I'm hungry. How am I meant to continue this?

stargirl85

I'm not used to being hungry. And I'm gettingmore Hungry as the days go on. Not been two weeks yet. How do I keep this up? Its 1200 calories if I'm aiming for 1lb loss a week and 1350 if it's half a pound.
I can't exercise as I can rarely stand up due to an ongoing illness that us in a severe form and I don't have the strength to sit up long either (using phone in bed). I don't want to make myself more ill.

jenniferzlangkjaer

I am trying a keto/atkins type thing with really low carbs and lots of fat, moderate protein. I eat every 2-3 hours and it keeps me feeling full all day. If you have an illness, you need to check with your doc before trying this! I am fairly healthy, so just playing around with it to see what happens.

livingleanlivingclean

stargirl85 wrote: »

I'm not used to being hungry. And I'm gettingmore Hungry as the days go on. Not been two weeks yet. How do I keep this up? Its 1200 calories if I'm aiming for 1lb loss a week and 1350 if it's half a pound.
I can't exercise as I can rarely stand up due to an ongoing illness that us in a severe form and I don't have the strength to sit up long either (using phone in bed). I don't want to make myself more ill.

There's nothing wrong with feeling hunger. We've been conditioned to think that we should be satisfied at all times. If you're in a deficit you're likely to feel hungry. You can make food choices to help - get your carbs from lots and lots of non-starchy vegies and lower carb fruits, you'll get lots of volume and fibre. Make sure you have sufficient protein and fat - both will help with satiety.

SezxyStef

is it hunger or appetite?

18lbs to lose perhaps changing to 1/2lb is more appropriate for you.

Eat food that is more satisfying such as high protein, higher fat foods.

Curtruns

and drink more water

hutchin88

Are you getting enough protein? Cut back on starches and substitute green veggies. 4oz. of lean protein and lots of green veggies and a small amount if fat and carbs at each meal should help with hunger. Having a balance makes a difference. I used the zone diet to lose 50 lbs and was rarely hungry. For me it really worked.

Junk food and other refined carbs trigger hunger. Good luck to you!

GuineaKitty

To help with hunger pangs sometimes I suck and eat frozen grapes and cherries. Also jerky because it'll make me feel full and take a while to chew. But sometimes you still gonna feel hungry until your body used to less food intake.

MrsPrior

It's OK, and perfectly normal to be hungry, we don't need to be full up all the time. Being hungry, and identifying the feeling of hunger is actually a positive step, as once you know what it feels like to be actually hungry (as opposed to bored, thirsty, craving something or eating to manage emotions), you'll be better able to manage food in the future by knowing when to eat and when you don't need to.

That being said, what you eat will make a difference to how you feel - if your 1200 calories are spent on low-fibre, low-protein, nutrient-light foods with unhealthy fats, you will feel hungry and you will get cravings for things as your body needs a balance of macro- and micro- nutrients to operate.
If your 1200 calories are spent on high-fibre, high-protein, nutrient-dense foods and a good amount of healthy fats (e.g. omegas from oily fish, or avocado/walnuts), you will feel fuller for longer, your gut will send messages to your brain to tell it you've had enough, and you are less likely to have cravings as your body will be well nourished.

Its important to be aware that when you start the process of losing weight your body undergoes certain hormonal changes, one of the most important being leptin - leptin is released by your fat cells to reduce your appetite when your body knows it has enough energy. When you start to lose these fat cells because you're losing weight, you also experience a dip in the amount of leptin in your blood, so as you lose fat you start to feel hungrier - but this is only temporary! Once your body adjusts to the new leptin levels in your blood you will feel less hungry over time. So, as long as you eat enough of the right things to nourish your body, this will pass!

sarahdayski

I felt like that the first few weeks but to be honest a few weeks on and i dont feel hungry very often. It takes a while for your body to get used to doing anything new. You may need to find something to occupy yourself, if you are not very mobile it is easy to start eating out of boredom. I sometimes find some sugar free sweets can help me get thru a tricky patch

fatcity66

Up your protein, fat, and fiber. They will help you feel full.
And it does get better with time, at least, it did for me.

shadowfax_c11

In my first couple of weeks I felt like my stomach was going to gnaw its way out and get the food itself. I was really hungry a lot. One thing that helped was to break up my meals into more frequent and smaller portions. Allowing for a snack that had a lot of protein and some fat seemed to really help.

