Cutting back on eating

cailandail1996
cailandail1996 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’m having a problem with cutting back. I eat too much and when I try to cut back I start getting headaches and my cravings won’t stop til I eat more. It’s my main problem. And the fact that when I want something.... I really want it. My portion sizes are getting the best of me and idk how to stop that

Replies

  • rjdubock0609
    rjdubock0609 Posts: 19 Member
    Try drinking more water generally and especially a big glass before meals to fill you up more. That helps me.
  • cailandail1996
    cailandail1996 Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you!! I will definitely try this
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    What are you eating now for a goal?

    Is your goal realistic? Is your deficit realistic?

    What are your height/weight stats?
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2018
    cailandail1996 wrote: »
    I’m having a problem with cutting back. I eat too much and when I try to cut back I start getting headaches and my cravings won’t stop til I eat more. It’s my main problem. And the fact that when I want something.... I really want it. My portion sizes are getting the best of me and idk how to stop that

    Food choices help. Not slashing calories too much also helps.

    Food choices - protein, fiber & fat are satiating components. But it's a little different combo for everyone, so mix and match until you find what works for you. Change up meal timing. Make sure you aren't famished before the next meal.

    Not slashing calories too much - we all want to lose weight yesterday. If you find you consistently run over on calories, or are miserable then lower your weekly weight loss goal. Consistency is more important than keeping to a "schedule."

    Cravings - I can only eliminate favorite foods for so long. Elimination diets backfire on me. I need to manage portions for favorite foods forever....not just while on a diet. Keep practicing until you find what works. Individual portion packs help some people. Keeping the food out of the house, and then going out once a week (for that treat) helps others. Finding lower calorie substitutions can work (this has limited applications for me)......fruit is NOT a substitute for chocolate.
  • cailandail1996
    cailandail1996 Posts: 4 Member
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    This is a mental game for most of us and that's what you need to conquer. Do you want to truly lose weight? Well to do it takes working at changing old habits into new lasting ones.

    You have a calorie allowance that will mean you will lose weight if you consistently stay within it - you need to get your head in gear to start staying within those calories.

    The good news is that it's totally possible to change old ways of eating. Baby steps.

    All the best.
    collectingblues wrote: »
    What are you eating now for a goal?

    Is your goal realistic? Is your deficit realistic?

    What are your height/weight stats?
    collectingblues wrote: »
    What are you eating now for a goal?

    Is your goal realistic? Is your deficit realistic?

    What are your height/weight stats?
    collectingblues wrote: »
    What are you eating now for a goal?

    Is your goal realistic? Is your deficit realistic?

    What are your height/weight stats?
    collectingblues wrote: »
    What are you eating now for a goal?

    Is your goal realistic? Is your deficit realistic?

    What are your height/weight stats?

  • cailandail1996
    cailandail1996 Posts: 4 Member
    I’m not sure. I’m not that knowledgeable in eating healthier and losing weight. I’ve failed plenty before. I’m 5’4 and 230lb
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    cailandail1996 wrote: »
    I’m not sure. I’m not that knowledgeable in eating healthier and losing weight. I’ve failed plenty before. I’m 5’4 and 230lb

    I've failed plenty before too. We don't have to be prefect for weight loss, we just need to stay consistent.
    This is why baby steps can be so helpful.

    I started out with a goal to eat 2 servings of veggies a day.
    A small goal that I could accomplish. Veggies are often low calorie high volume, this helped me cut back on portion sizes for higher calorie things almost without noticing.

    Another goal was exercise for 60 minutes a week- 2x30, 3x20, 4x15. This was great because I could sample lots of different things (YouTube). I got back into shape gradually, and added more time as this became "normal." A good way to make yourself accountable is buy a calendar, chart your progress.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    cailandail1996 wrote: »
    I’m not sure. I’m not that knowledgeable in eating healthier and losing weight. I’ve failed plenty before. I’m 5’4 and 230lb

    I'd suggest you left MFP guide you through your goals. Then report back here with your goal weight, daily allowance of calories, general idea of your physical activity, general idea of what foods you like to eat and are eating, and what you LIKE to eat.

    We can help come up with filling meals, and anti-hunger tactics.

    Be prepared for hard truths. Sometimes the truth sounds mean and we take it too personally. Add in a special dose of sarcasm to all replies since this is the internet.
  • Leannep2201
    Leannep2201 Posts: 441 Member
    I struggled with hunger early on too, and had to learn to reduce my portion sizes. After the first 3-4 weeks it did get easier.... I think it started becoming more of a habit by that stage.
    As has been said, everyone is different, and what works for one may not work for others, but here’s what has been working for me....
    3x meals a day, with small snacks between breakfast and lunch, and lunch or dinner. The lunch-dinner one I found particularly important, and it needed to be substantial (I’m a few months down the track now, and I can actually skip the morning one most of the time these days).
    Making sure I hit my protein target each day- including making sure I included protein in each meal and the afternoon snack. I used to think that carbs filled me up the best, but I’ve since found out that actually protein does much better!

    It can be hard at first, but it does get easier.... I was determined, and although my journey isn’t over yet, I’m really proud of my progress so far. Keep going.... it’s worth it!
  • HDBKLM
    HDBKLM Posts: 466 Member
    On my fourth day of MFP I ate like double my calorie allotment (assigned by MFP; at the time was 5'3" and 190 pounds) and thought I was a hopeless case but it DID get easier. Point being that even if you are eating like crazy now the one thing NOT to do is give up. No matter how many calories you eat just keep logging them. It'll be frustrating but at the very least you'll start to be able to detect patterns in terms of which foods are giving you the least bang for the buck; that is, foods that have a lot of calories but don't keep you feeling full long. I suggest you do that then make small adjustments from there in a 'choose this calorific thing you already eat and like over that calorific thing you already eat and like but makes you feel hungry an hour later' way. Strategise as you go and think in terms of evolutionary changes to your eating habits rather than revolutionary ones (you'll rebel against yourself at some point).

    Others have given good suggestions above so yeah, give them a shot and just take on board whichever ones seem to work. Drinking more water is a good one and has the added benefit of making my skin look nicer (if you look at my profile you'll see crappy looking skin happened to be one of the things that drove me here, but that doesn't mean it has to be a consideration for you; some people have chosen Diet Coke as their hunger distracting liquid of choice).

    Choosing more protein-heavy meals tends to also help, if its within your financial budget, for two reasons: 1) most (but not all) of us tend to find protein makes us feel full for longer; 2) as you start to lose weight eating more protein is actually important to help prevent loss of muscle rather than fat.

    Eating more fibre helps because it digests slowly, so choose, say, an orange over orange juice for a small change. Fibre also expands and pushes gloggy stuff through your intestines as it works its way through your system (in theory this can also be a short-term weight loss benefit, as you'll see when you have the poop of your life), Since I'm advocating for incremental changes, if switching over to a huge pile of veggies sounds unappealing at the moment there are any number of fibre supplements you could take in the short run. I don't personally do the following anymore but at one point I was drinking a glass of fruity-flavoured sugar-free Metamucil (in water) each evening, and it not only helped me, er, stay regular, but because of its expandability it curbed my tendency toward late-night snacking.

    Give it time and keep strategising and making micro-adjustments as you go.

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