Your tricks to 'embrace' the pain of your lifestyle changes?

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  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    The negativity toward the original post is so disappointing. People share their feelings on here for support. Saying things like "I don't have any pain" is not helpful. OF COURSE people are going to experience pain or discomfort when they are making changes in their lifestyle.

    Then why haven't most of us who responded felt this pain or discomfort? I felt no pain or discomfort when I cut out gluten, because cutting it out relieved pretty much all of my digestive issues. I did feel unhappy cutting out dairy before this, and since it didn't alleviate my symptoms I gladly started eating it again. I did not feel discomfort eating less food because I'm just... eating less food and it's still a very reasonable intake.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
    RoToQ wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    The negativity toward the original post is so disappointing. People share their feelings on here for support. Saying things like "I don't have any pain" is not helpful. OF COURSE people are going to experience pain or discomfort when they are making changes in their lifestyle.

    ummm no, the point that us "negative" people are making is that losing weight does not equal self torture, aka pain.

    You can eat in a moderate deficit, hit your calorie/micro/macro goals, eat the foods you like, and exercise moderately and you will lose weight and reach your fitness goals...

    the problem is when people equate dieting with having to cut out whole food groups, train seven days a week, two times a day, and think that they have to eat 1200 calories a day while training to excess...

    "UUmmm yes". Some people get quite strong hunger pains on a 250kcal/day deficit. I know because I do. I eat healthy, quality foods, high protein and fat, but I still get them. Some people do. Some people are different than you. So by your own admission, you are not qualified to advise on how to deal with these pains.

    I would suggest playing with your meal pattern. E.g. if you eat 4 x 500kcal meals a day, try changing the timings if possible, or maybe 5 x 400kcals a day etc. I helps for me, a bit. I was never hungry in the morning so I just skip breakfast and my first meal is my Pre-WO at 10am. I can then use those calories later in the day. Eating the same amount of calories but I get less hunger pains.

    And what is your estimated TDEE/maintenance, current caloric intake, and rate of weight loss? You can be at an estimated 10% deficit but in reality be at a 15 or 20% deficit because calculators are not always correct in their estimations for each person. It's all averages. And what about your macro breakdown - what is high protein and fat to you? I need at least 55g fat as a bare minimum, ideally in the 60s-70s to be happy; I weigh 158. I had a day eating 2500 calories, about 130g of protein, and only like 30-some grams of fat, the rest in carbs. I was STARVING. My workout sucked. I've not done another refeed since. I eat 130g of protein, I do not consider that high, but more so moderate. My fat is also not that high, it's about moderate.

    But then again, maybe I don't feel hungry because I eat whatever I want while hitting protein needs. Chocolate can be quite filling when consumed as part of your breakfast.
  • neverend
    neverend Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks to the OP for bringing this up. When I first started MFP a couple of years ago I couldn't believe how easy it was. I was singing its praises to everyone and wondering how on earth anyone could be overweight when all you needed to do was count calories. But then something changed in me and I started feeling hungry all the time. Everyday was a struggle to meet the calories and the thought of having to live the rest of my life like this was so depressing. Its been like that now for the past year. I stop doing MFP gain a few kg, get back on it again, am hungry for months and then can't bare it any longer. Sometimes different things help, more aerobic excercise seems to curb my appetite sometimes, other times its more water or more protein, but none of these seem to stick and so while the first time i did this I sailed down to 65kg I've now been hovering around 70kg and can't seem to get anywhere with it all. Really it's that thought that this is going to be the rest of my life if I want to stay this weight that gets me..
  • deaniac83
    deaniac83 Posts: 166 Member
    The first step for me to healthy weight loss was to choose healthy foods, but delicious foods. I am a foodie. That is never going to change, nor do I want it to. So I will never be able to stick to celery sticks. I learned that eating healthy doesn't have to mean ticking off my taste buds.

    I have played around and created some delicious recipes for myself: e.g. lean pork or chicken slow cooked with a little broth and mushrooms and cashews on top, with a side of brussel sprouts or steamed veggies. An orange. A hard boiled egg (no way I'd give up the egg yolk). Sometimes with rice. If it's dinner, finish off with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream with just a touch of chocolate syrup on top. This is just one example.

