Want to cry :(

live2dream

Just looking at photos of myself from 4 years ago and I want to cry. I have gained 30 lbs since then - and have been trying the past 10 months to lose weight- working out 5+ days a week and eating healthy, but it won't budge. I'm probably eating too much, but I'm hungry all.the.time. I crave sugar and bread like there's no tomorrow. Sure, I only eat Ezekial sprouted grain bread, and no processed sugar and only organic food. No meat since I've been a vegetarian for the past 3 months. I eat a ton of veggies and fruits- so what am I doing wrong? My metabolism has gone down the tubes. I'm 30 now and it sucks. I feel like I know what I need to do, but I'm not doing it. I read the Body Ecology diet and am probably in need of a cleanse. I'm just really tired. Just had to get this off my brain before I can even sleep.

redhead91

Open your diary and we can help

concordancia

I'm probably eating too much, but I'm hungry all.the.time. I crave sugar and bread like there's no tomorrow.

This is a good sign that your body isn't processing them correctly right now. Check into insulin resistance/ metabolic syndrome and the diets used to treat them.

lisah73

Maybe too many fruits and veggies? Fruit has a good amount of carbs and natural sugars.

live2dream

Thanks- I made my diary public. Note that I was on hiatus for 2 weeks the beginning of the month when I was on vacay.

tmontgomery69

Fruits have quite a bit of sugar in them and if you eat too many it spikes your blood sugar. Which will make you crave more sugar/carbs. Try balancing each meal/snack with carbs and some form of protein. I understand that you're a vegeatarian but you're craving sugar because you need more protein (of some sort)!

ImBabyBunny

Sugar is sugar Dear. Fruit can be very bad if you eat to much of eat.

NoAdditives

You need to be getting a lot more protein and more fresh vegetables. If you don't want to eat meat you should be eating more dairy, soy, eggs and beans. You should also track your sodium instead of fiber, it looks like you have no problem meeting your fiber goal. You should also be tracking your water. Make sure you get at least 8 glasses a day, a few more is better. (I generally get between 10 and 15.) You also need to meet your calorie goal every day. Not consuming enough calories will slow your metabolism and will prevent your body from burning fat.

Also, I'm not sure why you decided to become vegetarian. The reason itself doesn't matter but it does mean you need to be more conscious of your diet. I was vegetarian for 10 years and I have to say I am much happier eating meat. (It does bum me out that an animal has to die in order for me to eat, but honestly, that's the way of the world. That's how we evolved. We're omnivores.) I'm also much, much healthier. Vegetarian meat products are full of sodium and are highly processed. They really aren't good for you at all.

Finally, you don't need a cleanse. If you are eating only healthy foods you won't have toxins or anything in your system. Fresh, healthy foods and lots of water will cleanse your body. Your liver and kidneys cleanse your system every day, that's what they're there for. Fasts, cleanses and everything like that are completely unnecessary.

bluenotes1

Dont give up. Education is powerfull.I know it wont be easy but I am sure you can find out what you need.:happy: I read something about resistant starch foods. If I remember correctly they talked about how you can control those cravings. I hope it helps

farmgirl88

Are you making sure to eat at least 1,200 calories per day? Are you getting enough lean protein in your diet? It sounds like your diet is really restricted and perhaps your cravings for bread and sugar is your body crying out for nutrients you aren't getting. Cleaning up your diet should make you feel good and full and energized and shouldn't make you feel hungry all the time.

Maybe look into James Dugain's book "The Clean & Lean Diet." It helped me clean out the junk in my diet, and I've never felt hungry during the whole process. Sure, I get "mouth hungry" sometimes--when my mouth is telling me that I want something sweet or bready to eat even though my stomach is full and content. But that's more about kicking my sugar habit then anything else.

Hopefully this helps point you in the right direction!

1hotmama2b

I'm probably eating too much, but I'm hungry all.the.time. I crave sugar and bread like there's no tomorrow.

This is a good sign that your body isn't processing them correctly right now. Check into insulin resistance/ metabolic syndrome and the diets used to treat them.

Just curious- What diets are these? Just wondering- I am positive something is going on hormonally, and wondering if there is something like this kind of "diet" that could help

WomanofWorth

bump

WomanofWorth

I'm probably eating too much, but I'm hungry all.the.time. I crave sugar and bread like there's no tomorrow.

This is a good sign that your body isn't processing them correctly right now. Check into insulin resistance/ metabolic syndrome and the diets used to treat them.

Just curious- What diets are these? Just wondering- I am positive something is going on hormonally, and wondering if there is something like this kind of "diet" that could help

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/metabolic syndrome/DS00522

clairewarden

I've just done a big Lifestyle change/shape up and there were a few things that made a massive difference to how hungry I felt.

1) Make sure you are getting enough sleep. It sounds weird but there is science behind it. When your sleep is restricted your levels of Leptin go down and Ghrelin goes up. These are hormones that work together in a kind of Check and balance system. Leptin is what sends the signal to your brain to tell you that you are full and Ghrelin stimulates your appetite. So if they are out of balance and your appitite is being stimulated and the message that you are full is not getting to your brain then no matter how much you eat you won't feel full. AND Lack of sleep also produces cortisol which promotes abdominal fat and makes us feel hungry even when we are full. SO it really is so important to get a good nights sleep (for me that means 8 hours a night). The only days I feel hungry are the days when I haven't had enough sleep the night before. I was amazed at the difference it made.

2) Try adding a fiber supplement to your water. I assume you are drinking a lot of water throughout the day and if not that also really helps to stave off hunger as often you mistake dehydration for hunger. Just put a powdered fiber supplement into your bottle or glass of water in the morning and it helps to keep you feeling full. You can have more in the middle of the day too if you need it but don't have to much as it can affect your bathroom activity if you know what I mean!

3) Try to eat every 4 hours. Really plan your whole days meals and snacks so that you have the right food with you when it is time to eat and really stick to the timetable. If you are strict with this your body will quickly get used to eating at those time intervals and it means that you are lightly fueling your body regularly and teaching it to stop eating at a reasonable level of fullness as you know it's only four hours until you get to eat again. This requires a bit of planning and organization which can be tough at first but once you get into a routine it becomes easy and is so worth it. It means you don't get stuck starving hungry and the only thing to eat is from a vending machine or junk food. My purse is always full of bags of nuts, pieces of fruit, low fat cheese sticks etc so that if have to eat I am able to make good and inexpensive choices.

4) Pay attention to the type of foods you are eating and make sure it is balanced. Try to get a balanced amount of Carbs/protein/fats(good fats) throughout the day but what worked for me was trying to keep the carbs at the beginning of the day - breakfast and lunch- and not in the evening.

5) work out your BMR and your allotted calories a day and stick to it. When you change your diet your body will be resistant and tell you that you need to eat because it has become used to a certain number of calories (too many!) try to ride through the hunger - at first it will be miserable but once you have retrained your body it will lessen I promise you. Each time you feel like giving in have a picture in your mind (or even better carry one with you) of how you want to look or used to look and use that to motivate you, to tell yourself that you don't NEED to eat and you will feel and look so much better if you don't.

I am in the best shape I have ever been and it was hard work to get here and sometime miserable but it was so worth it. I feel a million dollars and so proud of myself for taking control and making it happen. Hang in there. You absolutely can do it - determination, belief in yourself and a good support system will get to to where you want to be.

Best of luck

:-D

Glucocorticoid

You haven't given much information about yourself. How do you expect anyone to help you?

Post your current weight/height, your weight when you started dieting, and how long you have been dieting. Do you have any medical problems that may affect your metabolism (i.e. hypothyroidism).

Most importantly, post your goal. Along with that, post your daily caloric and macronutrient targets and how often you hit those targets.

You say you "work out" 5 days a week but you didn't say what kind of exercise, how long, how intense, etc.

Has anything dramatic happened in the past 4 years that caused the gain in 30 lbs? As for the rest of your post - the biggest issue is that you are focusing on the quality of your food more than the quantity. Quantity always rules out over quality.
You will not lose weight if you are not in a net caloric deficit. Period. Doesn't matter how "healthy" you eat.
Therefore, I really doubt your "metabolism has gone down the tubes". Forget about the cleanse. Post what I asked and any other information you think is relevant, and I will help you.


EDIT: From browsing the last week or two of your diary, I can tell you right now why you feel hungry all the time. Carbohydrates tend to do that to most people, especially refined ones. Your carb value is very very high every single day, while protein and fat is very low. I'd be worried if you weren't hungry all the time. Lower your carbs and increase your protein and fiber (cut the fiber from the fruits and add fiber from green veggies). Protein is the most satiating macro-nutrient. It will "sit in your stomach" longer and you will feel fuller, and less hungry. Fiber will make you feel full too. These two changes alone will make a dramatic difference. Don't have to give your vegetarianism if you don't want to - I have been one all my life - add me as a friend if you want to see my diary for protein ideas.

aeckels616

Sugar and grains are highly addictive, so if you're craving them, it's possible that your body is struggling with addiction. It's an endless cycle - the more you eat, the more you want. They also inhibit weight loss by causing insulin spikes, which cause the body to store fat rather than metabolize it.

