I keep waking up hungry!

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  • beyondjupiter
    beyondjupiter Posts: 247 Member
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    Hi there, I am by NO means an expert. I am just a Zumba instructor who teaches 8 classes a week. I never weight myself, and if I do, I just shrug it off. It's just a waste of time to get on the scale..
    The Body Mass Index (fat vs lean body mass=muscles) is the only thing I care about. I'm at 18% (low) and you know what? I am 5'1" and weigh 125 lb. I am a size 4 and I love it. My students ask me WHAT DO I DO to have such a great body.

    Your 107 lbs are worrisome. Your starvation is scary. I would like to know... how on earth do you have energy to run 3.5 miles almost daily?? With so little calories (my intake is minimum 1400/day) there is NO WAY you will EVER lose weight.

    I am a certified group exercise Aerobics instructor by the American Fitness Aerobics Association. I studied nutrition, physiology, anatomy, among other topics. I can ASSURE you, that you are NOT losing fat when you are doing what you are doing. Your body is in a state of catabolism (google that) so very soon, everyone who is starving AND depriving themselves will eventually give up.

    And you know why? Because your body is not damn. We are programmed by nature to survive. I would strongly encourage you to seek professional help. Good luck and blessings to you. Trust me, the route to successful weight loss is not THAT hard.

    The MORE YOU EAT THE MORE YOU'LL LOSE-- of course, given you exercise.

    Best wishes again.

    I completely agree with this. Your body is in starvation mode. You need to recover. I used to starve myself in my teens and I always noticed when I stopped and started eating normally again, I'd lose weight. It is like your body is saying "WHEW! We're not dying. We have food. Call the troops back".

    Considering your height and weight I would consider some therapy. In all seriousness here. You are technically underweight. If you want to build muscle, more power to you, but it sounds like you may still have some body body dysmorphic issues if you think you need to lose 7 lbs. Please find a counselor that specializes in eating disorders.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • ajhugz
    ajhugz Posts: 452 Member
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    The fitness calculator on here came up with 1200 calories for me! But that is even a little bit higher than I usually eat when I'm trying to lose. I'm 5' even and 107 lb.

    You probably don't need to lose anymore. Eat at maintenance; go back to smoking; lift weights.
    This but without drugs. Marijuana raises that evil little hormone called estrogen. Estrogen = bad. Lift and eat. No drugs.

    Do you have proof of marijuana raising estrogen? I got my hormones tested for other reasons and everything was fine. I've never heard of this. Estrogen is not bad.
  • Palrn
    Palrn Posts: 4 Member
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    Protein is the key. Have some protein before you go to sleep, if you do a carb, the blood sugar will spike and then drop and you will be hungry. But I agree with another poster which is that this seems to a much different issue than waking at night hungry. Are you sure you are not depressed? Eating disorders are nothing to fool around with, I, as a nurse have seen several deaths of young people. Make sure you are not falling into old patterns. You need to work with a professional to manage your weight.
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
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    Plan your food so that you can have some protein and some fiber right before you go to bed. Nothing too big - a hard boiled egg on a whole wheat piece of toast, maybe. Anything, really, as long as it's heavy protein and heavy fiber. Both things take a while to digest, so I'm thinking they'll help you sleep through the night. Worth a shot. And, if you plan your calories throughout the day, you should have enough for nighttime. Don't drop under 1200 calories, though. That'll make it that much rougher.

    That's a good idea, combining the fiber and protein! Because when I do wake up I usually stick to only 1 or 2 small items high in fat because that's what I'm craving at the time. Usually ice cream or dairy. But maybe eating that right before bed should help.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    How long were you a pot smoker? If you have been using for longer than a few months, then it may take you a while to feel "normal" again. I was a regular smoker for about 10 years, and it took me several tries to quit completely. At first it was no big, but food tasted bland and I just didn't feel like I could get enough to eat. I had weird sleep patterns, sometimes sleeping 4 hours in the afternoon and 4 hours at night. I gained weight. I was grumpy. It was like constant PMS, for months on end.

    I noticed that I felt much, much better somewhere around the 4 months post-quitting time frame. I don't know if it is true or not, but I think maybe long term use subtly alters brain chemistry and it takes a while to get back to normal once you quit.

