I'm a mess and thisclose to quitting....

rnjm

I have been doing this for several months and have lost 9 lbs but have stopped. I did go on vacation and got off track then and didn't get back on track until last week. I have not seen the scales move down in weeks. I am way over weight yet do not have any health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. I do get very very hungry between meals and it seems like I cannot eat enough as well as I have a sweet food addiction. ( I am not saying that with humor, I could easily consume bags of cookies, ice cream, candy). I have limited myself to some low carb or skinny cow ice cream as evening snack. I have to consume large amounts of protein to not get the shakes and physically ill from hunger. I eat fruits and vegetables but they are not filling to me. I still feel hungry if I consume only those and don't stock up on protein. I can eat and two hrs later I'm starving. I do not exercise ( I know I should but It is SO BORING to me, I hate it). I am 48, weigh 200 and am 5'4". Any suggestions?

jenjones28

I'm certainly not an expert, but it sounds like you are insulin resistant at the least, or even diabetic. Have you had that checked? Also, if you are not balancing your meals and snacks and linking your proteins with the proper portion of carbs then you will continue to get sick and shaky as your insulin levels spike and drop. I would be interested to hear how many meals and snacks you are consuming and what they consist of and if you are eating on a regular basis or if you are eating at random intervals and what your caloric intake is. Even though exercise is boring, adding some type of exercise into your routine will help, IMO.

rnjm

I have had my A1C tested repeatedly and fall within the normal levels every time. I am hypothyroid and am stable on meds with frequent level checks. I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and always keep turkey sticks or cheese sticks, yogurt something for snacks in between each meal. I feel like I cannot eat enough. Fruit leaves me hungrier than I was and that and vegetables leave me starving. I am so frustrated. I hear people say that vegetables (raw) fill them up but they do nothing for me. I have tried to tweak this way and that to find a way to make this work for me so I have weight loss and am not hungry, I just can't seem to find it. My daily caloric intake is 1400 to lose 1 lb. a week.

jenjones28

I can't see your diary, so I assume it's not open. If it were open, maybe we could give you more specific ideas?

666izzy

I've read (and my GP confirmed) that there is research which shows carbohydrates cause an insulin spike - much like sugar does - and that we feel hungry as that spike drops away.

I also have the problem that fruit and vegetables don't make me feel full - I can eat vegetables all day, and will only stop because I'm bored! I also find that, by picking at fruit or vegetables (I'm fond of raw carrots) they just encourage me to snack which is a disaster for me because, when I'm bored of fruit and veg, I move on to crisps and chocolate! I can also eat loads of sweet food (although, less so since I lost a bit of weight - no idea why, but my sweet tooth seems to be lessening).

I've found eating a high protein, high fat breakfast (a traditional English breakfast of eggs and bacon is ideal) means I feel full all through the morning, don't snack before lunch and am then ready to eat at lunchtime, which then helps me to not snack in the afternoon. My evening meals are a bit more haphazard as I'm hungrier some days than others, depending on whether I've had any exercise, how cold it's been, etc. etc.

Personally, I think the big trick with weight loss is to find what works for you, and stick to it! I've made some minor changes to my diet (mainly around breakfast, as I've stopped eating cereal) and am losing weight slowly. But it took me six years to pile on 3st, so I'm happy to lose it slowly.

Not sure if any of that helps!

virginia65us

Hi there! Don't give up. You mentioned that you just got back on track last week. I know how discouraging it is, but just stick with it. I have been on a plateau for months, but an trying something new as of today. I dropped my lifestyle to "sedentary" because I do spend a good part of my weekdays at a desk, and I'm making a point of drinking more water. I'm hoping these changes will shake things up a little. Activity is really important. Can you bring yourself to try a little walking? Even 10 - 15 minutes a day might help get your metabolism going and get you over the hump to losing. It's very challenging, but you can do this.

DMW914

Reverse your will. As easy as it is for you to give up all hope you can change your mind and easily not. Yry something new. I'm no expert either but I'm 5'4 and was at 200lbs too. Now I'm at 194 for the last few weeks and I know it's because of ny lack of excercise, water intake and what I've been eating. Starting today, I changed my mind about giving up to doing something about it even if I have to start from scrtch as if I never lost before.One thing I've learned over the past few weeks is if I'm hungry I need to eat even if it is every 2 hrs. cause my body is saying that it needs more fuel, so instead of 3 big meals I added snacks in between to make it 5-6 small meals a day. Fruits & veggies are boring to me as well but I try to be creative with them; for example I put them in a smoothie; like spinach, cabbage, celery or any mild to the palate types of veggies in a blender (pref. a high powered one thats with in your budget like a ninja).
I also use MFP food diary and calculate my food before I eat it . This way I won't go too far (I'm a work in progress but when I do this I don't have the guilt). I try filling up with 2 cups of water (at least 8 oz) before I indulge. I Google food alternatives for things I like to eat that are healtheir ie. instead of Rold Gold pretzel try unsalted spelt pretzels and follow the serving size on the package, yogurt I get the plain and add stevia/truvia or agave, mix in my own fruit & add real vanilla beans. These are just a few ideas that I've tried. Also nuts and nut butters. And I plan to make my own granola so I can have parfaits. But water, water, water will set you free if you just drink enough of it. I hope any of this helps, at least in your choice not to quit.

gashay

Don't quit...Too much support here to let you quit. Come on-you didn't come this far to quit. YOU CAN DO IT !!!!

riouxt

Don't quit. Join the Eat More to Weigh Less group. It's changed my life.

rnjm

Thank you so much for the replies. I have increased my intake of water this week. I'm eating less more often through the day but still feel like I'm starving all the time but evening is the worst! I feel like around 8 or 9 pm I'm just STARVING! Anyone else deal with that? I have tried decreasing carbs this week but not sure that is the best for me. I LOVE the idea of plain yogurt with my own fruit and some stevia. I did reduce my activity to sedentary some months back I thought that might help but it almost seemed to make it worse. I am up on my feet running the halls for about half of my days but I didn't count it as it is not every day. I will try walking more. (time is limited, work 40 hrs, sports with kids after school, you all know the drill!) If I could get rid of this constant hunger it would help. THANK YOU for the words of encouragement!

8cakebaby8

Have you tried chia seeds? I have a spoonful every morning with breakfast (usually overnight oats - or porridge if i fancy it warm!) you can buy them in Holland & Barrett - they are full of omega 3, but they absorb upto 10 times their volume in water so swell in your stomach making you feel full. I always used to have a mid morning snack, but haven't needed it since I started eating these. Good luck - you CAN do this!

sweetbippy

I understand feeling hungry all the time. I wonder if part of this is emotional hunger/eating. When you mentioned being able to eat a whole bag of something and still being hungry, that sounds like emotional eating to me, of which I am very familiar. A hot beverage helps to slow me down and give me time to decide if I'm truly Hungry, or just anxious, bored, tired... I distract myself with a hot bath and a good book. You might like yoga. It is a form of exercise that is gentle and helps to connect you to your emotions, in addition to being gentle on your body. What did you love to do as a kid? Swim? Bike? Find the one thing you used to love, and give it a try. It might be the one thing to reconnect you to exercise. Have you tried geo cashing? Like a treasure hunt with walking. You'll be surprised how much exercise you're getting. If you find you eat when anxious or angry, you might enjoy a class that allows you to do some punching. There are some great books, blogs, web sites on emotional hunger. This is your life and journey. Explore everything. You never know what will work.