When 1800 calories just isn't enough.

CallMeKriss

First off, i want to start this post off by saying i already feel incredibly stupid posting this.

2 weeks ago, after falling off the wagon for some time, i finally found my motivation to cook and weigh and measure and take care of myself by counting carbs and taking my insulin.
I was incredibly excited and ready to get going, But every time i made a meal, after it was gone, i felt empty, unsatisfied and 30 min later still hungry. Even for a 28, 5'2, 258lbs female, 1800 calories isn't a lot of food to me. my whole day was the same, breakfast was 2 eggs, 3 slices of that ready crisp bacon and a small whole wheat tortilla. Lunch was always just a sandwich. egg salad, ham and cheese, roast beef and mustard, i followed the package nutritional info, as it was presliced deli meats. Never used more then 25g of cheese. Supper was 250g of broccoli, 2 carrots, 4oz of chicken and 4oz of potato with 2tsp of low calorie margarine.
I would only have 1 dessert, which was a cup of skim milk and a mini diet soda cupcake, no frosting and was about 2 bites in size..

After that i felt empty inside. I don't feel normal. Is this a normal amount of food for people? do people feel full and satisfied? why am i counting down the min until i can eat something again, like a little kid at a candy store waiting for the open sign to flip over.

If i was still hungry, i would get some raw veggies but it felt like a punishment.
and afterwards only made me feel worse. ( i know some people are gonna ask to see my diary, but out of frustration, i deleted everything cause i kept looking back and seeing every day being a failure. )

People say to up your protein. Well ive eaten more then my fair share at times and i still find myself back out in the kitchen.
Drink lots of water, 3-4L a day of it actually.
I am just sad.
i could set myself to lose just .5lbs per week, but i feel like im just still being a fat disgusting worthless piece of ****.
Thanks for listening.

jillmarie125

ok- i understand. i am eatinging between 1600 and 1800 a day too. i am hungry or thinking about food from the minute i wake up til about 3pm...then it tapers off. maybe try playing around with your calories for the day. Try eating more for breakfast and see if that helps. Maybe 600cals for breakfast 500cals for lunch 400 cals for dinner and that leaves 300 cals for snacks.

Do you workout? Did MFP set you up with 1800 or did you figure out your BMR/TDEE?

auddii

jillmarie125 wrote: »

ok- i understand. i am eatinging between 1600 and 1800 a day too. i am hungry or thinking about food from the minute i wake up til about 3pm...then it tapers off. maybe try playing around with your calories for the day. Try eating more for breakfast and see if that helps. Maybe 600cals for breakfast 500cals for lunch 400 cals for dinner and that leaves 300 cals for snacks.

Do you workout? Did MFP set you up with 1800 or did you figure out your BMR/TDEE?

I do the opposite, I small portions during the day and eat a huge dinner.

Basically, you need to find what works for you. I'm personally a snacker. I don't eat a traditional breakfast. I get into work, and I'll have a cup of tea for an hour. Then, I have a spoonful of peanut butter, which will stave off the hunger for about another hour. Then, I have a protein shake. All that is logged as "breakfast", but I eat it spread over a few hours.

I also budget for an afternoon snack and my lunch usually has at least 1-2 servings of veggies to help fill me up. Even with my afternoon snack, I'm hungry after work before dinner, so I do some cardio which distracts me and suppresses my hunger at least for a little bit. Then, I have about 1000 calories left for dinner, which is a lot. Some days, I have a high calorie dinner that's pretty filling. Other times, I budget for a beer or ice cream. I can tell you I definitely am more hungry on days I have a beer, but it's so tasty!

Everyone's satiety is different. You're going to need to experiment for what works best for you. Also, another alternative is intermittent fasting where you don't eat except for within certain hours of the day (although that may not work for you since you are an insulin dependent diabetic).

gvhunterollie

Feel free to look in my diary. I am around 1800 a day or so (more when I eat exercise calories). You'll find some reeaallllly unhealthy choices in there (sausage, mayo, tri tip, gelato, etc). You'll find the occasional salad, but not heavy on veggies in general. Those items without moderation is what got me here, but now with more reasonable serving sizes and a little bit of movement, I am slowly reversing the damage.

People here with much more success than I have so far will tell you less in than out and you will lose. They are absolutely correct! My diary is not a shining example of eating healthy, but it does prove their point. This is not a "punishment" as you put it. You can still eat things you like and still lose weight. Start logging again and let people here see it. That will put them in a better position to help you help yourself.

Good luck to you!

getfit4kidd

If you have diabetes, the carbs you're taking in can effect hunger. I see a lot of bread and treats in what you described. Even if they are whole wheat they can still impact how you are feeling. I would try increasing the volume of veggies and fruits you are consuming in place of half of the breads. Increasing lean protein a little can help too. Also the dessert, diet soda and skim milk can all spike your insulin. I would try making those occasional treats. The general rules of moderation change when there is a health issue involved so maybe speaking to a dietitian would help.

