Lowering calorie intake without being hungry all the time?

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  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    I think it takes time to get used to it. Maybe you're going to low too fast. Your body will get used to it. But I do know what you mean, if I just try to jump into my lowest calorie level after not dieting I feel super hungry. But now I eat 1200 and feel fine. Just keep logging those calories, logging actually really does help.

    This is my experience; I'm 5'2" and when I started tracking I did the same thing -- just looked at how much I was consuming. I could pack away ~3000 - 4000 calories on an average day, it was nuts.

    Eventually I worked down to 2500, and then gradually from there to 1800, with an eye on avoiding foods that I know leave me hungry/wanting. I also used to drink a lot of coffee/tea when I wanted to snack. For a couple weeks it was pretty rough, but you do adapt and stop feeling hungry so often.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Protein intake is too low. Eat a high protein diet and I guarantee you won't be hungry. I am cutting right now, active male, and eat 1350 cals on rest days and have trouble finishing... that's 10 egg whites, 12 ounces of steak, ~1 lb of mashed potatoes. Workout day is still lower than your calorie intake and consists of 10 egg whites, 2 turkey burgers (1 with 2 patties, total of 1 1/4 lb turkey meat), ~1 lb of rice. It is nearly impossible to finish all of that without feeling completely stuffed. Hope that helps.
  • rockmama72
    rockmama72 Posts: 815 Member
    Make a big pot of vegetable soup and keep it in your fridge. It's great to add it to meals to round them out or to grab as a snack when you are extra hungry. Minimal calorie damage!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Hi, I'm trying to lose weight by lowering my caloric intake and being more active. Before deciding to be more healthy, I counted my calories for just over a week, and I consume ~2,300 every day. (I'm a 5'7" girl). I would like to reduce that number, but I've found it quite difficult.

    I've been eating pretty healthy (I eat either oatmeal or hard boiled eggs for breakfast, tons of fruits and veggies, no fried foods, etc), but I've found that even though my food choices are healthier, I'm still eating the same amount of calories. Whenever I try to get down to the 1,600-1,800 range, I feel deprived. I've tried drinking more water and eating more 'filling' foods, but no more than a couple of hours later, I'm hungry again.

    Please help?

    Did you set MFP to lose 1 pound a week? How much does it tell you to eat? Remember with MFP you eat the set amount of calories plus more when you exercise.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Some amount of hunger is normal when deficit eating, too. I agree with all the advice but I think even if you load up on veggies and water and protein and all else, if you're used to 2300 calories and drop to 1600, you're going to experience some hunger, at least at first. And that's ok. Being famished all day is not. Being anxious for dinner is.
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    I eat a LOT of vegetables. You can eat a huge volume of them without consuming that many calories. Half a kilo of broccoli is only around 150 calories, 6 cups of baby lettuce blend is 60 calories, etc. Use that to your advantage.
  • laurenislost
    laurenislost Posts: 28 Member

    Last but not least.....DO NOT CUT CALORIES below 1400 unless you are morbidly obese and can't walk.....your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to weight. Do some research on how Sumo Wrestlers gain their weight....they don't eat!!!
    And give it at least 4 wks for your metabolism to kick in.

    I have not found this to be the case for me. I exercise and I am typically doing 1200-1300 calorie days and I have been losing nearly 4 pounds per week. (I also was sick for four days, so that helped)
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member

    Last but not least.....DO NOT CUT CALORIES below 1400 unless you are morbidly obese and can't walk.....your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to weight. Do some research on how Sumo Wrestlers gain their weight....they don't eat!!!
    And give it at least 4 wks for your metabolism to kick in.

    http://www.kitchentablemedicine.com/are-you-on-the-sumo-wrestler-diet/


    This shows how they skip meals to keep weight on.


    I certainly don't advocate under-eating, and think very few people need to eat 1200 calories/day, but I think the article in the link forgot to mention that they eat 15-20,000 calories a DAY as well. I don't think delaying breakfast until 11am is what made them fat.
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