Cutting back on calories seriously blows. I'm so hungry!

TonyB0588

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

perkymommy wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

So after breakfast you just snack until evening? You don't have a meal in the middle of the day? Perhaps the structure of your daily intake is having an impact on your hunger feelings.

bbell1985

I'm similar to your stats. 5'4" and currently 144 or so, but I've been as low as 128.

With out stats, it's hard to lose a pound per week. I would like to go into a deficit for two weeks, then take a weekend or half week break. Or do one pound per week for a week, then cycle up to a .5 lb. Really the loss is quite slow. Even when I try for a pound it's only a half pound and it all just comes off at once after 3 weeks.

French_Peasant

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

French_Peasant wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

perkymommy wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

Since you are on a 1200 base, which sounds about right for your size, how many calories are you eating back from your workouts? You need to properly fuel all that cardio that you are doing. Remember MFP is designed for you to eat back exercise calories, although some eat back 50 or 75% to avoid potential inflation.

Also, are you making a concerted effort to get in enough protein to preserve your existing muscle? (Generally recommended at .8 g per bodyweight or thereabouts...and many people find protein to be very filling). If you are eating at a considerable deficit and just doing bodyweight, you are not going to be gaining much muscle, but if you ARE able to gain a few scraps of muscle through some genetic advantage, it is going to make you look awesome, so don't think of it as a bad thing. I have been at the same weight for half a year but have been shedding clothing sizes as I recomp at maintenance. At the bare minimum, you want to make sure you don't lose any of the muscle you already have.

Finally, when you say "spaghetti," are you talking about the a) miserably small amount of spaghetti and store-bought sauce that will fit into a 1200 calorie diet, or b) the awesome big pile of sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and/or rabe, combined with that same single pasta serving, and covered with a prudent homemade sauce and fresh herbs, which also easily fits into a 1200 calorie diet? Because something like that is going to make the difference between hangry starving misery and being happy and satisfied. (And if you are full, you are not going to be freaking out over counting calories--it just becomes another tool).

After my workout I usually have whey protein which is 30gs of protein per serving. Unless I have supper cooked of course then I just have a meal. I do find it hard to get in my protein so I have one shake a day. Often eat back all the calories that I burn off unless I have a shake which is only 180 cals.

And yes when I cook anything I have as many fresh ingredients as possible:) I don't eat much during the day but I do enjoy my supper in the evening.

Have you pinpointed when it is that you are hungry? For example, if you are hungry too soon after breakfast, maybe shake things up to see if something works better: trade the toast for peanut butter on a large apple, or try 100 calories of guacamole on the toast, or eat two or three eggs and have avocado slices and a large apple.

Same for lunch: if those crackers aren't satiating, change them out for chicken breast, which is low calorie and full of protein. I love, love, love crackers and bread, but it is really hard to fit them in, and they are not filling for me. I can have them on days when I am digging the garden for 8 hours, or going on a long and vigorous bike ride, but most of the time I really have to scale them back.

Sometimes--as long as you are not eating too few calories and are properly fueling your body--it's okay to be hungry. Maybe distract yourself by taking a brief walk.

You just need to experiment and see what keeps you full, and develop strategies to head problems off at the pass. The more you work on it, the more it will become an ingrained habit, and the more your body (and mind) will adapt.

Two tricks that work for me if I am starving but don't have the calories to spare are: 1% cottage cheese with pickled banana peppers (over 1/2 cup for 100 calories) and 0% Fage plain yogurt with a few grams of honey and some blueberries (less than 150 calories for a 6-oz cup, depending on how much honey you add). Both have a lot of protein, which for me is filling...it might be different for you, but worth a try.

Good luck as you sort things out...let us know how it goes.

Jasmine_simone23

French_Peasant wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

French_Peasant wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

perkymommy wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

Since you are on a 1200 base, which sounds about right for your size, how many calories are you eating back from your workouts? You need to properly fuel all that cardio that you are doing. Remember MFP is designed for you to eat back exercise calories, although some eat back 50 or 75% to avoid potential inflation.

Also, are you making a concerted effort to get in enough protein to preserve your existing muscle? (Generally recommended at .8 g per bodyweight or thereabouts...and many people find protein to be very filling). If you are eating at a considerable deficit and just doing bodyweight, you are not going to be gaining much muscle, but if you ARE able to gain a few scraps of muscle through some genetic advantage, it is going to make you look awesome, so don't think of it as a bad thing. I have been at the same weight for half a year but have been shedding clothing sizes as I recomp at maintenance. At the bare minimum, you want to make sure you don't lose any of the muscle you already have.

Finally, when you say "spaghetti," are you talking about the a) miserably small amount of spaghetti and store-bought sauce that will fit into a 1200 calorie diet, or b) the awesome big pile of sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and/or rabe, combined with that same single pasta serving, and covered with a prudent homemade sauce and fresh herbs, which also easily fits into a 1200 calorie diet? Because something like that is going to make the difference between hangry starving misery and being happy and satisfied. (And if you are full, you are not going to be freaking out over counting calories--it just becomes another tool).

After my workout I usually have whey protein which is 30gs of protein per serving. Unless I have supper cooked of course then I just have a meal. I do find it hard to get in my protein so I have one shake a day. Often eat back all the calories that I burn off unless I have a shake which is only 180 cals.