Chief_Rocka

Welcome to Team NeverFull

gamesandgains

On lower calories like that you wanna avoid calorie dense foods. Tortillas, depending on the brand, usually hold over 90+ cal. Go for more voluminous choices to keep you full.

nomoredoughnuts

Chief_Rocka wrote: »

Welcome to Team NeverFull

this.

missiontofitness

getfit4kidd wrote: »

If you have diabetes, the carbs you're taking in can effect hunger. I see a lot of bread and treats in what you described. Even if they are whole wheat they can still impact how you are feeling. I would try increasing the volume of veggies and fruits you are consuming in place of half of the breads. Increasing lean protein a little can help too. Also the dessert, diet soda and skim milk can all spike your insulin. I would try making those occasional treats. The general rules of moderation change when there is a health issue involved so maybe speaking to a dietitian would help.

Very true; what I saw was a lot of carbohydrates on that list, and carbs can be a diabetic's worst enemy. You really should meet with a doctor to discuss how many net grams per day your body can handle, if it's possible to reduce your insulin through diet, and what you should be eating period. A family member has been able to keep theirs under control without insulin at all since diagnosis through monitoring their carb intake.

Definitely start with a professional first.

parkscs

One thing that I found helped me was doing intermittent fasting, at least occasionally, as this helps you distinguish true hunger from just wanting to eat to occupy your brain. It sucks the first time or two you do it, but honestly it's empowering to not feel miserable when you skip a meal (or two). For instance, today I did 45 minutes of fasted cardio on just some BCAAs, skipped breakfast and ate for the first time around noon. On days when I know we're going to the pub after work, I'll sometimes skip both breakfast and lunch (other than perhaps a protein shake) in order to save extra calories for dinner. I'm not so much saying you have to do IF forever and certainly I wouldn't recommend imitating the way I eat, haha, but it may be worth a try just to get yourself out of the habit of bored eating/snacking.

acpgee

I find that when I have more than 50g of carbs per sitting, especially early in the day it sets me up to feel ravenous all day. I believe any more than that causes my blood glucose to spike, leading to an insulin spike. The subsequent blood glucose dip a few hours later leaves me hungry and craving carbs.

Try limiting carbs and increasing both fibre and protein and seeing if that affects your appetite.

Contrary to popular fashion, I find I have less appetite if I have 3 large meals with no snacking.

acannon92

It looks like you're eating calorie dense foods as opposed to high volume foods, which could be what's leaving you so unsatisfied. Eating and satiety is also a very mental process for many of us.

For example, your breakfast is healthy, but it's small. How about three eggs, scrambled with veggies (a cup of spinach, maybe mushrooms and peppers?), two slices of bacon, an apple, and skip the tortilla. That tortilla probably has... what, 100 calories, at least? You could probably even go 4 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, slice the apple, and add a T of peanut butter. I don't have your food diary, so I can't compare exactly, but I'm betting that's approximately the same calories.

You've got more volume there, beefing up the eggs with veggies, so you'll fill your stomach.

Another example, sandwiches are great. But bread tends to be calorie dense and light on nutrient. Skip the bread, make it a salad. But no dull, boring rabbit food! 3 - 4 cups of leafy greens, 4 - 5 oz of meat (roasted chicken, well seasoned? yum!). Add sunflower seeds, nuts sparingly. Egg salad is full of mayo which is very high in calories. You can have so much MORE food, volume wise, if you make different choices.

As far as feeling full longer. Yes, protein. I know you say you've done it and it doesn't help, but you need to stick with it and maybe eat even MORE protein if you're still not feeling full. Your sample day is also low on fiber, which is also key to feeling fuller longer. More veggies, more fruit, more fiber. More protein. More volume.

Also, try looking at these books:

Mindless Eating (talks about the psychological side of why we eat so much or don't feel full when we should)
Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan: Feel Full on Fewer Calories (I can't support or negate following this plan, but the CONCEPT is solid)

Hope that helps! Feel free to talk to me whenever I'll do what I can to support and help you. You can do this, you just have to find what works for you! You WILL get there!

lemurcat12

You have to experiment to see what works for you. Figure out when you are hungry and whether it might help to eat more frequently or to bulk up certain meals. Play around with macro mixes.

In looking at your list I had some thoughts, but this is just what works for me. It may or may not help you, as people find different foods and ways of eating satiating (I hate snacking, many people swear by it; I like a bigger breakfast, many don't eat breakfast). You might want to try just looking in people's diaries for ideas.

CallMeKriss wrote: »

breakfast was 2 eggs, 3 slices of that ready crisp bacon and a small whole wheat tortilla.

My thought on this is that it's probably lots of calories without being all that filling. I'd add vegetables (I eat a 2-egg vegetable omelet quite often) and perhaps some protein with fewer calories than the bacon, although the bacon can be okay if it's a higher protein, lower calorie bacon. Lots of people find fat satiating.

I'd scrap the tortilla and have fruit, if anything more, because I personally find tortillas not filling and they often have lots of calories. (But some find bread filling, so this is what I mean by experimenting with what works for you.)

Lunch was always just a sandwich. egg salad, ham and cheese, roast beef and mustard, i followed the package nutritional info, as it was presliced deli meats. Never used more then 25g of cheese.

This doesn't sound all that filling and could probably have more bulk and more protein. I'd have a salad or soup with vegetables or just cooked veggies on the side and consider making it a giant salad with protein in it, which probably would have more protein than the sandwich. In doing that (assuming you don't spend a lot of calories on dressing), you could probably end up with some excess calories to use for an additional snack if that would help you stay full--maybe 150 for some greek yogurt and fruit?

Supper was 250g of broccoli, 2 carrots, 4oz of chicken and 4oz of potato with 2tsp of low calorie margarine.

This seems really low calorie for a dinner, depending on what the margarine is. I'd actually add some more protein here too, like maybe a bigger piece of chicken.

I would only have 1 dessert, which was a cup of skim milk and a mini diet soda cupcake, no frosting and was about 2 bites in size..

I'm not against dessert (have it most nights), but this sounds depressing (unless you really like it, in which case ignore)--but it also seems not high in calories (90+?).

On the whole, I think you could have bigger and more filling meals for fewer calories. I feel like I eat much more food and stay below 1650 (and would have said the same even when I was doing 1400).

missiontofitness

CallMeKriss wrote: »

So.. basically what im reading it...
a small tortilla, 2 slices of bread and a cupcake no bigger then my mouth, is too many carbs, and i should cut that back...
yet, the rule most people go by on other posts is, if it fits into your macros, you can have it...
i used to eat 300-400 carbs per day.. i thought i was doing something right. it seems like even well intentioned attempts are wrong.
how depressing.
thanks everyone for the advice.
i guess weight loss and eating properly just isnt for me.

You're eating more carbs than you think.

Breakfast: a tortilla has carbs.
Lunch: Are you using bread? Two slices of bread has carbs, and a lot or a little depending on the brand you use.
Dinner: very carb heavy in the amounts you are eating. Broccoli (per 100g is 7g of carbs), carrots (per 100g of carrot is 6g of carbs), and potatoes (per 100 grams are 17g of carbs) are very carb heavy.

Plus, the dessert choices as well.

You need to make well informed decisions with a doctor, and not give up so easily. Diabetes is not something you mess around with, and the complications can shorten your life and reduce your quality of life very quickly when it is not handled correctly. You need to figure out how many grams of carbs is good for you on a daily basis and per meal, and how/where you should be controlling your sugar intake.

missiontofitness

CallMeKriss wrote: »

veggies do not count as carbs when it comes to diabetes because the fiber in the veggies is high enough that they dont matter

I feel like you disregarded the rest of my post, and only focused on where I pointed out the carb content of the vegetables.

lemurcat12

CallMeKriss wrote: »

yet, the rule most people go by on other posts is, if it fits into your macros, you can have it...

But you have to start by figuring out what your macros should be. Reasons to have lower carb macros might include being diabetic or having insulin issues (people should talk to their doctors about that) OR--and this was relevant for me--being less filling. I am more satisfied eating about 150 g or less of carbs, even though I do a good amount of cardio. That is definitely not the case for everyone, but it's worth experimenting with.

More significantly, since I didn't count up your carbs is that the meals you mentioned don't seem very high in protein, and many people are more satisfied eating more protein. Also, in that I mentioned fruit as a possible sub for bread (both carbs) is that fiber or simply different foods may be more filling. For me fruit is filling, for you (especially with insulin issues) it might not be.

Again, not the case for everyone, but maybe worth trying.

Don't get depressed; it just takes experimenting. When you track you can go back and identify when you were hungry and what foods were adding more calories and not contributing enough to being full. It's just trial and error until you figure it out.

LeonCX

yeah. woohoo.
anyway.. thanks anyways.
goodnight

Removing my comment, apparently, she didn't like anyone's advice.

JenniferIsLosingIt

I am with those who say less carbs. Yes if it fits in your macros you can eat it but carbs make diabetics hungry. ( I am a former type2 diabetic.) Go higher protien and fiber and complex carbs and you will find yourself much fuller and more satisfied. Unless you are boredom or emotional eating. I havent found a magic cure for that one yet. You have to find balance and have the right mental attitude about "dieting" (I prefer the term lifestyle adjustment) If you see it as torture and something you DON"T want to do then you are correct losing weight and getting healthier is not for you. Good luck. Try to find you "WHY" and post it somewhere you can see it. This may help with the mental part of it...