I feel like I'm starving!! :(

notsuchaskinnybitch

I think you should cut it back slowly. Start at 2000 a week then reduce by 100 a week? I do the TDEE method which works much better for me. This means I eat 2000 a day but don't count my exercise calories.

lauramegan28

I do need to force myself to drink more for sure! I really am not a fan of water, but will make myself love it eventually!
[/quote]

I wasnt a fan of water either but I cut everything out my Doctor told me to stop drinking all my calories. It helps for me if its partially frozen extremely cold then I love water but cant do room temp water blah

rbfdac

Jumping on the protein wagon- I eat 1500-1600 calories a day and find that protein is essential. If I have less protein for breakfast than usual (I try to eat at least 15 g), I am starving by 10 am, rather than noon like usual. If I didn't get my protein snack at 2-3pm (Dannon light & fit Greek Yogurt usually), I would keel over before dinner!

CorlissaEats

You have gotten some great tips so far.
I find I do best when I feel full and it takes a lot to fill me up. So that usually translates into huge portions of veggies with any meal and some protein to make it stick.

I really cut back on starches or carbs, not because they are bad but because I get more volume per calorie with other foods. Example: 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes/pasta/rice vs. 3c of steamed veggies. I'd rather have more food than less food.

I frequently bulk out my dishes with veggies. Grated zucchini in chili, three times the broccoli in my teriyaki, adding kale to my pasta sauces, or Roasted carrots, beets and potatoes instead of plain roasted potatoes. Anything I can do to introduce more of the lower calorie foods I naturally enjoy.

Its not uncommon for me to eat dessert after dinner. I find its a useful signal that the eating period is done. I am more likely to want to snack if I haven't had something.

Mary407

First off, WTG positive MFP peeps! It does not seem like the norm to find a thread with all helpful and well meaning advice (and no snarky comments).

The bulk up on veggies thing is really solid advice, and I love Corlissa's examples. One more: lunch today for me was dinner leftovers of steamed shrimp, rice noodles, and a spicy "Asian slaw" (shredded cabbage, cuke, carrots, onion, peppers with a rice vinegar based dressing). I had four ounces of noodles and two full cups of slaw. If I had skipped the slaw, I could have had maybe another 1.5 ounces of noodles. I feel much more satisfied (more to eat) and fuller with all that crunch, yummy slaw. You will surely find similar tricks to bulk up your meals with simple calorie offsets. Again, wishing you success!

BWBTrish

I have some lime and lemon juice in my water. I dont like plain water either. But i find ways around it. Some fresh berries in it with ice cubes etc. Gives the water some flavor. I only dont sweeten it. But there are lots of ways to give water a "nicer" taste for people who dont like to drink plain water. For me the ice does it. When it is cold enough its easier for me

Every evening i feel my 4 bottles with some water and put them in the freezer. I get them out in the morning and fill them up with water. The whole day freezing cold water. And than some i do some lemon slice in it.

rcsmommy

CorlissaEats wrote: »

You have gotten some great tips so far.
I find I do best when I feel full and it takes a lot to fill me up. So that usually translates into huge portions of veggies with any meal and some protein to make it stick.

I really cut back on starches or carbs, not because they are bad but because I get more volume per calorie with other foods. Example: 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes/pasta/rice vs. 3c of steamed veggies. I'd rather have more food than less food.

I frequently bulk out my dishes with veggies. Grated zucchini in chili, three times the broccoli in my teriyaki, adding kale to my pasta sauces, or Roasted carrots, beets and potatoes instead of plain roasted potatoes. Anything I can do to introduce more of the lower calorie foods I naturally enjoy.

Its not uncommon for me to eat dessert after dinner. I find its a useful signal that the eating period is done. I am more likely to want to snack if I haven't had something.

Those are great tips!! Thank you!

rcsmommy

nxd10 wrote: »

1. Get a fitbit or similar (the zip can be had through ebay for $40) and let it log your running around. This gets you extra calories so you may be able to eat more. Yay!

2. Log any other exercise you do - which will let you eat more. Yay!

3. If I get more than 40% of my calories from carbs I feel like I'm starving and I can't lose weight. Healthy things that do that to me - pancakes for breakfast, oatmeal, anything with lots of sugar and unprocessed carbs. 40% isn't low carb. It's higher protein and fat.

4. If you're hungry, eat something with protein and/or fat. I used to have a big spoonful of ice cream or 5 or 6 nuts. Log it. It made me hold off until the next meal.

5. If you're still hungry, go to half a pound a week and KEEP LOGGING. You'll get there. This is a great decision you've made to lose weight. Stick with it.

Bought a fitbit flex last night and have it all set up and linked to MFP. Have it set for "Active time" goal instead of steps and have plans to get Active Points each hour! Hoping this helps motivate me a bit more!

eatmindfully

I think you are on the right track. Try opening up your diary? Don't eat processed or high salt foods. Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, beans and such. You will be amazed with vegetables how much you can eat for so few calories. Plus you are fueling your body! The sugar, salt and chemicals will mess with your cravings. Some people find a high quality protein shake helpful. Good luck! Drink a lot of water. Try to move more so you can have some calories in reserve so that if you do go over you don't sabotage your goals.

kickinmom

Make sure you are eating enough protein and fat. Too little fat can make you hungry, as can too little protein; the low-fat craze has been found to be unsound. Use veggies to fill you up. There is a product called PGX that you can get on Amazon or at Whole Foods to add to smoothies or liquid, and that will keep you full longer and stabilize your blood sugar.

I'm a bit older than you, but these tricks - plus the right supplements - have helped me be satisfied with lower calories and start the weight loss again.

njmark72

A few things to think about....

Going from eating way too much to eating at a calorie deficit is hard and there is pain involved. The first few weeks of food withdrawal are tough. Fight through it. Use 100 calorie snacks or something like cheerios to help you through. Once you are through that period of withdrawal you will feel much better.

Find lower calorie alternatives for the foods you like, they're out there. If you like bacon and eggs in the morning use egg beaters and hormel microwave bacon (4 slices = 70 cals).

In the beginning, don't eat out, you will not be able to accurately count your calories unless you go to fast food places that list their calories. So be careful.

Walk. Walk a lot. Park far away from where you are going so you walk even more. More time working = more time burning calories and less time consuming calories. Once you are stronger you will feel even better walking, and enjoy doing it.

Most importantly, with persistence and determination you will find your happy place, look around this place is full of amazing people who have done it. And like me, most enjoy helping complete strangers find their way. So make friends, lean on them for support and ask a lot of questions. I did. It worked!

Best of luck to you!

Mark

frksfrau

In the days leading up to starting this program, I couldn't eat enough to satisfy my munchies. It did take a couple of days for that feeling to go away, but I've been doing this for 8 weeks and I now have to set timers to remind me to eat. Good Luck!!

lubalubies

DavidFitFocus wrote: »

Take your time. Go easy on you. It took me awhile to put on the weight; it will take me a while to take it off. Most important thing is that I'm changing my lifestyle and that takes time. Remember you are amazing already and there's no finish line to cross to be wonderful and lovable!

What a lovely thing to say. It made me feel good about myself too

rcsmommy

njmark72 wrote: »

A few things to think about....

Going from eating way too much to eating at a calorie deficit is hard and there is pain involved. The first few weeks of food withdrawal are tough. Fight through it. Use 100 calorie snacks or something like cheerios to help you through. Once you are through that period of withdrawal you will feel much better.

Find lower calorie alternatives for the foods you like, they're out there. If you like bacon and eggs in the morning use egg beaters and hormel microwave bacon (4 slices = 70 cals).

In the beginning, don't eat out, you will not be able to accurately count your calories unless you go to fast food places that list their calories. So be careful.

Walk. Walk a lot. Park far away from where you are going so you walk even more. More time working = more time burning calories and less time consuming calories. Once you are stronger you will feel even better walking, and enjoy doing it.

Most importantly, with persistence and determination you will find your happy place, look around this place is full of amazing people who have done it. And like me, most enjoy helping complete strangers find their way. So make friends, lean on them for support and ask a lot of questions. I did. It worked!

Best of luck to you!

Mark

Thank you!!

rcsmommy

eatmindfully wrote: »

I think you are on the right track. Try opening up your diary? Don't eat processed or high salt foods. Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, beans and such. You will be amazed with vegetables how much you can eat for so few calories. Plus you are fueling your body! The sugar, salt and chemicals will mess with your cravings. Some people find a high quality protein shake helpful. Good luck! Drink a lot of water. Try to move more so you can have some calories in reserve so that if you do go over you don't sabotage your goals. [/

It's open to friends.

rcsmommy

eatmindfully wrote: »

I think you are on the right track. Try opening up your diary? Don't eat processed or high salt foods. Eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, beans and such. You will be amazed with vegetables how much you can eat for so few calories. Plus you are fueling your body! The sugar, salt and chemicals will mess with your cravings. Some people find a high quality protein shake helpful. Good luck! Drink a lot of water. Try to move more so you can have some calories in reserve so that if you do go over you don't sabotage your goals.

My diary is open to friends.

MonaLisaLianne

When my son was little I seemed to be starving ALL the time. Some of that has to do with lack of sleep. Even though it's hard to do, try to get at least 7 hours a night. Also, I recently went through a few months of feeling hungry all the time, and lo and behold! it was the Benadryl I was taking for seasonal allergies. Since stopping it my appetite has become a lot more manageable. There are meds that make one hungry.

rcsmommy

daymonalisa wrote: »

When my son was little I seemed to be starving ALL the time. Some of that has to do with lack of sleep. Even though it's hard to do, try to get at least 7 hours a night. Also, I recently went through a few months of feeling hungry all the time, and lo and behold! it was the Benadryl I was taking for seasonal allergies. Since stopping it my appetite has become a lot more manageable. There are meds that make one hungry.

Interesting! I definitely don't get enough sleep with three little ones, somebody is always waking me for one reason or another! Currently, my 18 mo is getting two molars and has been up several times a night for the past week, ugh! I Also have finals this week so there's stress too. I got a Fitbit yesterday and wore it to bed last night...results said I was "restless" 35X throughout the night, no wonder I'm exhausted every morning!

yoovie

you will adjust, do not despair

laura2813

Thanks for asking this question!! I've been back for a couple days now and feel like I could eat the furniture. All the great advise on this thread will be helpful to me also. Good luck & it looks like you have plenty ready to help.