Need advice on why I feel like i'm starving at night.

Great advice so I'm not going to touch on it. It's a superb thread.

I did see you mentioned you started walking and want to start to go to the gym. This is great - I'll keep my comments on that.

Exercise is absolutely import to our health in a variety of ways from maintaining bone function to cardiovascular health, etc. Often it is a potential trap when used for weight loss. Quick list of some of the things we see on the boards:

- you might gain weight upon initial use of exercise. Don't worry about this, it's normal water retention due to several mechanisms from inflammatory response to tissue damage to storage of water with glycogen (an energy source). It will go away.
- build up to it. Doing to much to fast lead to either soreness or injury which will stop you from doing more.
- it is not necessary for weight loss but since it is essential for healthy living chose what you will do consistently over time. Identifying your fitness goals is as important if not more than weight goals. Having clear goals usually helps in defining activity, motivation and long term practice.
- feed yourself with regards to exercise, this might be eating back your calories or increasing them in general but effort takes energy. To feel good and achieve and not start a different starving cycle you need to eat when you exercise. Caution. People often overeat when exercise opens up hunger or when they over calculate "burns" so adjust calories and exercise with extra attention. We can discuss that later once you've got your other calorie parameters settled and you feel less like starving.
- enjoy yourself. You won't stick to it if it is only a burden.

Cheers!

Agree with what's been said on here, if you're not hungry throughout the day there is no reason you have to eat, I tend to eat very little in the day and have a larger dinner plus evening snack which I much prefer so just eat when you're hungry and save some cals for the nighttime

I recently read somewhere that in a study, people who ate a bowl of cereal before bedtime lost more weight. Now I know you can find studies that agree with anything you want to believe, however I decided I like this one and took it to heart. So I always save enough calories to have 1 cup of cereal and 1/2 cup of skim milk with it before bedtime every night. There are plenty of other things you can eat that will make you full -- fruit, nuts, some peanut butter, glass of skim milk, etc. One thing I do not do in this journey is feel hungry. For me that's a recipe for disaster. So I carry around small snacks in my purse, desk, car, etc. I do think there's something to be said for listening to your body. Of course for some of us who have screwed up our signals, that can be tricky.

HI Chelseylynn11, and everyone,
am new to myfitness pal but agree with the cereal at night thingy....well read somewhere that oats have melatonin in them which helps us sleep so I leave enough cals to have some a night. or if I am feeling cold as nights get colder and hungry I have a cuppa soup/slimasoup as research has also shown soup makes us feel fuller for longer.

great message board and keep going.
also find a picture from a magazine which motivates you and stick it somewhere you see it to help you stay motivated

keep going

Perhaps another way to think about the 1200 calorie thing that might be easier to get your brain to accept... You need to lose 150 pounds, so you probably weight 250-300 now. Go use the calculators to look up how much a person who weighs 200 pounds, at your height, and your *current* activity level would have to eat to MAINTAIN their weight (not lose or gain). **Eat like that person should**. It is likely closer to 2000 calories than 1200. But if you eat like a 200 pound version of you, you will eventually become nearly a 200 pound version of you.

Once you get close to that 200 pound version of you (say 210 or when loss gets under 0.5 pounds a week), go look up how much a person who weight 175, is your height and your *current* activity level at that time (in the hopes you are more active then than you are now) would need to MAINTAIN their weight. **Eat like that person should** (probably down a few hundred calories).

When you get close to that 175, or weight loss slows to under 0.5 a week, look up a 160 pound person (smaller changes as you get down since it will be harder at that point). etc...

I.e. 1200 calories is about what a 5'7" woman who weighs 75 pounds and is mostly sedentary probably needs to maintain their weight. If you are 5'7" (didnt look at what you really are), I am pretty sure you want to weigh more than 75 pounds (since it would be "dead" weight, literally....) and you probably dont want to be sedentary, so dont eat like one!!! Eat like the person you want to become, in reasonable steps (i.e. dont jump right to eating like a 150 pound person either!).

Good luck, and great attitude counts for a lot

How do I open my diary? and I usually average out to 700-800 calories a day. I did learn skim milk is bad. My aunt does the paleo thing, so I listen to her a lot.

stop listening to your aunt:flowerforyou:
i hate skim milk though

you NEED to eat.

I live in rural America surrounded by farms that raise crops and livestock. The two foods they feed to fatten animals? Skim milk and corn. Hogs are fed skim milk to finish them out with high fat and super quick. Chickens are also fed skim milk to add mass. This is not based on any studies. It is simply what is done.

Just sayin'.

Shocking that they would use two incredibly cheap, calorie dense foods to overfeed animals to make them gain weight!

Skim milk is generally very plentiful on a farm, as is corn. I have no idea what the point is you are trying to make here.

I wanted to let her know that it's okay to avoid skim milk.

And it's okay if you don't.

Too much common sense.

You're banned from the internet.

Let's not try to shoehorn the OP into some diet "philosophy."

And OP, I'd like to commend you for your attitude through this so far, at least from what I've seen in this thread. You posted your problem, you provided follow-up information as requested, you (seemingly) listened to the feedback and developed a plan based on it. (Some more unsolicited advice from me: whatever the ultimate plan you decide on from this thread, stick to it for a while...say, six weeks...and then evaluate your progress.)

Anyhow, this is seemingly rare in the MFP forums. I just wanted to let you know that I found it refreshing. And I truly believe this positive attitude of yours will go a long way towards helping you reach your goals. :flowerforyou:

100% agreed. This cannot be overstated. Your willingness to listen to others and take advice as well as criticism is astonishingly rare. You've got the right attitude for success here.

I agree too.
It was quite refreshing and helpful to read the advice given. No trolls and sarcasm. Superb support and advice given to to the OP.
????

Yeah it was a lovely outcome... but because she is a good learner doesn't mean that on MFP we're necessarily good teachers.

The real test is how to get through to the challenging people who post on here, staying honest with them AND treating them with respect - at the moment too many become alienated by the experience!

Nope, sorry, I disagree...

...I didn't sign up for that role...

...but you can take it.

This is a great thread. Newbie wants help, gets great advice and then actually follows it. Usually it turns into a defensive cat fight.

I'm not going to bother reiterating all of the good things already stated because you seem to have taken them to heart. I just want to reinforce the idea that you have to find a sustainable long-term happy medium. You've got 3-5 years ahead of you to reach your goal, no one on the PLANET has the willpower and fortitude to starve and suffer for that long. That's why you have to find a middle ground where you're not killing yourself with unreasonable deficits, but you're also still making progress. In fact, I try to eat as much as I possibly can while still losing some/any weight. It's so much more sustainable long-term. For example, right now I'm only losing .4lbs/week on average and I think that's just great.

It takes time and some trial and error for sure, but you will get it nailed down eventually.

I know I have a long road ahead of me, but It's worth it. I really want to stick with this and live the rest of my life happy and healthy

You've gotten some great advice and taken it well. Stick with this, and it can be a a fun, powerful, life changing experience.

Sarauk2sf gave you a great link, and there are a lot more to be found in the same group. Take the time to read them through and understand what it will take.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

Here's a blog I wrote a while back that may provide some good perspective:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/like-your-life-533489

Good luck!