    I love KFC. I don't eat it every day or even every week, but when I feel like it, I eat it. I log it. But I eat it.

    I have found that when I eat food I love, the cravings to binge go away. Also, I love filling foods: whether it's a low calorie cucumber or high fat nuts. There are ways to keep your body feeling full and without feeling deprived. You discover these ways and you don't even want to go back because somehow, you are finding the healthy eating MORE delicious than munching on chips all day.
  • This content has been removed.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    RoToQ wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    RoToQ wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    The negativity toward the original post is so disappointing. People share their feelings on here for support. Saying things like "I don't have any pain" is not helpful. OF COURSE people are going to experience pain or discomfort when they are making changes in their lifestyle.

    ummm no, the point that us "negative" people are making is that losing weight does not equal self torture, aka pain.

    You can eat in a moderate deficit, hit your calorie/micro/macro goals, eat the foods you like, and exercise moderately and you will lose weight and reach your fitness goals...

    the problem is when people equate dieting with having to cut out whole food groups, train seven days a week, two times a day, and think that they have to eat 1200 calories a day while training to excess...

    "UUmmm yes". Some people get quite strong hunger pains on a 250kcal/day deficit. I know because I do. I eat healthy, quality foods, high protein and fat, but I still get them. Some people do. Some people are different than you. So by your own admission, you are not qualified to advise on how to deal with these pains.

    I would suggest playing with your meal pattern. E.g. if you eat 4 x 500kcal meals a day, try changing the timings if possible, or maybe 5 x 400kcals a day etc. I helps for me, a bit. I was never hungry in the morning so I just skip breakfast and my first meal is my Pre-WO at 10am. I can then use those calories later in the day. Eating the same amount of calories but I get less hunger pains.

    Nah, you're missing the point. Some of us, including me, believe that hunger is not painful, Hunger is natural. I would be surprised if anyone who is eating within a certain calorie goal is not hungry sometimes. It happens, but it's not painful to me.

    Psychological pain for some? That's self-inflicted. If a person is having physical pain from being hungry, he or she needs to see a doctor because there could be a health condition going on.

    As for your suggestion: that's pretty much generic and may work for you, but not for everyone.

    Yea it works for me, hence me offering it as advice to the OP, rather than telling her shes not actually experiencing pain.

    No, i'm not missing the point, just because I disagree with you. Hunger is pain, in varying degrees. We experience pain and discomfort to make us go eat. It wouldn't work if it was a nice feeling. It has to feel bad to do its job. You can dress it up how you want. No one said it was excruciating but hunger is not a pleasant feeling and can be quite painful when it gets stronger. Plenty of natural things are painful. Pain itself is natural! It's our bodys way of protecting us against injury, starvation, dehydration etc.

    Just sayin, the only time hunger was physically painful for me was once in HS when I was working a 9hr shift without being given a break. Didn't eat any food that entire time, I don't recall if I ate much before work either, but at the end of my shift I ended up getting nauseous (to the point that eating once I got home actually HURT my stomach), I was bawling, and I probably had a headache.

    THAT was painful. I've never felt that since. Even yesterday, I was getting hungry during my workout because I had only eaten a bit of chocolate beforehand and had not had a proper meal since noonish. This was around 7pm or a bit after. I was able to comfortably complete my workout just fine, it was just a background feeling that I noticed. Even right now I'm a bit hungry, but I'm also a bit thirsty, so the signals are mixing. It's an odd sensation, but not uncomfortable at all.

    Hunger isn't pleasant? Duh. It's also not unpleasant. It just is, and if there is noticeable discomfort then I'd suggest you look at your TDEE and weight loss data to make sure that you are losing at your estimated target (so for you, 2lbs/month), and if you are then go to your doctor for some blood tests/check up.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    BFDeal wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses everyone.

    I feel hungry after eating, and that's with eating lots of fat, protein etc. I eat 2 boiled eggs per day to help curb the hunger.

    I am doing IIFYM and am cutting 20-25%. I used to average 2300 calories a day (I'm 5'10, 27 y.o. female, and 197 lbs). On bad days I'd hit 2500 but rarely more than that unless I went to the Cheesecake Factory (once every five years).