A hard boiled egg, an ounce of cheese or a small portion of almonds can be a good way to ward off the hungries. Also pickles! Pickles are really low in calories so you can eat a substantial portion and they have the salty/crunchy munching on potato chips sort of mental reward.

It does get easier in time.

Lounmoun

stargirl85 wrote: »

I'm not used to being hungry. And I'm gettingmore Hungry as the days go on. Not been two weeks yet. How do I keep this up? Its 1200 calories if I'm aiming for 1lb loss a week and 1350 if it's half a pound.
I can't exercise as I can rarely stand up due to an ongoing illness that us in a severe form and I don't have the strength to sit up long either (using phone in bed). I don't want to make myself more ill.

1200 can be a hard level to start out at. I would switch to 1350 calories for now. As you lose weight, you might gradually lower your calories to 1200.

Protein, fats and fiber can help you feel full.
Drink water or chew gum if you feel hungry and wait 20 minutes to an hour to see if the feeling passes.

ElJefeChief

I would emphasize, DON'T FORGET TO DRINK WATER. Another trick I've used is I have some psyllium fiber capsules that I take after a small meal. I take 2-3 of them then chug a ton of water with it, on top of a small protein based meal. I find the hunger pangs are pretty darn minimal.

Generally, lots of fiber, emphasizing protein, constant hydration - all of these are your friends.

stargirl85

@jenniferzlangkjaer
I'm not sure I'll try that as it's really hard to get a Dr's apptmt and I think she'd say no. I think you don' ewant fruit or veg to start with with that do you? I'm not an expert tho.i just want to make the most of nice fruit at this time of yr.

I seem to be going over the recommended fat and sugar tho a bit lower on protein.

@Curtruns
Drink more water?! Looks like I already have 10cups a day and I'm only 5ft3 so this isn't a problem but thanks.

@livingleanlivingclean @hutchin88 @MrsPrior
I seem to be going over the recommended fat and sugar.
Im a bit low on starches but protein too. Mostly what stands out is iron which is low unfortunately. Im borderline anaemic and before that I was anaemic on and off for many years. My stomach (ibs) can't cope well with red meat and I shouldn't be eating more sugar (dried fruit). Im having broccoli and spinach but not enough to make a difference. I only get about 8% of whats recommended on here although I often get about 400% recommended via a and 200% vit c. So I get nutrients, also a good amount of fibre.

I am not used to feeling hungry, in fact the opposite. I used to feel full all the time and hated that I had to eat a meal (part IBS for so long, and for a few yrs I ate so much at night like sugar,few reasons, one was a med, tiredness etc but I've been so much better with the sugar.)

@MrsPrior @shadowfax_c11
Thank you. Unfortunately it seems like everything I eat is going to almost send me over the recommended calorie amount. Like I'm having monkey nuts but the calories r shocking if I'm right on what they contain, same with avocado. Im having small pieces of omelette that has all sorts of veg in too.

I don't really fancy pickles but thank you

I didn't know about the leptin.

Thank you for all your tips

If anyone wants to comment on what I'm eating or what I've said here I'm very happy to hear that.

MoiAussi93

You say you're low on protein and going over on sugar. That is a bad combination and very likely to make you hungry. Protein will keep you full. Sugar will not.

You don't need to eat red meat if you don't tolerate that well. You can have more chicken, eggs, fish, greek yogurt (don't get the flavored kind...lots of sugar in it...sweeten with fruit if you need flavor). Nuts are great, just be careful with quantity since they are high in calories.

Otherwise...you should eat more non starchy vegetables. They are very low calories and the fiber will help keep you feeling full. Fruits are fine in moderation, but have many more calories so you can't eat them in unlimited quantities and expect to lose weight. Some fruits have much more fiber and less sugar compared to others...berries are a great example. Take this into consideration.

stargirl85

Well I have 2portions of fruit a day and some veg. One of them being strawberries so that sounds good!
By non starchy veg is that anything other than potatoes?
Well I'm not extra low on protein. Sometimes it's the right amount and sometimes it's a bit less. The fat seems to be a bit higher than it should be BUT a fair amount is unsaturated like nuts avocado. Oh 1egg seems to take up a lot of the rec. Fat allowance. And I gave a bit of ham in the omelette with the veg in so that's a bit of protein.

