Hungry!

prairielilly

Hi,
I've started and stopped this several times now, spent a year as a vegan (stopped that), tried a few different things...my goal right now is 1) eat clean, 2) figure out where the trouble spots are, 3) find an approach I can live with. At first I ate 'normally' and logged everything just to see what I was eating, and found I was 'happy' (satiated and not gaining/losing) at 1800-2000 cal/day. MFP suggested I eat 1200 cal/day (which I understand is a standard goal for 2 lbs/week loss) and I tried for a few days, but I couldn't do it. I'd make it til supper then ate a crap ton of bad stuff because I was starving. I've reset the goal to 1660 cal/day and am finding I can stick to that, but I'd like to know from those that have done this if at some point you 'get used' to the hunger and can make it through the day on 1200 cal/day? I'd like to lose weight faster but got really irritable, tired and completely pre-occupied with food. I'd really love some advice

(I don't have an exercise goal - yet. I'm going to try this with baby steps, as I've found in the past that trying to change too much too soon just sets me up to fail. I was already eating pretty clean so it's not too big a switch. I'm trying to keep my protein up - difficult! - and get most of my calories in before supper so not to let myself get starving.)

alisonlynn1976

It's easier for me to create the deficit with exercise. So for example, eat 1600 calories + burn 400 = net 1200. It makes me hungry and irritable, on the other hand, to eat 1200 + no exercise.

silenceinspace

I've been having the opposite experience as the above posted. 55 pounds lost through deficit only.

I was probably eating 2500+ calories a day before I started logging, which I cut down to 1600. It was hard, but I was again able to adjust. I also cut down to 1200 and it took me a while to adjust. In the end, I was too hungry so I bumped it back up to 1400. Much better.

I think you adjust not only to the calories you eat, but also because you learn to make the most of those calories (eg fruit rather than candy).

EDIT: I'd like to note that I think I have more to lose than the above poster so I may well have to cut calories down to 1200 at some point to the future. Your amount to lose makes a difference too.

nlbez

Hi. I started MFP just over 3 weeks ago im on 1200 a day too. I earn my extra calories through excercise id say probably an average of an extra 500 a day. I earn these either through walking the dog or aerobics. The first few days i found i was really hungry but after about 5 days id say i was over that. I do still have a little treat either sweeties or chocolate on a night but this is all in on my allocated calories. Ive only being over my calories once since i started and that was only by 79. So far on my MFP ive lost 12lb and i only put down to lose 2lb a week, so its working for me at an average of 4lb a week.
You can do it to just give it a week im sure the hunger pangs will go. X

Blokeypoo

I lost 28lbs on a min of 1400 cals a day - better a gentle sustainable life change than yet another feast / famine cycle )

VoodooAborisha

Before somebody jumps in and says that you will either go into starvation mode or lose your hair for eating at 1200 without even knowing your height or other details, let me go ahead and tell you that, depending on your height and weight, 1200 is likely absolutely perfect, if MFP set you at that. However if you want to get a more exact number, or just double check your number, this is a great website to look at to estimate how many calories you need to lose at various rates, maintain, gain, whatever you like:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

MFP put me at 1200, whereas Scooby and other reliable calculators put me closer to 1100 for my height and weight.

And I concur with the other posters: the days I eat 1200 and do no exercise, I am so hungry. The days I exercise and eat back those calories, I feel MUCH fuller and satisfied. I truly believe that is the key. If you work out, you can practically add another entire meal to your day! Last week I was in Rome, and I was walking several hours a day, and I got to eat pizza and ice cream, because I was exercising so much, and I didn't gain an ounce, because when I logged my walking, I had burned between 1000 - 1200 cals. If I want McDonald's, I can either skip a meal that day.... or exercise, and eat all 3 meals. Exercise is a great trick if you wanna eat more!

Just be careful because the calories MFP has estimated for various exercises is usually WAY TOO HIGH, so I'd check out some other websites to estimate the calories for the exercises you do for your height and weight, and compare them, or get one of those armband things that tells you your calories burned. There are lots of charts online for "calories burned for various exercises" and calorie burn calculators. So I manually log my calories instead of taking MFP's estimate, and it made my weight loss faster. It had been slow because I was eating back all the calories MFP said I had burned, and I had only burned a fraction of those. But yes, exercise and eat those calories back = happy tummy.

Blokeypoo

Just to add......I am only 5'2.5 and didn't exercise like a demon. I was on Biggest Loser site then so didn't eat exercise cals back and still had some times when I relaxed it for social stuff although as a non drinker I don't have to worry about drink cals.

I note your wisdom and insight about what rattles your cage or makes you fail and yet you still say you'd like to lose faster. Why? Try the slow way, it's just as good and soooo much easier to adjust to than a big switch.

After 30yrs of dieting but no maintenance I have been maintaining for a year (with the help of my Fitbit so I KNOW what I've burned - mine seems bang on). I eat at a small deficit in week (.5lb loss) then eat more at w/e's and it works for me. MFP allows me more than Fitbit so I stick with Fitbit allowance as it hasn't failed me yet but the difference pans out at about 100 cals so not too major.

My gadget makes me get up and move more without having to squeeze in more than 2 gym trips a week and I hate cardio at gym so just use mini tramp at home which clocks up steps brilliantly. Today I had a slightly later work start so got on mini tramp and I already earned my days basic cals so any activity now is bonus food which suits me because I'm a piglet who likes to eat!

Good luck - you CAN do it!
Find what works for you but don't be hasty to lose too fast, it may backfire and leave you feeling crushed again

callyart

I am coping on 1300 calories a day, sometimes I eat more if I have exercised, sometimes I eat less if I don't feel like eating.

I think I am managing because I eating a lot of fruit, veg and nuts. Nuts are high in calories, but I only need 10g-30g and I am full up! I am currently snacking on some pistachios and I only had breakfast 2 hours ago, but I know I'm having a late lunch so this will get me through.

I can't just stick to 3 meals a day because I will be so hungry in between, so i have small snacks in between and it seems to help me fine

Drinking plenty of water also helps, sometimes when you think you're hungry it is because you need water in your system.

fattybumclaire

I agree with the recommendations to do more exercise to create more calories in your daily allowance - it doesnt have to be mad, full on sweaty gym type exercise. An hour walking really helps, even if done in 2 or 3 bursts such as walking the kids to school, walking to the corner shop instead of driving etc.

There are ways to reduce the hunger pangs though...... eating plenty of protein always helps, also be a bit fussy on your carbs, complex carbs are slower to digest than highly processed white stuff!! Oats for brekkie keep you more satisfied than toast and have similar number of calories. It is all about making the right choices to stop you feeling hungry. Beans and lentils are also good for this. Pumpernickel bread etc.

Another idea is to drink plenty of water - many people have lived their entire lives slightly dehydrated and actually confuse the signals of hunger and thirst.

stevencloser

If you have problems eating low calories without getting hungry, try things that are less calorie dense. More veggies as a side dish to everything, etc. Should keep you filled up more at the same calories.

prairielilly

Really good advice from all, thanks very much, I really appreciate it. I have a lot more to learn here than I thought.

I've been eating lean meats, beans, nuts and quinoa for protein, brown rice and the odd slice of bread for grains and kale salads or steamed vegetables for vegg with very little fruit (sugar is one of things I'm watching, this lets me not mess with my morning coffee's sugar - can't touch that!) I'm currently battling a wicked cold but based on this feedback I'm thinking once I'm better I'll add in some light exercise and build it up slowly.

I posted I know what makes me fail and yet I still want to lose faster, why? (Blokeypoo) Because I'm impatient lol When I was vegan for a year I lost about 60 lbs without even trying. However I think now the majority of that was muscle loss, as I was getting very little protein and not exercising. I'm smaller, but also softer and weaker. I want to do this right this time.

I will check out that website for learning the other numbers. I don't know that I'll eventually 'get used to' the starvation thing, but I can see stepping down a bit from 1660/day and adding in exercise. And yes I need to learn to be patient