    I'm now eating 1800 and my energy levels have taken a serious hit. I think I'm supposed to just live with this but that is why I have come on here for commiseration and advice.

    I also exercise and love the feeling of DOMs. I rest up, drink tonnes of water and can't wait to get back out there. My problem is I probably don't exercise enough. I only bike 15 miles a week (to and from school) and walk to the grocery store twice (5 miles per week). I haven't felt DOMs since doing P90x.

    I weight like 38lbs less than you and I eat 350 more calories than you do, although my goals are now a 10% deficit. Even when I did a 20% deficit while at a lighter weight than you I was eating 2000 calories. I exercise 4-5x a week for about 4-5hrs a week total. Most of that is strength training. So.. yeah you're probably not eating enough if you are always hungry even after eating.

    And you really should not be feeling DOMS all the time. I only feel them if I take a break or try new exercises. So I have some slight DOMS this week because I took last week off, but it's nothing major.
    Interesting insight. Yet another woman eating the same amount I am but losing weight. Yet my scale does not move. I have yet to get a logical explanation for this. It's just eye roll inducing.

    ^ hasn't another poster suggested you get blood work done and check your thyroid levels...?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    hartmamp wrote: »
    I am very jealous that so many MFP members find it so "easy" to make the right choices. I understand that the right choices are not complicated, as many of you have so often pointed out - just make a small deficit, make the cookie fit your macros, eat more protein, and so on.

    But don't you ever just NOT WANT TO? I don't know how else to put it. I want a bagel for breakfast, pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner, and no, that absolutely will not fit my macros based on the amount of each type I will eat, with dessert to follow. It's not that those of us struggling don't have the knowledge on how to make this weight loss thing happen. I do want to lose weight and be healthy and all that jazz, but when I'm asking myself "what do I want for dinner tonight?" the answer will never be something that makes this whole thing easy.

    If I want to eat a bagel, pizza, and pasta for the day.. then I will either eat to maintenance or I will eat portions that allow me to fit my caloric needs. I'm basically being responsible for my own body and my own choices, and being responsible can mean either making compromises (smaller portions, or adding "filler" e.g. lots of veggies and meat to a pasta dish and using less pasta; I easily use 50-60g of dry pasta for a single meal and others here complain that 85g dry isn't enough) or simply owning up to a splurge (maintenance intake) and understanding the ramifications (slower weight loss).

    Also, I was going to do a mock-up of this meal but the database isn't coming up!! LOL. I'll do it later. My calorie goal is very reasonable (no less than 2000 gross) so.. chances are I'd be able to fit a 200-300 calorie breakfast, ~350-400 lunch, and 400 cal dinner in no problem. These are all estimates based on the portions I normally eat now and that are not compromises for me (I genuinely am satisfied with 50-60g of pasta, os 2 slices of pizza, or a single bagel - even HALF a bagel).

    I made a huge macaroni casserole for myself on Monday. I usually eat up to half or more of my calories in the evening (a pattern that developed once I stopped having strict calorie amounts per meal) so I was easily able to do this. Even if I didn't have the calories I would have made it for the next day and logged it ahead of time. On Feb 13th I went to a movie night with friends and we pigged out on pizza, cookies (not for me though, the host only had GF pizza and not GF cookies), and popcorn (one had melted chocolate in it). I ate 5 slices of pizza, 2 marshmallows, and 2 large plates of popcorn, and was still under my goal. I accomplished this by banking extra calories a few days in advance through some cardio and making sure I didn't eat too much during the day beforehand.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    deaniac83 wrote: »
    I have found that when I eat food I love, the cravings to binge go away. Also, I love filling foods: whether it's a low calorie cucumber or high fat nuts. There are ways to keep your body feeling full and without feeling deprived. You discover these ways and you don't even want to go back because somehow, you are finding the healthy eating MORE delicious than munching on chips all day.

    This.
  • LouLouStBijou
    LouLouStBijou Posts: 987 Member
    Wait - There's supposed to be pain?

    I'm doin' it wrong then, I guess.

    You don't LOOK like you're doing it wrong....

