Wt loss set at .5 lbs, still hungry

newheavensearth

Hi. I set my wt loss at . 5 lbs, which gave me 1370 calories. I'm 5'3", 145 lbs. I'm still hungry. I'm switching from WW. I think I'm still used to the Weeklies and free fruit and veggies. How do I get used to less calories?

kksmom1789

I know when I first started calorie couting I would be hungry alot its like my stomach had to shrink because it was used to eating more food I know that sounds weird it took 3-5 days for the hunger pains to stop

bmayes2014

not sure what your meals look like but maybe increase protein intake to stay satiated longer. Depending on your water intake - increasing that may also help

TeaBea

newheavensearth wrote: »

Hi. I set my wt loss at . 5 lbs, which gave me 1370 calories. I'm 5'3", 145 lbs. I'm still hungry. I'm switching from WW. I think I'm still used to the Weeklies and free fruit and veggies. How do I get used to less calories?

I've never done WW, but my understanding is the calories started lower because fruits & veggies were "free." I don't think MFP is terribly low, but keep in mind these are calories BEFORE exercise. You can earn extra calories here. Log deliberate exercise & eat 50-75% of those calories back.

Protein, fat and fiber are all filling. Different combinations for different people. Finding your combination and regulating timing for meals and snacks takes time. Your stomach won't shrink, but you'll learn about your needs in no time.

TxTiffani

drinking something warm helps me more than plain water in between meals. i like chai tea with one 10 cal half & half. Also low cal snacks that have lots of bites....an apple very very thinly sliced with a light and fit yogurt to dip it in or a whole cucumber very thinly sliced with a Tbsp of lite ranch....both are lower than 100-150 cals and have lots of bites so that helps me as I tend to snack due to boredom and habit so the most bites for the least calories is a must for my snacks;) I've just gotten back on the wagon and I can definitely tell I feel hungrier at the beginning of lowering calories than after I've been at it for a week or so:)

courtneyfabulous

More protein and more fiber! And water!

I had that at first but I upped my protein and veggies and no longer get the hungries.

courtneyfabulous

Low calorie proteins I mean- that way you can fit more into your day. Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, turkey, chicken breast, shrimp, fish, etc.

Go easy on calorie dense stuff and fattier proteins since you don't have the calories to fit in a lot.

courtneyfabulous

Veggies are practically free since they're so low calorie so loss up on veggies & leafy greens!

KyleGrace8

I try to have protein at every meal. I feel less hungry and better overall than if I had cocoa pebbles for breakfast and a plain salad for lunch. You have to really focus on how nutrient dense your allotted calories are going towards. Also, tea and lots of water. I second the post about finding the most bites for your calories. I like to feel like I'm eating a lot so I eat a lot of veggies or take much smaller bites to make treats last longer.

newheavensearth

Thanks, I've been looking at calories for bagged salads and frozen veggies and you can load up on those. I'm not used to eating a lot of protein so that's something I'll work on. Thanks again!

mdavis440

I'm making lots of soups loaded with veggies and low fat protein like chicken and turkey. I find it keeps me full for about 4 hours. Plus I drink sparkling water with lemon, helps curb the appetite

colors_fade

In addition to the protein suggestion: low Glycemic carbs. They won't spike your blood-sugar the way high GI carbs do. Low GI carbs are filling, digest slower, and provide satiation. And because they help keep your insulin levels lower, your body will stay in fat-burning mode longer and more consistently.

Your insulin is the thing you need to control here. If you're eating high GI carbs, you're going to spike insulin levels and you're going to be hungry.

Controlling Your Hunger

OneWayOnlyCycles

One thing which helped me was keeping a big container of salad top shelf front in the refrigerator. No dressing, just tons of veggies. Make yourself dive into that when you get hungry between meals.

fitqueenbess

Congratulations! You're now a small woman so losing 250 calories is 15% of your daily total. Of course your hungry! Do the all of above, and add veggies to everything because it adds volume to your food. Use all the tricks you learned in WW. If you're still hungry, drop the deficit to 125 and eat at least half of your exercise calories. You may be more active than you think. Remember, when your're really hungry, you need to eat more, or you'll sabotage your success. Slow and steady for these last few pounds....

Spliner1969

Open your diary, there may be some suggestions to help based on what you're eating now. I like baked or grilled veggies a lot as a side, very low calories. A plain russet potato microwaved or baked works as a side as well and is lower in calories depending on what you put on it. I will generally put a low fat ranch on mine. Also, as far as proteins go lean to lessen calories. I eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken thighs and breasts, turkey as well, both ground and in cutlets or whole breasts. Very high protein, very low calories if you watch the condiments. Today I put 5oz of baked turkey breast (plain, baked with a little salt and pepper the day before) sliced thin on a sandwich for lunch of multigrain bread (toasted) with some spicy low cal mayo (I add a little tobasco), baby spinach, tomato, and a slice of pepper jack cheese. The whole thing was 383 calories, 26 carbs, 38 protein and 15g fat. It was very filling. Something like that should fit in your daily plan, so it's sometimes what you eat more so than the amount of calories you have. I found that using plain condiments like regular dressings, mayo, etc. was slamming my calories and the easy solution was to switch to the lite or fat free versions. Some suck, some don't so it takes some trial and error.

fitqueenbess

Congratulations! You're now a small woman so 250 calories comprises 15% of your daily needs. Of course you're hungry! Do all the above, follow all the WW tricks, and add veggies to everything. It adds volume and that is satisfying to your mental and physical status. If you're still hungry, you may be more active than you think. Cut your deficit to 125 and eat at least half your exercise calories. If you are truly hungry you need to eat more or you'll sabotage your success. Slow and steady to the finish line....

SusanMFindlay

Another approach (if you can fit it in) would be to increase your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis; fancy term for moving around outside of "working out") to increase your calorie burn and allow you to eat a little bit more. Increasing NEAT doesn't tend to make you hungrier in the same way that working out does (for some people).

afatpersonwholikesfood

This is where I am at right now. I'm tall and get more calories, but after struggling for the last couple of months with "hanger" and feeling the beginning of burnout, I decided that a 250 calorie daily deficit just wasn't working for me. I'm now set to maintenance. That's my goal, but I can decide for myself to go under a bit on some days. Yesterday, I managed a 300 calorie deficit without even intending to do so after a week of maintenance. Today, I'm 100ish under. If that's how I have to progress from here on out to stay sane, then that's how I will go forward.