Starving

kinkyslinky16

Okay.. I've lost 62 lbs, finally almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight (only had like 15 lbs to go).. made a complete change in how I eat and exercise... and now I am pregnant..

I am starving. Like literally, starving. Okay, maybe not literally.. but it feels like it..

I wake up and eat my entire maintenance calorie load by 2-4p. Yeah. What should I do?! Just start downing protein shakes instead every time I am hungry? I just had 500g of watermelon.. Do you know how much 500g of watermelon is!? and I am still starving!!! It's like my stomach is a bottomless pit. I don't like it. Not to mention, I really do not even have the stamina to exercise. I tried to talk myself in to going for at least a walk yesterday and couldn't do it. Although, I did manage to get the stamina enough to get a pedicure.... and that was it. Came home and took two naps. Before pregnancy, I could do an hour of HIIT, and then go for a 3-6 mile walk later.. So this is a huge change.

How do you deal with exercise/fatigue and pure starvation? Did you eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches? Protein shakes? What helped you feel satiated? Maybe I can try some of your suggestions because my plan isn't working very well. This isn't me :ohwell:

I am thinking maybe I will do intervals of some type of exercise.. Maybe 3 or 4 15-minute walks throughout the day if I can convince my legs to pick my body up off the couch.. I was lifting but I just do not have the strength to do that... maybe I will just squat the bar with no weights.. I don't know.. I can eventually work on the exercise I think. I think my biggest issue is feeling hungry all the time. How did you deal with it? Or was this not an issue for you? I don't remember this being as big of an issue for me during my first pregnancy, but it could also be because I wasn't logging food and didn't care how many calories I was consuming lol... hence the need to lose so much weight!

Thanks. Time for a nap. Yes, it's only 10am. :ohwell:

janetay01

On the exercise vs fatigue front I dealt with it in the first trimester by simply doing very little! It didn't help that, as a first timer, I was nervous about what I could and couldn't do - but to be fair, I just didn't have the energy anyway. I have found it better post 12 weeks and however reluctant/lazy I am to exercise, it does help if I can be bothered to do some. And of course, it gives more calories to eat!

On the food front, I've found myself eating little and often. Again in the first trimester, lasting more than 2 hours max without food was just not an option. Surprisingly fruit did do it for me - I can't imagine 500g of watermelon:laugh: - but blackberries, raspberries, strawberries kept me going for a number of weeks! Also yoghurt! Neither of these options sound particularly filling though so I may just be odd

Not sure if any of this is helpful - but you are not alone with it - I hear you on all fronts. And I had a nap at 11am today

kinkyslinky16

I've noticed that if I eat my calories by 4p or so, then I am not as hungry at the end of the day. I don't think I ate yesterday after 4p because I was finally so stuffed that it slowed down. So I am staying within 100-200 calories of my maintenance, but it's just those feelings of being SO hungry during the day that is driving me crazy.

Someone else PMd me a great suggestion. WHOLE MILK. Why didn't I think of that?! Milk makes me feel SO full!! It's such a great option! The fat in the milk definitely helps with satiety for me.

I think I will start drinking a glass of whole milk and a banana for breakfast. If I'm still hungry, I will try eating some nuts and more fruit. I am hoping that helps. Need to have hard boiled eggs on hand too.

Any other suggestions are welcome!

justinskitty

I love Luna bars. If I'm in a hurry I grab one for a meal and it holds me over until the next meal time. I also can eat an entire watermelon in one sitting but I always have been able to do that. It's so goooood. Protein is the key. I'm 21 weeks and I'm up 5lbs so far thanks to adding in more protein. I am not a fan of meat so I get mine through yogurt, Kashi cereal and Luna bars mainly. It keeps the hungry hungry hippo at bay for a few hours.

As far as fatigue goes it just is what it is. The first trimester is the hardest. I had fatigue and morning sickness until week 10 with this one. With my first I had it for 9 months. I gained almost 60lbs! Try eating things that are healthy. It's hard. I couldn't even look at a veggie for 10 weeks this time. Remember it's just a few months and then you have years to take it off. Good luck to you!!

meggwyn

Have you tried choosing protein heavy foods with good fats? I like to make an egg with two turkey sausage patties and a slice of cheese on an arnold sandwich thin. Its less than 400 calories and very satisfying! Or a big bowl of oatmeal with a sprinkle of cinnamon, brown sugar and milk? (I like to add a dollop of kool whip, too!) I eat a lot of vegetable heavy meals with avocado added, too. And cheese. My biggest craving this pregnancy has been making a huge cucumber salad every day. I do 1-2 cucumbers, onion, an ounce or two of cubed cheese (I love jalapeno), an avocado, some fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and italian dressing. If I have tomatoes on hand, I add them, too. Its SO good!