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    BFDeal wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    When I'm cutting I keep my deficit reasonable

    Sounds great until it stops working and you're next option is eat like a 16 year old girl. I guess "reasonable" is relative.

    Uuuuugh complaining AGAIN. Attempting to hijack AGAIN.
  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
    Learn to cook delicious healthy foods and find fun exercises. And don't judge yourself. I have hills in my neighborhood I have to walk my bike up right now and I look utterly stupid wobbling around trying to rollerblade in my driveway, and I don't care because it's fun.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
    BFDeal wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses everyone.

    I feel hungry after eating, and that's with eating lots of fat, protein etc. I eat 2 boiled eggs per day to help curb the hunger.

    I am doing IIFYM and am cutting 20-25%. I used to average 2300 calories a day (I'm 5'10, 27 y.o. female, and 197 lbs). On bad days I'd hit 2500 but rarely more than that unless I went to the Cheesecake Factory (once every five years).

    I'm now eating 1800 and my energy levels have taken a serious hit. I think I'm supposed to just live with this but that is why I have come on here for commiseration and advice.

    I also exercise and love the feeling of DOMs. I rest up, drink tonnes of water and can't wait to get back out there. My problem is I probably don't exercise enough. I only bike 15 miles a week (to and from school) and walk to the grocery store twice (5 miles per week). I haven't felt DOMs since doing P90x.

    I weight like 38lbs less than you and I eat 350 more calories than you do, although my goals are now a 10% deficit. Even when I did a 20% deficit while at a lighter weight than you I was eating 2000 calories. I exercise 4-5x a week for about 4-5hrs a week total. Most of that is strength training. So.. yeah you're probably not eating enough if you are always hungry even after eating.

    And you really should not be feeling DOMS all the time. I only feel them if I take a break or try new exercises. So I have some slight DOMS this week because I took last week off, but it's nothing major.
    Interesting insight. Yet another woman eating the same amount I am but losing weight. Yet my scale does not move. I have yet to get a logical explanation for this. It's just eye roll inducing.

    giphy.gif

    Stop hijacking threads. You are possibly the most annoying user in the forums, and I have some mad hate for a few select users. And yup, losing weight. Even when I took a week off last week from exercise (ate 2000 instead of 2200 to compensate, since I do TDEE). Weighed 160.8lbs at the start of January, workouts weren't as good, was even adding in more cardio (my one 30 minute session every week) and eating ~2000 calories. Dropped to 160.6 by the end of the month. I'm now 158.8lbs. My weigh stayed between 162-160 throughout December and January, but over the last 3 months I've also dropped more size. It's not all about the scale, and you are still the most annoying person on MFP.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    The only thing close to pain I feel is sore, achy muscles. But those aches are so much better than the actual pain I had ~6 months ago with a back injury and couldn't exercise. I appreciate now that I'm able to exercise until I'm sore.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    edited February 2015
    ana3067 wrote: »
    BFDeal wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses everyone.

    I feel hungry after eating, and that's with eating lots of fat, protein etc. I eat 2 boiled eggs per day to help curb the hunger.

    I am doing IIFYM and am cutting 20-25%. I used to average 2300 calories a day (I'm 5'10, 27 y.o. female, and 197 lbs). On bad days I'd hit 2500 but rarely more than that unless I went to the Cheesecake Factory (once every five years).

    I'm now eating 1800 and my energy levels have taken a serious hit. I think I'm supposed to just live with this but that is why I have come on here for commiseration and advice.

    I also exercise and love the feeling of DOMs. I rest up, drink tonnes of water and can't wait to get back out there. My problem is I probably don't exercise enough. I only bike 15 miles a week (to and from school) and walk to the grocery store twice (5 miles per week). I haven't felt DOMs since doing P90x.

    I weight like 38lbs less than you and I eat 350 more calories than you do, although my goals are now a 10% deficit. Even when I did a 20% deficit while at a lighter weight than you I was eating 2000 calories. I exercise 4-5x a week for about 4-5hrs a week total. Most of that is strength training. So.. yeah you're probably not eating enough if you are always hungry even after eating.

