I would cut out all grains and starchy veggies for the next while, load up on protein and good fats. Eat nothing out of a box. It works for me!

"My stomach just aches and feels empty."

I never post on here, but I had something different to say, so I wanted to write. For years I was having this stomach aching and empty feeling that I assumed was hunger. Sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night with it and have the urge to drink a glass of milk (then it would go away, so I'd assume it was hunger). I don't know how, but at some point I coincidentally took some tums instead when I had that feeling and it went away! It turns out, that for me, that feeling is different than tummy rumbling hunger... it is actually a form of indigestion or heartburn, I guess. It's in my stomach, not in my chest, so I just assumed hunger. So, it has taken me a few years to distinguish between indigestion in my tummy and true hunger. Sometimes I will try tums and a glass of water and figure if it doesn't go away then maybe it's hunger (it always goes away). Obviously, this is only if I know I shouldn't be hungry, like I've eaten recently. Just my experience and two cents worth.

@QuilterInVermont
I just have to say that I saw your signature on another post, and you are amazing and my new hero. I started at 280lbs and am down to somewhere around 240 I think. (I went on vacation at 250lbs, but have clearly lost weight since then with no idea how much!) I hope I can be as productive as you at losing this weight!

I second the post above (Lovely13). Hunger shouldn't be a "gnawing" sensation in your stomach. You may just be producing a bit more acid in your stomach. I agree with most of the folks here that Special K isn't the most filling breakfast. It's certainly got vitamins and nutrition to it and isn't the worst breakfast in the world- I understand why a nutritionist would approve.

I understand your frustration. You thrived and lost weight on this meal plan before and now you don't understand why you are hungry on it. There are a variety of possible factors. You haven't mentioned what you ate when you weren't trying to lose weight.

Eating and digesting food is a complex process that involves several systems in the body. When the diet is abruptly changed this throws the body out of balance for a little while. I could explain it in more detail but it would probably bore the **** out of you.

Long story short: give your body a few weeks to come back to equilibrium. You were successful eating this way before, and you will be again if you stick to it. Don't get frustrated with the carb police on these forums. Many people have had success here by limiting carbohydrates but that doesn't mean it's the best for everyone.

Stick with it, drink plenty of water, and breathe. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

p.s.- Wannabeskinny- gluten isn't sugar, it's wheat protein

I think OP sounds like she is describing hunger and not heartburn or something else. 1200-1400 calories of a 65/25/10 carb/protein/fat split (pulled this ratio out of nowhere based on one days description) distributed through a whole day doesn't go very far and feels pretty bad after a while for most adults, certainly younger ones or anyone active.

Some people do better on low calories than others and not one solution worms for everyone.vvI personally struggled massively trying to eat under 1500 low protein low fat and gained 10 lbs in a few months through massive binges every other week that undid any fat loss progress. I chose the path of more calories, no breakfast and a lot more exercise and found that to be sustainable.

One thing for sure - it's a lot easier to gain than to lose!

Okay, now that I have read the entire thread, I can add my thoughts.

I know everyone's body is different, and this might not work for you, but I have felt what you are describing before. The answer itself is, admittedly, unhealthy; but as you know, unhealthy can be okay in small doses. Any time I had the feelings you are having, the only thing (literally) that made me feel better at all was a glass of chocolate milk. That is it! And not the sort of chocolate milk that you follow the directions and add two tablespoons or however much it says to the glass. What I do is just you one or two teaspoons, two being my limit, and I feel much better. Even a chocolate flavoured protein shake can work, but I find that the simple milk itself works much better. I know, I know, I'm probably going to get yelled at for suggesting such a thing on a health thread, but it's such an awful feeling and if I can provide an idea for something that could legitimately make you feel better; it would feel more wrong of me not to!

Hi! Lots of good advice already. If the Special K is your thing, stick with it. Obviously it was fine for the past year!

Maybe the hormonal changes with IVF, etc, are causing an insatiable feeling? The only time of the month where I feel my hunger is completely out of whack with the calories I am consuming, is near my period.

Kaitie, I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles with infertility. I'm struggling with the same thing. It definitely makes sense that it could lead to depression and having a harder time with food.

That being said, I agree with those who have said maybe your body is re-adjusting to how you're eating? I've been doing this for 3 months now and I've had a couple of random weeks when I was super hungry for no explainable reason, too. It passes, though. Are you able to resist during that time or does it feel torturous? Incorporating more protein like others have suggested sounds good, too. Protein is the #1 thing that stops me from being hungry and makes me full longest. If you want to keep the Special K, maybe you could add a serving of protein as well, like a hard boiled egg, cup of yogurt, or homemade turkey sausage patty. Then for your snacks, maybe you could try something with protein instead of (or in addition to) the fruit, or do a veggie and protein for a snack. I eat fruit every day and usually pair it with protein like nuts or something.

