Slowly giving up because I'm always hungry

kimouette2

Hi guys,
I feel like I am giving up on my caloric goal and I know that this is all because of my lack of willpower/sugar cravings/carb cravings/and the fact that I am surrounded by sugary food and chocolate at work.

Couple of weeks ago I felt like nothing could stop me! I was eating right, I was finally losing weight and feeling amazing while respecting my caloric goals. But cheat after cheat, I am now completely unable to stick to my goal... I don't even monitor everything I eat because it is too disappointing...

Deep down unside I know what I want, I do exercise almost every single day, I love healthy food and I know what is right for me, but I feel like a junky when it comes to resisting to a cookie or a piece of cake.
I am a vegetarian and would like to keep it that way.

Do you guys have any recommendation? Have you been there and figured out a way to get back on track?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Kim

lauralou93a

I think it prob all started with the cheating, if you factor in a treat in to your diet and plenty if healthy snacks and filling meals you should be OK especially if you are exorcising.

Lrdoflamancha

Ok this is not going to be well accepted here on MFP... Personally I was to the point of either surgery or drugs under a Doctors
Supervision. I chose the drugs. I am on Contrave and it is a godsend for me. You still need to eat at a deficit to lose but Contrave has killed my cravings. Ok let the hate begin....LOL

seska422

You don't have to give up any food to lose weight. If you want to give up foods, only give up foods that you are willing to give up forever. If you figure out a sustainable eating plan while you are losing weight then you can stick to that basic plan (with a few more calories) for maintenance.

Here's my suggestion:

Start over. Eat the foods you normally eat in the amounts you normally eat, including all of the "bad" foods. Log everything. Always log everything, good days and bad days, so that you have accurate data.

After a couple weeks, go back through your log and see where you might make some sustainable changes. Things like smaller portions or substituting some foods that you like with other foods that you also like and that are satisfying to you.

Also, don't be too aggressive with your weekly loss rate. I you are hungry at 2 pounds per week, start with 0.5 pounds per week (after the initial baseline logging) and see if that works hunger-wise. If it does, you might go for 1 pound per week or just stay at 0.5 pounds per week. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

kommodevaran

Relying on willpower when you are surrounded by temptation all day isn't going to work. Find out if eating a little "junk" satisfies you or makes you crave more. It's important to know if you should incorporate a little, often, or more, occasionally. The day to day strategy would then be either "moderation" or "avoidance". You should be able to ask your coworkers to keep their candy to themselves. If you work in a candy shop, maybe try to look for something else to do.

You can't just want to be healthy or want to lose weight, you have to want your food and your exercise regimen as well. Everybody can endure restriction and pain for a little while if we think we are doing something good for ourselves, but we can't do it for long. Find out if you can feel just as amazing without going all-out.

Don't think about healthy lifestyle as "being on track" and "getting off track" as failure. That is dieting mentality. A healthy lifestyle has room for daily life, real life, ups and downs, imperfections. Consistency is both much more effective and easily attainable than continuing cycles of white-knuckling and cheating.

6pkdreamer

seska422 wrote: »

You don't have to give up any food to lose weight. If you want to give up foods, only give up foods that you are willing to give up forever. If you figure out a sustainable eating plan while you are losing weight then you can stick to that basic plan (with a few more calories) for maintenance.

Here's my suggestion:

Start over. Eat the foods you normally eat in the amounts you normally eat, including all of the "bad" foods. Log everything. Always log everything, good days and bad days, so that you have accurate data.

After a couple weeks, go back through your log and see where you might make some sustainable changes. Things like smaller portions or substituting some foods that you like with other foods that you also like and that are satisfying to you.

Also, don't be too aggressive with your weekly loss rate. I you are hungry at 2 pounds per week, start with 0.5 pounds per week (after the initial baseline logging) and see if that works hunger-wise. If it does, you might go for 1 pound per week or just stay at 0.5 pounds per week. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

Great plan! This the way to go. This what I believe in. Evolution not revolution!

4leighbee

seska422 wrote: »

You don't have to give up any food to lose weight. If you want to give up foods, only give up foods that you are willing to give up forever. If you figure out a sustainable eating plan while you are losing weight then you can stick to that basic plan (with a few more calories) for maintenance.

Here's my suggestion:

Start over. Eat the foods you normally eat in the amounts you normally eat, including all of the "bad" foods. Log everything. Always log everything, good days and bad days, so that you have accurate data.

After a couple weeks, go back through your log and see where you might make some sustainable changes. Things like smaller portions or substituting some foods that you like with other foods that you also like and that are satisfying to you.