    And you really should not be feeling DOMS all the time. I only feel them if I take a break or try new exercises. So I have some slight DOMS this week because I took last week off, but it's nothing major.
    Interesting insight. Yet another woman eating the same amount I am but losing weight. Yet my scale does not move. I have yet to get a logical explanation for this. It's just eye roll inducing.

    giphy.gif

    Stop hijacking threads. You are possibly the most annoying user in the forums, and I have some mad hate for a few select users. And yup, losing weight. Even when I took a week off last week from exercise (ate 2000 instead of 2200 to compensate, since I do TDEE). Weighed 160.8lbs at the start of January, workouts weren't as good, was even adding in more cardio (my one 30 minute session every week) and eating ~2000 calories. Dropped to 160.6 by the end of the month. I'm now 158.8lbs. My weigh stayed between 162-160 throughout December and January, but over the last 3 months I've also dropped more size. It's not all about the scale, and you are still the most annoying person on MFP.

    that would qualify as ...

    *shots fired*

    shotsfired_zps37fb2e88.gif
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    BFDeal wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses everyone.

    I feel hungry after eating, and that's with eating lots of fat, protein etc. I eat 2 boiled eggs per day to help curb the hunger.

    I am doing IIFYM and am cutting 20-25%. I used to average 2300 calories a day (I'm 5'10, 27 y.o. female, and 197 lbs). On bad days I'd hit 2500 but rarely more than that unless I went to the Cheesecake Factory (once every five years).

    I'm now eating 1800 and my energy levels have taken a serious hit. I think I'm supposed to just live with this but that is why I have come on here for commiseration and advice.

    I also exercise and love the feeling of DOMs. I rest up, drink tonnes of water and can't wait to get back out there. My problem is I probably don't exercise enough. I only bike 15 miles a week (to and from school) and walk to the grocery store twice (5 miles per week). I haven't felt DOMs since doing P90x.

    I weight like 38lbs less than you and I eat 350 more calories than you do, although my goals are now a 10% deficit. Even when I did a 20% deficit while at a lighter weight than you I was eating 2000 calories. I exercise 4-5x a week for about 4-5hrs a week total. Most of that is strength training. So.. yeah you're probably not eating enough if you are always hungry even after eating.

    And you really should not be feeling DOMS all the time. I only feel them if I take a break or try new exercises. So I have some slight DOMS this week because I took last week off, but it's nothing major.
    Interesting insight. Yet another woman eating the same amount I am but losing weight. Yet my scale does not move. I have yet to get a logical explanation for this. It's just eye roll inducing.

    giphy.gif

    Stop hijacking threads. You are possibly the most annoying user in the forums, and I have some mad hate for a few select users. And yup, losing weight. Even when I took a week off last week from exercise (ate 2000 instead of 2200 to compensate, since I do TDEE). Weighed 160.8lbs at the start of January, workouts weren't as good, was even adding in more cardio (my one 30 minute session every week) and eating ~2000 calories. Dropped to 160.6 by the end of the month. I'm now 158.8lbs. My weigh stayed between 162-160 throughout December and January, but over the last 3 months I've also dropped more size. It's not all about the scale, and you are still the most annoying person on MFP.

    that would qualify as ...

    *shots fired*

    shotsfired_zps37fb2e88.gif

    My patience.. it's waning...
    a7a7e3e041949f274a7de0e12c5d1e7c.jpg
  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
    edited February 2015
    For some of us, it's absolutely 'pain' at times when we're first starting out. Completely changing my eating habits, starting a workout regimen, was hard mentally and physically. Now, almost 2 months in, my body has adjusted, but my mind is maybe, 70% of the way there. Being someone that binged my entire life, even when I lost weight before, changing that thought process is a work in progress. It's easy to say that this shouldn't be painful to be sustainable, but when your mind is ravaged by years of yoyo dieting, binging, doing fad diets, and never fully learning how to correctly lose weight, it's an absolute struggle at first.

