Does anyone have any advice?

chibistart

Hello my name is Stephanie, and I have had a fight with my weight since always. I've tried many different diets but found I come across the same issue. Well daggone it I want a burger or tacos or ribs or cake, then fall off my wagon. I recently tried the blood type diet and I liked the way I felt but I found it was soooo restrictive. Currently I tried the 21 day fix minus the excersice videos and lost 10 lbs!!! Now I'm going for round 2 but trying to add a few gym days a week. I am 4 days in and I feel like I'm having the same issue I did 3 weeks ago. I'm ALWAY hungry. And I've weened myself away from salad and chicken only (because it's not realistic) but I eat a meal and I'm hungry right after. Shouldn't my stomach shrink a bit. I'm not eating crazy I think my portions are fine. This week the average was Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast. 2 chicken legs and veggies for lunch. And roasted chicken with veggies and sweet potatoes for dinner.(chicken was on sale this week) If I go to the gym I replace my meal with a protein shake. My calorie doesn't say I'm under eating at all! Am I missing something what am I doing wrong. I try chewing gum snacking on a banana or walnuts in between drinking water seltzer and tea with all my meals. I'm not ready to give in yet but it's hard when I finish eating and all I wanna do is go for seconds. Does anyone have any advice.

quiksylver296

How tall are you?
How much do you weigh?
How old are you?
How many calories are you eating a day?
Do you own and use a food scale to weigh all your food?

chibistart

5'11
312
30
1500 cal
I've been using the 21 day fix cups (but I do have one)

Penthesilea514

First off, I agree with the aptly named @quiksylver296 that you need to provide some more information to help the forums assist you. You can also open your diary for people to view as well and it helps give insights.

chibistart wrote: »

Hello my name is Stephanie, and I have had a fight with my weight since always. I've tried many different diets but found I come across the same issue. Well daggone it I want a burger or tacos or ribs or cake, then fall off my wagon. I recently tried the blood type diet and I liked the way I felt but I found it was soooo restrictive. Currently I tried the 21 day fix minus the excersice videos and lost 10 lbs!!! Now I'm going for round 2 but trying to add a few gym days a week. I am 4 days in and I feel like I'm having the same issue I did 3 weeks ago. I'm ALWAY hungry. And I've weened myself away from salad and chicken only (because it's not realistic) but I eat a meal and I'm hungry right after. Shouldn't my stomach shrink a bit. I'm not eating crazy I think my portions are fine. This week the average was Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast. 2 chicken legs and veggies for lunch. And roasted chicken with veggies and sweet potatoes for dinner.(chicken was on sale this week) If I go to the gym I replace my meal with a protein shake. My calorie doesn't say I'm under eating at all! Am I missing something what am I doing wrong. I try chewing gum snacking on a banana or walnuts in between drinking water seltzer and tea with all my meals. I'm not ready to give in yet but it's hard when I finish eating and all I wanna do is go for seconds. Does anyone have any advice.

This struck me as odd- why are you replacing meal with a protein shake on days you work out? I usually have a protein shake in addition to my normal intake on days that I work out because it roughly equates to my calories burned (at the serving I use, ~130 calories).

quiksylver296

To lose approximately a pound a week, you can eat ~2100 calories per day (assuming you are sedentary). Get a food scale. Weigh everything. Allow yourself room for treats. I eat ~200-300 calories in dessert every night! The ONLY thing you have to do to lose weight is eat fewer calories in a day than your body uses. Your body currently uses about 2600 calories per day (again assuming you are sedentary. More calories if you are more active). There are no special diets, pills, foods, shakes, exercises, you-name-it, needed for weight loss. Just stay under your TDEE (seen below).



Just realize that your TDEE will change as you lose weight and be ready to make adjustments.

Poppetini

Hi Stephanie - I'm loving the answer you've been given above … which is that you need to eat more, and you'll still lose. Hope you don't mind my following your question - as like you, I'm always hungry. Even when I'm not 'dieting' I find myself still peckish when I finish a meal … so you can imagine what I'm like when I'm trying to lose :-) I'm just back after a 2 month break. The good news is that I've not regained much, but already I'm wondering how to get through the almost desperate need to nibble. I'm thinking that perhaps it's a psychological rather than a physical need … like a habit. I'm wondering what to do when my cravings are too distracting. Sorry it's not much of a helpful answer, other than to say I'm with you on this one.

quiksylver296

This is the website I used to do the calculations above. FYI.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Penthesilea514

Yeah, I eat 1700 calories a day and I am 5'4 and 228 lbs and lose weight at ~1lb/wk. 1500 is too low for how much energy you need in a day (thanks to provided information above).

Don't give up. It may seem counterintuitive to eat more but you can lose weight without being miserable. It is a learning process to figure out what works for you and your life. For me, that included making small, manageable changes over time and learning as much as I could about nutrition. For me, I learned that trying to hit my protein and fiber goals has really helped me stay full longer. I also have learned over time I am a boredom eater and by being more aware of things that make me "want" to eat, I have different ways to deal with those cravings (walking, healthier snacks, etc).

But all of this started with two things for me: logging my food here and drinking more water. The food scale is really important to help with accurate logging of foods.

