Forcing myself to eat sheesh

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I started the week on this tracking program, I started out as 260 pounds, this morning I weighed in at 254. so far I am very impressed with the way things are going on this change of life eating habits.

One of the things I have been noticing is I am never hungry any more with all the correct foods I have to consume. It is now to the point where I am getting sick of eating all the time to manage my goals. I am drinking water, I take the beach body activit vitamins, and I am trying to slam down all this food I am supposed to eat. Maybe I am getting too much protein? It is keeping full for most of the day.

I tweaked my goals by doing some research on how much fat, carbs, protein, sugar, fiber and so on to take. I noticed what the program showed I should have was slightly skewed.

Has anyone else felt this way? Not being hungry feels kind of strange to me now LOL...:laugh:
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Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Hey there. A lot of people starting out with diets experience a similar effect.Your eagerness and desire are overriding your body. It's not sustainable. You'll start feeling irritable. Your body will use your muscles for fuel. It's not good for you. If you're a binge-type person, you will inevitably binge and probably give up.

    You can figure this out the hard way, or just nip it in the bud and start eating an appropriate amount of food for your weight loss goals. I'm guessing you had no problems eating 3k calories/day even just a couple weeks ago. You can eat 2k easily now. You'll lose weight. With exercise and a decent amount of protein, you'll retain your muscles. You'll be happier and you will achieve your goals. So, for your sake, buck up and eat what you're supposed to.
  • lauragokey5
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    It seems like everything you've done so far is working, so why change anything?
  • kennyjames62
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    It seems like everything you've done so far is working, so why change anything?

    Thank you, I was just curious if anyone else had this feeling. I guess what I am trying to say is yes there was a time I could eat 3-4k food in one day. However, these were high calorie and not healthy ways to eat. Now I am eating twice of what I used to eat with less calories and feeling very satisfied. I am going to guess that keeping my protein up very high is doing the trick....A trick I am getting to like. Also I do exercise 20 minutes a day which constitutes light aerobic exercise. Its just to keep me moving.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    It seems like everything you've done so far is working, so why change anything?

    He's being doing this for 3 days. He's a 250+ lb man logging 1000-1400 calories/day. This is a classic crash and burn diet scenario. If he starts eating a sustainable deficit, he's much, much more likely to succeed in his long term objectives.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Your food diary looks great to me but I'm a 115 lb 56 yr old woman. It's not hard to add some calories without adding bulk. Have a couple eggs for breakfast instead of a 1/2 cup of oats, eat some cheese, have some meat other than fish, eat some peanut butter, have avocado, use full fat dairy, grab a couple handfuls of nuts.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    Your food diary looks great to me but I'm a 115 lb 56 yr old woman. It's not hard to add some calories without adding bulk. Have a couple eggs for breakfast instead of a 1/2 cup of oats, eat some cheese, have some meat other than fish, eat some peanut butter, have avocado, use full fat dairy, grab a couple handfuls of nuts.

    ^^^^^ This exactly

    I'm a 40 yr old female and losing on 2000-2300 calories per day. I started at 1200 and eventually quit losing everything but my hair, lbm, nails, energy, etc. Yes I feel fuller when I eat more oats, veggies, etc. so I eat smaller portions of them more often in the day or large portions at the end of the day when I can focus on eating (which hasn't been lately). I add peanut or almond butter to my protein shakes when I'm low on calories, and I eat a ton of almonds.

    Also, eat back those exercise calories, that's how MFP is designed.
  • kennyjames62
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    It seems like everything you've done so far is working, so why change anything?

    He's being doing this for 3 days. He's a 250+ lb man logging 1000-1400 calories/day. This is a classic crash and burn diet scenario. If he starts eating a sustainable deficit, he's much, much more likely to succeed in his long term objectives.

    Thank you, just as a side note the program is suggesting I only eat 1520 calories a day, I am not far off that mark. I am still tailoring my menu yet. If im supposed to eat 1800 calories a day why don't the program tell me too?
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Because the program does math, it expects you to supply common sense.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    It seems like everything you've done so far is working, so why change anything?

    He's being doing this for 3 days. He's a 250+ lb man logging 1000-1400 calories/day. This is a classic crash and burn diet scenario. If he starts eating a sustainable deficit, he's much, much more likely to succeed in his long term objectives.

    Thank you, just as a side note the program is suggesting I only eat 1520 calories a day, I am not far off that mark. I am still tailoring my menu yet. If im supposed to eat 1800 calories a day why don't the program tell me too?

    MFP is a simple program. If you tell it you're sedentary and want to lose 2 lb/week, it will calculate a calorie estimate for you doing nothing all day, then take 1000 calories off of that.

    Here's a very helpful link to provide a more comprehensive answer and functional approach:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • kennyjames62
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    Well all I can say is that I am still forcing myself to eat more than I want, but if the system or the data says I need more calories then I guess ill eat till I throw up LOL
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Well all I can say is that I am still forcing myself to eat more than I want, but if the system or the data says I need more calories then I guess ill eat till I throw up LOL

    If you have 70 lbs to lose you didn't get there eating 1500 calories a day. There are no demon foods to be avoided. What did you eat before? Losing weight isn't about starving yourself on little bits of fish and veggies. Eat the things you like within your budget. I have yet to figure out why that is so hard to understand.
  • kennyjames62
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    Your food diary looks great to me but I'm a 115 lb 56 yr old woman. It's not hard to add some calories without adding bulk. Have a couple eggs for breakfast instead of a 1/2 cup of oats, eat some cheese, have some meat other than fish, eat some peanut butter, have avocado, use full fat dairy, grab a couple handfuls of nuts.