    The only advice I can offer is that it does get easier over time. It's all about sticking to it- and exercise certainly helps to change your mindset as well.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
  • Unknown
    edited February 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    Back to the original topic...exercising for me is the epic suck. I have tried absolutely everything, from zumba, weight lifting, classes, aquafit, walking, joining a baseball team,you name it and I still hate exercising. Every freakin' day I fight myself about exercising or not. I have done all the tips and tricks like setting out your clothes, different times of the day, getting a workout buddy, etc. I am lazy, and I want to curl up in my bed and read. The majority of the time when I lose focus, it's because I don't want to exercise. I know that 80% of fat loss is in the kitchen, and I do eat properly, but sometimes I do want that extra scoop of sorbet, or chocolate. Balancing my food diary and my workouts is the epic suck for me in this craptastic journey.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Leggs617 wrote: »
    emily_stew wrote: »
    Ooci wrote: »
    I think a lot of people just don't get that for some of us there's an over production of a hormone driving our hunger. Some of us are just hungrier than others. It doesn't matter that the deficit is tiny, that I'm careful to eat regularly and eat filling things, I could permanently eat a very hearty meal. Even an hour after just eating one.
    There have been studied into this and for some of us it's physically harder.

    To be completely honest, that sounds like a psychological issue rather than a physical one.

    Speaking from a healthcare provider that has worked in Internal Medicine, and medical weight loss, IT IS A Hormonal thing. Everyone has a thyroid that acts differently. Just like some people have a higher sex drive, or some have depression. It is all about the hormones and if you have a thyroid that is under-active, you will be hungry a lot. This is why doctors will check your thyroid function before you go on a weight loss program or if you have tried to lose weight and have been unsuccessful. The thyroid is usually the culprit. So, before you assume its the persons attitude or addiction, try looking at it from a medical standpoint. WEBMD it!

    Something tells me most people are overweight because they eat too much, not because they have a bad thyroid. Those being overweight due to a bad thyroid would be the minority, not the majority.

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,976 Member
    I just put bacon bits on everything.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • I understand entirely where the OP is coming from. My way of dealing with the shock to the system is to tell myself that feeling empty is ok and won't harm me for the short time I feel it. Hunger, however, if it is genuine (and I really have to examine myself to be sure it is if a meal is not due) means it's time to eat something if the next scheduled meal is more than an hour away - even if it's just an apple. Otherwise I console myself with the thought that all the time I feel this way I am losing weight. I am getting used to the concept that not feeling full does not equate to actually being hungry. Agreed there is a certain amount of mind training to be done. Old habits die very hard but I'm getting there. 15.5lbs down in exactly one month.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    RoToQ wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    RoToQ wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    The negativity toward the original post is so disappointing. People share their feelings on here for support. Saying things like "I don't have any pain" is not helpful. OF COURSE people are going to experience pain or discomfort when they are making changes in their lifestyle.

    ummm no, the point that us "negative" people are making is that losing weight does not equal self torture, aka pain.

    You can eat in a moderate deficit, hit your calorie/micro/macro goals, eat the foods you like, and exercise moderately and you will lose weight and reach your fitness goals...

    the problem is when people equate dieting with having to cut out whole food groups, train seven days a week, two times a day, and think that they have to eat 1200 calories a day while training to excess...

    "UUmmm yes". Some people get quite strong hunger pains on a 250kcal/day deficit. I know because I do. I eat healthy, quality foods, high protein and fat, but I still get them. Some people do. Some people are different than you. So by your own admission, you are not qualified to advise on how to deal with these pains.

    I would suggest playing with your meal pattern. E.g. if you eat 4 x 500kcal meals a day, try changing the timings if possible, or maybe 5 x 400kcals a day etc. I helps for me, a bit. I was never hungry in the morning so I just skip breakfast and my first meal is my Pre-WO at 10am. I can then use those calories later in the day. Eating the same amount of calories but I get less hunger pains.

    Nah, you're missing the point. Some of us, including me, believe that hunger is not painful, Hunger is natural. I would be surprised if anyone who is eating within a certain calorie goal is not hungry sometimes. It happens, but it's not painful to me.

    Psychological pain for some? That's self-inflicted. If a person is having physical pain from being hungry, he or she needs to see a doctor because there could be a health condition going on.

    As for your suggestion: that's pretty much generic and may work for you, but not for everyone.

    Yea it works for me, hence me offering it as advice to the OP, rather than telling her shes not actually experiencing pain.