I honestly think those of you who say 'that's what's to be expected as ur in deficit' and it's not a major thing to be worried about are probably right. Im new to this. Just somehow need to up the protein without the fat except many things with protein in have fat in too!

I have cut down on the amount of sugar I ate A LOT. I do still have Greek yoghurt with honey so mayb I need to get the unsweetened one. And raisins are in my cereal (not many) when I have one.

Fitnessflexibility

If your hungry drink water and then have a rice cake or celery. Sometimes after the water I don't want the rice cake or celery, I want a banana or cup cake haha that tells me that if I were honestly hungry that I would eat anything to fill me up instead of just craving food. Also I found drinking green tea instead of a snack helps too. Don't skip meals and be sure you are getting all your body needs.

blankiefinder

You can make weight loss easier by choosing the right foods to fit your calorie limit. Not sure what you can eat with your IBS, but you need to choose foods that provide volume without so many calories, with such a low daily limit. Substitute in riced cauliflower for regular rice to save hundreds of calories. Eat fresh berries instead of dried fruit. Eat lean proteins like chicken, without sauces. What can you eat / what can't you eat?

funchords

stargirl85 wrote: »

I'm not used to being hungry. And I'm gettingmore Hungry as the days go on. Not been two weeks yet. How do I keep this up? Its 1200 calories if I'm aiming for 1lb loss a week and 1350 if it's half a pound.

Let's start with IT'S OKAY! Losing weight is sometimes a multi-step process. Spend a couple of weeks at each step and move ahead when you feel ready.

1. Stop gaining weight. Go from whatever excess that you were eating to your maintenance calories. Get used to logging and controlling your intake
2. Start losing weight, eat to lose 0.5 lbs. per week.
3. Now lose weight faster, eat to lose 1 lb. per week.

Go ahead and take your time. 1200 calories is a small number ... it's a difficult goal, start with a more achievable goal and then work toward the 1200 slowly. You can do it -- we all eventually can make it to our goal.

Our biggest risk is quitting. We "play chicken" with our willpower and we give up. Don't risk that -- make it easy on yourself to be successful.

Ang108

stargirl85 wrote: »

I'm not used to being hungry. And I'm gettingmore Hungry as the days go on. Not been two weeks yet. How do I keep this up? Its 1200 calories if I'm aiming for 1lb loss a week and 1350 if it's half a pound.
I can't exercise as I can rarely stand up due to an ongoing illness that us in a severe form and I don't have the strength to sit up long either (using phone in bed). I don't want to make myself more ill.

With time you have to figure out if what you feel is real hunger or psychological hunger.
When I started out I was also hungry ( not ravenous, but sometimes hungry ) for a couple of weeks. I am also eating 1200 calories and since I had gotten used to eating a lot of rice & pasta ( while otherwise eating a natural healthy diet ) I felt deprived.
I spoke to my doctor and he told me that for a person like I ( 68 and under five feet tall) 1200 calories plus the deficit should be enough. I ate about a month just under maintenance to get used to eating about 1000 calories less and then went back to 1200 calories and had no more hunger problems.
My problem was that I easily ate rice two or three times a day, eating two or more portions, which kept my need for simple carbs alive and caused quite some weight gain due to too many calories. I also overate on pasta and home backed bread ( all natural, but all much to often in portions for a small family ).
Hunger pangs and cravings have disappeared since then ( April 2013) and I now can eat a normal portion of rice or even less without any problems and without being triggered.
Good Luck !

stargirl85

Thank you. It does look like I'm doing the right things with most things I eat. I do sometimes miss meals tho cos my sleep pattern is a bit bodged and I can't eat so I just eat when I can. Im still surprised what people are suggesting though as I can't eat anymore within my limit-unless I stabilise or up to half a pound loss a week again. I do seem to generally eat more late evenings though. That is when I have more energy from m.e in general so I do things then.

Should try to remember the cauliflower thing... You grate it?

My IBS =no spices mostly, minimal red meat, I'm gradually eating more wheat and cheese-well I was til I saw the calories in cheese, I do eat some dairy but minimal cheese. Still very minimal wheat. No fizzy drinks or coffee. Basically, plain food. Often it just plays up with no obvious trigger though. But no chilis or peppers!

I don't weigh myself much as I can't get to bathroom much and I would want it to be the same time of day so it's fairly accurate but I'm often ubrouseable at a given time so I don't know when I've weighed myself or how quickly I've put on weight. I think it was 2011-2015 2.5stone or 5inches on my hips and waist. (think I've lost some of what I put on my chest sadly as it's v small although this didn't show on the scales)

ElJefeChief

MoiAussi93 wrote: »

You say you're low on protein and going over on sugar. That is a bad combination and very likely to make you hungry. Protein will keep you full. Sugar will not.

You don't need to eat red meat if you don't tolerate that well. You can have more chicken, eggs, fish, greek yogurt (don't get the flavored kind...lots of sugar in it...sweeten with fruit if you need flavor). Nuts are great, just be careful with quantity since they are high in calories.

Otherwise...you should eat more non starchy vegetables. They are very low calories and the fiber will help keep you feeling full. Fruits are fine in moderation, but have many more calories so you can't eat them in unlimited quantities and expect to lose weight. Some fruits have much more fiber and less sugar compared to others...berries are a great example. Take this into consideration.

+1

Protein, fiber, non-starchy veggies. STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR - it will make you hungry.

MoiAussi93

stargirl85 wrote: »

Well I have 2portions of fruit a day and some veg. One of them being strawberries so that sounds good!
By non starchy veg is that anything other than potatoes?
Well I'm not extra low on protein. Sometimes it's the right amount and sometimes it's a bit less. The fat seems to be a bit higher than it should be BUT a fair amount is unsaturated like nuts avocado. Oh 1egg seems to take up a lot of the rec. Fat allowance. And I gave a bit of ham in the omelette with the veg in so that's a bit of protein.

I honestly think those of you who say 'that's what's to be expected as ur in deficit' and it's not a major thing to be worried about are probably right. Im new to this. Just somehow need to up the protein without the fat except many things with protein in have fat in too!

I have cut down on the amount of sugar I ate A LOT. I do still have Greek yoghurt with honey so mayb I need to get the unsweetened one. And raisins are in my cereal (not many) when I have one.

Non starchy vegetables are most of the green veggies, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions. The common ones with a lot of starch are potatoes, corn, peas, pumpkin. I'm not saying you should never eat starchy vegetables, but just take into account that they have more calories than things like broccoli and spinach. So if you're hungry, you can fit more of the low calorie, high fiber non starchy type into your calorie goal.

I also am not sure what you have your fat/protein/carb macros set to. If you are using the mfp defaults, I think they are 50% carb, 30% fat, 20% protein. You should think about changing these...experiment and find what works best for you. A lot of people on here move their protein higher and make their carbs lower. Fat...people have radically different approaches. Some move it a little lower, some go much higher. some stay at 30%.

If you cut the carbs to 40%, you could either move your protein to 30%, or move protein to 25% and fat to 35%. Either option would likely make you feel more full, and those numbers are still within the standard dietary guidelines most of the major medical organizations use....so you wouldn't be doing anything that is generally considered unusual.

On the greek yogurt with honey...you could try the plain. But if you really prefer it with the honey, a little honey is fine. It won't do much to keep you full though. But maybe you could try keeping the honey, and reducing something else that is carby. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing approach.

Finally...being hungry occasionally is to be expected. But if you are hungry constantly...real hunger, not just an urge to snack, then you should change something. Either change what you eat or eat a little more. Sometimes an extra hundred calories can make a big difference.

blankiefinder

stargirl85 wrote: »

Thank you. It does look like I'm doing the right things with most things I eat. I do sometimes miss meals tho cos my sleep pattern is a bit bodged and I can't eat so I just eat when I can. Im still surprised what people are suggesting though as I can't eat anymore within my limit-unless I stabilise or up to half a pound loss a week again. I do seem to generally eat more late evenings though. That is when I have more energy from m.e in general so I do things then.

