So hungry!

Thomaskerrya
Thomaskerrya Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Yes, I have been overweight for many years, But I’m now in my 50s and have arthritis but I’m trying to take control of my health life. I am eating a healthy diet, no junk, 1200 to 1400 cal a day, ensuring that I am getting as close to the macronutrients on MFP as possible. I increased my lean protein to try and stave off hunger. I drink 2L water a day. I exercise moderately, because too hard and my joints hurt. My weight loss is frustratingly slow and it doesn’t take much at all to put it back on. And I am struggling with constantly feeling hungry - any advice would be appreciated

Replies

  • Thomaskerrya
    Thomaskerrya Posts: 34 Member
    I should have said that I started this new journey in March. 12lb off. 40+ to go. I do feel better for it. But I’m concerned the hunger will never go! Even an hour after dinner, my tummy feels kinda empty and I’m hungry already.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,933 Member
    Would you be willing to share your stats? There are two big possibilities here (and probably other smaller ones):
    * You're eating far too little for your weight. The solution is to eat more. Yes, weightloss will be slower, but what's the point of eating too little if you can't stick to it?
    * the standard macros are not for you. It's just a standard setup. Maybe your body needs more protein or fat to feel full. Experiment with it. There's no magic associated with the standard setup.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 914 Member
    You need to give some more info (height, age, sex, current weight)...and activity level (do you work? What's your activity level like other than your intentional workout?).

    You said you are exercising 'moderately'...what does that mean? Are you eating back those calories?

    It just sounds like it *might be possible you're just not eating enough.

    Also, 12lbs lost since March of this year isn't 'slow' progress.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,842 Member
    sherrilynn1985 wrote: »
    Also, I take a break to stabilize after every 10 pounds where I increase my calories by a couple hundred. After a few weeks, I'm ready to go again.
    Very smart.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 869 Member
    sherrilynn1985 wrote: »
    I have lost 34 pounds over the last 1 1/2 years by reducing calories and walking. I am 55. For me, the air fryer has helped a lot. I can put 3 ounces of lean meat with a small, sliced potato in there with just a spray of olive oil and be satiated for reasonable calories. I love crispy so psychologically, this help too. Also, I take a break to stabilize after every 10 pounds where I increase my calories by a couple hundred. After a few weeks, I'm ready to go again. Also drink a lot of water and limit salt. Good luck!

    All of this. You’re a pro.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Thomaskerrya wrote: »
    Yes, I have been overweight for many years, But I’m now in my 50s and have arthritis but I’m trying to take control of my health life. I am eating a healthy diet, no junk, 1200 to 1400 cal a day, ensuring that I am getting as close to the macronutrients on MFP as possible. I increased my lean protein to try and stave off hunger. I drink 2L water a day. I exercise moderately, because too hard and my joints hurt. My weight loss is frustratingly slow and it doesn’t take much at all to put it back on. And I am struggling with constantly feeling hungry - any advice would be appreciated
    Thomaskerrya wrote: »
    I should have said that I started this new journey in March. 12lb off. 40+ to go. I do feel better for it. But I’m concerned the hunger will never go! Even an hour after dinner, my tummy feels kinda empty and I’m hungry already.

    I can feel hungry an hour after dinner if I eat something that I don't find filling, like pizza. So now I eat less pizza but add a large salad, with some cottage cheese for a protein boost.

    What's your protein goal and how regularly do you hit it?

    What about fiber? Protein and fiber (through food) help keep me full.

    Like others have said, another possibility is that you are not eating enough for the amount of weight you have to lose.

    9kjwnia17qv9.jpg

    Also consider using a weight trend app like Happy Scale (iphone) or Libra (android.) I lost almost 40 pounds in 2021 and while some weeks and even months I felt like I wasn't making progress, the reports showed me otherwise.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,411 Member
    edited May 2023
    Really good advice here.

    12 pounds in 9-10 weeks, with 40 to go. Slow it down. What’s the point in suffering to lose if you’re miserable, hungry, and going to lose your mind and put it back on?

    Weight loss doesn’t have to be punishment.

    As @herringboxes so eloquently put it on another thread, in four more months will you look back and regret having lost 25 or so?

    Take this time to learn new habits you can stick to, not panting to some arbitrary finish line and then falling back to old habits.

    Can you get a consult with a dietician? My dietitian visits helped immensely and I only went three or four times. I went armed with questions to make the best use of my thirty minutes. I caught her so off guard she showered me with advice. I got discount sessions via my gym. My health insuror also offered phone visits with a dietician for free which I did a couple times to see if I could pick up any fresh advicr for maintenance (I find I get my best advice here on these boards, tbh).

    Dietitians are degreed professionals, versus ‘“nutritionists”, who can range wildly from educated but non-degreed to some joker getting a commission on bars or powders.

    I started weightlifting at 56, and am still amazed at the difference it’s made in outlook and comfort. I have arthritis, too, but can easily control it with exercise. It’s like the irritating arthritis meds commercial touts “a body in motion stays in motion”. Any kind of exercise lubricates my joints. I no longer get out of bed clutching the four-poster because I can’t make it acrost the room.

    And finally, sometimes what we perceive as “hunger” is actually dehydration. Learn your body’s dehydration cues. For me, it’s fine wrinkles in my inner elbows, and if it’s up and down my arms, I’m really dehydrated. With warmer weather arrived, I’m finding myself drinking a LOT more than even a couple of weeks ago, and still having a hard time staying ahead of those dehydration wrinkles. You may possibly need more than those two liters.

    My thought, though, is you need to bump those calories up. At 5’7” I started at 1490 calories and was only there for a couple months til my dietician encouraged increasing to 1700. Three months later a trainer suggested (demanded!) I bump them up another 25% because I had started weight training.

    Weight training doesn’t have to mean bodybuilding btw. I enjoy the gym, but I see lots of older ladies in my “muscle madness” classes getting good results with hand weights in as little as the 3-10 pound range.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,208 Member
    edited May 2023
    Thomaskerrya wrote: »
    I should have said that I started this new journey in March. 12lb off. 40+ to go. I do feel better for it. But I’m concerned the hunger will never go! Even an hour after dinner, my tummy feels kinda empty and I’m hungry already.

    Losing weight is actually the easy part imo and it's keeping it off that most people have a hard time with. Feeling hungry as you do, is a red flag for me so I might suggest that you look at your overall diet and see if there's anything that you know might be less nutritious and more processed that could be replaced with a whole food replacement, that you enjoy eating. Whole foods are a lot more filling, more nutritious and could help keeping you more satiated and keep you on the right course. This has helped for me and I've kept the weight over for over a decade, and I don't actually count calories and for disclosure I consume 100 or less grams of carbs a day.

    In the context of dieting 95% of people that lose weight will put all the weight back on and in quite a few people, they'll actually put more weight on. It seems to be linear and this progression basically starts within the last months of the first year and after 3 years all the weight is back on. The people that are successful it appears are people that have a plan, that do include some sort of regular exercise and have for the most part found food options like I've described, this is the short answer and there's quite a bit of nuance, so experimenting and finding options that work is paramount. The data from the "National Weight Control Registry" has followed people for decades and a healthier lifestyle that's adopted seems to be the key. Basically it's a lifestyle change that gets the best results in keeping the weight off. Best wishes on your journey of new discoveries. Cheers
  • Rockymountainflyer
    Rockymountainflyer Posts: 26 Member
    Like others have said, find things to fill you up. I have to eat fiber because of diverticulosis, and it doesn't really fill me up. This morning, 1/2 hour after my oats, I was still hungry so I had 6 large shrimp with spicy mustard for 90 calories and a large glass of sparkling water. I have a machine I use vs. buying it. Now I am ok. You have to figure out what works for maintenance during the weight loss.
  • Thomaskerrya
    Thomaskerrya Posts: 34 Member
    edited May 2023
    Thank you all so much. It’s very reassuring. My stats: I started March 1st, at 16st 4lb. I’m 51, 5ft 5in, have arthritis, am menopausal. I know getting older sucks but I wasn’t expecting it to start just yet!! I work full time (desk job) and work out for 20-30 mins cross training, 10-15 mins stretching, on weekdays - only gently tho because I overdid it the first few days and screwed up my knees which still hurt despite therapy :( I’m scared to eat more because the scales go up and I so desperately want to lose weight, for my knees if nothing else!!! Am willing to play the long game but not sure how to work out a good balance of nutrients so that it works for me. I really appreciate everyone’s advice and I’m going to try many points. Thank you all.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you feel that your calories are in order then I would start playing around with macros a bit. Calories don't necessarily equate to hungry or not hungry so it is possible to be eating enough calories (energy) but to still be hungry.

    Macros are a pretty individual thing and there isn't any universally optimal macro ratio...there's certainly nothing magical about MFP's defaults. They're just defaults and it has to be something because your macros are the composition of your calories (4 calories per gram for each carb & protein and 9 calories per gram of dietary fat).

    People will often look to macros where their physical performance is concerned as well as satiety, restfulness and sleep, etc. This may take a bit of journaling or at least mental notes of how you feel after certain meals, certain days, etc and what the macro ratios look like on those days.

    For myself, my natural eating patterns are where I feel my best in terms of energy, physical performance, and satiety. This comes out to roughly 1/3 or thereabouts of each macro...I just kind of naturally default to that and that's where I feel my best.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    12lbs since March is fantastic!! Not slow at all.
    My personal view — if you are hungry, then eat. But eat leafy vegetables. I know everyone says protein stays with you longer. But in my experience, I feel more full when my body is working on breaking down leafy greens.
    Consider what kind d of exercise you are doing. Should you add more resistance training?
    Evaluate if you are really hungry. Are you actually thirsty?
    From my perspective, you are doing great, but you may actually be going too fast and you just need to eat a little more. Living a healthy lifestyle should be a positive experience.
    Take care
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
    Find the things you can eat that fills you up. For me it's protein and fiber. Especially fiber. Apples are my best friend. I love them and an apple will keep me fill for a long time. I also like things like carrots and celery. Cut up raw vegetables are low in calories yet very filling because of the fiber.

    Everyone here has given you really good advice. Experiment with all of them and narrow it down to what works for you.

Categories