Being too restrictive used to make me feel horrible and depressed and I gave up over and over again. But if you keep at it and learn what you like and can do, you will find a way to lose the weight and it will be worth it. Because you and your health are worth it. You can do this. MFP has a great community of people who are willing to help.

dfranch

I generally plan my daily intake around dinner. My wife was not on a diet, so we ate about the same dinner we always had. Once I know how many calories dinner will be, I can plan the rest of the day. I was very strict while I was actively losing weight, usually around 1500 calories a day. Eating a normalish dinner helped keep the cravings at bay. Lunch would be very lo cal 300-500 calories. If I had a few extra calories at the end of the day, some fruit for dessert. You can eat a lot of fruit for only a few hundred calories. If I can do it so can you. I was 5' 10", 262 lbs & 45 years old when I started. You're a bit heavier, but much younger. I recommend you start exercising as well. I mostly lifted weights as I am not a fan of cardio. It will help prevent being "skinny fat" (thin but with no muscle).

In my experience, "Diets" are only temporary. You can lose weight on a diet, but if the plan is to return to your normal eating habits once you lose the weight, you'll only gain the weight back. You have to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. Another thing to be aware of is it takes a long time to lose weight. You're not going to lose 100 lbs in 3 months (it took me over a year to lose 90).

Once I reached a weight I was happy with I transitioned to maintenance. I still log every meal. It prevents me from going too off the reservation. But I do get more treats now than I used to.

leajas1

Don't forget to eat food that's mentally satisfying to you. I can eat a bunch of food that I didn't really like and because I wasn't satisfied mentally, I'm still going to feel like eating more.

quiksylver296

leajas1 wrote: »

Don't forget to eat food that's mentally satisfying to you. I can eat a bunch of food that I didn't really like and because I wasn't satisfied mentally, I'm still going to feel like eating more.

Agreed! When I get a cheeseburger craving, I save up a few calories through the week and have a delicious cheeseburger over the weekend. Then, right back at it afterwards!

Penthesilea514

quiksylver296 wrote: »

leajas1 wrote: »

Don't forget to eat food that's mentally satisfying to you. I can eat a bunch of food that I didn't really like and because I wasn't satisfied mentally, I'm still going to feel like eating more.

Agreed! When I get a cheeseburger craving, I save up a few calories through the week and have a delicious cheeseburger over the weekend. Then, right back at it afterwards!

I agree this as well- it has been very good for me mentally along the way.

Butts_Boys_and_Burgers_ohmy

One of the things that has helped me the most is doing all my food prep once a week.

I meal plan for the whole week (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) before I go to the store and I only buy what I need.

I am 5'5", 37 yo, 338 pounds. Last year, I lost 80 pounds, had major surgery and stopped logging my food. I gained back 60 pounds. So I have started logging again and the weight is falling off me. I know this pace won't last, but I have faith if I keep going I will meet my goals. Consistency is key!! I currently eat 1800 calories/day. My macros are 40% Carbs, 30% Fat and 30% protein.

I don't deprive myself of anything I want. I am a big fan of casserole dishes and crock pot meals. I have found alot of success with Pinterest for recipes.

Feel free to add me if you want extra support - good luck!!

Edit to add: I am almost never REALLY hungry. It's sometimes hard for me to separate anxiety from real hunger. It's a constant struggle, but it can be done

chibistart

Thank you all for the helpful feed back. I will increase my calories and start using a scale. I will go into next week full force

TeaBea

chibistart wrote: »

Hello my name is Stephanie, and I have had a fight with my weight since always. I've tried many different diets but found I come across the same issue. Well daggone it I want a burger or tacos or ribs or cake, then fall off my wagon. I recently tried the blood type diet and I liked the way I felt but I found it was soooo restrictive. Currently I tried the 21 day fix minus the excersice videos and lost 10 lbs!!! Now I'm going for round 2 but trying to add a few gym days a week. I am 4 days in and I feel like I'm having the same issue I did 3 weeks ago. I'm ALWAY hungry. And I've weened myself away from salad and chicken only (because it's not realistic) but I eat a meal and I'm hungry right after. Shouldn't my stomach shrink a bit. I'm not eating crazy I think my portions are fine. This week the average was Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast. 2 chicken legs and veggies for lunch. And roasted chicken with veggies and sweet potatoes for dinner.(chicken was on sale this week) If I go to the gym I replace my meal with a protein shake. My calorie doesn't say I'm under eating at all! Am I missing something what am I doing wrong. I try chewing gum snacking on a banana or walnuts in between drinking water seltzer and tea with all my meals. I'm not ready to give in yet but it's hard when I finish eating and all I wanna do is go for seconds. Does anyone have any advice.

21 Day Fix containers will vary in calories depending on food choices. Some people have logged here and found that they were under eating.

Instead of a "named diet" my best advice is to do your own thing. Measure your food choices and & log them here. It just takes some time to get the hang of things (hunger wise). Protein, fiber and fat are filling. But it's different combinations for everyone.

Make sure your weekly weight loss goal isn't too high. That brings your calories lower. You want to have room for a treat here and there. This helps me manage my snacking. It's not realistic that all my snacks be fruit or veggies....I like chocolate. 1 individually wrapped square of dark chocolate....yum. Find a way to work in a treat here & there.

When you workout you earn extra calories.....make sure you are using some of them.

tabletop_joe

I can't recommend a food scale enough. I was under-eating by as much as 40% using volume measurements. Please don't put yourself through that!

monicaamy902

Ok, I know that many people will disagree with me, but I think skipping dinner is pretty much the only way I have ever lost weight. I may have a snack or a glass of wine, but eating lunch as my large meal, maybe a few eggs for breakfast and a snack mid morning and mid afternoon seems to do the trick. But I also eat paleo. Yes, sometimes I am hungry, but I'll have a handful of cashews or some fruit and it curbs my hunger. I try to drink a lot of water too. Whenever I do the apple cider vinegar in the morning, I seem to lose easier.