I'm starving!

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  • beesareyellow
    beesareyellow Posts: 335 Member
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    I have my goals set at 1 lb a week and that gives me 1570 calories per day, and then I add in exercise of around 500 calories a day. This gives me over 2000 a day, and honestly, I can't usually eat all that, but I try. I eat as healthy as possible and am losing weight quite steadily. Re-check your goals, I personally cannot imagine trying to live on 1200 cals a day :smile:
    As someone else said, the food choices you make are all he difference. 1/3 cup of oatmeal with fruit and yogurt in the morning can be so filling, it will keep you going for hours! Don't forget to snack throughout the day, this is essential to keep from binging later because you allow yourself to get too hungry. And you MUST work exercise into your daily routine, not only does it give you extra calories, it also helps increase your energy level.
    Good luck!
  • ecrainer
    ecrainer Posts: 1
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    Check your carbs (breads, cereals, rice, potatoes)...too many will put you into a hunger pang cycle. Eat more lean protein, high fiber green veggies, & lowfat/light dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese), or try sipping a warm cup of vegetable or chicken broth to help curb your hunger (watch the sodium if that's a diet issue for you). Be sure that you're drinking enough water...keeping hydrated can help. Have a cup/glass of hot or ice tea...brew some flavored lemon, peach, or raspberry tea to sip between meals as a treat. You can brew these with green, black, or white teas as well for added benefits. I used to substitute an activity like taking a walk or doing some tasks to see if a hunger pang will pass...and it often does.
    Generally, consuming more calories is necessary with the increase in activity levels. Otherwise, you're not eating enough to supply your body with the required fuel for exercise and still meet your daily calorie goals. If you run a continuous & significant calorie deficit daily due to increased calorie burn during exercise, your energy levels & metabolism will suffer. So, if you're exercise burns 500 calories per day (an ambitious goal), and your daily calorie goal is 1400 to loose a pound a week, then you need to be eating 1900 calories per day....and that' s where trying to eat more foods to meet the daily calorie requirements come in.
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
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    Hey There,

    I don't know you, your diet etc. I too have battled my weight in my life... and quite honestly it sucks. You see these bean poles out there who can eat anything and never gain weight. Hate em. But thats why we're here right? We all want to get healthy.

    Quite often its not about how many calories you consume, but what type of calories you consume.

    So the question is what are you eating? I could very easily hit my daily calorie limit by eating a box of girl guide cookies and be starving by noon... or I could be eating a low fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables and higher in fiber and never feel hungry.

    I will be the first to admit that 1200 calories a day seems very low (but then I am 230 lbs.). But then like I said, I don't know you.

    When I seriously started managing my weight (life before MyFitnessPal) I weighed in excess of 320 lbs., I committed myself to something called 5:30.

    5/30 calls for a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 30 minutes of exercise a day.

    There are fewer calories in fruits and vegetables but generally higher fiber than any processed foods. In fact, some experts consider certain fruits and vegetables as "negative calories" insofar as the energy expended consuming and processing them is equal or greater than their actual calorie count (case in point lettuce). The advantage of this is you can eat them all day long and still be low in calories.

    Portion control is important as well. For meals... Take a 9 inch dinner plate. 1/2 of that dinner plate should be full of veggies (salad, beans, corn... whatever floats you boat). 1/3rd of the plate can be starches (potatoes, rice etc). The remainder is left over for meat. A portion of lean meat should be no bigger than a deck of cards.

    The thirty minutes of exercise is to rev up your metabolism and as such is most effective when done early in the day.

    I would be happy to share more insights if you want... maybe I can help you find a happy medium?
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    There are many good posts here with excellent advice. I add my voice to those who recommend cutting down incrementally. Over a three month period I cut from 2200 to 2000, then 1800, now 1600 or so. I eat three meals of appx 400 calories each and snacks through the day that total 400, so I am never completely full but never starving. Exercise is critical; it buys you “free” calories to eat. Through cycling and running I can get 600 to 700 extra calories daily, though I don’t consume anything like that many additional calories. I also agree with those that point out that MFP does not allow enough protein, at least for serious exercisers. But the percentages can be adjusted in the preferences. One last thought, Special K Protein Snack Bars taste great, have only 110 calories, and keep me satisfied a long time. They are small and I want to eat three of them at a time, but I stop at one and in a few minutes I am satisfied and stay that way for a couple of hours, then its time for a meal. I also count out a precise number of almonds if I only have room for a few calories. I used to eat handfuls but now 10 almonds will hold me a while. Good luck!
  • elena99
    elena99 Posts: 14 Member
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    Oh, so many replies and all so useful! I truly appreciate every effort each of you, guys, made to help me out here. I do.

    So... it's gonna look more like a blog post then a message board post, sorry... But I have to sum it up to keep my head straight.

    MFP set up a 1200 cal/day goal for me, I didn't have much saying except for wanting to lose 2 lb a week. If I lower my expectations and aim for 1 lb a week, the goal is 1320 cal/day. So, in order for me not to starve and keep the "net calorie intake" at this number, I can eat 1800 cal and burn out 500 cal working out. And... Since MFP showed me that I need 1800 cal/day to maintain my current weight, if I continue feeling starved, I can increase the calorie intake up to 2000 and it will still give me a net calorie intake of 1600 cal a day which is 200 lower then what my body needs - a room for loosing weight.
    1800 cal will give me breakfast/lunch/dinner at 400 cal each and 3 snacks at 200 each. That sounds all right. And if I choose foods high in fiber - I will feel satisfied longer. And if I drink a glass of water before each meal/snack - I will trick my stomach by increasing the volume with no calories. And if I drink a glass of water first whenever I think I feel hungry - I might be doing the right thing because indeed I might be just thirsty, not hungry. Hmm...

    Clean eating, hmm... I like the idea that "if a man made it - don't eat it" I think first I was inspired by that a few years ago after reading Dr. Oz's "You on a diet" but gradually forgot all the good ideas :) And thank you so much for reminding me that pasta wants to eat more pasta - that is basically the revolutionary idea that has so much to offer to the mind seeking understanding of "how the hell did it happen to me and why can't I stop eating?" Anyways... I don't eat a lot of processed foods, just pasta maybe 4 times a week, my main problem is portion control... I think that portion control will be much more easier if I choose filling foods over empty ones. It's still going to be a struggle, but at least now I have a plan!

    Thank you, guys, I truly appreciate it! :flowerforyou:
  • cathyd72
    cathyd72 Posts: 1
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    You are going to get alot of different opinions from everyone so I am going to give you mine!!! ~LOL~ I have a significant amount of weight to lose. I looked at how much you want to lose and in my opinion your body is kind of going through withdrawls. That is because you probably are now trying to eat 1000 cal less a day. I can tell you for me so far, drinking water has helped a ton. Also cereal. Special K to be exact. I also know some people do not like the 100 cal snacks. But for me, I live by them because it is a portion control. You will get there. Try and find a special snack that gives you that "aaww" feeling. That has helped me too!!
    IF you need help or encouragement, feel free to add me as a friend! Good luck!!! :happy:
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
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    I had to learn a couple of facts
    > It is OK to be hungry, I'm no starving
    > If I want to be 100lb lighter I have to eat like I'm 100lb lighter

    Water and raw veggies along with other quality low calories for a large volume of food helps

    Taking vitamin and mineral supplements assure I'm not craving missing nutrients

    Eat slow
  • octoberschilde
    octoberschilde Posts: 21
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    I find that I am only starving on days AFTER the days I cheated! I was bad on Monday and overate. Now I'm paying for it. But I'm just going to keep chomping on the veggies until my tummy gets readjusted. Hopefully by tomorrow things will be back to normal.
  • karencorrigan
    karencorrigan Posts: 3
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    I too like the clean/whole foods approach. I just started eating this way in the last month --I'm not super strict, though--and it's the first time I haven't been scrounging the pantry for something that will quell my appetite. I also like trying to balance my foods each time I eat. So each meal contains a fruit or veggie, a whole grain, 3oz of lean protein and a plant based fat.

    Ex. Breakfast might be a scrambled egg, a cup of raspberries, a slice of whole grain toast, and 2 TBSP almonds. (around 325 calories.)
    Lunch might be 1/4 an avocado, about 100 calories worth of whole grain bread (half a whole wheat pita, for example), 3 oz. low sodium turkey breast, and a cup of fresh veggies. (Around 350 calories)

    The plant-based fat (almonds, avocado, peanut butter etc) is the key, I think, to quieting my rumbling stomach. Just keep the portion quite small. I also feel really good. Not sure I can attribute that to the new diet, more exercise, or the gorgeous weather right now, but I'll take it.
  • Maztastic
    Maztastic Posts: 43
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    ... I have the opposite problem - I'm starving... Am I just going through the withdrawal and it will pass when my body will get used to 1200 cal a day? Should I wait out? Or should I just suck it up and get used to it because I am doomed to be starving for the rest of my life?

    I had exactly the same problem when I started but I didn't want to lose much and only had the loss set at 1/2lb per week. So I stuck it out. I'm now on maintenance and get 1450 calories, which together with exercise I can handle. So for me it did get a bit better. I hope it will for you too.
  • noltes2
    noltes2 Posts: 202 Member
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    I find I am starving too when I am eating high carb. Try cutting back the carbs (especially refined), and amp up the protein. I hope you like chicken, fish and eggs because they need to be your new best friends!

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