Good luck

Oh, Kaitie, PLEASE don't take the opinions given here as public shaming. Some of the opinions may have differed from what you heard, but they are meant as honest feedback to your question. The bottom line is for you to do what works for YOU. We are all wishing you well in your weight loss journey!!! :-)

I don't see where anyone wrote something that was "public shaming." You asked for help, and people are giving you their thoughts. You're free to take it or leave it, but getting angry at people who are trying to help isn't very respectful.

I agree with what others have said. You probably need to up your protein. I have gotten that shaky feeling and gnawing hunger before, and it was after eating a small, carb-laden breakfast. I would eat breakfast at 8 a.m. and then crash by 10 a.m. If I had an egg and a protein shake instead of cereal, I would be fine until lunch. I would try increasing your protein, and if it doesn't work, try something else.

Just because something worked for you doesn't mean it will always work. Some dieters stall after awhile because their body gets used to the plan. If you switched to a low carb diet or some other plan, it could jump start your weight loss. I hope you find something that works.

I haven't read all the posts below but essentially i agree with your doctor. 1200 - 1400 calories is too low for you and have triggered the hormonal response that says you need to eat. Other things than trigger this response like certain medications (antipsychotics) and depression. But you are probably not eating enough calories.

Try not to be too disheartened by your backstop. most of what you lost was just water. You will lose it again in no time.

However, don't go so low with your calories. Its simply not necessary and as you can see its not advisable.

You've already lost a lot of weight and that weight reduction from your normal amount is what it is thats probably triggered it. I read the other year in a very good article about why people have trouble losing weight is because when you lose around 10% there's a body reaction and you get ravenous. That's where you are at right now.

I would suggest trying to normalise the reaction by figuring out what calories you can eat to maintain your current weight. And eat that for a week or until you appetite settles down. Then when that happens, reduce it a little bit but not a lot. YOu need to lose weight more slowly now. Whenever your appetite goes a bit wonky like above, go back to maintaining rather than losing calories.

This is what i intend to do this time. In fact i'im probably going even slower than that. You need to be a bit patient and don't panic though its good you went to see your doctor.

Also what are you eating? I don't know if it makes a difference really whether its high protein or normal healthy eating but you might consider changing to a normal eating style rather than low carb if that's what you doing simply because you can't eat low carb for the rest of your life. Its not healthy.

I'im about the same weight as you and my recommended calorie intake with no exercise according to fitness pal was 1650 to lose half a pound a week. I used MFP to work out the calories and said i didn't do any exercise. If i was going out to an office, i would put my exercise up a tiny bit higher because that is a hungrier situation. Im at home.

Occasionally i do some heavy gardening and this usually causes quite a drop in my weight. Eventually i want to exercise but not yet. Too busy.

Sasha there were probably more calories in your protein shake and egg breakfast than the carb laden one. That would be why you did better on the protein. Satiety from protein is only a short term thing. It comes at the time of eating. Low GI carbs will keep hunger away for as long as any protein if eaten in the same quantity of calories.

I have to disagree with you here. If I eat two eggs I'll stay full much longer than if I eat the caloric equivalent in cereal. Much of that has to do with the insulin response that is provoked when you eat carbohydrates. I didn't want to chime in with the rest of the low carbers on that point because they had already beaten that horse enough, but in all honesty calories are not digested the same depending on the food.

Eating moderate protein, high FAT meals will give you the greatest satiety. I was skeptical about this premise at first until I tried it. Of course you can say that "everybody's different" etc. etc. but there are also controlled studies of this phenomenon. Some foods stick with you longer- I used to eat very low fat and low protein vegan whole foods- I was hungry all the time no matter how many calories I ate. Now that I eat moderate protein, high fat, and low carb I can go for hours and hours without eating even after a small (400 calorie) meal.

That said, you can't just eat tons of protein and expect to be satisfied all day long. Judging by the meal plans I've seen there are many people here eating far too much protein. Excess protein is converted to glucose in the liver and actually triggers an insulin response just like sugars and carbs do. The best thing to eat for satiation is fat. We've been made fat-phobic by health professionals for decades now and it has only made our waistlines expand.

TL;DR: Eat fat. Some protein. Ditch carbs. That is the recipe for fullness.

I get insatiably hungry when I ovulate (to the point where I would be close to tears on my drive home from work, because I was so hungry) . Wasn't always that way. Has only really started in the past couple years. So it could be hormonal. Especially if you've been doing IVF treatments I imagine. It's very much the same for me. Doesn't matter what I eat, I will be hungry. So that might be something to keep in mind. My episodes last from a few days to a week. If that's not it, I hope you can find something that will help. I hate it when I feel so hungry like that. It's miserable. And I'm sorry you're having such a frustrating time trying to conceive.

Thanks for the positive and uplifting advice.

I upped my protein today, I'm at 122 grams for the day. I'm wondering if since I went seriously hard core back into my exercise that my muscles were just starving. I did another seriously intense day of exercise (and snow shoveling!!!!!) and at the moment feel good. Maybe the extra protein is what I needed. So, if it really was that I needed more protein than my muscles will soon start burning off more fat--and that's a good thing!

Thanks again for the advice, and I'll let ya'll know how I feel tomorrow--see if the extra protein did the trick.