    No, i'm not missing the point, just because I disagree with you. Hunger is pain, in varying degrees. We experience pain and discomfort to make us go eat. It wouldn't work if it was a nice feeling. It has to feel bad to do its job. You can dress it up how you want. No one said it was excruciating but hunger is not a pleasant feeling and can be quite painful when it gets stronger. Plenty of natural things are painful. Pain itself is natural! It's our bodys way of protecting us against injury, starvation, dehydration etc.

    Seriously, I don't find hunger painful, even like last evening when I didn't get a chance to eat from 1 to 8 p.m.. Sure, I was ravenous when I got home, but there was no physical pain involved. In fact, there was no psychological pain involved, or even discomfort. I was just ready to eat that pot roast, potatoes, and asparagus.

    Nice or not nice feeling is within one's perception.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    hartmamp wrote: »
    I am very jealous that so many MFP members find it so "easy" to make the right choices. I understand that the right choices are not complicated, as many of you have so often pointed out - just make a small deficit, make the cookie fit your macros, eat more protein, and so on.

    But don't you ever just NOT WANT TO? I don't know how else to put it. I want a bagel for breakfast, pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner, and no, that absolutely will not fit my macros based on the amount of each type I will eat, with dessert to follow. It's not that those of us struggling don't have the knowledge on how to make this weight loss thing happen. I do want to lose weight and be healthy and all that jazz, but when I'm asking myself "what do I want for dinner tonight?" the answer will never be something that makes this whole thing easy.

    This is why I pre-log my days, usually. If there is something I really want (like pizza), I log it in the morning, and plan the rest of my day around it.

    Alternatively you can go over occasionally. Or take a day off once a month. Or add in some extra exercise for the week. Or track calories on a weekly basis, eat less during the week and have a day where you eat your banked calories.

    It IS easy, once you find the method that works for you (that's the hard part).

    And of course some days I just don't want to. Those days I usually just look at my starting photos and photos of myself now. It works.

    Yes. Excellent.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
    hartmamp wrote: »
    But don't you ever just NOT WANT TO? I don't know how else to put it. I want a bagel for breakfast, pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner, and no, that absolutely will not fit my macros based on the amount of each type I will eat, with dessert to follow. It's not that those of us struggling don't have the knowledge on how to make this weight loss thing happen. I do want to lose weight and be healthy and all that jazz, but when I'm asking myself "what do I want for dinner tonight?" the answer will never be something that makes this whole thing easy.

    I have a bagel for breakfast just about every morning. But I know if I have the bagel for breakfast, pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner, I'm probably going to be carb-heavy that day and low on protein. But maybe not, because when I have pasta, I also have chicken breast with it.

    There are times when I say "ah, F it!" and don't give a darn about my macros that day. They usually balance out over the course of the week. The cheeseburgers I had yesterday had my fat really high and my protein a smidge lower than normal. Coupled with Monday's and today's meals, my average is right on track.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    I just put bacon bits on everything.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    save me any?
  • lifeskittles
    lifeskittles Posts: 438 Member
    Wow... some of you need to get off of your pedestal. Everyone has different goals. Everyone's body reacts different to different food combinations. You really have to find what works for you. For me, I'm past the point of "healthy weight" and I'm really trying to lean out as much as possible before summer. So yes I DO have to deal with hunger. And yes I DO eat balanced meals. I can't eat processed meals anymore because they leave me ravenous all day, so eating natural foods throughout the weekdays are the only things that work for me. Also if you are doing HEAVY lifting you will generally struggle with hunger more than if you do cardio because of your muscle's need to replenish it's glycogen stores. So there are MANY factors that influence whether someone is hungry or not. Stop being so damn judgey and if you don't have anything positive to add then gtfo.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    BFDeal wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    When I'm cutting I keep my deficit reasonable

    Sounds great until it stops working and you're next option is eat like a 16 year old girl. I guess "reasonable" is relative.

    Have you been to see the doc yet and get some blood run? That's what I'd be doing if I was in your situation. Hell, it may be something as simple as a little vitamin D deficiency that is jacking with your hormones and your metabolism.

    When I was vitamin D deficient, I had a *kitten* of a time. This happens to a lot of people in the winter too...they spend less time outdoors and get deficient in vitamin D and that just kind of jacks a lot of things up.
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