    It will get better, you just have to push through. Oh, and quit taking the tylenol pm. It actually makes sleeplessness from withdrawals worse, not better. Melatonin is good, as is exercise. Good luck and hang in there. You've begun this journey, may as well keep going!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    The fitness calculator on here came up with 1200 calories for me! But that is even a little bit higher than I usually eat when I'm trying to lose. I'm 5' even and 107 lb.

    You probably don't need to lose anymore. Eat at maintenance; go back to smoking; lift weights.
    This but without drugs. Marijuana raises that evil little hormone called estrogen. Estrogen = bad. Lift and eat. No drugs.

    Gotta love drug war fear-mongering. :laugh:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    The fitness calculator on here came up with 1200 calories for me! But that is even a little bit higher than I usually eat when I'm trying to lose. I'm 5' even and 107 lb.

    You probably don't need to lose anymore. Eat at maintenance; go back to smoking; lift weights.
    This but without drugs. Marijuana raises that evil little hormone called estrogen. Estrogen = bad. Lift and eat. No drugs.

    Do you have proof of marijuana raising estrogen? I got my hormones tested for other reasons and everything was fine. I've never heard of this. Estrogen is not bad.

    Yes, didn't you know? It also makes jazz musicians rape white women. It was in all the papers. :wink:


    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
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    Protein is the key. Have some protein before you go to sleep, if you do a carb, the blood sugar will spike and then drop and you will be hungry. But I agree with another poster which is that this seems to a much different issue than waking at night hungry. Are you sure you are not depressed? Eating disorders are nothing to fool around with, I, as a nurse have seen several deaths of young people. Make sure you are not falling into old patterns. You need to work with a professional to manage your weight.

    I don't know if depression would have very much impact on my sleeping patterns right now. I think it may be more to do with anxiety or nervousness rather than depression. Thank you, I think addressing the underlying issues may be more help than I think.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    A) Eat more.

    B) Eat something later.

    C) Combine A and B so that you eat at least some of your additional food a little (about an hour would probably be good) before bed.
  • doubleduofa
    doubleduofa Posts: 284 Member
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    MFP will assgnes 1200 NET calories - they put a * near that number and define NET as total cals - exercise cals. So if you eat 1200, you should eat your execise cals back (or about 1/2 to 3/4 of most MFP estimates of calories burned).

    OP - when do you eat dinner? Is it really early? I think it is best to eat a protein/fat snack (low to no carb) before you for to bed or eat your dinner a little later (7pm?). Snacks - cheese is a good choice - also nuts or a small salad with chicken. Not a big meal, because that might inhibit sleep (it does for me). I personally wouldn't eat the carbs because of the reading that I've done.

    Also, melatonin does work, but you must have a completely dark and quiet room. I take it, then shut off all the lights/TV/Computer. I am trying to start shutting all of those down about an hour before bed, but that's not always eay to do. Anyway, practice good sleep habits and that should help.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    EAT nourish your body listen to it. I bet you could use a little more fat in your diet too.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
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    I go to bed starving to death and I just deal with it. Growling stomach does not mean you HAVE to eat. Just sleep it off.

    This post makes me sad. How very unhealthy. There are people in this world that go to bed hungry because they don't have a choice and you do it on purpose :frown:

    I agree with a lot of the other posts. Increase your calories a bit and try for high protein before bed. Milk is a good suggestion as well, it can make you a little sleepy. I hope things get better!
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
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    The fitness calculator on here came up with 1200 calories for me! But that is even a little bit higher than I usually eat when I'm trying to lose. I'm 5' even and 107 lb.

    You probably don't need to lose anymore. Eat at maintenance; go back to smoking; lift weights.
    This but without drugs. Marijuana raises that evil little hormone called estrogen. Estrogen = bad. Lift and eat. No drugs.

    Gotta love drug war fear-mongering. :laugh:

    Hahaha I think I made the smoking decision on my own, not for dietary or legal or moral reasons, that's not gonna change based on someone else's opinion :P But I do feel better about actually eating when I smoke which is the only upside. It kept me from getting any worse to be honest.
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
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    How long were you a pot smoker? If you have been using for longer than a few months, then it may take you a while to feel "normal" again. I was a regular smoker for about 10 years, and it took me several tries to quit completely. At first it was no big, but food tasted bland and I just didn't feel like I could get enough to eat. I had weird sleep patterns, sometimes sleeping 4 hours in the afternoon and 4 hours at night. I gained weight. I was grumpy. It was like constant PMS, for months on end.

