Unable to diet

Lyndauk86

My fitness pal is set to 1810 calories on average, and I have tried not to eat back calories burnt from exercise, but failing. It should be 1860, but I have reduced it by 50 calories, and will try and reduce it again by fifty calories next week etc.

My fit bit says I burn about 1800 - 2100 calories a day, and I generally eat bang on whatever I have burnt, which is interesting.

Lyndauk86

I tried upping my protein, and maybe I will try again to feel fuller for longer.

Sabine_Stroehm

Lyndauk86 wrote: »

My fitness pal is set to 1810 calories on average, and I have tried not to eat back calories burnt from exercise, but failing. It should be 1860, but I have reduced it by 50 calories, and will try and reduce it again by fifty calories next week etc.

My fit bit says I burn about 1800 - 2100 calories a day, and I generally eat bang on whatever I have burnt, which is interesting.

Rethink not eating back at least some of those calories.

Sabine_Stroehm

Lyndauk86 wrote: »

Yes, for sure I agree with most of all the above. I am 5 foot 2 and a half, 31 years old, and my original target was around 9 and a half stone, but most people said I looked fine around ten. I gained seven pounds between November 2017-March 2018, and then I had a massively bad week last week (and it was my period) and gained around three to four pounds (and I know some of it is fat).

I exercise for half an hour to an hour a day (HIIT, two to three sessions of strength, martial arts), and I have just started walking about three miles a day. I walked more when I was nine and a half stone, and I wondered if perhaps it would help me to bring that back into my life style (I went from teaching to a desk job from November last year, probably part of the weight gain, and Xmas was ultra heavy).

I don't mind being ten stone, at the end of the day, but I don't want to be above that, hence the attempts at dieting.

It could be lack of willpower in the sense of putting my performance and sleep above any attempt at dieting. Maybe I was more willing to stick out the hunger pains when I had a part time job which didn't start at nine and could afford "£$%^ sleep. Don't know...can't actually remember too well. I used to just have a bowl of porridge and I wouldn't be hungry again, or it was less likely, now it doesn't seem to work.

So you're 5'2" and want to be 134 pounds what do you weigh now? 10? 10 stone 8? 11?

Lyndauk86

Yeah just how without screwing up my job and sleep...mmmmmm...

Lyndauk86

I am about 143 pounds about 10 stone 3. I don't mind being 140 pounds as long as I don't go to far into ten stone and end up more like eleven stone.

Lyndauk86

I would rather be between 9 and a half and ten, than ten and ten and a half.

spiriteagle99

I have the same issue of not being able to sleep when I'm really hungry. Eat back your walking exercise calories. The numbers MFP gives on that are quite accurate. Eat back half of the other exercise calories. MFP is set up so you eat back your exercise calories. Not doing so will leave you hungry, which makes it much harder to stick with it. Save some calories for just before bedtime. Drink some milk, eat a piece of cheese or have some fruit.

Lyndauk86

Yeah its a real nightmare, because sleep is as important as being the right weight. It is hell choosing between them I will give what you suggest a go, and reduce my calories slowly over a few weeks and see if my body will slowly adjust and the hunger easier to handle, and see where I end up.

Lyndauk86

If it is a choice between staying awake all night because my body is hungry, and then falling asleep at work, or eating something, and at least getting some sleep, I will chose the latter. I need to find a place which is a lot less extreme...!!!! Fingers crossed I will find a solution.

HoneyBadger302

I'd seriously consider readjusting your macros and cut back on the carbs. You don't get a long of "bang for your buck" even with "healthy" carbs. You can eat a rather massive pile of veggies in exchange for 1/2 cup of, say, rice.

I tend to use my carbs earlier in the day, and dinner is usually protein, lots of veggies, and maybe a tiny bit of some carb based food (often in the form of a desert or wine). The veggies are what give me plenty of volume to make it until bedtime without being hungry. Also be sure you're getting enough fats in your diet.

Seems the calorie calculator is pretty close to where you should be.

Lyndauk86

That also sounds like a reasonable suggestion. I eat about 250 carbs, sometimes more sometimes less, a day. I will try upping the protein, or just upping the veggies, and again, see if that works. My fat is around 60 per day, though varies a far amount, its about thirty percent of my diet. I tried eating 30 percent protein, but that left me doing to the loo all the time, and feeling massively moody, I did lose a pound, but probably from passing water (!!)

Lyndauk86

When I eat at night, I tend to drink some water, wait a while, and then eat something. If I get hungry again, I drink water, and wait half an hour. If it gets worse I eat, and repeat until I stop feeling hungry.

kimny72

How much fat are you eating? It sounds like your protein and fiber are already fine, perhaps you're satiated by fat and eating low fat?

Set your goal to lose 0.5 lbs per week (which will require patience, because it won't always show up on the scale).

See if you can eat a little lighter earlier in the day and save 150-200 cals to eat as a late night snack before you go to bed.

If you are using any of your calories on beverages, consider trying to cut back on that and save all of them for filling food.

With your stats it's odd that eating 1800 cals would leave you so hungry it wakes you up. Is it possible something else is waking you up and then you happen to notice you're hungry. Have you had a physical recently?

Sabine_Stroehm

Lyndauk86 wrote: »

I am about 143 pounds about 10 stone 3. I don't mind being 140 pounds as long as I don't go to far into ten stone and end up more like eleven stone.

So best case, you want to lose ten pounds. But you'd be okay with losing 3. Set MFP to lose ONE HALF A POUND a week. Eat every calorie it gives you, and half of what it tells you to eat back. How many calories is that?

Aim for nutrient dense carbs (think vegetables, fruits, legumes rather than crips and biscuits). Eat plenty of healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocados...) and eat protein. You should not be ravenous.

Lyndauk86

Yeah best case I lose ten pounds, but realistically lets stick to three, and worry about the rest once I can start losing again, and I am not fighting my body so hard.

And I am hungry if I try to eat 1600- 1700, and that is what I need to lose 0.5 a week. I used to be able to eat that no problem, though occasionally I would have issues with night hunger. I will over haul the content of my diet, and I do drink 3 to 4 cups of coffee, perhaps just replace that with food, as you say (though I love my coffee).

After my binge last week, I have cut back on treats, though I have had a few things I have fancied, but nothing excessive.

On an active day, I have to eat at least 2000 calories etc. You get the drift.

Lyndauk86

I will give you a low down on what I eat on a typical day in a sec.

Lyndauk86

Actually I will log on tomorrow (its nidnight), and give the run down of a typical day. Thanks for your help so far!!!

Redordeadhead

You could just make your diary public? Then you don't need to type out what you eat and people may be able to give you some more focused advice.

gdogshankmasta

What worked for me was just eating straight out of a tub or bag of mixed salad greens(mostly spinach). No dressing or other vegetables, just grab handfuls and eat. Just graze on it slowly and steadily. I did it before every meal or while cooking and just randomly throughout the day if I happened by the kitchen and felt hungry.

I am the pinnacle of laziness and this was my way of using that against my overeating. I am the master of rationalizing away exerting even the slightest amount of effort but there was nothing I could tell myself to get out of grazing. A pound of greens has barely more than 150 calories, so no matter how much you eat you won't put a dent in your overall calories but you'll feel much fuller. If you can open your fridge and have hands you can do this. There's no prep or other items required at all, no excuses.

What's more is that this is strongly habit forming. You'll just start doing it all the sudden without really thinking about it and then find you're just making smaller portions of your intended meal and not feeling hungry all the time. I eat 1500 calories a day at a 1000 calorie deficit and I'm pretty much never hungry the way I used to be just a couple months ago.