I'm not into tracking calories, but I try to fill up on whole foods like those b/c I know its all good for me. I switched to drinking almond milk, too, so I can drink more cups and get more calcium for less calories.

kinkyslinky16

These are great suggestions. I think I'm at a little bit of a loss because I'm not usually a big breakfast eater. I usually have a banana by itself, a hard boiled egg, or some berries with 1/2 serving of yogurt so I've never really needed a lot of filing breakfast ideas. I usually eat most of my calories at night and need to switch that for this pregnancy.

What I'm thinking is just planning out my calories ahead of time, drinking whole milk with my banana, maybe oatmeal a few hours later, nuts and fruits, yogurt, etc.

What i'm doing now is not working but you all have given me great ideas, and I truly appreciate it! When you don't eat much during the day, it's almost like you forget what you're options are lol.

Thanks again for the ideas!

meggwyn

Don't be afraid to switch it up, too, and eat eggs or oat meal for dinner, etc!

HeyNikkita

Put some Benefiber in your water. Or sprinkle some on your food. It's basically the same stuff as Sensa and it will keep you feeling fuller longer. Drink more (regular) water too. I know I was constipated the first trimester. Increased fiber and water help keep things regular.
Good luck, mama.

kinkyslinky16

Awesome suggestion! It would work for two issues!! :laugh:

nicolemviolette

When I first got pregnant I was the same way. STARVING and no energy/too sick to exercise. I would wake up hungry every couple of hours during the night so what I did was keep a jar of peanut butter and some plastic spoons beside my bed, I also kept some granola bars on my night stand too.

If you're worried about your calorie intake being too high, I will tell you 2 things: 1. Eat when you're hungry, no matter what. Don't go without just because you're worried about going over or gaining weight. You're pregnant and your body needs food.
2. Just eat the right things! Don't eat junk, because that will obviously make your calories go up even quicker. Instead, eat some fresh fruit or vegetables. Watermelon was a great choice! Good luck & congratulations!

asilmegan34

I have been feeling the SAME WAY! It's like a switch goes off and its painful how hungry I feel. BUT what I have found is that if I don't drink enough water (OB said to drink a GALLON a day), then my stomach feels hungry when really I am just thirsty. So before I go reaching for foods, I down a bunch of water and if I am still hungry then I eat. Good luck!

kinkyslinky16

So I took some of your advice.. and this morning I loaded down..

2 Hard boiled eggs
1 cup of whole milk
2 beef stick thingies that are sooooooo good
1 banana
169g of cantaloupe...
total calories: 567... and i am stuffed.. i am hoping this 29g of protein will keep my hunger at bay until at least lunch LOL..

Water is an issue with me for sure.. I just do not drink enough.. I've never charted my water, but it's probably a good idea to start... It is very possible that I am mistaking my thirst for hunger. Whenever I first started trying to lose weight, I realized that thirst was being recognized as hunger for me, so I started drinking water before eating to make sure it wasn't just thirst. But 62 lbs later, I haven't needed to do that, you know?

It's truly amazing how one little life change can totally throw you for a loop. I had my daily meals pretty much planned.. Always had the same few items for breakfast, my lunches were fairly consistent, and dinners I always shared with my husband.. so I never really "worked" at losing weight when it came to my meals because it had been such a change over a course of time.. I exercised, of course, but never really had to put TOO much effort in to my meals because they were so consistent... but now that things have changed, it's like a blank slate.. like I am wondering, "oh man what do I do?!" lol.. I had it down and now I have to readjust EVERYTHING. I would never eat this large of a breakfast before.. but now I have to.. so last night we went to the store and got a bunch of snacks and what not to help throughout the day.. Shelled pistachios, banana chips, those amazing beef stick thingies, mini rice cakes, whole milk that I had previously banned lol.. It's just planning for what I never had to really plan for beforehand.. It's crazy.

I cannot thank you enough for your advice.. It has really gotten me to open up my thinking to other things.. Sounds so ridiculous, but I seriously had on blinders when it came to my meals and now I have to take those off.. and you all helped me realize that!!!