Cut them out completely for 3 weeks or so - no grains (wheat, rice, anything) and no sugar (corn or cane or artificial sweeteners). Stick to low glycemic index foods during this time.

You will probably shed some pounds during this 3 weeks, and the cravings should go away. Once you reintroduce grains to your diet, stick only to whole grains - no white bread, "multi-grain" etc. Only 100% whole grain breads. Otherwise you'll be right back where you are now with the cravings. Try to avoid corn/cane sugar indefinitely - if you can't, be sure to balance it with lots of protein to avoid the cravings.

live2dream

More info:

I am 30, 5' 6", 160-170 lbs (fluctuates constantly) for the past year. I've been going to the gym 5 days a week for the past 10 months (usually 2 spin classes, 2 cardio or strength, 1 yoga) 40-60 minutes each (on my lunch break each day). I also work out on the weekends when I can.

I was on meds that might have helped my weight loss 6 yrs ago- I was on anti-depressents and birth control, since I went off all meds, I've gained weight and haven't been able to lose it. I've been tested for my thyroid and it's fine. Also, my good cholesterol is high and bad cholesterol is low. I take vitamin D and B12 daily.

I drink a TON of water and tea throughout the day. And when I said I eat a lot of fruit- I usually don't eat more than 2-4 pieces a day- so I don't think that's the problem. I try to get a calorie deficit, but by the end of the day, the cravings are overwhelming and I eat whatever I can find that's sweet- and that's usually when I go over my limit. So I need to figure out how to curb these cravings. I know I crave chocolate, so I try to find 'healthier' versions of it- super dark chocolate, carob chips, coconut milk ice cream, raw cacao for smoothies & baking, etc. But still, too much of anything is a bad thing (unless it's spinach I also use stevia a lot- in smoothies, in my tea, for baking, etc. No processed sugar for me if I can help it! (yeah I've given in a couple times). Also as far as carbs, I've always been a stickler for only brown rice, 100% whole wheat, etc. Doesn't matter. Still feel like crap.

Looking at my diary probably isn't totally accurate since I change what I eat all the time. I get sick of things real quick and love variety. Sometimes I'll go a week with having smoothies (lotsa protein) for breakfast, then I'll go with only raw fruit. Then I'll go with organic cereal or oatmeal.and almond milk. I'll go on a salad kick for awhile, but that gets old too. My husband has been complaining too that he's not satisfied with what I've been making- he's not a vegetarian and would love to eat pizza and burgers all the time but it ain't happenin unless he's cooking it himself and he won't do that! So, I try to satisfy his craving for meat by buying meat substitutes, which I know most are no good for you, and then I end up eating it too. So I'm trying to create the same meals I used to make (with a meat substitute) so he doesn't notice the difference most of the time, until now- he's getting sick of that too. He's also sick of salads . We love homemade veggie soups (garbage soup I call it- just throw in whatever veggies are in the fridge). That's our lunch tomorrow, we haven't had that for awhile and it is a staple. I usually add lentils and beans too for protein. Sometimes I go on juicing kicks- green juice rocks! And it feels good the fresh enzymes- the best energy drink- ok, now I think I need a green juice- it's been a couple weeks!

live2dream

I think cutting out all grains and sugar would be a good idea- one I've been contemplating for awhile. I'm just not sure what to eat then! I'm so used to having rice or noodles or potatoes with my veggies! Any meal plan recommendations with no meat and no grains? I also don't eat dairy much- only if it's organic & fermented (like kefir, whey, or yogurt). Not many options now! I get sick of salads too - even if I make different kinds every day. That leaves veggie soup/chili, smoothies, raw veggies, hmmmm....not sure if I could last!

Glucocorticoid

Okay - well "trying to be in a caloric deficit" won't work. I still don't think you understand - it is physiologically impossible to lose weight while you are not in a caloric deficit.

Read my post again. QUANTITY over QUALITY. I don't care that you eat brown rice. Why do you think brown rice is "good for you"? Because the mainstream media says so? Eating brown rice won't magically make you lose weight. It has a bit more fiber, that's it. Other than, for all intents and purposes, it's the same as white rice. Again, I never said in my post that carbohydrates make you feel hungry unless they are brown rice and 100% whole wheat. I said carbohydrates make you feel hungry.