Also, don't be too aggressive with your weekly loss rate. I you are hungry at 2 pounds per week, start with 0.5 pounds per week (after the initial baseline logging) and see if that works hunger-wise. If it does, you might go for 1 pound per week or just stay at 0.5 pounds per week. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

Yes! You are not your enemy, so be nicer to yourself ... and this is not a race, so find a way to enjoy the process.

jennifer_417

A couple of things come to mind:

1. You may be trying to do too much, all at once. If you try to cut out all "bad" foods all at once, as well as create a calorie deficit (that may or may not be too steep to be sustainable), there's a good change of getting overwhelmed once the initial rush wears off. It's not necessary to cut out any type of food group for the express purpose of gaining weight, all that you need to do is eat fewer calories than you burn.
2. One thing that's helped me when I've gotten off track for an extended period of time is to pick a day when I plan to get back on plan. It may be tomorrow, it may be next Monday, it may not be until the beginning of next month. Whatever works for you. But it gives me the time to mentally prepare myself to get back on the wagon.

goldthistime

Are you getting enough protein? It's a little tougher to do as a vegetarian. Adequate protein intake helps immensely with my carb cravings.

Fitnesspromiddleton

Oh the sugar! And it is hidden everywhere too. Almost died when I saw a yogurt with 26g of sugar and it only had 80 calories...Yikes. Getting off the sugar rollercoaster is hard, but any change is uncomfortable. I always have treats in my house, so it can be hard for me too. If you think you want it-stop and wait a few minutes and get your mind in a better place. I find if I remind myself why I don't want it helps. Every time you say no you get stronger for the next time.

Distraction helps too.

It's not your will power so don't blame yourself. Some people (myself included) are sensitive to sugar. I guess you could say we are addicted.

I totally get the hunger too. Yup sugar makes you hungry. And the rollercoaster just keeps going till you finally say enough and stay away from the sugar.

Don't give up. You know what you have to do. You just have to get though it. Sometimes I tell myself it's just for today and then the next day I say the same thing and so on. Saying forever just makes it harder.

trjjoy

Could you eat more vegetables?

LetiPla

Lrdoflamancha wrote: »

Ok this is not going to be well accepted here on MFP... Personally I was to the point of either surgery or drugs under a Doctors
Supervision. I chose the drugs. I am on Contrave and it is a godsend for me. You still need to eat at a deficit to lose but Contrave has killed my cravings. Ok let the hate begin....LOL

What is Contrave? I have nothing against using drugs. There are drugs for other health conditions such as high blood pressure and depression, why not food cravings?

kimouette2

You guys are amazing! So much wisdom! and the fact that you dont consider strict dieting as the best way to go makes me feel at peace! I mean, if you guys can manage to lose weight without feeling hungry or craving food for the entire day, then you are my heros and my role models!

Seska422, I will be trying exactly what you suggested. I have already prepared my lunch and snacks for the day since I am going to work, and for once, I have allowed myself to bring a cookie, some dark chocolate, and an almond bar (even though these three are sure to make me go over my caloric goal!). I also bring my healthy main meal and some fruits. Just like you suggested, I will be logging all the food I eat and wont try to deprive myself from eating what I feel like eating.
Just thinking about it already makes me feel SOOOOOO relieved!

kommodevaran, in the current context, when I buy a chocolat bar, it's because the devil is taking to me! I usually resist for a while, and then hear that voice inside my head saying "f*** the calories, I want this tasty chocolat bar right now". And I usually need more than one, and then crave for a bag of chips and then when I go home I either hate myself and will try to restrict myself even more during the evening (to make it feel like in the end I didnt get TOO MANY extra calories), or, I become a kamikaze and eat EVERYTHING (mainly sugary foods and carbs). So depending on my mood and how bad I restricted myself, eating crappy deserts can either trigger the "I need more" or make me feel bad and punish myself by eating less calories for the next 24 hours. Either way, the reaction is extreme.

goldthistime, I have changed my macros to encourage myself to eat more protein. I am aiming for a moderate carb, normal fat, high protein ratio, but it is indeed hard to meet that high protein ratio as a vegetarian. Maybe I should set the ratio back to what it was so that I could atleast meet the "normal recommandation". But I have to admit, it is not easy to respect the caloric goal and meet the protein ratio at the same time, cuz most of the time carbs are taking so much of my calories that there is no space left for protein... Since I will not be restricting myself for the next couple of weeks, I'm pretty sure the proteins will be much easier to get (I am a big fan of walnuts, almonds and cashews!)

trjjoy I already eat so many vegetables! Look at my food diary, I eat fruits and veggies all the time! I always get like 200 to 500% of my vitamins... the problem cannot be the lack of veggies. I am not kidding, my refrigerator looks like the vegetable section of a whole foods market! It is filled with fresh fruits, veggetables and herbs.

You guys are right, the dieting mentality is probably not doing any good right now. I will try to allow myself to eat what I want and start over from there... After all, I like healthy food too!

kommodevaran

lauralou93a wrote: »

I think it prob all started with the cheating, if you factor in a treat in to your diet and plenty if healthy snacks and filling meals you should be OK especially if you are exorcising.

To get the devil to shut up?

