fed up with dieting and getting hungry between meals
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Way too many carbs, not enough protein. Don't forget carbs = sugar, so you're having alot more than you think. If you eat a reasonable amount of protein, more saturated fat, and less grains and sugars, you won't be hungry all the time.
Something I learned after 20 years. I used to get the mid afternoon headaches and shakes as soon as I cut calories too.
it is fear mongering posts like this that drive me nuts…OP had 157 grams of carbs for the day, that is not "bad' and as long as she eats in a calorie deficit she can eat carbs, and *gasp* sugar and will lose weight just fine…
Fear mongering? Learn to science. Too many carbs, not enough protein, and not enough fat WILL cause hunger. Period. End of discussion. This is because of how these things are processed in our bodies.
No one said she couldn't eat a calorie deficit of carby foods and lose weight, she asked why she was always HUNGRY.
It's ill informed, baseless posts like this that drive ME nuts.
LOL Okie dokie then ..
I get about 35% of my macros from carbs and I have zero issues with hunger and satiety ...0 -
You can be skinny and not be healthy.why is sugar bad for you? Sugar is just energy that your body uses for different functions….You can eat sugar, be in a calorie deficit,and lose weight…
Eating too much sugar can lead to Type II diabetes, insulin resistance, etc. It's hard on your liver, too. Unless the OP is doing a lot of endurance type of workouts where the body needs simple sugars for quick energy, limiting sugar is the healthier option in the long run.
To the OP:
If you bring your lunch to work in an insulated bag, it should keep just fine. I sent my kids to school with sandwiches and yogurt and the like for years and they never had spoiled foods even though it sat under their desks until lunch time. I often bring my lunch to work and don't bother putting it in the fridge. As long as I actually eat it and don't try to bring it home for the next day, it's fine even until the afternoon.0 -
To the OP:
If you bring your lunch to work in an insulated bag, it should keep just fine. I sent my kids to school with sandwiches and yogurt and the like for years and they never had spoiled foods even though it sat under their desks until lunch time. I often bring my lunch to work and don't bother putting it in the fridge. As long as I actually eat it and don't try to bring it home for the next day, it's fine even until the afternoon.
Yeah I used to do this as a kid also and never had a problem either (athough, I heard that the cultures in yogurt prevent it from going bad at room temperature for several hours anyway). I guess it probably would be fine. I had food poisoning a few months ago so I think you get more paranoid about these things after that happens, and I heard you're not supposed to keep perishable foods unrefrigerated for more than 4 hours, but there are always ice packs. Plus I kind of got out of the habit of eating meat because at my old supermarket I couldn't find ethically raised meat, but they do have the Applegate Farms brand of cold cuts at my current supermarket, so that might be something to try. I heard that cold cuts have nitrates that are supposed to be bad though...is that a big deal?
I think maybe I will have a variety of things for lunch. Maybe on some days I'll have a turkey and cheese sandwich, on some days I'll have a tuna pouch with string cheese and whole grain crackers, and on some days I'll have the cheese and crackers with edamame. That might help counteract the "bad" effects of eating any one of those things all the time (phytoestrogens for the edamame, nitrates for the cold cuts, and mercury for the tuna).
Also I've read a lot of things that say cutting sugar improves your health in many ways. I actually found the best way for me to get rid of sugar cravings. For dessert I have two tablespoons of unsweetened baking cocoa in water, heated up just like hot cocoa. I realized that what I actually crave is the chocolate itself, not the sugar, so this works perfectly for me. It has only 40 calories and 0g of sugar. Other than that I will have a little bit of flavored dark chocolate at lunch and of course occasional treats from time to time.0 -
As an example of the protein/fat thing, on the weekends I eat a bowl of bacon for breakfast. Just bacon, cooked in the oven, about 400 to 500 calories worth. By dinner time, I could eat, but I'm not starving, and I don't think about eating all day.
The old me would have had toast for breakfast (possibly bacon and eggs on toast), something mid morning, a sandwich or two for lunch, starving at 3pm at which point I'd eat or wait til dinner with a headache and growly tummy, eat dinner, eat something at about 9pm, and have been pretty much hungry the whole day. And wonder why I could never stick to a diet and after a few days would lose my *kitten* and eat like 3000 cals in one sitting.0 -
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Try green apple with peanut butter (or better, almond butter) dip for a snack. That always kill my hunger.0
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This is your first day and you are fed up already?..........0
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coruscatti wrote: »So today I decided I would make a brand new start of this dieting thing. I haven't been doing too terribly, but I haven't been doing great either. I'm not even sure if I lost any weight yet due to fluctuations in weight over the course of a day. Some days I am way below the calorie goal and some days I am way above.
But I was like, this is it! I'm going to eat whole grains and Greek yogurt because those are supposed to make you feel full. I'm going to eat plenty of vegetables. I'm going to only have 25g of sugar per day. I will be totally healthy and lose these 10 pounds without even noticing!
So the day started pretty much as planned...I had my planned breakfast of two slices of whole grain bread, a plain Greek yogurt, two cups of salad greens, and water. I had this around 7:20 A.M. I started getting hungry again around 10 AM! So much for making me feel full! Luckily I brought a midmorning snack...one cup of Cheerios. So I had that and then later I had lunch around 12:30 PM. Lunch was two servings of whole grain crackers, two cheese sticks, water flavored with crystallized lemon, and a little bit of raspberry dark chocolate.
By 3 PM I was STARVING again. Not just slight hunger pangs, full-on nausea, headache, etc. I went to a deli near my workplace to get something to eat. I stupidly got a Clif bar, which has 22g of sugar...I was so hungry I wasn't even thinking clearly. So I ate that and it did NOTHING for my hunger. It was like I had an angry wild animal inside me roaring to get out. This hunger was like all-consuming. And now I only have 500 calories left for the day! I am so upset and still so hungry that I'm going to eat an entire Chipotle burrito for dinner even though it's like 1000 calories.
I'm just so angry. I feel like I've tried so many different foods to try to last without getting hungry between meals. I know someone is going to recommend eating nuts, so I will tell you now, I tried those and they do nothing for me. Plus they're what made me gain 10 pounds in the first place. I feel like MFP has ruined my life in a way. I used to have a healthy relationship with food...I focused on eating healthy, not on weight...and now I am one of those people who obsesses over calories and grams of this or that.
Is this really what my life is going to be like? I have a choice between being constantly hungry, or gaining 10 pounds every couple of years? This just seems like such a zero-sum game. And I don't even know if the total daily calorie expenditure calculations are remotely accurate. What about metabolism? Do I count my half-mile walk to and from the train station as exercise, or does it count as part of the "lightly active" designation I made when I first completed my profile? This stuff is just so inexact. And then there are the people who don't eat enough calories and yet still don't lose any weight, because their metabolism slows to make up for it.
Is there any way to win at this? Or is it just supposed to keep you miserable?
Eat more protein. Move more. Log exercise accurately. Eat back exercise calories. You can eat a lot if you're moving and still lose.
You can eat a lot if you're exercising. It won't feel like punishment.0 -
coruscatti wrote: »Does anyone know of any other vegetarian sources of lean protein that are portable, besides edamame?
Hard boiled eggs will last for days at room temperature. Sprinkle some cumin on chickpeas and you have a high protein snack, or add them to a salad for a more substantial meal. Yogurt can easily last 12 hours without refrigeration, especially if you're in a climate controlled building, or you can make a smoothie with yogurt and keep it in a thermos.
You shouldn't feel hungry. It's totally possible to eat at a deficit and still not feel hungry. If you're hungry, you're either not eating enough calories or you're using them poorly. Play around with different foods. Try and increase your protein (although neither sugar nor carbs are the enemy). Keep experimenting until you find a way to eat at a deficit and still feel satisfied. I promise it's possible.0 -
One day of calorie counting is not long enough to be so dramatic as to say that MFP is ruining your life.
We all need to vent sometimes, but I encourage you to take a breath and step back for a moment. There are many many positives here.
At 5'4" and 128 lbs, you are in the normal BMI range. If you want to weigh less, that is your business and I'm certainly not going to tell you not to. However, consider this. You have been doing well. If you were absurdly exceeding calorie goals before you started to "diet" you would be far heavier than you are now. This means that you shouldn't have to make big or dramatic changes to lose the few pounds you have identified. 1600 calories is very doable. Consider that there are people who have been very successful with this who were accustomed to eating many more in a day than I would guess you are accustomed to.
You've got great advice here on how to spend your calories wisely so that you don't feel hungry all day long, and based on your responses, it sounds as though you are willing to try them. That is great! Too often people blow off good recommendations. Just cut yourself some slack and see this as a lifestyle change, not a diet that is going to anger you on day 1. You are very young and you need to figure out what is going to be sustainable for the next 70 years. You can do this. I think you are far closer than you are giving yourself credit for.
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This is your first day and you are fed up already?..........
No I've been tracking calories and trying to stay under a calorie limit for about 2 1/2 weeks now. But yesterday was my first day trying out a new daily diet that I hoped would eliminate the same problems I was having on my old diet, as well as being overall healthier.billieljaime wrote: »I used to be the same way then figured out that aside from breakfast, I am not a "meal" kinda person, I am a grazer.
I think this may be the case for me too.