Should try to remember the cauliflower thing... You grate it?

My IBS =no spices mostly, minimal red meat, I'm gradually eating more wheat and cheese-well I was til I saw the calories in cheese, I do eat some dairy but minimal cheese. Still very minimal wheat. No fizzy drinks or coffee. Basically, plain food. Often it just plays up with no obvious trigger though. But no chilis or peppers!

I don't weigh myself much as I can't get to bathroom much and I would want it to be the same time of day so it's fairly accurate but I'm often ubrouseable at a given time so I don't know when I've weighed myself or how quickly I've put on weight. I think it was 2011-2015 2.5stone or 5inches on my hips and waist. (think I've lost some of what I put on my chest sadly as it's v small although this didn't show on the scales)

You can grate it, or pulse it in a food processor... I pulse mine in my vitamix. Then just pop it in the micro with a bit of water and cook briefly, or stove top. Search online for more exact instructions.

When I was losing, a day might look like a bowl of berries and a flavoured greek yogurt for breakfast (180 calories), a salad with a good serving of cubed rotisserie chicken and a yogurt based dressing (bolthouse yogurt ranch is really good and low cal) for lunch, another yogurt, a few slices of lunch meats, or some cottage cheese for snacks, and a healthy supper with a lean protein, and lots of veggies, limited starches in very small portions (rice, potatoes, pasta).

Aemely

Are you sure you need to be at 1,200 cals.? If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose, 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal. If you have less than 15 lbs to lose, 0.5 lbs/week is ideal. I'd definitely set your goal to .5/week if you are hungry all the time.

Also, have you cross-checked your calories against a site like Scooby's: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/? Let's just imagine you are 5'3" and 145 lbs. (not sure of your actual numbers). Scooby's recommends 1,377 calories to lose .7/lbs. a week. MFP should give you similar goals. Also, be sure to enter your Exercise on MFP and eat back at least some of your exercise calories (if you set your activity level to Sedentary).

To change your Goals, click Goals > Change Goals > Guided, Continue, enter in your accurate information and realistic goal weight, and click Update Profile. You can lose weight without feeling like you are starving all the time. Good luck!

ElJefeChief

Honey is basically just sugar. I would avoid it completely, particularly if you're trying to master low-carbing. If you like sweetening things, splenda works just fine, or you can go with stevia if you're paranoid about "artificial" sweeteners.

callsitlikeiseeit

its not the end of the world to be hungry.

take a walk, call a friend, take a nap, go swimming, immerse yourself in a good book. go to thrift stores. do something to distract yourself from the idea of food.

Archon2

It took my mind & body a month or two to get used to a deficit. I think it just takes time. And like so many have pointed out, eating more protein and things that are filling by low-cal like veggies and salads (without much dressings, butter, oils) is also helpful.

blankiefinder

DrEnalg wrote: »

Honey is basically just sugar. I would avoid it completely, particularly if you're trying to master low-carbing. If you like sweetening things, splenda works just fine, or you can go with stevia if you're paranoid about "artificial" sweeteners.

I re-read all the OPs posts here, and no where does she mention wanting to go 'low carb'?? And she doesn't need to go low carb to lose weight. If that works for you, great, but that doesn't mean that everyone else wants to go that path.

Sugar is not the devil.

Kalikel

Eat healthier foods.

If you try to eat 1350 calories of veggies in a day, you'll be stuffed and probably not be able to hit the goal. Fruits, veggies, whole-grain bread, etc. You should be able to stay quite full, especially if you're not active.

On the flip side, a little hunger is okay when you're dieting. The beginning is the hardest part, too. It gets easier. But hunger is okay.

Try eating smaller meals, more often, too. Once my stomach is stretched from a big meal, the hunger is a little worse. After a while, it all calms down. Maybe five or six smaller meals would help you, too. Maybe not, but you might want to try it.

peachstategal

Perhaps is you are ill and unable to stand or sit for any length of time, you should concentrate on getting well and not worry about the weight as you seem to have only 18 lbs. to lose.