First day, struggling

bulbadoof

Try for things that fill you up quicker on less calories. Swap the cheerios for a bowl of plain oatmeal or toss a ton of vegetables into your chili to beef up the portion sizes for fewer calories. Get smaller plates - satisfaction is often psychological, so you'll feel fuller after eating a full 6" plate than a not-as-full 8" plate even if they're the exact same portion sizes.

If you are legitimately feeling very hungry and trying to conserve calories, have a quarter- or half-portion of something filling (I like celery, oatmeal, popcorn, jerky, spaghetti squash) and a glass of water. It'll fill you up for at least an hour.

Learn to cook healthy, satisfying meals with as few premade ingredients as possible. Make all your own meals from basic ingredients until you have a handle on your hunger. Make it a pain in the *kitten* to eat. It will help you decide if you're actually hungry or if you just want to eat out of habit. Once you have that aspect of managing your hunger down, you can go back to more convenient foods. But you probably won't want to, because the food you cook will taste better!

Look for ways to cut out calories where you won't really miss them. Have your sandwich open-face on one piece of bread, or swap out the bread entirely for lettuce. Toast half a pita in the oven and cut it into wedges to have with your chili instead of a roll. Opt for berries instead of bananas or pineapples, they're lower in sugar and higher in good stuff. Try using Greek yogurt or cottage cheese where you'd use sour cream - I promise it's not that far off. Read labels at the grocery store and be open-minded about trying new things - I've seen two of the exact same thing vary by over 100 calories a serving depending on brand, flavor, etc.

Keep notes about how a certain food makes you feel after eating it. From my experience, saturated fat and sodium give me chest pains, sugar makes me feel lethargic, starch gives me headaches, and simple carbs in general don't satisfy me no matter how many calories I waste on them - identify patterns in what you eat and how you feel and you'll slowly stop wanting the things that make you feel bad, no matter how much you thought you liked them.

I started this weight loss deal when I was 294 lbs and 5'3" before I hit 21 - I'm now in my 140s and going down! You can add me if you need any support; I know what you've been through.

aka9110

Great to have you on the program. Was your plan set to lose 2 pounds a week? If so change it to 1 pound for the first week and then increase gradually until you get up to 2 pounds a week. Eat everything in moderation as everyone has said. As for the junk food in the house throw a party for your skinny friends and have them eat it for you. Take some to school and share with your class mates. This will prevent you from eating or feeling guilty about the hungry children around the world and you throwing away food. Please remember that this is a slow process but we didn't get our size overnight and we won't get to our ideal weight overnight either. Take baby steps and surround yourself with supportive people. Always track regardless of the outcome you will find that as time goes on you won't go over your limit as much but if you don't track you won't know and knowing is half the battle. Remember too much of anything can be bad for you. I bought a fitbit and it help keep me moving anything that will count your steps is a plus. Fitbit just syncs with MFP which makes calorie counting easier. Feel free to hit me up as a friend I will do my best to keep you motivated and you can do the same for me.
Best of Luck

Teresa

dbevisjr

I didn't read every response but I will make a suggestion of what worked for me. After experiencing the same problems you are finding for the first few days I decided to divide my daily calorie allowance into 4 groups so that I know how many calories I have available for each meal. So I had a certain number of cals available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. And by limiting my calories at each meal I knew I would always have a certain number left for dinner and a snack in the evening. Also look at what you eat. Proteins and fibers will prove to be more filling and last longer. Many veggies are very low cal and will hold you until bedtime if you need a low cal snack during the evening. Good luck. It will get easier just don't give up.

sapl31

Plan, plan, plan. Find something to do with your hands when you want to eat. It gets better once you get in a routine.

iryshjones

i too work with a registered dietician ... work with her/him ... mine was willing to adjust her daily food plan for me at the start if i was feeling hungry and change it as we went ... i just need to make sure i keep my hands busy esp at night when i would normally munch away .... she also gave me a list of balanced snacks for the times i need them. The point is to keep from being really hungry and keeping your blood sugar balanced. dont give up ... it does get easier!!!!!!!!!

MRL_74

Hi,
Congrats on taking the first step. Change can be hard at first but it does get easier.
Have you set yourself up with a realistic weight loss goal to begin with and a good estimate of how active you are each day?
Having the right calorie goal makes this easier. You should eat more than you BMR and less than your TDEE. THe link explains how to get set up properly.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Also its a good idea to set your macros so you have a protein target around 40%. Having at least 20gm of protein at each meal will help you to feel fuller longer.

When you first start out sometimes it is good to just log your normal diet for a week to see how far of target you are. Then make small changes to bring it closer to where it needs to be. It can be easier to do this in steps rather than jumping into the deep end all at once. Then start to plan/change/improve one meal at a time. find you breakfast foods that work, Then work on lunch and finally work on dinners. Plan healthy snacks whole fruits/nuts/ veggies. Once you know what keeps you fuller with good energy keep it in your rotation.

Be patient with your self - keep trying new foods - log everything and keep track of what works for you.

^^^THIS^^
Good luck! You can do this!

Finchtastic1

Try drinking tea throughout the day...especially green tea. It's good for you and helps boost metabolism. Also it keeps you full. I have a snacking problem and it's helping. I drink a dessert style tea at night to cut those sweet cravings too. Also get rid of the crap if it's in your house. If it's mine I will eat it.

BadgerSensei

I don't know what kind of things you're into, but video games can keep me from eating until I'm just about faint with hunger if I let them. It's a lot easier to not eat if your hands and brain are occupied.

enid42

Everyone has great ideas. The first thing is being able to measure your food. You'll need measuring cups and I really didn't do well until I bought a decent digital scale. I bought the cheaper spring scale first and I was never really sure it was correct. Being able to measure out your servings keeps you accountable.

I really do best when I plan my meals. I take meat out of the freezer the night before and I decide what a portion size will be. I go through the pantry and add a carb to it. Figure out the portions on that. I check to make sure that I have veggies to round out an evening meal. After dinner, I portion out any leftovers. That will give you real food for breakfast or lunch. I can make a whole plateful of food for the calories in a lean cuisine.

You or anyone else is welcome to add me or look at my food diary. It's open. Find people with food diaries. I get the best ideas for meals, new low calorie products and recipes from fitness blogs and food diaries. They keep me interested in finding better ways of making foods that I love, which keeps me motivated.

The tip about spacing out your calories is perfect. Now that I log everything, I also space out my carbs, proteins and fat. It really helps me feel better during the day.

Throw out the junk food. I know that you paid for it and it feels wrong to throw out food but it's better than eating it:)

lafochs

Stick with it! It will only get easier. I always plan my day out ahead of time, which is helpful. And drink more water than you ever thought possible. At first I felt like all I did was pee.
You can do it, just hang in there and keep the reasons why you started and where you want to go in mind.

I also gave myself a reward that was not food for additional motivation. I found a pair of puma running shoes that I wanted, but had to lose 25 pounds before I could get them. Needless to say I earned those damn shoes and everytime I put them on I am reminded of just what I am capable of.

mconway79

Yeah, it's hard to adjust. Instead of having my body tell me that I'm full and to stop eating, I have to stop eating on my own. Thanks

It is very hard to do but you have made a step in the right direction. I did really well for 5 months and then summer hit and everything went out the window. Now I am day 4 of being back on track and its taking a lot to not go back to old ways.

The stop eating on your own takes a while but once you train you self to do it there will be very few days of feeling like your stomach is going to explode. You know that christmas dinner feeling? I rarely get that anymore. Ive trained my self to stop after my aloted food and I love that I dont get that gross feeling that everyone else gets.

Throw in a walk as you can gain a few extra calories for a healthy snack like grapes, an apple, cauliflower etc.

Good luck Keep your head up!!!

msampred2

I'm sure everyone has already had a lot of good ideas for you and I may be repeating as there were so many comments that I didn't read...grapes and 94%fat free popcorn or air popcorn...staples for me! So super hard to get out of your head! Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst...great book...super motivational for me!

I know what you are going through though...been there, done that! There are some nights still that the only way that I can keep myself from eating everything in my pantry is to go to bed!

Another thing that might help is to break your routine up...if you always snack in front of the t.v....get out of the house, go for a walk or even to the library, to a friends house...

Good luck to you!

Monalisa85

Hi,
Lots of good advice being given her and I concur...it does get easier but you have to push through some of those tough times, especially when you're just beginning to make the change. Seems your body will fight you but remember your WHY! Some things that help me:

1) Reach for water OR Green Tea (no sugar)

2) go for a walk

3) lots of fruits & veggies

I absolutely love logging in all my veggies/fruits and see they don't cost me the calories of what I used to eat!

Just take it one day at a time!

Oh...and don't be shocked as I was to see the calories you'd normally consume! This website is great in that it reveals to us where we need to make the adjustments. AND, there are many good folks in the same boat that are so behind you! Just remember, YOU DESERVE TO HAVE AN AWESOME, HEALTHY, LONG LIFE! My best to ya!

ronitabur

Try exercising to earn more food. When I first started, I was in the same place you are. I'd get hungry and I'd be out of my allotted calories, so I'd strap on my heart rate monitor (which has a calorie counter in it) and I'd go for a 10 or 15 minute walk which would earn me a small snack.

Eventually, I learned to sit with my hunger and be OK with it. This meant I'd have to acknowledge my feelings and sit with them too. So, I'd be hungry as well as either angry or sad. Now I exercise just about every day, which makes me happy (endorphins) AND I get to eat about 1600-1800 calories a day because I burn about 400-600 calories per hour of exercise. I also eat healthy proteins, including nuts, high fiber foods (about 30 grams of fiber per day) and VERY low sugar (less than 25 grams per day, but often under 15 grams per day). These three food rules will help keep you from feeling hungry. Talk to your dietician about these things. I'm sure she will agree that fiber, lean protein and healthy fats are your friend when it comes satiating hunger, and sugar and refined carbs are your enemy.

Good luck to you. It is a journey to lose as much weight as you are planning. Always keep learning and evolving. And, exercise, exercise, exercise. Someday, you will find your journey to be fun.

Be well,
Ronita

jodil68

I have found high quality protein foods have been curbing my hunger. Greek yogurt is very filling, Protein smoothies are fantastic! I will have a scoop of protein powder blended with some baby spinach, 1/2 cup frozen raspberries and a little almond milk or water. For approx 120 to 150 calories you have a very filling snack. Good Luck!!!

strawbblondie

Welcome and congrats on your 1st day!! It will get easier. Here's a few things I'd recommend.

- If you're concerned about the cost of fresh fruit, stock your freezer with unsweetened frozen fruit. I like to nibble on frozen peaches or raspberries. Frozen fruit makes great smoothies too - no need for ice! Blend 1 C frozen fruit with 1C skim milk & 3/4 C non-fat yogurt (plain or vanilla); this is about 300 calories and makes a big glass! You can also look for canned fruit packed in water or juice, not heavy syrup.

- Find something to keep your hands busy, such as a craft, puzzle books, etc. My hardest time is in the evening when I watch TV. I usually work on a puzzle book or do some cross stich.

- Start exercising. Walk around campus, or just take the long way back to your apartment. Sometimes when I 'feel' hungry, but my stomach isn't telling me it's hungry, I go take a short walk. That tends to make me forget about wanting to snack.

Feel free to add me as a friend; I'm here if you need anything.

beths53

Hi - Welcome I haven't been here long - two weeks on MFP app ( my doctor recommended it) and about a week online as well but I know it's hard. Raw veggies are your friend - I know you said you don't like them but they are so much better for you than cooking them. I love Greek yogurt - it is my go to snack and only 120 calories - I like vanilla not plain and apple slices.

Instead of throwing the junk away - donate it to a shelter, I'm sure the people who rely on them would appreciate something different and then you haven't "wasted" it.

Believe in yourself because you CAN do this. It is about baby steps both in eating and exercise.
Good luck !!!

ellemari3

woo well youre here! thats a great step honestly the more you log in and add ure meals the easier it becomes to plug in i just started the gym with this app too and i love how they tell you all the calories youve burned. lets stay motivated!

gregpack

I've been in your shoes. I'm about 160 lbs off my scale high.

A true 1800calorie /day diet (food measured and weighed) is pretty tough for a big guy, but will likely result in rapid weight loss. It is more important to stay the course, even if it means eating a couple hundred extra calorie per day. This will have to be a new way of life for you, and your old eating habits will have to change. The good news is that once you reach your goal weight you can eat quite a bit of food to maintain.

Experiment a bit and figure out what foods satisfy you the most for the fewest calories. Microwave popcorn, apples, high fiber cereals all worked well with me.


You mentioned eating ice. Try adding crystal lite to ice and water and blend into a shaved ice type concoction. It's pretty good.

You'll probably be hungry sometime during the day. Get used to the feeling and figure out when you're most vulnerable to temptation. I tend to eat at night. I figured out that if I ate very little during the day it wasn't too bad because I was busy. It gave me more calories for later. I ate over half of my daily allotment of calories between 6pm and bedtime. It made it easier for me to sleep when my stomach had something on it.

You can eat a salad the size of your head every day at lunch as long as you stick with the low cal veggies: lettuce, spinach, squash, onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc. Top with a few ounces of grilled chicken and lo cal dressing and it's still less than 500 calories.

Shave a few calories here and there where you can. For example- strawberries instead of pineapple. Over the course of a day it may add up to a bag of popcorn at night.

Staying away from a lot of carbs help control my appetite

Get plenty of protein and do at least some weight training to help preserve muscle mass. If you don't have access to weights, bodyweight exercises will suffice.

iryshjones

I had a couple bananas, green beans, pineapple, cheerios, a sandwich, and chili. I know that it's a lot of food, but I'm used to eating much larger portions. I'm committed to sticking to this for my health. I just don't feel full
[/quote]

feeling full may not happen for a long time .... there are days where i want to eat until i feel stuffed ... to me that is what i remember full being .... you need to ignore it and ask yourself if you are hungry .....it is an adjustment and learning curve for everyone