The most productive thing you can do toward your weight loss goals is educate yourself on proper dieting and exercise. If you want to lose weight badly enough, you need to put effort into it and read about it. Or you can just follow random advice that people are telling you here - i.e. cut out grains and hope for the best.
I understand this is difficult with so much misguided information, particularly on the internet. If you want, you can add me as a friend and I can give you some references and help you further - but there is too much misguided and extremely silly advice in this thread for me to continue being a part of it.

Good luck.

aeckels616

I highly recommend checking out a glycemic index chart, and picking foods that you like that fall into the "low" category (things that register a glycemic index of below 55). These things cause less of a spike in insulin and will aid your weight loss.

A few examples that come to mind: apples, berries, yogurt (be sure there's no added sugar), green veggies, cheeses, eggs, avocado, nuts, etc.

Some things I would avoid on a low GI diet: bananas (unless you eat them green...), carrots, rice & grains, anything that contains corn/cane sugar (dairy has natural sugar in lactose, that doesn't seem to have an negative effect). There are a multitude of other high GI foods, which you can identify by researching a good glycemic index chart.

Brown rice seems to give mixed results depending on the source - some conclude it's no better than white, especially if overcooked). With bread... some are worse than others, but there's really not a "good" bread. Sourdough has mixed GI results, with some indicating that it's a lower GI bread. Because it generally has white flour in it (the worst GI food, all other foods are measured against it and sugar), I still don't trust it unless it's a sourdough rye or something whole grain.

Here's another thing to be aware of... when you keep track of your exercise calories, are you tracking TOTAL calories burned during exercise, or NET calories burned? A lot of people on here use the MFP calorie calculators - which track total calories burned - and think they can eat back all of those calories and still lose weight. But since MFP is already assuming you're burning some calories during the time you spend exercising, you could be over-eating back your calories.

For instance, if the calculator tells you that you burned 200 calories walking for an hour, and you plug that into your journal, you might think that you can eat 200 extra calories that day. But MFP already has a calorie burn built in for that hour - it assumes you burned 50-100 calories (totally depends on your body stats) watching TV or something during your normal daily activity. So the extra calories you get to eat from exercise can be significantly less than what the MFP exercise calculators tell you.

Janet39

The carb/sugars thing is bad, been there. I am Vegetarian too.

Being vegi and new to it you are likely to be eating to many fast processing carbs ( on a vegetarian diet, there is a tendancy to carbs or cheese with the newbie). As you are dieting you will be reducing fat, but the fat in your meal reduces the speed at which the carbs burned, hence the hungry all the time. Your insulin will be up and down like a fiddlers elbow.

Go easy on the Fruit,and grain products. Eat mainly vegetables and protein. You may find that you crave, and have headaches, from the withdrawal. But it will become easier, try to stay with it, gradually re introduce the grain and fruit over the next few days so you can monitor your tipping point.

Try to base your meals around a good protein source.

Cheers

Charger440

All I can say is I eat about 1500 - 2000 cals a day and I try to do enough exercise per day so that I have between 1,000 and 1,500 cals left. I been doing this since the middle of January this year and am down more than 45 pounds in total. I've heard all kinds of stories about how to lose weight but for me it's simple, just make sure you have a 1,000 cal deficit at the end of the day and you will lose weight. I know I do and that's how my plan works.

Thexplodingirl

Your diary looks mostly great to me, I just have a few tips.
I couldn't see your potassium intake in your diary. I didn't give an ish about potassium until I started having a real bad hormonal imbalance that made me retain water like a mad woman. Then I looked at how much sodium I was consuming, and a lot of other women posted on here it should probably be more like 15k rather than the mfp suggestion of 25k. I also found out that potassium m us integral to your body being able to utilize sodium. Your body needs sodium, but it shouldn't work alone, you need more potassium than sodium for your body to use it correctly. mfp recommends 35k of potassium a day, but I didn't think I could possibly meet all of the goals exactly, I usually just try to keep my potassium about 1k above my sodium intake (~15k or less and call it good. I've noticed an OUTSTANDING difference in my energy level since I started a week and a half ago, I'm more energetic and alert, I don't even drink much caffeine if any on most days. I get my potassium with my v8, coconut water or avocados, also there's vitamin water zer.o rhythm which I tried for the first time today.
Also I've been trying to incorporate more naturally diuretic foods into my diet like asparagus. NOW I just retain water like a silly woman. And however counter intuitive it is, drink more water when you're noticing more water weight.
I'm a big fan of cutthefatpodcast.com, and blythe recommended a couple of times just cutting out one condiment from your diet completely- hers was butter. She said after a few weeks she didn't even miss it, and mostly stopped eating bread because she didn't want it without the butter. I don't use butter at all. Once I added I can't believe it's not butter spray to my veggies and it tasted good, for no extra calories... I don't know if you would use it with your diet but it worked for me. Cutting out butter might save you some calories.
Also, if you haven't already, invest in a heart rate monitor. I got my new balance n4 at target for about $70, and I love it, it helps me more accurately keep track of my work out calories.
take it or leave it, it's working for me.

