Still new to this! The weight loss thing..

Options
I've been overweight a lot of my life and I managed to lose 25 pounds over the last year and a half. I'm 5'6 and 150 at the moment, My goal is to lose 5 pounds at a time (not in a week! More like okay I'm 145 now my next goal is to be 140!)

My body is really weird, I know white rice is so bad but I've been eating half a cup every day or two, and it keeps me so full! I'm really bad at convincing myself to workout, but I walk lots so that's a start. Sometimes I will get full before I get to the amount of calories I eat for a day! I;ve also been taking oxyelite pro which has really helped my appetite, but I've been wanting to find other ways to surpress my appetite! I know it sounds so confusing, some days I'm barely hungry at all and others I feel like I need to eat everything! I keep healthy though, sometimes I make brownies for my boyfriend because he loves them (and of course his metabolism is sky high so he is 6'2 and weighs less than me) Anyhow I eat maybe a small piece every day to control my cravings.

Does anyone have any tricks for the hunger part? I drink so much tea and am required to drink a gallon of water a day (medical) So I know I'm not dehydrated. A typical day is greek yoghurt or spinach and eggs for breakfast and chicken soup or a wrap, dinner is difficult, Sometimes I just eat a bowl of rice with garlic and parsley or I will make chicken and a salad. I'm trying to figure out how my body works best for foods to cut out, I don't eat too much meat and that seems to help a bit. I was thinking of getting green tea coffee bean and/or raseberry keytone...Any opinions?

(I'm really new so please be patient)!

Thanks!

Replies

  • Artaxia
    Artaxia Posts: 185
    Options
    I would suggest starting out with a 10 minute video on youtube, or even a 20 minute video. They have a ton of work out videos. I just pop one on my tv and I work out without any trouble. I don't have to worry about the crazy looks in the gym.

    I would also increase my water to 8 to 10 glasses a day. I would not weigh myself daily, only weekly or every 2 weeks.

    Change your rice to brown rice, it's healthier for you and it'll keep you full too.

    Change your sugar to apple sauce, or the horrible fake sugar. Do what is right for you. Change your white flour to whole wheat flour. Change your 2% milk to skim milk. Make your changes slow, since you're having a hard time adjusting and convincing yourself. :)

    I take kelp supplements and I also have the green coffee extract. I notice I'm more hungry when I take these supplements, just a heads up. (also, oxyelite pro has been known to harm people so be careful)

    Sorry this is really scattered. I'm tired and I just got finished working out. Drink your tea without any sugar in it, if possible. Citrus green tea (hot) actually tastes a bit sweet....if it cools down it gets a little bitter. i drink it anyway though.

    FILL UP ON VEGGIES to keep full longer. Remember, sugar changes your glucose levels and can make you very hungry. Carrots have a lot of sugar in them, so they'll make you hungry quickly. Try to eat broccoli or cauliflower...beans anything like that really. Celery and carrots are great together though (but I do get hungry quickly after them) so add maybe a bell pepper and broccoli in the mix. (i wouldn't eat the veggies with peanut butter or ranch dressing)

    good luck!
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    Options
    The first thing you need to do is set your goals for a sustainable calorie deficit so you won't be hungry. The posts below are both excellent reads and will walk you through how to get started. And if you prefer the white rice to the brown, I say, enjoy.:drinker: And the brownies too.:bigsmile: Pass on the ketones and that other crap. It's nonsense.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    And Here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Options
    Does anyone have any tricks for the hunger part?

    Ok, I know this might sound condescending before I explain myself, but bear with me...

    The answer to how I deal with "hunger" a lot of the time is....LOGIC!

    I know, in my mind, for a fact, that if I have recently(in the past few hours) consumed a few hundred calories worth of nutritious food...I'm not hungry. I may have the munchies. I might want to eat. I might daydream about eating a pint of ice cream...but I KNOW for a fact it's not actual hunger. I find that to be a very powerful tool. It's easier for me when I realize "no, I'm not actually hungry" then I can step back and address what's going on. Am I bored? Emotional? Find another way to deal with that. Sometimes it's just a matter of seeing the ice cream in the freezer and knowing its delicious, or smelling baked goods. If that's the case, I can make a rational decision...do I have room to eat that today? Do I want it badly enough to spend the calories on it? Sometimes it's yes, and sometimes it's no...but when I take actual "hunger" out of the equation, I find it easier to make the appropriate choice.

    Another strategy, which is nutritional and not mental...I find when my nutritional needs are met, I have fewer cravings. Lots of veggies in a rainbow of colors. Lots of lean proteins. Some healthy fats. The majority of my snacks have protein, fats and fiber...because that combination leaves me most satisfied.
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    Options
    the way I'm handling hunger is protein.

    I've recently discovered that I can get a nice big omelette for under 300 cals - 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 1 oz cheese and lots of capsicum and tomato inside it with a scrunch of pepper and a squidge of salt. Just gorgeous - and filling, for ages.

    I'm still finding it hard to have a decent breakfast, and a decent lunch, and still end up with enough calories for a decent dinner. but ultimately - have you filled in the goals page, and used your diary to see how on track you are? You might find you're undereating. :)
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    Options
    If you are absolutely starving you need to re-evaluate your diet. Yes, it is more challenging at the beginning, but not constantly starving. See whether your calorie deficit isn't too large. Maybe switch to a half pound loss a week and see how you go. Maybe you have underestimated your activity level when you set yourself up (chose sedentary instead of lightly active or active) and thus the calories you have been given are not enough.

    Keep a record of what you eat and then how you feel 2 hours after. You might be able to identify foods that that make you more hungry. For example I am not a breakfast person, so I'll have a piece of fruit and then a large salad for lunch, by mid-afternoon I crave cheese like I am mad, because I simply didn't have enough calories and protein). Proteins are meant to keep you sated for longest, but carbs give you more energy. It's all about balance in the end and the ability to maintain the life style. Good luck :-)
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    Options
    IMO hunger is about 90% mental. I use the lettuce test.

    If my hand was full of plain lettuce would I eat it?

    Yes - Hungry
    No - Mental
  • marleniap
    marleniap Posts: 120 Member
    Options
    the way I'm handling hunger is protein.

    I've recently discovered that I can get a nice big omelette for under 300 cals - 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 1 oz cheese and lots of capsicum and tomato inside it with a scrunch of pepper and a squidge of salt. Just gorgeous - and filling, for ages.

    I'm still finding it hard to have a decent breakfast, and a decent lunch, and still end up with enough calories for a decent dinner. but ultimately - have you filled in the goals page, and used your diary to see how on track you are? You might find you're undereating. :)

    BUMP for later
  • ShayWins
    Options
    That makes so much more sense, even though it's common sense! I never thought of it that way before! Thanks!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    Perhaps you are hungry and then not hungry because you're suppressing the hunger and then your body is fighting back because you actually need more calories?

    I would suggest a more stable diet where you get about the same number of calories a day. You don't have to force yourself to eat in order to be stable. Pick a number (better - let MFP pick it for you). Your breakfast and lunch sound good. Add a healthy snack around 4. Sit down and eat a healthy dinner. If you weren't hungry enough to eat a lot for dinner, eat a small amount of ice cream or have some nuts a little later - like 9.

    DO stop thinking of food in moral terms. Rice white is not 'bad'. It's food that keeps a lot of people alive. It doesn't a huge amount of nutrition and it is very quickly digested, but 1/2 a cup every few days is certainly not excessive. There's nothing wrong with eating a brownie if it's in your calories for the day. Who wants to give up dessert for the rest of their lives?

    Log everything. Eat lots of healthy food. Try to be pretty consistent. Eat things you enjoy in moderation. You can do this.