TheLittleRedHairedGirl

seska422 wrote: »

You don't have to give up any food to lose weight. If you want to give up foods, only give up foods that you are willing to give up forever. If you figure out a sustainable eating plan while you are losing weight then you can stick to that basic plan (with a few more calories) for maintenance.

Here's my suggestion:

Start over. Eat the foods you normally eat in the amounts you normally eat, including all of the "bad" foods. Log everything. Always log everything, good days and bad days, so that you have accurate data.

After a couple weeks, go back through your log and see where you might make some sustainable changes. Things like smaller portions or substituting some foods that you like with other foods that you also like and that are satisfying to you.

Also, don't be too aggressive with your weekly loss rate. I you are hungry at 2 pounds per week, start with 0.5 pounds per week (after the initial baseline logging) and see if that works hunger-wise. If it does, you might go for 1 pound per week or just stay at 0.5 pounds per week. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

This.

Also, if you're cravings are such that you can't keep on track, then you need to re-evaluate what you're eating and incorporate some of those things into your diet. This is a journey, not a restrictive diet. You need to learn how to go forward without feeling like you're cheating on yourself.

I have a terrible sweet tooth and crave baked goods. My compromise to myself is to have a piece of dark chocolate every night. I make mini-muffins from a box mix, egg whites and applesauce and they're about 40 calories per mini-muffin. I also eat almond butter straight from the jar with a spoon without measuring, but I measured in the beginning so I know what a tablespoon looks like. I have air popped popcorn every night with butter spray sprinkled with a blend of baking splenda and cinnamon and it tastes SO good. It's all about finding what works for you, and being able to live with it so that you're happy, not miserable. That's not what this is about.

I just read through the thread and see that you've posted. Good realizations and it sounds like with those changes, you'll be able to sustain. I wish you the absolute best of luck!

(edited)

Francl27

There's nothing wrong with cookies and cake... just make them fit in your calories.

It's the great thing about logging EVERYTHING. The math doesn't lie. You can have that stuff and still meet your goal. Find a reasonable goal you can stick to. Might not be 2 pounds a week but even half a pound is better than gaining more weight.

And again... LOG EVERYTHING. So what if you went a bit over today. You'll make it up in one day with just a 500 calorie deficit. So log it... and move on.

There were some words of wisdom in one of my exercise videos... 'if it's too hard, slow down, do it at your own pace. What you don't do is just give up'.

dragon_girl26

May I ask what your current calorie goal is, and what your have your pounds lost per week set to? If my guess is correct (1200 calories daily), it may be too aggressive for you, which could be why you're having trouble.
I'm a big fan of pre-logging and pre-planning. Maybe if you tried planning like a week ahead, and built in treats in that plan throughout the week, it could be easier to stick to. That way, if you really want that candy bar, but you already know you're planning to have one tomorrow, it gives you a little peace of mind and keeps you from feeling deprived. The other thing it does is put you in control of the food, rather than the food controlling you.
Personally, I don't care for the idea of labeling foods as "good" or "bad". If you eat something you perceive as "bad", or you "cheat ", it sounds like you're doing something wrong. You aren't though - you're just eating. Food is just food. Once you can establish that mindset, it loses the power it once had.
Above all, try to figure out changes that work for you. You aren't "on a diet"; it's a lifestyle change. Are you going to give up these foods forever? Likely not, so find a plan/way to indulge that doesn't make you feel uncomfortable or guilty.
Hopefully that was of some help to you. Good luck! You've got this!

melonaulait

I pretty much always eat if I am still hungry at the end of the day. It's ok to keep losing weight slowly!

size102b

I always say weight problems are emotional for most you sort your head out you'll lose weight

I just picture a year in the future 50lbs heavier as that's what happens if you eat what you like

Been there

Just take small steps if you need treats have them up exercise to get more calories drink more fluids it can help but remember why you started that worst feeling write it down somewhere you'll see it regularly then take a underwater shot of front back side every time you struggle look at them
Try eating filling foods porridge protein fibre it helps but there's a difference between emotional hunger and physical the latter is hunger pains the fore is a real need to eat to feel better
But I stay on track knowing if I don't I'll be much bigger in a few months that to me is more depressing

shadowfax_c11

Along with all of the great advice above. Consider having a smaller weight loss per week goal. Yes you will lose more slowly but you will still be losing. I am rarely hungry. Lost 31 pounds over the past year. Yes sure a lot of people here have lost a lot more in the same period of time but I am happy with it because for me this is easy and I AM going in the right direction.

nvmomketo

Many find that eating a low carb high fat diet naturally reduces appetite and cravings. Cutting added sugars, grains and flours, and reducing (or eliminating) starchy root veggies and high GI fruits may result in you naturall cutting calories by a few hundred kcal and remove the sweets cravings within days. It sure helped me.

If it inteterests you to try it, look into Atkins, Protein Power or even Dukkan diets, or try the Low Carber Daily group.

Good luck.