes on to say

That's not to say that weight regain is inevitable, or that these drives can't be overcome through willpower. Although the hormone changes noted in the study are very real physical effects, Proietto says, personality and psychological factors may play a role in an individual's ability to manage chronic hunger.

"This may explain why some people maintain weight loss for longer than others," he says. "Maintenance of weight loss requires continued vigilance and conscious effort to resist hunger."

Cutting to the chase, we just need to be ever-mindful of what we're putting in our mouth. But OMG, right now, I feel like I could eat an entire pizza!!! Soooo hard to resist that crazy hunger urge!!! -

What do you when you feel crazy hungry??

and here's the article link if you care to read it:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/health...?iref=obinsite

[slytherinanachronism]

Some things I try when I'm trying to distract myself: drink lots of water, file and paint my nails, braid my hair, clean the house, organize my room, go on 3FC, go for a walk, go shopping, go to the library, and (most importantly) try to avoid the kitchen as much as possible.

[free1]

I'm also calorie counting....I don't know your plan but I had this issue a few weeks ago and someone here told me to increase my intake of complex and healthier carbohydrates and to decrease my "sugar stimulant" foods and low quality carbs (i.e.- yogurts, raisings, 100-calorie carb snacks, etc.). I did somewhat and added in things like sweet potatoes, low-fat cheeses, more fruit, etc.

It helped me with my hungry cravings. I also felt like I was hungry ALL DAY even though I've been calorie counting for months and did not have this problem before. Don't know if this helps but it worked for me.

[popspry]

I started at almost your weight, eat the same calories, have the same goal weight, and am the same height and I started to get really hungry in the mid-150s too. It was definitely a hard time for me, but my crazy hunger seems to have died down, for the time.

[carter]

I have hungry days from time to time, or periods of several days in which I feel hungrier than usual.

To be honest - some of you might not like this answer - what I do when I am genuinely hungry is eat. I try to pick something with lots of protein, like Greek yogurt, boiled eggs, a can of sardines, etc.

That is not to say that I don't try other tricks first - drinking water or a hot beverage, distracting myself for some set period of time until my next meal, etc. But, if my body is genuinely hungry, I have no problem going a couple hundred calories over for a day or two.

I'm not winning any speed records for weight loss anyhow; I'm much happier doing something sustainable and rational (like eating when I'm actually hungry) even if it might mean I only lose 4.5 pounds this month instead of 5.

Now, if we're talking about more than a couple of days, or hunger that occurs more often than a few days a month, it's a sign that something in my plan needs to change. But, a few days a month of occasional hunger? Really I just respond to it with a little healthy, well-chosen food.

[EagleRiverDee]

I try to keep a can of nuts on my desk at work, and if the hungries really set in I'll eat a small handful- about 1 oz- and that usually helps to tide me over until mealtime. I've also greatly increased my protein intake and greatly decreased my carb intake because carbs make me hungy and protein keeps me satisfied for a lot longer. And I drink about 4 liters of water a day (as water or tea). I avoid coffee because it crashes my blood sugar and I get so hungry I get the shakes.

[Steph7409]

I've been crazy hungry the last couple of days myself. I stayed on plan yesterday but haven't done myself any favors today by eating a piece of coffee cake for breakfast (leftovers from an office meeting) and two bags of Snackwell's caramel popcorn for lunch. I'm not over my calorie count but eating snacks instead of better food isn't a good strategy. I think I was hoping it would satisfy my cravings, but no (OF COURSE).

So I'm chewing gum and just waiting to go home and exercise (without stopping at the new pizza place on my way home and eating an entire pizza!).

[lin43]

I know what you mean. Sometime in last month I started feeling that way, and it lasted for more than a week. Prior to that, I had started getting slacker on my eating---i.e., eating more treats more often than I normally would. The apex was Sunday before last when I ended up eating 1/2 of a homemade pecan pie (which is amazingly easy to do, especially if you space it over the course of a day). I decided after that to go back to "phase 1" of my diet (no, I'm not on South Beach---I just mean back to "strict mode"). I went back to only allowing myself a small treat a couple times a week. I started eating filling foods---oatmeal, toast and peanut butter, bean burritos, etc. That helped A LOT! I now feel back to normal.

Another thing I've done for a few weeks now is figure out the calories I need to maintain what would be a decent goal weight for me (140), and start eating at that level (which happens to be 1700-1800 calories). I don't know how much I weigh, but I'm consistently wearing a size 8 (i.e., every size 8 I've tried on in any store fits me), so I'm actually pretty happy with the way I look. As such, I don't really care if I lose any more, but even if I needed to, I would be in no hurry. I figure that I might as well start eating at the level that I will be eating for the rest of my life. The benefit to that, of course, is that now I am eating more food. Amazingly, I feel as if I've lost even more weight since I made this change (some of my clothes are looser).

Perhaps you should try eating the maintenance calories for you goal weight for a while. You'll probably still lose but just more slowly, and you'll be more satisfied and full in the meantime.

[JohnP]

Yes - welcome to the wonderful world of approaching goal weight.

Leptin, and the lack of it, is a major pain in the stomach.

I don't have any answers but you might want to just increase calories and try to maintain for a couple weeks. Then resume a caloric deficit.

Also, intermittent fasting has helped a lot of people.

Finally - I don't know if you're low carb or not but for many people low carb helps control hunger as protein and fat tend to me more satiating than carbs.

[Tomato]

Pretty much what Carter said. When I am hungry, I eat. There was a time when I thought there was something seriously wrong with me because I was CRAZY HUNGRY all the time; and I also kept thinking about food all the time. Then, somehow, it stopped and I think I found some kind of a balance. However, this was not during the course of one week, I am talking about months. But I still, ocassionally, have very hungry days and then I have days when I don't feel to each that much. I don't count calories so I don't worry about what my caloric intake is on any given day.

[berryblondeboys]

Add to that the research (on NPR a week or so back)that says that those who are successful maintainers are those who exercise 6 days a week and eat lower calories than would someone who never was overweight. Basically saying that those who were never fat don't need to exercise as much or eat as little as those who were once fat.... So, you get more hungry, but can eat less and need to move more. No wonder so few manage to keep the weight off... kind of depressing... BUT.... I did this to myself, so I have to deal with the consequences of it too.

[Kahokkuri]

I can map out my CRAZY HUNGRY days according to my birth control schedule. I dread the yellow pills! I do let myself eat when I'm hungry, but my sin is letting 10 almonds turn into half a bag.

I think as long as you're able to stop yourself after a small, filling snack then you can allow yourself some extra calories to make up for the extra hunger.

[marigrace]

Reducing the carbs, and increasing the protein may work. Also, I fill up my plate w/ at least 50% vegetables. Adding fruits and beverages also adds to a feeling of fullness.

[indiblue]

Do you know how HUGE a salad of 350 g of cabbage or spinach is?? Simply massive!!!! And often under 100 calories!

I'm not trying to be snarky- I'm just giddy with how much volume I can eat (and therefore how full I feel) when I have enormous bowls of vegetables for meals. It helps me feel much more full than protein, admittedly. Maybe volume is the trick for you as well?

Good luck

[runningfromfat]

I've had a lot of hungry periods and it normally means for me it's time to change something with my diet. Here are some things that have worked in the past for me:

- changing eating times
- increasing (or decreasing) the number of whole grains in my diet
- checking that I always combine carbs with protein
- increasing the amount of fruit in my diet
- increase or decreasing exercise levels/type of exercise
- increasing amount of protein (specifically red meat)
- decreasing dairy
- cutting back on drinking calories (even stuff like smoothies)

I know there's this problem with leptin levels but I also know there are always things you can tweak in your diet and exercise plan too. Play around with it a bit. I refuse to believe I'm going to be starving for the rest of my life (and honestly? if it gets really bad I'd rather maintain at a higher weight that I found sustainable vs. a lower one that drives me nuts ).