I can't stop eating!

chickennugger13

I'm a 25 year old, 80kg, 167cm tall desk worker.

I just find I can never eat within my calorie goal, and lose zero weight.

I just get so hungry during the day - especially in the mornings at work.

I snack on museli bars, fruit, crackers and for lunch have couscous with mixed vegetables and some nuts.

I just find myself so hungry all the time.

I also have rheumatoid arthritis and struggle with exercising due to fatigue and my endless medications.

I'm just so sick of seeing how big I am in the mirror and just wish I could cut down on food.

I'm also totally addicted to sugar - I get really tired, grumpy and crave it so badly, then I have some and I feel so much better. This happens every day, with me doing stuff like going out at lunch and getting ice cream to get through the day.

Advice would be appreciated

Styggian

I found that recording everything I eat, slowed my 'snacking' down. Before MFP I used to do it in a notebook. Hope this helps.

soysaucekitty

Try incorporating more protein and healthy fat into your snacking. It really helped get my hunger under control. My favorites are chopped boiled eggs with a slice or two or avocado on top or string cheese with a few kalmata olives. Easy to grab. While fruit and crackers are not bad food choices...they both make me hungrier. Protein and healthy fats also helps with sugar cravings. Good luck.

ETMooney83

Some tips for at work
- at your desk, do some of your tasks standing instead of sitting.
- Drink more water, it could help with cravings
- If you use a water fountain, go to one that's further away.
- Use the stairs, walk the long way, park at the back of parking lot, etc.

As for eating
- start with portion control, it's tough but if you eat small snacks (peanuts, almonds, cashews, etc.) eat them one-by-one
- Snacks that come in bar form are tricky, hiding macros that you may not notice at first. Also, they must be eaten in moderation, limit to one per day.
- Learn to live with being hungry. ITS TOUGH! But it all depends on you. Be willing to be hungry, and sip a water, the hunger will pass.
- Idk your calorie goals, but focus a little more on macros. If you limit macros you will hit your calorie goals healthily

General
- I understand the arthritis can be bothersome, but you can always do things like walking.
- Maybe your goals are too much right now? Make a small goal, then another one, then another one. Let the small goals snowball into a bigger one.

That's all I got and I'll send you a friend request as well. By no means am I perfect with weight loss but friends can always be helpful.

neldabg

Play with your macros. I find that if my morning meal is high in protein, I am less hungry and less likely to have and/or cave in to cravings the rest of the day. For some people, higher carbs or higher fats will do the trick.
Even if you can't do some exercises due to your arthritis, you can still find ways to keep your body healthy. Search for gentle yoga videos on YouTube (I personally love the YWA channel) to work on other physical goals such as flexibility.

alicebhsia

i think this was in the south beach diet book but i'm not sure exactly where i read this, but, are you eating or have you eaten a lot of stuff with corn syrup in it? supposedly eating corn syrup, (and almost everything nowadays has corn syrup in it) can cause something called a candida albinicus growth in your guts, it's like a yeast or something. that makes you hungry all the time! i used to be hungry all the time too and after cutting out corn syrup from my diet and taking a round of probiotics my stomach got a lot less bloated and i stopped being hungry all the time. now i will occasionally have something with corn syrup in it, but for the most part i don't eat it like i used to as i don't buy stuff with corn syrup in it unless it's a special treat. and i eat lots of yogurt which has probiotics in it, but not enough to combat a serious case of candida albinicus. for that you need alot of probiotics. i used the align probiotics and they worked great. (i got a free box.) so maybe you could try it and see if it helps.

2GetFit2018

Could try to snack on serious low calorie foods like celery & cabbage...

Redordeadhead

Museli bars and fruit would also leave me hungry in the morning, I need protein. Maybe try eggs or yoghurt for breakfast?

kommodevaran

So what is your calorie goal?

You're describing a very carb heavy and nutritionally poor diet; if that is the reality, you are starving yourself, and your body is demanding fast acting energy, you're not addicted. The stress of weight gain and loss of control probably adds to the fatigue and makes you grumpy.

My advice: A reasonable calorie goal, regular meals, real food - more protein, fat and fiber.

vingogly

You can try increasing the fat and protein as others have said - your diet is focusing on a lot of carbs. Pay attention to your body and what it's telling you about your hunger cues. I found I needed to have a breakfast with a good amount of protein, a couple of light snacks during the day, and a good sized dinner with a bunch of protein and good fats to tide me over (I'll have an entree, some veggies, and Greek or Icelandic yogurt with fruit and a little granola or a protein heavy smoothie for a dessert). You should be getting a little hungry when it's time for a meal, but I find being ravenous isn't good since it leads to overindulging. Fiber also can help with the hunger - I shoot for 30g a day, and make it most of the time.

When you're craving sugar, try having a protein rich and/or fatty snack instead of something carb heavy (one of my favorites is some cheese with a few Triscuits or Ak-Mak crackers, which gives me fiber as well as protein and fat). I found this helped me learn that I can be satisfied by a snack that isn't sugar heavy. It's a matter of tweaking your palate.

chickennugger13

My calorie goal is 1600 calories per day. I never achieve it.
I should also mention I'm a vegetarian, but the idea of increasing fat and protein sounds good.

My general diet:

Breakfast: Oats with berries and soy milk

Snack: fruit, museli bar

Lunch: Couscous, nuts, mixed vegetables

Snack: Often rice crackers but end up so hungry and sugar craving i end up getting ice cream or chocolate by 3pm.

Dinner: Very variable as my partner has different taste to me - often salad, potato gems, and egg, or quorn products

Just getting heavier and super hungry

August2444

I agree with the less carbs more fat and protein advice. When I ate cereal or toast for breakfast I'd be starving and ready to pass out by 10.30am. Now I eat bacon eggs avocado coconut oil etc for breakfast and I power all the way through to lunch no problems. Also at work, try some different herbal teas. A raspberry or sweet flavour tea might help you get through the day without so much sugar.
Good luck.

bee_bee8

Good advice above. I'd just like to add that once you find a good balance of macros and master portion control, it will get a lot easier. I remember when I first started out I felt like I was starving, because I was eating far fewer calories than my body was used to. After just a few days in a row of sticking to my calorie goal, I started feeling more satiated from less food. I've been at it about a year now and I won't say I never feel hungry, but I can say I haven't felt starving in a long time.

zilkah

I have RA and also was addicted to sugar. It's usually not actual hunger , it's hunger for sugars. You feel hungry you feel like you can't NOT snack. break that habit , it takes about a week of really low sugar for me. I had headaches, sad I know , but it made it much easier after that hump. Your body inflammation will go down too. I ate extremely low sugar for a few weeks and almost all my RA pain went away

acorsaut89

Well, first off the diet you mentioned doesn't seem to have food in it that's too calorie dense (besides chocolate and ice cream) so you'd have to be consuming a very large volume of food to be gaining weight if that's truly your diet. With that in mind, you sound like me and you're volume eater. I snack a lot during the day, but my meals are very small. I eat like 6 large snacks, instead of actual meals every day. This might be an option for you.

The other thing to consider would be foods that offer more bang for your buck - those that you get a lot of volume out of for small amounts of calories: spinach, broccoli, etc.

As someone else said, you might have to learn to live with being hungry for about a week or so. Eventually your stomach will shrink down and you won't feel as hungry. It's going to suck for the first week or so but you eventually you'll learn to deal with it. You also sound like you need things to distract you. As a fellow desk worker I understand that sometimes snacking is mindless while you're working away but not having access to snacks, storing them in a place where you have to get up to go get them (which will make you really think about whether you want them) and so on will make it easier to stop the mindless snacking. You could also chew gum which will keep your mind kind of distracted from food.

In the end, you really have to just push through this. How bad do you want to lose weight? Do you want it more than you want the ice cream or chocolate? You should be eating to achieve long term goals, not short term satisfaction. It will all boil down to how badly you want to lose the weight. It's a huge battle in your mind and it's going to be hard, but you have to want it.

AnnPT77

chickennugger13 wrote: »

My calorie goal is 1600 calories per day. I never achieve it.
I should also mention I'm a vegetarian, but the idea of increasing fat and protein sounds good.

My general diet:

Breakfast: Oats with berries and soy milk

Snack: fruit, museli bar

Lunch: Couscous, nuts, mixed vegetables

Snack: Often rice crackers but end up so hungry and sugar craving i end up getting ice cream or chocolate by 3pm.

Dinner: Very variable as my partner has different taste to me - often salad, potato gems, and egg, or quorn products

Just getting heavier and super hungry

I'm a vegetarian, too. I would be hungry eating what you are - but satiation is very individual, so you'll need to experiment. It sounds like you eat dairy, from the ice cream, and eggs?

Here are some variations that you could try- just ideas -if you enjoy these foods:

Breakfast: Plain Greek yogurt instead of soy milk (more protein, probiotics). Maybe add a few walnuts for fat?

Snacks (AM & PM) Dry-roasted soybeans, crispy chickpeas, cheese, hard-boiled egg (protein). Whole fruit is worth keeping, especially in PM when you crave sweetness. Low-cal raw veggies that require lots of chewing, like carrots, celery, radishes, jicama, cucumber (for volume).

Lunch: Add tofu or tempeh or black beans, sub quinoa for couscous (protein). Consider black bean or edamame pasta instead of grain (warning: it has a chewy texture)? Maybe a peanut sauce for extra fat, or just a dash of sesame or walnut or olive oil?

Dinner: Add a big green salad or a plate of raw veggies for volume, maybe instead of potato gems. Note that you can perhaps vary your sides or relative portion size from what your partner eats, but still eat basically the same meal. Avocado in reasonable portions has healthy fats.

Eating at least 3 whole fruit servings daily helped me reduce cravings for less nutrient-dense sweets. That doesn't work for everyone, but it has worked for others besides me. There are also sweet-tasting but negligible calorie herb teas you could try. A single serve really good quality chocolate can be savored instead of getting a whole big regular kind of boring candy bar.

Drinking enough (not excessive ) water, having some hot miso or veggie broth, or drinking hot herb tea can also help with hunger/cravings, sometimes.

Best wishes!

chickennugger13

Thanks so much! It's sunday night and I'm dry roasting some chickpeas - fingers crossed it makes a difference

Stacyines

I had the same problem and realized it was largely contributed to high sugar intake and anxiety.

Cut juices and soda from your regular diet and only drink water. I can guarantee you’ll notice a drastic change in your sugar cravings.

Notify your doctor about your food binges and ask if it could be caused by anxiety or any other mental related illness.

I was given anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants. I tried the anti-depressants for a week and felt it negatively impacted my body more than benefited it. I discontinued it. HOWEVER, my anti-anxiety medication actually helped significantly and I haven’t binged eat/stressed eat since I’ve started it. With the assistance of my doctor, I realized my desire to eat all the time was emotionally related than hunger related. I’ve managed to go back to my normal weight and have no longer yo-yo’d because of it.

1houndgal

Since thou are also dealing with arthritis, thou should look into swimming or water fitness classes. I have arthritis and found swimming helpful. My YMCA pool also has a fantastic Jacuzzi that helps my aches and pains. My YMCA has adult swim lessons also. Start off slow and work up to doing more as you go. Seriously, swimming can burn up serious calories. Hope this is helpful.

Also try recumbent bicycle and recumbent elliptical machines.

sgtx81

A multi-vitamin might help. Sometimes people don't get enough micronutrients, and their body becomes starved for those nutrients, so it makes them want to eat trying to make up the deficit.

Also, your body regulates blood sugar or else you would die. When you eat a lot of carbs your pancreas releases insulin which pulls glucose from your blood and forces it into your cells where it either gets used or stored.

When blood glucose starts getting lower than your body would prefer it can send you one or more signals such as fatigue, irritability, brain fog, or hunger.

Maybe reducing carbs, like fruits, crackers, muesli bars and replacing them with higher protein or healthy fatty snacks could curb your hunger a bit.

If all else fails, why not drink more water? There's only so much room in your stomach. If the space is taken up already and you try to consume more, there is nowhere for it to go without making you uncomfortable.

Zinka61

I found that while I was trying to cut down on sugar, transitioning first to sweet fruits and veggies instead of added sugars first helped a lot. From there I was able to cut it down a little further, though I"m not too concerned about eating excess sugar if it is naturally in the plant. You can retrain your taste buds.

silviamartins

I feel you! I’m an office worker on the maternity floor at the hospital and patients are always bringing us treats to celebrate and thank us. It’s always a struggle and now that I myself is a parent I find that it’s getting harder to avoid because I’m always thinking “I do so much, I’ve earned this treat” once I give in... I go nuts! I fall for it every time!

jb050794

I've been having big breakfasts, a small lunch, and a snack or two before dinner. I've been staying full until dinner. What do you usually have for breakfast? I've also switched from soda to diet soda, but still trying to drink more water. For snacks, I have some greek yogurt with some kind of berries, peanut butter, protein bars.

AnnPT77

chickennugger13 wrote: »

Thanks so much! It's sunday night and I'm dry roasting some chickpeas - fingers crossed it makes a difference

If you think of it, come back & let us know how it's going, OK?

t9ger

It’s ok to feel hungry. You need to break the cravings and the addiction to sugar. You will feel hungry the first couple days while your body gets used to meals that are the right portion and not constantly being full of snacks. You will not starve. You just need to train yourself into realizing it’s ok not to feel full all the time

And a new hobby to keep your mouth busy is good too. Most people snack because they’re bored or it’s a habit or the taste. Chewing gum or something instead of eating may help. And carbonated seltzer for snack feeling instead of plain water is nice