I tried to add more protein today, so for breakfast I had 3/4 cup of boiled lentils, a nonfat plain Chobani yogurt, one slice of whole grain bread, two cups of salad greens, and one cup of water to drink. It was 400 calories and I felt full afterwards, but then at 10 AM the stomach growling came back. I was annoyed because yesterday I started getting hungry around 10 AM also, which means adding more protein didn't really do anything.
However I decided to make the best of it so I took my two mozzarella cheese sticks out of my lunch and had those as a midmorning snack, which was 160 calories. I also drank a lot of water from the water fountain. Hopefully that will last me until lunch. Then for lunch I will have one serving of whole grain crackers, a can of tuna, a little bit of raspberry dark chocolate, and about two cups of water from the water fountain flavored with True Lemon. I also have a cup of Cheerios for an afternoon snack if I need it. That leaves me a little over 500 calories for dinner. I really hope this works out!As an example of the protein/fat thing, on the weekends I eat a bowl of bacon for breakfast. Just bacon, cooked in the oven, about 400 to 500 calories worth. By dinner time, I could eat, but I'm not starving, and I don't think about eating all day.
So you think adding more meat would help? Maybe adding more fat to my breakfast would help too. Hopefully I can find the 2% Chobani plain yogurt at the store next week, but if not, I will just add a bit of extra virgin olive oil to my lentils, or drink some unsweetened coconut milk.
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I eat every 3 hrs. Just works better for me0
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Consider adding more veggies/fruits too. They are very filling (especially when raw, I have found) and low in calories. You get a lot of bang for your (caloric) buck with fresh produce.0
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Everyone is different. Some people require more protein, some require more fiber, some more carbohydrates. Generally though, we need WAY less food than we give ourselves credit for. I eat three meals a day, 8am, 1pm, 8pm and have an afternoon snack around 5pm. My afternoon snack consists of a handful (like 8 or 9 pieces) of shredded wheat and a cup of tea. Hot drinks REALLY help me to quiet the discomfort of an empty or actively digesting stomach. Next time you start feeling really snacky and don't want to eat, try having a nice hot cup of tea or coffee, caffeinated or not, and a very very very small portion of pretzels or wheat based food stuffs.
That's what works for me - maybe it can work for you, too! Good luck!0 -
brightsideofpink wrote: »One day of calorie counting is not long enough to be so dramatic as to say that MFP is ruining your life.
We all need to vent sometimes, but I encourage you to take a breath and step back for a moment. There are many many positives here.
At 5'4" and 128 lbs, you are in the normal BMI range. If you want to weigh less, that is your business and I'm certainly not going to tell you not to. However, consider this. You have been doing well. If you were absurdly exceeding calorie goals before you started to "diet" you would be far heavier than you are now. This means that you shouldn't have to make big or dramatic changes to lose the few pounds you have identified. 1600 calories is very doable. Consider that there are people who have been very successful with this who were accustomed to eating many more in a day than I would guess you are accustomed to.
You've got great advice here on how to spend your calories wisely so that you don't feel hungry all day long, and based on your responses, it sounds as though you are willing to try them. That is great! Too often people blow off good recommendations. Just cut yourself some slack and see this as a lifestyle change, not a diet that is going to anger you on day 1. You are very young and you need to figure out what is going to be sustainable for the next 70 years. You can do this. I think you are far closer than you are giving yourself credit for.
It's been a couple of weeks actually, not just one day, but it was the first day of trying this new diet plan out.
I want to lose weight more for the future than for anything else. It kind of scares me that I gained 10 pounds since I graduated college, without even noticing. When I have kids in the future I will probably gain 40 pounds and have to lose all of that. I want to have my healthy eating habits down now, so I don't have to think about it in the future.0 -
I personally am sated for longer and more comfortably on fewer carbs and not sweating the fat too much. A 300 calorie breakfast of yogurt, oatmeal and fruit would leave me incredibly hungry a couple of hours before lunch. Bacon, eggs and an apple (Surprise, same calorie count) and while I'm quite happy to HAVE lunch, doesn't have me in that GOTTA EAT NOWWW!! frame of mind.0
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SpockAdventures wrote: »Everyone is different. Some people require more protein, some require more fiber, some more carbohydrates. Generally though, we need WAY less food than we give ourselves credit for. I eat three meals a day, 8am, 1pm, 8pm and have an afternoon snack around 5pm. My afternoon snack consists of a handful (like 8 or 9 pieces) of shredded wheat and a cup of tea. Hot drinks REALLY help me to quiet the discomfort of an empty or actively digesting stomach. Next time you start feeling really snacky and don't want to eat, try having a nice hot cup of tea or coffee, caffeinated or not, and a very very very small portion of pretzels or wheat based food stuffs.
That's what works for me - maybe it can work for you, too! Good luck!