    I noticed that I felt much, much better somewhere around the 4 months post-quitting time frame. I don't know if it is true or not, but I think maybe long term use subtly alters brain chemistry and it takes a while to get back to normal once you quit.

    It will get better, you just have to push through. Oh, and quit taking the tylenol pm. It actually makes sleeplessness from withdrawals worse, not better. Melatonin is good, as is exercise. Good luck and hang in there. You've begun this journey, may as well keep going!

    I've been on and off for about 5 years but I have been smoking regularly again for a year.

    How does the tylenol pm make sleeping worse? I can definitely say the same but did you learn that it was bad from experience or from a different source?

    Good to hear that you were able to quit and stick with it!!!
    Good job, I hope to have the same results in a few months! Thanks for the support :smile:
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I've been having trouble sleeping since quitting smoking weed. The exercise does help, as I run about 3.5 miles 5 days a week.

    What should I do??

    6 miles 5 times a week. You'll sleep like a baby. You think I'm joking but I can't be more serious.
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
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    MFP will assgnes 1200 NET calories - they put a * near that number and define NET as total cals - exercise cals. So if you eat 1200, you should eat your execise cals back (or about 1/2 to 3/4 of most MFP estimates of calories burned).

    OP - when do you eat dinner? Is it really early? I think it is best to eat a protein/fat snack (low to no carb) before you for to bed or eat your dinner a little later (7pm?). Snacks - cheese is a good choice - also nuts or a small salad with chicken. Not a big meal, because that might inhibit sleep (it does for me). I personally wouldn't eat the carbs because of the reading that I've done.

    Also, melatonin does work, but you must have a completely dark and quiet room. I take it, then shut off all the lights/TV/Computer. I am trying to start shutting all of those down about an hour before bed, but that's not always eay to do. Anyway, practice good sleep habits and that should help.

    Yeah I started doing that! And sort of clearing everything distracting out of sight, turning off lights, taking a hot bath, drinking tea, lighting candles even, haha. It really does help focus your mind on sleep.

    So if I burn about 450 calories with exercise my net is 1650 cals for the day? It's gonna take me a while to gradually increase calorie intake for that to keep me at maintenance. Maybe I could save up my cals for a large dinner right before bed until I feel like my metabolism speeds up? :ohwell:
  • BrookieHatesCookies
    BrookieHatesCookies Posts: 54 Member
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    Hey guys. You are not eating enough. Here is a link that may help you. It is long but important info. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937709-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0

    This was extremely helpful, thank you!! :smile:
  • sonyapowell
    sonyapowell Posts: 38 Member
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    Plan for waking up and eating, cal so you can fit the midnight snack in your plan. Maybe your Higher Power wants to tell you something and that time awake will give you special one on one time. You can over come this but it is ODAT and focus. Letting go of the familur is never easy. Journaling always helps.
  • dorthymcconnel
    dorthymcconnel Posts: 237 Member
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    Refigure your goals. If you are eating good, nutritious foods, 1200 calories may not be enough for you, especially if you exercise a lot. If you eat junk food your body tells you it needs more because it isnt getting what it needs.
  • pj63mason
    pj63mason Posts: 1
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    Hi! I've just scrolled through all of the posts regarding your questions. I have, over the past year, lost 106 pounds. Here's what I found out from nutrionists: in order to lose weight, you have to eat more nutrious calories than you think. This is because, as others have said, your body thinks it's starving and will hang on to anything it can. I was also told, as others have posted, to eat higher protein foods closer to bedtime as they will keep you fuller longer and help you to get the sleep your body needs. It's recommended that you get 8-9 hrs a night. There have been studies done saying that all electronic devices should be turned off about an hour before going to bed. Otherwise your brain is just too jazzed up to get you ready for sleep. I recommend reading after you are all settled in bed, with soft lighting, for about 20-30 minutes. Since I've been doing that, I find I fall asleep better and sleep through the night. Also there have been studies on marijuana usage, and as one poster suggested, it does alter your brain function. That's why when you've smoking for a period of time food tastes different or bland. And although at the time you're smoking you feel "better", it actually makes you feel worse when you don't. That's why it's called an addiction. I whole-heartedly agree that you seem to still have some issues to settle with the eating disorder and would strongly encourage you to seek out your counselor and continue to press on. Stay in the fight so you can become the best you, you can be!
    blessings to you ~ :smile:

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