struggling with my appetite

cranberrycat

Anyone have some suggestions on how to curb my appetite?

I am following 1200 cals, most of the time I sneak up over that, because I am still hungry.

I am meeting my protein and fat needs, I am getting at least 20 grams of fiber each day. I don't eat junk food.

For instance, this morning I had a bowl of oats (not instant) with a scoop of protein powder (no added sugars) and a tbsp of peanut butter. Just an hour later, and I am sitll hungry.

Any ideas?

csc101769

I feel you on that......I'm trying the 1200 calorie a day also and last night I cheated. But I was Starving! So.....I think I'm gonna try to wean myself down on the calories, kind of shrink my stomach. I'm not gonna focus on the calories so much, just watch what I eat and use portion control. I think after a couple weeks of doing this I will be able to stick to the 1200 calories a day and not cheat

Good luck to you!!

cranberrycat

I don't think it is smart to go under 1200 cals. We need that much to maintain our body mass, otherwise we may start breaking down muscle for energy instead of tapping into the fat.

I usually eat breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.

sue26

fruit and veggies are always a good idea, try blueberries with the oatmeal and raw veggies when you get the munchies. Also I find that I am always hungry when I have oatmeal for breakfast, so I don't eat it any more.

WrenLynn

I decided to up my calories to 1330. I know it is going to take me longer to lose the last twenty pounds but I feel better knowing I am not going to bed hungry. Also definitely get your water in. It will help satisfy you.

cranberrycat

Thanks for the comments. I do eat a lot of veggies. Yesterday I didn't, but generally I do, but that doesn't seem to curb it much. My typical meals are veggie-heavy, but I get hungry so soon afterwards!

OH, and water... I can always do better there, but I have been trying to drink a lot more. I take a liter bottle to work with me and drink it throughout the afternoon. I am a decaf coffee drinker in the morning (black). I generally have a few cups.

Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming!

potluck965

I still struggle with appetite, even after 9 months of being calorie conscious. I, too, am basically limited to 1200 calories. When I see how little food that is I think it's no wonder you get overweight.

I seldom eat a big meal because it seems that whether I eat big or small, I will be hungry again soon. So I have taken to spreading my foods out through the day a little at a time. My stomach feels better for it.

Sometimes I am so starved I have to add on more food at night or I will be completely miserable.

potluck965

Forgot to add,when I first started I used Mega T pills and I really think they helped get me through the hunger. I still use them, but not quite as often as I once did.

2hdesign

Drink more water. Seriously. The first 2 weeks every time I'd find myself hungry between meals I'd drink quite a bit of water before turning to food. And you know what, I began to understand better the difference between hunger and thirst....

Experiment with what 'holds' you. For me, for breakfast, that means yogurt. For some reason yogurt and fruit (plus nuts if I'm being feisty) holds me better then cereal, oatmeal, eggs or anything else I've tried.

I take fiber pills (metamucil) because of digestive issues, and I've found one with water sometimes takes the edge off! But be careful, as it is more fiber and while it will help regulate you, it may cause diarrhea or constipation in the meantime...

UmbraForzare

I second the water, I find that days when I dont get enough water/fluid intake are the days where my stomach will NOT shut up.

I keep carrot sticks with hummus dip, fruit (usually apples, oranges and grapes) and string cheese in the refridgerator for snacking (although I only allow myself 1 piece of cheese per day!).

I will say though, that if your stomach is really complaining then you may just need to eat something.
Don't go overboard, obviously, but sometimes hunger really is just that - your body telling you that you've not eaten enough, or not put food that's sustaining enough into it.

cranberrycat

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

I will work on the water/fluid intake. I will track it to make sure I am getting at least 8-8oz servings per day.

I do feel better this afternoon, but probably went over on my lunch. Have to check it out (ate out for lunch, but hopefully I did pretty well). I had a grilled chicken breast and a side salad. The dressing is probably the one thing that I question, but I think that the extra fat helped to curb the appetitie.

One of my favorite mid-afternoon snacks is a green pepper cut into strips or several sticks of celery, and then I use 1/4 cup hummus as my dip. I sometimes pair it up with a stick of string cheese. I usually shop for Crystal Farms spiral string cheese, it has only 4.5g of fat per stick, whereas other string cheeses are higher in fat.

Another favorite snack is 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (thawed) topped with 1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese and sprinkled with slivered almonds. This one does not always curb the hunger, but it is delicious.

I definitely understand about experimenting! I generally make a smoothie in the morning for breakfast, a total of 300 calories, but it has to be just right. If I run out of ingredients and try to sub something else in, it just doesn't work.

I will keep working on it. LOL I generally follow the guidelines of the Zone Diet--which is supposed to be very good at curbing hunger--but I honestly don't feel that I get that result as well as I should! However, I do much worse when I eat junk food, so I know I have to eat wholesome healthy foods to even be "close"!