    ^^^^^ This exactly

    I'm a 40 yr old female and losing on 2000-2300 calories per day. I started at 1200 and eventually quit losing everything but my hair, lbm, nails, energy, etc. Yes I feel fuller when I eat more oats, veggies, etc. so I eat smaller portions of them more often in the day or large portions at the end of the day when I can focus on eating (which hasn't been lately). I add peanut or almond butter to my protein shakes when I'm low on calories, and I eat a ton of almonds.

    Also, eat back those exercise calories, that's how MFP is designed.


    Do you watch your fat intake?
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    What is sheesh, exactly? And why would you force yourself to eat it?




    *groans* I am sorry, I couldn't resist. I tried. Really I did.

    I would like to give advice... Really I would, but I have nothing to offer.
    I eat, a lot, and it is a challenge for me to stay in my calorie budget.

    Often times, I waste my calories on crap food... Like a medium double double with a shot of espresso... but even when I try to eat healthy, I STILL end up in the 2000 mark.

    Perhaps, you can allow yourself more 'cheat' foods... if you are meeting your macros for carbs, protein, etc... then treat yourself in moderation.

    Also... are you drinking lots of water around meal times? If so... maybe hold off on drinking the water until after one of your meals, so you aren't filling up on liquid.

    Oh how I wish I had a problem spending my calories.


    Best of luck to you!
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I ate a snack today (well eat it everyday)

    1/2 cup almonds
    1/2 cup cashews
    2 servings (22 pieces) of Hershey's mini Kiss chocolate chips

    this snack comes to 660 calories, I lost the vast majority of my weight eating 3000+ calories and am now in maintenance (for the past year) at 4200 calories a day... Now I don't demonize any foods so as long as it fits my caloric intake and macros then it is fair game... I include more calorie dense foods, cook with olive oil, eat over 20+ oz. of lean meats a day..... Stop eating diet/low calorie foods and get more whole foods in...... Best of Luck
  • MireyGal76
    MireyGal76 Posts: 7,334 Member
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    I ate a snack today (well eat it everyday)

    1/2 almonds
    1/2 cashews
    2 servings (22 pieces) of Hershey's mini Kiss chocolate chips

    this snack comes to 660 calories, I lost the vast majority of my weight eating 3000+ calories and am now in maintenance (for the past year) at 4200 calories a day... Now I don't demonize any foods so as long as it fits my caloric intake and macros then it is fair game... I include more calorie dense foods, cook with olive oil, eat over 20+ oz. of lean meats a day..... Stop eating diet/low calorie foods and get more whole foods in...... Best of Luck

    ^^^ I am a huge fan of this guy!
  • pierrena
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    Healthy Weight Loss http://bit.ly/1fe7vgf
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
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    Oh how I wish I had a problem spending my calories.


    Best of luck to you!

    ^^This..everyday this when i read such threads :sad:
  • jmburke22
    jmburke22 Posts: 22 Member
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    It seems like on here people that are new have one to two initial reactions. Either "I am so hungry all the time" or "I can't force myself to eat all of my calories." I was initially like you. I thought how the the hell am I going to eat all that...I'm not even hungry. Well, let me tell you that I realized that I wasn't eating that well...I tended to eat very low fat, low calorie items (oatmeal, tuna fish, etc.). Everything was fine for a few weeks, but I couldn't sustain it. I was weak and craved some of the items I used to eat...this led to some overeating. I read a lot of posts and realized that I needed to just have some portion control and I could eat a lot of the same foods that I used to really enjoy (pasta, cheese, red meat). Don't get me wrong, I don't go eat fast food everyday. I still watch what I eat but I don't restrict myself from anything.

    Do what works for you, but keep in mind that initially you will lose a lot of water weight fast. To meet your long term goals you have do something that is sustainable. If for you oatmeal and fish everyday is sustainable then more power to you. I think I will stick to my cheese, pasta, and occasional beer.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    I had this problem not long ago. On the advice of some other MFPers I started to add a very short bout of exercise before meals to help increase my physical appetite, and also started to ease up a bit on my food choices. It's hard to make yourself eat broiled tofu and green beans when you really want pizza. So I have started to add back more of the high-calorie foods I like, and I just balance them with the more traditional "diet" type foods. Over time I would like to eat more whole foods and more veggies, but trying to change everything all at once just left me dreading mealtimes.

    One of my biggest problems was trying to keep my fat grams low while still hitting my calorie target. Now, as long as I get enough protein and am under my calories for the day, I don't stress about eating fat.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    If I were you, OP, I wouldn't be able to sustain your new diet for very long, and I would end up going back to bad habits and eating a disproportionate amount of empty calories, feel guilty, and giving up on the whole weight loss thing for another 6 months. (Sounds like I speak from experience....?) If I took a more moderate approach, though, and allowed myself to have those "forbidden treats" once in awhile, I'd be more likely to have long-term success. But that's just me. :bigsmile: