Super hungry lately
 

I've been successful losing weight with WeightWatchers/counting calories so far.

But for the past few weeks, I've found it really hard to stay under my daily points/calorie target. Some of it is probably due to stress and emotional eating, but some of it is definitely just stomach-growling hunger.

Has anyone else had this problem as they got closer to their goal weight? Any advice?

I don't mind losing more slowly, but I don't want to start going in the wrong direction!

What appears to be a simple question is actually quite complex so here are my questions.

1) What have you estimated your maintinence calories to be and how many care you consuming?

2) What is your aproximate macro nutrient breakdown of the calories you're consuming?

3) What does your exercise routine look like?

4) How long have you been dieting without a break?

1) Maintenance calories around 1650-1700? I've been eating 1200-1300 calories/day for the past few weeks. But in the past I was eating closer to 1000 calories/day (although I mainly focused on eating 26 or fewer WW points/day).

2) Ouch...I didn't even realize Myfitnesspal tracked this. Looks like calorie breakdown for past week is 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein.

3) Exercise routine is unfortunately nonexistent.

4) I've been dieting since March without a break.

How long have you been feeling hungrier? For me TOM affects this a lot.

Hmm...that could be it. TOM should be this week.

that could definitely explain it. maybe try more protein though.

Good idea, more protein should definitely help. I'll try that. Thanks.

No exercise? Interesting. Why not?

You could just push through it but I'd advise you to stop worrying about your scale weight for a while and starting finding a WOE (way of eating) and an exercise you can live with forever. This might be a big help psychologically.

TOM doesn't help matters and certainly fewer carbs would help but you've been dieting for a while and taking a break might not be a bad idea. Leptin is a big controller of hunger and research shows as you get thinner your leptin levels decrease.

Start increasing calories until you find maintinence is something worth considering. In a couple weeks you can resume dieting.

No good reason for the lack of exercise except that I need to make myself do it :-)

In terms of eating, I thought I was doing ok with eating in a way that I could maintain long-term, but it's certainly not sustainable if I'm hungry all the time.

Interesting about the leptin...I didn't know that.

I think I will increase calories for awhile and see if that helps, although the idea of increasing calories is kind of a scary thought. I guess I will have to do that eventually anyway for maintenance, so might as well work on it now.

So I guess I don't really know what I'm asking anymore, but I appreciate the advice and will try to put it to good use. :-)

Thanks for taking the time to respond. You're one of the most helpful posters I see on 3FC.

Also, maybe all that simply winter coming back? It's getting much colder here now, and it seems logical to me that our bodies may start demanding more food to keep themselves warm. (Uh, that is, if you're like me and are pushing back the moment to turn the heaters on, because if I don't it'll just be too expensive in the end. ^^; )

if i were you id try more protein and mess around with your calories. you cant maintain if you're always hungry and sometimes its just trial and error.

Probably not winter--it was 80 degrees F here yesterday :-)

I'll play around with things and report back. Thanks!

For me that type of unrelenting hunger can almost always be traced to poor water intake. It sounds ridiculously simplistic but that's what always ends up fixing it.

I've had that happen, too. I'm pretty close to goal and I do WW online.

In addition to the adding more protein suggestion, something that has helped me is to incorporate some new foods into my routine. I will typically eat the same things about 85% of the time, just a big rotation of items, so it's always odd when I've eaten the same things I have in the past, yet I feel hungry. I find recipes/items with the same points total as what I "normally" eat and switch it out and that really has helped (and I've found a lot of great new options to add into my routine so I don't get bored).

Also, I find if I eat a larger meal late at night, I'm way more hungry throughout the morning (even after breakfast) - so a light dinner helps, too.

I also agree 100% with the more liquids suggestion, dehydration can really feel like hunger.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I definitely eat the same things most of the time, so I will try varying what I eat and drinking more water.

LucyRic - You have done so amazing so far! Having just started weight watchers myself and being a bit heavier than you were when you started is really motivating for me. I wanted to ask you about what you have done for exercise since you first started. Did you incorporate exercise into your routine at all or was it strictly your diet change that caused the weight loss. I tend to stay within my WW points for the day every day, and I only went over this past week and pulled from my flex points or whatever they are because it was my birthday and there was cake involved! Otherwise I haven't gone over really. Did you find that you go over your daily intake often or not?

Any tips would help, I'm so glad I found your posts and I look forward to being where you are today sometime soon.

I agree with Julia. protein helps limit hunger to a point. maybe cut sugars? if you can. they can make us get hungry because insulin can trick you to feel hungry too. or carbs in general.