And yes when I cook anything I have as many fresh ingredients as possible:) I don't eat much during the day but I do enjoy my supper in the evening.

Have you pinpointed when it is that you are hungry? For example, if you are hungry too soon after breakfast, maybe shake things up to see if something works better: trade the toast for peanut butter on a large apple, or try 100 calories of guacamole on the toast, or eat two or three eggs and have avocado slices and a large apple.

Same for lunch: if those crackers aren't satiating, change them out for chicken breast, which is low calorie and full of protein. I love, love, love crackers and bread, but it is really hard to fit them in, and they are not filling for me. I can have them on days when I am digging the garden for 8 hours, or going on a long and vigorous bike ride, but most of the time I really have to scale them back.

Sometimes--as long as you are not eating too few calories and are properly fueling your body--it's okay to be hungry. Maybe distract yourself by taking a brief walk.

You just need to experiment and see what keeps you full, and develop strategies to head problems off at the pass. The more you work on it, the more it will become an ingrained habit, and the more your body (and mind) will adapt.

Two tricks that work for me if I am starving but don't have the calories to spare are: 1% cottage cheese with pickled banana peppers (over 1/2 cup for 100 calories) and 0% Fage plain yogurt with a few grams of honey and some blueberries (less than 150 calories for a 6-oz cup, depending on how much honey you add). Both have a lot of protein, which for me is filling...it might be different for you, but worth a try.

Good luck as you sort things out...let us know how it goes.

I've been having bigger breakfast and added more protein to my diet and things have been working out a lot better for me huger wise. Oh and I lost 5lbs the past 8 days so I must be doing something right!

French_Peasant

Jasmine_simone23 wrote: »

French_Peasant wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

French_Peasant wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

perkymommy wrote: »

jasmine_pittman wrote: »

Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

Since you are on a 1200 base, which sounds about right for your size, how many calories are you eating back from your workouts? You need to properly fuel all that cardio that you are doing. Remember MFP is designed for you to eat back exercise calories, although some eat back 50 or 75% to avoid potential inflation.

Also, are you making a concerted effort to get in enough protein to preserve your existing muscle? (Generally recommended at .8 g per bodyweight or thereabouts...and many people find protein to be very filling). If you are eating at a considerable deficit and just doing bodyweight, you are not going to be gaining much muscle, but if you ARE able to gain a few scraps of muscle through some genetic advantage, it is going to make you look awesome, so don't think of it as a bad thing. I have been at the same weight for half a year but have been shedding clothing sizes as I recomp at maintenance. At the bare minimum, you want to make sure you don't lose any of the muscle you already have.

Finally, when you say "spaghetti," are you talking about the a) miserably small amount of spaghetti and store-bought sauce that will fit into a 1200 calorie diet, or b) the awesome big pile of sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and/or rabe, combined with that same single pasta serving, and covered with a prudent homemade sauce and fresh herbs, which also easily fits into a 1200 calorie diet? Because something like that is going to make the difference between hangry starving misery and being happy and satisfied. (And if you are full, you are not going to be freaking out over counting calories--it just becomes another tool).

After my workout I usually have whey protein which is 30gs of protein per serving. Unless I have supper cooked of course then I just have a meal. I do find it hard to get in my protein so I have one shake a day. Often eat back all the calories that I burn off unless I have a shake which is only 180 cals.

And yes when I cook anything I have as many fresh ingredients as possible:) I don't eat much during the day but I do enjoy my supper in the evening.

Have you pinpointed when it is that you are hungry? For example, if you are hungry too soon after breakfast, maybe shake things up to see if something works better: trade the toast for peanut butter on a large apple, or try 100 calories of guacamole on the toast, or eat two or three eggs and have avocado slices and a large apple.

Same for lunch: if those crackers aren't satiating, change them out for chicken breast, which is low calorie and full of protein. I love, love, love crackers and bread, but it is really hard to fit them in, and they are not filling for me. I can have them on days when I am digging the garden for 8 hours, or going on a long and vigorous bike ride, but most of the time I really have to scale them back.

Sometimes--as long as you are not eating too few calories and are properly fueling your body--it's okay to be hungry. Maybe distract yourself by taking a brief walk.

You just need to experiment and see what keeps you full, and develop strategies to head problems off at the pass. The more you work on it, the more it will become an ingrained habit, and the more your body (and mind) will adapt.

Two tricks that work for me if I am starving but don't have the calories to spare are: 1% cottage cheese with pickled banana peppers (over 1/2 cup for 100 calories) and 0% Fage plain yogurt with a few grams of honey and some blueberries (less than 150 calories for a 6-oz cup, depending on how much honey you add). Both have a lot of protein, which for me is filling...it might be different for you, but worth a try.

Good luck as you sort things out...let us know how it goes.

I've been having bigger breakfast and added more protein to my diet and things have been working out a lot better for me huger wise. Oh and I lost 5lbs the past 8 days so I must be doing something right!

Awesome, that is great news! I am so glad you are figuring out some things that work.

With the 5 lbs, keep in mind that some might be water weight and very annoying fluctuations, so don't get discouraged if you don't see that kind of loss every week or the scale bounces around. Look at the long term trends. You may already know thus but I remember my chagrin at scale shenanigans when I first started so wanted to give you a heads up.