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

kinkyslinky16

so I ate breakfast about 3 hours ago and now I am hungry again. :ohwell:

Time to repeat. lol.

Edit: So I had another 546 calories including 25g of protein and a full glass of water. I am still hungry.. Like starving, hungry. I thought this would help :sad: Guess I will go have another 500g of watermelon :ohwell:

I am thinking tomorrow I need to eat every 2 hours. Rather than letting myself get hungry, I am probably best just preventing it altogether by eating whether I'm hungry or not. Thoughts?

mommyrunning

How far along are you? I am 11 weeks Wednesday and I eat about every 2 hours. I think being hungry after 3 hours is common. Someone else posted that when you are pregnant your stomach digests faster. I have my calories set to maintenance and go over about half the time and have only gained 1.5 lbs in the last 3 months.

I am also tired all the time. I try to get up and do 3 to 4 10 minute walks when I am at work and that seems to help with getting some exercise in. As I approach the 2nd trimester it seems the nausea and fatigue are easing up slightly.

I am a vegetarian and like to snack on fruit but noticed it doesn't fill me up so I try to combine it with other stuff. For example I will have grapes with a cheese stick and crackers. I don't enjoy the taste of plain water but found if I add crystal light or buy the nestle pure life flavored water I can get all mine in.

lpettrey315

I am the same way! I am hungry ALL the time and if I put off eating for too long, I feel nauseous. What has really helped me, is making sure that I eat every 2- 3 hours and I have to have some protein and carbs with each "small meal". I crave the carbs. So I usually have some plain greek yogurt with fresh berries and a little granola, or cheese and crackers, or an apple (or celery) and peanut butter, high protein and high fiber cereal, or my most recent favorite, an egg, turkey sausage and half an english muffin. Eating this way has really helped me! I don't really feel full after I eat but I am satisfied and it holds me for the next 2-3 hours. Making sure I drink a full glass of water before or with the "meal" helps too. Good luck!

kinkyslinky16

I am only 5 weeks pregnant. I am trying to stay at maintenance calories but I've noticed I am going over some.. Usually 1-200 calories.. Unfortunately, yesterday was MUCH worse than that (can we say 1500 over?? :ohwell: ) .. but that's okay.. one day at a time lol..

I just had more watermelon and one of those Amy's bowls with noodles and veggies that's like 250 calories.. I am finally feeling better.. but of my 2100 calories for the day, I only have 663 left and it's not even 1pm yet.. and it's not like I am eating junk either (ok, except for last night when I was starving... OK, and maybe those beef sticks are pretty junky but they're delicious junk that have protein), you know?

I think in about 2 to 2.5 hours, I am going to make a potato with sour cream as a preventative to my insatiable hunger lol. Maybe I need to play with the carb/protein ratio and see if that has any effect too. Maybe carbs will keep me satisfied longer than protein? Doesn't make sense, but not a lot does when you're pregnant :laugh: :laugh:

kinkyslinky16

Ok, so I've planned my entire food diary for tomorrow.. if I stick to my plan, I will be right on target with calories. Something else I am going to try and see if it curbs my appetite some is to exercise in the morning. I have no stamina, but I will MAKE myself do it. Exercise really does a number on my appetite for the day, so hopefully just 30-45 minutes of lower intervals on the elliptical will help.

janetay01

Sounds like you've got a good plan in place and I totally agree with the small 'meals' every couple of hours! And you've done it for me now - I've read about watermelon once too often and will have to get some before I go into the office

kinkyslinky16

Yes!! I decided to force myself to do some type of exercise as soon as I got up this morning.. so I did 40 mins on the elliptical with LOW intervals (like half of what I normally do).. and it has made me feel somewhat better energy wise.. at least a tiny bit.. lol.. but it did not curb my appetite at all unfortunately.. I was really hoping it would.. Anyways.. My goal is to stay on track to my pre-planned day today.. We will see how this goes!

Edit: That burst of energy lasted exactly 1 hour. Oh, progesterone.. How I love thee... :noway:

janetay01

oh I so know how you feel - Sunday morning my back was sore and my left hip was hurting (right hip is still bravely refusing to join the party!) and I was determined to do some exercise. So I did. And it made me feel better - for about an hour after which energy drained, pain returned and I wondered why I had bothered!

kinkyslinky16

lol right!! I used to exercise because it made me feel great. Now I am exercising so I feel less guilty about my caloric intake. :ohwell:

:laugh: :laugh: