hungry all the time

ok so i successfully lost weight on 1200 calories a day and i did tht for 9 months on tht amount of calories now i'm on just over 1300 and i am really struggling i am hungry all the time i have put a 6 pounds back on after my wedding and want to lose this and get back in to losing weight i struggle to motivate myself to do exercise as well can any one suggest anything to help? thanks

Falling_Star - I think you should be proud for what you've accomplished so far. Smart of you to reach out to find your edge, a lot of people would just give up when faced with the same challenge!

Looking at your diary, it looks like you could tweak your breakfast to be more sustaining. Long story on how I know this, it's a part of a former life of mine, I assure you. But, trust me when I tell you you need to introduce a bit more variety to your diet. Breakfast is key, but we overlook it constantly. I cannot stress enough the importance of a solid breakfast to help you feeling in control of your cravings and appetite.

In the morning you're eating:

Tetley Tea - Tea With Semi Skimmed Milk, 1 mug
Kellogg's - Chocolate Cornflakes, 30 g
Generic - Skin Milk 1/2 Cup, 1/2 cup

You have very little protein and variety here. Why not try:

Tetley Tea - Tea With Semi Skimmed Milk, 1 mug
Kellogg's - Chocolate Cornflakes, 30 g
Generic - Skin Milk 1/2 Cup, 1/2 cup
1 Banana
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt + honey

Gaining control of your diet isn't about restricting. When you restrict you make your body start craving all manner of weird things. Cravings are essentially the equivalent of "hunger emotions". If your body is dehydrated it might crave a burger or sweets because it doesn't care how it gets that water it just will tell you anything that would motivate you to consume it so it gets it. Same with nutrients.

So I have a motto: If I'm not hungry enough for veggies, then I'm not really hungry at all.

Also, here's a very helpful tip for breakfasts:

ALWAYS eat something sweet in the morning.

Recently a study was conducted where a test group consumed one piece of chocolate cake vs. another group who did not. Over a period of time, both groups lost weight, however, it was the group that continued to eat the chocolate cake in the morning that kept it off while the group on the carb restricted diet packed it back on.

So in my example, I gave you greek yoghurt with honey. Greek yoghurt is packed with protein, calcium and good for you bacterias. The honey could be switched out for agave nectar if you're really concerned about G.I. - The point is the reason the sweet works is that as the day goes on your body craves less sweets.

Also, aim to get about 300 calories in your brekkie. You can also have a modified version of beans and egg on toast. Actually that's a perfect breakfast for me... I recently switched out my beans for avocado.

I could go on, but I say you should consider starting with your breakfast. Experiment and play around. Your goal is to have:

A little sweet
more protein
fibre
calcium
a little good fats
and something that makes your mouth and belly feel full.

Finally, eat no later than 1 hour after you wake up.

Try that and let me know how you feel throughout the day and if it puts you more in control of your cravings.

ok so i successfully lost weight on 1200 calories a day and i did tht for 9 months on tht amount of calories now i'm on just over 1300 and i am really struggling i am hungry all the time i have put a 6 pounds back on after my wedding and want to lose this and get back in to losing weight i struggle to motivate myself to do exercise as well can any one suggest anything to help? thanks

Falling_Star - I think you should be proud for what you've accomplished so far. Smart of you to reach out to find your edge, a lot of people would just give up when faced with the same challenge!

Looking at your diary, it looks like you could tweak your breakfast to be more sustaining. Long story on how I know this, it's a part of a former life of mine, I assure you. But, trust me when I tell you you need to introduce a bit more variety to your diet. Breakfast is key, but we overlook it constantly. I cannot stress enough the importance of a solid breakfast to help you feeling in control of your cravings and appetite.

In the morning you're eating:

Tetley Tea - Tea With Semi Skimmed Milk, 1 mug
Kellogg's - Chocolate Cornflakes, 30 g
Generic - Skin Milk 1/2 Cup, 1/2 cup

You have very little protein and variety here. Why not try:

Tetley Tea - Tea With Semi Skimmed Milk, 1 mug
Kellogg's - Chocolate Cornflakes, 30 g
Generic - Skin Milk 1/2 Cup, 1/2 cup
1 Banana
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt + honey

Gaining control of your diet isn't about restricting. When you restrict you make your body start craving all manner of weird things. Cravings are essentially the equivalent of "hunger emotions". If your body is dehydrated it might crave a burger or sweets because it doesn't care how it gets that water it just will tell you anything that would motivate you to consume it so it gets it. Same with nutrients.

So I have a motto: If I'm not hungry enough for veggies, then I'm not really hungry at all.

Also, here's a very helpful tip for breakfasts:

ALWAYS eat something sweet in the morning.

Recently a study was conducted where a test group consumed one piece of chocolate cake vs. another group who did not. Over a period of time, both groups lost weight, however, it was the group that continued to eat the chocolate cake in the morning that kept it off while the group on the carb restricted diet packed it back on.

So in my example, I gave you greek yoghurt with honey. Greek yoghurt is packed with protein, calcium and good for you bacterias. The honey could be switched out for agave nectar if you're really concerned about G.I. - The point is the reason the sweet works is that as the day goes on your body craves less sweets.

Also, aim to get about 300 calories in your brekkie. You can also have a modified version of beans and egg on toast. Actually that's a perfect breakfast for me... I recently switched out my beans for avocado.

I could go on, but I say you should consider starting with your breakfast. Experiment and play around. Your goal is to have:

A little sweet
more protein
fibre
calcium
a little good fats
and something that makes your mouth and belly feel full.

Finally, eat no later than 1 hour after you wake up.

Try that and let me know how you feel throughout the day and if it puts you more in control of your cravings.

Brilliant post!

there are a lot of empty calories. if i were you i'd change brekkie to something more low gi and less sugar to help you feel more full. also eating fruit instead of crisps etc

Try drinking a chocolate flavored protein shake when you are craving sweets. This would be in addition to eating a meal of course. The protein in the shake will keep you feeling full until your next meal. That is I've been doing and it has helps me immensely especially during that time of the month when I crave sweets more. I drink the Slimfast shakes as they are ready to drink and taste pretty good. If you compare the nutrition of Slimfast to a protein powder shake, they are very similar and cost a lot less. But, there are many choices out there. I would suggest finding one that you like and is within your budget. Good luck!

Same thing for me. I gain weight eating 1200 cals if I don't exercise everyday on top of it.

When the hunger threatens to take away my control, I take green maté (tea). Back in the days, it was used during famine to help people forget they were hungry. If I take it at 10 am, I'm noticeably less hungry for lunch and eat a moderate diner. Note that I don't take some everyday.

Aside from that, it contains a lot of minerals and is known for its relaxing effect.

I buy it at David's tea, for those of you who are Canadians.

Is it even physically possible to gain weight at 1200 cals a day? Something seems wrong there....

Yeah, something is wrong, it is called a suppressed metabolism.