Hunger Pangs

RoxanneBlack83
RoxanneBlack83 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I started dieting last Tuesday after i stood on the scales and discoverd i was 17st11lbs Now i knew i was overwight but i thought i was about 15stone. Since then i have taken to eating as healthy as i can but i am finding my self still hungry between meals.I am snacking on fruit and veg. Im the last week i have lost a 1 stone. I know it wont continue to drop off at that rate.

Im looking for any help and advice on get rid of the hunger pangs?

Thanks

Roxanne

Replies

  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
    Your calorie intake may be too low. You may not be consuming enough protein, fat, fibre, or water. Fruit can be high in calories, if you replace it with vegetables you will be able to eat more for the same calories.
    If you have all of this in check then you may just have to get used to being hungry. To lose weight you have to take in less calories than your body needs; your body will be hungry as a response.
  • RoxanneBlack83
    RoxanneBlack83 Posts: 4
    Yes although i have been alocated 1200 calories per day i am trying to eat less than that to ensure the weight loss. Before now i would stuff my face with all sorts of fatty sugary foods. I have been eating apples but i find that i go over my daily sugar allowance as each apple contains about 11gms of sugar and i only get 24 a day i think. Carrots are quite hight in calories compared apples but then i over eat on Vit C.

    I am unsure if i sould ignore these and just contine to focus on eating as little carbs, fat as i can? I have never tried to diet before and im almost 30 and i have been overweight for 9/10 years.

    Thanks for you advice.
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
    1200 calories a day is too low, so eating less than that is even worse, and it is no surprise you are hungry.
    Don't worry about sugar allowance, it doesn't really matter. Replace it on your diary with fibre or something else important. Also, don't worry about going over on vitamins and minerals as those are lower limits, i.e. they are "get at least this amount" rather than "don't go over this amount". Having too much of some vitamins can be bad for you, but it is unlikely you are reaching the limits for when it becomes dangerous.
    Don't eat as little carbs and fat as you can. Fat is essential, your body needs a certain amount to function properly, and having too little for too long can cause a lot of damage. Too low carbs mean you will have no energy and feel crap, and will will end up binge eating or giving up on your diet completely.
    A lot of people who are new to dieting and nutrition make similar mistakes to you, so don't worry about it. You just need to diet slowly and carefully. Its difficult to be patient, everyone wants big results very quickly, leading to extreme dieting, which is unhealthy and unsustainable. I have done the same in the past. If you have been overweight for so long then waiting a little longer to be your goal weight shouldn't matter.
    Aim to lose only around 0.5lbs per week (250 calorie deficit daily), or perhaps a 1lb a week at most (500 calorie deficit daily). Try to produce this deficit purely from exercise in order to keep you calorie intake as high as possible, but if you aren't always able to exercise enough then dropping you calorie intake to create the deficit should still be ok as it is only a small drop, leaving you still enough calories to get all the nutrition you need and hopefully not feel too hungry.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You lost 14 lbs in a week and are eating under 1200 calories a day? Yes, you are hungry. Eat more and that really is not a healthy way to lose weight!
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    Open diary. Helps on input..
  • FerretBuellerr
    FerretBuellerr Posts: 468 Member
    Are you drinking enough water? I know it really helps me when I'm between meals and don't have a snack with me.

    Also what the others said - 1200 may be too low for you (depending on your height, current weight, and activity level). Make sure you eat at least 1200 a day, and not under, and eat back at least half of your exercise calories (MFP can overestimate cals burned, and the program is set up for you to eat 1200 net, so back-eating your excersize cals can ensure you're still getting enough food to function properly). 1200 is already (most likely) a large defecit, so eating less than that is unnecessary.

    Calculate your TDEE using an online calculator, and eat 10-20% less than that, and you've got a good calorie deficit that shouldn't leave you as hungry (I've been using the TDEE method instead of the MFP 1200 one, and I eat anywhere from 1400 - 1700 in a day and look at my ticker to see how much weight I've lost). Of course, it will take time for you to figure out which foods fill you up more that aren't as calorie dense, but that comes with time.
  • marniekerr
    marniekerr Posts: 63 Member
    ^^^^ this! Remember that the calorie allowance that you have been given already accounts for your daily deficit to lose the weight as you've set in your goals. Eating even less than this will be too little nutrition for your body - and you won't stick to a new way of life if you're hungry all the time. Pick healthy, balanced foods, try adding a salad with your meals ( but beware of high calorie, high fat dressings) - you can have lots without a huge calorie number, and that will help keep you satisfied longer, as well as giving you the nutrients your body needs. Make sure you're drinking lots of water between meals, this will keep you hydrated, keep your body flushing out all the bad stuff and help you feel less hungry. Try not to think of what you're doing as " dieting", this mindset doesn't allow for a lifetime change, but rather a short term one that you will stop living into once you lose the weight. And if you do that, it will just come back once you revert. Good luck, and congratulations on your success so far!
  • anewlife1980
    anewlife1980 Posts: 225 Member
    you don't need to open your diary for us to offer advice. Set yourself on a schedule, make sure you eat 3 meals, 3 snacks a day (last snack really depends on what time you go to bed. I go at midnight so I have a snack at 930/10pm but alot of people go to bed earlier so they either don't do a last snack or just have something small).

    When Is started this, the first thing I said was that I refuse to be hungry. I was not going to go all day long starving nor would I go to bed that way. It sets you up for failure because eventually you give in and just eat non stop. I no longer have a morning snack unless I am having a hungry day which usually happens during ToM, but after just a few mths, my stomach had shrunk enough that my breakfast at 9am held me over til lunch at 1230. I even had to cut out some of my bfast after a while bc I was feeling too full & then nauseous. But until you reach that point (for me it was a few mths), you need to make sure you eat good meals & your snacks too. My husband loves veggies so he will often have carrots for a snack or broccoli & ranch dip. I tend to go more for fruit, yogurt with granola.

    Also drink lots of water, 8-10 cups a day, if I am hungry & its not ToM then I know its due to lack of water. Also I find exercising makes me really hungry, so if I am almost due for a snack but not overly hungry & headed to workout, I will do my workout first then have my snack or try to fit my workout in before supper so I can eat after bc otherwise I am famished!

    I also eat to my calories, I use the calories MFP has given me, when I first started I got 2070 bc I was 295lbs, now I get 1560 (I am down 91lbs) but I eat those every day, rare day I go over, but thats ok too.

    Good luck, there is alot of trial and error to this. What works for you won't necessarily work for someone else. All you can do it take the advice, give it a try for at least a week, if its not working, try something else. When you find something that works, stick with it. Its all about paying attention to your body.

    xo
  • pajouey79
    pajouey79 Posts: 39 Member
    I think MFP sets the sugar limit too low. As long as you are eating sugars from fruits and such, I would not worry about that. Please eat your 1200 calories and perhaps fit in a high protein/high fiber meal shake in there? That may help the hunger pangs.
  • RoxanneBlack83
    RoxanneBlack83 Posts: 4
    Thanks to everyone for theire advice and suggestions. I guess as i am new i just want tomake sure i stick this out, My head is in the right place as I am not finding it that hard to resist of that lovely bad food!!

    I am using what the MFP is saying and it has set my calories at 1200 per day. I am trying my best to eat as much as i can in that but i am unsure if i should be grazing or eating 3 set meals. I think if i graze i would be best to shrink my tum and that way feel less hungry but i am seeing this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet so feel 3 meal would be best.

    :-) Thanks again to all. Will try a little of everything one stage at a time to see what suits me.

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