NoAdditives

You shouldn't have a calorie deficit at the end of the day. MFP already gives you a deficit, that's why you need to meet your calorie goal and eat your exercise calories.

As far as craving chocolate goes, you need to get yourself off of it completely, including not eating substitutes. I had a lifelong sugar addiction that I finally beat in January. Since I cut refined sugar out of my diet completely I can now eat one or two small pieces and be satisfied. (Which is great since I have Easter candy in the house right now.) What I did was gradually wean myself off and it only took a week. In all honesty, considering how addicted I was, I'm surprised it was so easy! The first couple of days I made myself wait until after lunch to have my first piece of chocolate. When that was easy I made myself wait until my afternoon snack. After a couple of days that was no problem so I made myself wait until after dinner. After just a couple of days of waiting until after dinner I found I didn't care if I had the chocolate or not. That was it. After that I didn't crave it anymore.

You don't need to cut out grains, they can be very good for you. Just make sure you're eating whole grains instead of refined grains. Whole grains aren't your problem, sugar is. Get refined sugar out of your diet and you won't crave carbs.

You also need a lot more protein. If you won't eat meat you should look into a good protein shake made with natural ingredients. Go to a health food store and you can find a great selection of powders made with natural/organic ingredients, no GMOs, and no artificial sweeteners. But, I would take a good look at your reasons for becoming vegetarian. I lived that life for 10 years and was vegan for two. Morally, I felt great because I wasn't eating animals, but it was really hard to get enough protein in my diet. I wasn't able to eat a very balanced diet because most vegetarian forms of protein are also high in carbs. It's no surprise that I gained weight while I wasn't eating meat, I was eating way too many carbs and because I wasn't active enough they got stored as fat. Organic meats are healthy and the animals are generally free range, so they live better lives.

VegGrrl

Stick with it girlfriend - it will happen! I'm the same height and close to same weight as you. And about 15 years older. I lost 18 lbs. quickly but have been on a plateau number wise for a while. However, my clothes keep getting baggier so I'm not stressing over it. Have you lost inches? Sometimes our work doesn't show up the scale for a while but the fat IS going away!

Please don't let anyone try to tell you that being veg isn't healthy or is making you fat. Nonsense! It's the best way to prevent disease, especially heart disease, diabetes, and cancers. Just like any other way of eating, eating too much or eating crap will make you fat. If you haven't read the China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, check it out. There are also tons of great books - and cookbooks! - by Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. MacDougall. But I think you know all that since you've chosen to go veg. I won't preach to the choir!

I'm vegan (been so for about 9 years now and was veg before that) AND have a wheat intolerance. So I guess some folks would say I have a lot of "restrictions" on what I eat. I don't think of it that way. I want to feel good and be healthy - so I don't eat stuff that doesn't make me feel good (physically or ethically) - I focus on the positive (all the zillions of wonderful foods nature provides us with) not the negative (What I "can't" - more like "won't" - eat). I have never eaten such a varied diet as I do now. Nor felt as good physically and spiritually.

But I digress! Have you talked to your dr. about all this? Do you have any hidden food allergies? (they can manifest in ways you would never guess). Are you getting enough sleep? Do you do tons of cardio but not much strength training on a regular basis? How about your emotional life - are there issues or stress going on? Could you be sliding into perimenopause? Your diary looks pretty good but there isn't much variety within a day or from day to day. I'm certainly no paragon of clean eating all the time, not do I stay within my "limits" all the time, but I do eat a wide variety of foods. (And I'm vegan and wheat free! lol) I wish I had a magic answer for you, but I don't. All I can say is hang in there. I feel your frustration - BEEN THERE! Change things up with your diet and exercise until you have a breakthrough. What else can you do? It'll happen. Stressing only makes it worse.

Oh, and check this out: www.fatfreevegan.com TONS of low cal recipes! Variety is the spice of life!

HUGS - :flowerforyou:

live2dream

Thanks VegGrrl- Gives me hope! I do read A LOT of nutrition books- and a whole bunch of vegan/vegetarian cookbooks now. It's just finding the time to plan/cook. I'm SO busy working full-time away from home and then I run a photography business part-time. I used to love to cook, but that was when I wasn't so damn busy!