Regained 60 pounds - starving and miserable.

Really could use some earth-shattering advice here.

I need help. I'm 35 years old and desperately trying to recreate the conditions that allowed me to lose 76 pounds before gaining most of it back. I believe that sedentary is the correct setting for me because most of my 64 - 72 hours per week at work are spent on a couch, in front of a computer/television. I am desperately hungry when I eat the recommended calories, shaking and miserable. I am up to date on all my blood work and have normal values including blood glucose and thyroid function. I work out 3 days per week most weeks with heavy lifting and running or cycling though I don't always log the exercise. I need to reduce my hunger and misery level or I'll be incapable of sustained weight loss. Really could use some earth-shattering advice here. Thanks in advance.

Hi emtjac! Thanks for your post, as I think that a lot of people struggle with this concept: being hungry, working out all the time, and not losing weight.

I certainly struggled with this for a long time.

When I started reading body building forums though, I realized something important-- I was eating a lot of carbs... and the wrong type. Even though my daily calories were okay, my body was trying to tell me that it didn't have the resources to build and replenish the muscles I was trying to exercise!!!

Right now, (according to the last few days in your journal) you're eating about double the carbs that you are protein. Protein makes us feel full, and stops the "post workout" shaking I used to get... it's kind of punny, but protein shakes can help stop the "shakes"! It also has the added benefit of never being converted to fat.

Try switching the ratios. Try 40-50% of your calories from lean protein. For the first week, I kind of felt like there was a protein rock in my stomach, but week 2, I started feeling great! I've been able to have awesome workouts and am no longer shaking or lethargic, despite eating less calories total!

Here's some scientific explanations about the benefits of high-protein for weight loss:

"A period of heavy caloric restriction will increase your need for protein. People who are under great stress, such as people recovering from illness or a serious injury, will also need a bump in protein consumption. As you lower your total caloric intake, there is a greater chance that incoming protein will be used as a fuel source rather than for muscle-building. On a low-calorie diet, it's even more critical that you eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound daily to maintain muscle mass."
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ultimate-protein-faq-10-protein-questions.html

"dietary protein modulates energy intake via the sensation of satiety and increases total energy expenditure by increasing the thermic effect of feeding. Whereas these effects did not contribute to weight and fat loss in those studies in which energy intake was fixed, one ad libitum study does suggest that a high-protein diet results in a greater decrease in energy intake, and therefore greater weight and fat loss."

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1301/00296640260184264/abstract


"The role of dietary protein in weight loss and weight maintenance encompasses influences on crucial targets for body weight regulation, namely satiety, thermogenesis, energy efficiency, and body composition. Protein-induced satiety may be mainly due to oxidation of amino acids fed in excess, especially in diets with “incomplete” proteins. Protein-induced energy expenditure may be due to protein and urea synthesis and to gluconeogenesis; “complete” proteins having all essential amino acids show larger increases in energy expenditure than do lower-quality proteins. With respect to adverse effects, no protein-induced effects are observed on net bone balance or on calcium balance in young adults and elderly persons. Dietary protein even increases bone mineral mass and reduces incidence of osteoporotic fracture."
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-nutr-080508-141056