Lol ... ok. EVERYONE requires a decent amount of protein. Not just some people. And in fact no one REQUIRES more carbs. Or any really (no... not even for your brain function, your body makes the glucose you need for that). You eat them because you want to, and that's fine.0 -
It just takes time to figure out what works for you. For example, I've tried to incorporate lentils to help with hunger, but they don't do anything for my hunger or energy levels and make me feel weighed down but hungry at the same time. Probably too many carbs along for the ride with the protein. Eggs, 2% or full fat Greek yogurt, a little bit of nut butter, these are things that make filling breakfasts for me.
I'm also usually hungry at least every 3 hours, so I try to eat meals at 7:30, 1:30, and 7:30 with snacks at 10:30 and 4:30. I might still get hungry in between, but it's manageable. Your body takes time to get used to a new eating routine, so you might feel hungry even though your breakfast was filling (the hunger hormone ghrelin is partially regulated by typical eating time, so your body will pump it out on a schedule).
It can be super frustrating, but just think of it as a puzzle you're trying to solve. And don't expect to have it all perfectly figured out. I might just be a slow learner, but it's taken me yeeeears to develop a really good idea of what works for my body, and I'm still learning as my body changes.0 -
Listen, it's not worth driving yourself crazy over 10 lbs! If you eat healthy and move your body at least 30 min a day, your weight will stay steady. Keep track of it, weigh every month, and if it goes up by more than 5 lbs then re-evaluate.
As others have stated, your food choices themselves can be tweaked to help with your hunger if you want that. There are some good recommendations in this thread.0 -
Also, were you eating salted nuts before? Reasonable portions of nuts are a great addition to the diet, but you need to portion them out and put them away so do not overeat them. Added salt will make it more likely for you to want to overeat them as well.
Why are nuts good? healthy fat. So if not nuts, just focus on ways to add reasonable portions of fat to each meal. A reasonable portion would be 100-200 calories worth, or 1oz nuts, 1 Tb oil. Avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, chia, coconut chips, full-fat dairy... Of course, you'll need to make it fit into your calorie goals, but worth it!0 -
I have been where you are and I know how miserable it can be feeling hungry and deprived all the time.
I previously tried cutting down my calories, and not looking at what I was actually eating (diet/reduced fat). I was miserable. I constantly felt hungry and cranky. I decided to change my approach, and switched from chemically laced everything to real food. I cut out grains and dairy until I can learn to have a healthy relationship with them. I focus on eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies, good quality meats, and drink tons of water, and I feel so much better!
You mentioned that you had a healthy relationship with food before using MFP. It seems like you may be overthinking it?
At the end of the day, you need to listen to your body. What works for others may not work for you. Feeling miserable every day is a set up for failure. If you are hungry, eat! If MFP doesn't work for you and makes you miserable, delete it!0 -
bananas are super filling. If you eat 2 or 3 it should definitely curb your hunger0
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I hear your frustration and totally understand! Been there
Start educating yourself so you have right expectations and can adjust your lifestyle effectively to lose weight, keep it off AND enjoy the process!
I started with Body For Life by bill Phillips. Check out his website. Also hussmanfitness.org has some great information. Also Mike Matthews - GREAT articles:
http://www.muscleforlife.com/category/food/
BTW, with what you listed you ate above, I would expect you to be hungry at the times you listed0 -
I would be hungry too if I had crackers and cheese for lunch! And it's more than okay to be hungry 3 hours after your last meal.
For breakfast I alternate oatmeal and eggs so I don't get bored. Snacks are things like cottage cheese, edamame, carrots. Lunch is usually a huge salad and tuna and then tons of veggies for dinner with some chicken.
Drink water all day and have a few glasses before each meal.0 -
bananas are super filling. If you eat 2 or 3 it should definitely curb your hunger
At 100 calories a pop, so 200 to 300 for a snack I hope would be filling.
You may have to experiment to see what works. I've found that if I focus on getting at least 20 grams protein per meal, don't sweat the fat content and make sure I get enough calories at breakfast and lunch, I stay pretty sated. I don't typically eat a morning snack, but my energy flags in the afternoon, so I plan for a snack then with some protein in it, preferably no more than 100-150 calories. I'm totally hooked on Tanka Bars, but they're kind of spendy so I have to ration them. Boiled eggs and those little Babybel cheeses are another go-to for me. I keep dried fruit on hand if I need a little sweet boost. Crackers with some fiber and heft to them -- think Triscuits or those wonderful gluten-free Crunchmaster seed crackers -- keep me going longer than saltines.
Do I recall you mentioned cheerios? When I start eating cheerios, it almost sets off a chain reaction where I want to keep eating and eating and eating. Thank goodness I'm almost done with the last box I plan to buy! (sorry, can't bear to throw out food.) You might take notes on what you ate
I think there were also some questions in this thread as to whether Chobani makes full-fat Greek yogurt? Yes, they do... and it's heaven. Oh, my.
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