Getting used to reduced calories

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lynntfuzz
lynntfuzz Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been successful at weight loss through calorie counting in the past but I'm older now. I'm finding it really hard to get used to reducing the calories. I get so hungry at night. I know it takes some time to get used to and it helps to fiddle with exactly what you eat during the day so you are more full. But how long does it take to get used to the calorie reduction? I've even set my target to 1700 calories to cut myself some slack. At this age I probably have to go lower to really lose weight. Any advice? Experience? Thx!!!! -Lynn (and feel free to add me as a friend!!!! hint hint... )
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Replies

  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
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    What works for me is eating mostly high volume, low calorie foods. Vegetable soup, for example.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Make sure you're getting plenty of protein, fat and fibre to help keep you full.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    Hmm. Probably took about two weeks? I was coming off of a ton of different "eat all you want as long as it's only Food Category X" diets, so at first I thought I was starving. But it no longer feels like that most of the time, so...?
  • water_coloured
    water_coloured Posts: 81 Member
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    It'll take a few weeks. Try to drink tea or water to curb hunger. Eat more protein and veggies.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    I'm re-learning how to do this after a good loss and years-long maintenance :) so I feel you.

    Definitely this
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Make sure you're getting plenty of protein, fat and fibre to help keep you full.

    which involves saying no to less-fibrous carbs more often, because they can eat up your calorie allowance and leave you feeling empty. For me anyway, staying on the "cleaner" side helps. By "cleaner" I mean brown / multigrain breads, pasta etc, because they've got more fibre. (I'm eating my way through the last white bread and pasta I'll buy for a while.) I know people can lose eating anything, but if you're down to small numbers and aren't doing a ton of activity, it can make a difference.

    Same for leaner meats. I can have more chicken than I can sausages or burgers, so - more chicken :/

    I'm cutting little corners here and there - half-fat mayo for sandwiches, small 1% latte instead of medium 2%.

    I've never been fooled by liquid, soups and water don't help, ime. It's a quick cheat that only works until you go to the bathroom. (I don't actually think we do mistake hunger for thirst.)
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited December 2014
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    For me anyway, staying on the "cleaner" side helps. By "cleaner" I mean brown / multigrain breads, pasta etc, because they've got more fibre.

    I hate to say this, and perhaps this isn't true for everybody, but I have found the "brown" foods you describe to be just as calorically dense (overall) as the white, and they spike my blood sugar as much as the white versions. And or whatever reason (opinions and even studies vary on this), that translates to more hunger for me.

    Again, not trying to say this must be true for everybody. But I do know that I was on a TII Diabetes group for a while and many people said the same things. To be clear, I am technically not TII at this time, but my doctor tells me based on fasting levels that I am pre-TII. (Fasting of 103 and then 107 four weeks apart. Since minimizing my refined grains and starchy foods, yes, including starchy veggies, sadly, my numbers are much better.)

    If it works for you, though, then I'm glad for you! Keep it up and here's to a happy, healthy 2015. :) And of course a full and delicious one! :smiley:

  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Delete...weird double-post?
  • mrprytania
    mrprytania Posts: 17 Member
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    lynntfuzz wrote: »
    ... I'm finding it really hard to get used to reducing the calories. I get so hungry at night. ....

    Could you please define "at night" as in how many hours since you had dinner? I know for me, because of my job, I would eat a traditional dinner at 7pm but then be up until 1am so would get hungry again at around midnight. I had to shift my meal times around a bit which helped a lot. But if you're getting hungry just before bed because you're used to a nibble then have some herbal tea and go to bed to hide from the calorie temptations.

    I would agree that it takes weeks. If you set your target at 1700 but were eating 2500 it would feel like an act of cruelty. Maybe every week drop it 50 to 100 calories and you won't notice the change. This strategy helped me as well.

    Hope any of this helped. Good luck to you.

  • SteveEighty
    SteveEighty Posts: 21 Member
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    Alaways have in your fridge a big bowl full of carrot sticks, radishes, small florets of broccoli and other small vegetables & fruit, ideal to stave off hunger between meals, it fills you up and is virtually cal-free... and it tastes good too!
  • deviousme7
    deviousme7 Posts: 61 Member
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    Maybe you could do some more exercise to eat more calories, that gets me through the first couple of weeks anyway.
  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
    edited December 2014
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    It's not for everyone but when I was eating 1500 a day, I liked to break it into 3 meals and 2-3 snacks so I felt like I was eating more. Sometimes I ate back my exercise calories and sometimes I 'saved' them for more calories on the weekends.

    I find that eating plenty of foods rich in dietary fiber and protein helped keep me sated. Grilled chicken, quinoa, beans, sweet potatoes and squashes are really filling for the calorie count. Having a piece of fruit (like an apple, pear, banana or dates) with nut butter and chia seeds kept me fuller longer than eating it alone. Also having extra liquids helped, I ate a bowl of low sodium miso or drank some hot tea in the afternoons. It gave me more calories for dinner and snacks in the evenings.

    The easiest place for me to shave off calories was breakfast, having a bowl of oatmeal with dried berries and ground flax for the nutty/fatty flavor or two scrambled eggs with nutritional yeast for extra cheesy flavor and protein and some coffee was enough in the mornings and usually around 200-250c.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    SteveEighty wrote: »
    Alaways have in your fridge a big bowl full of carrot sticks, radishes, small florets of broccoli and other small vegetables & fruit, ideal to stave off hunger between meals, it fills you up and is virtually cal-free... and it tastes good too!

    Not calorie free...be careful you don't make that mistake ...I can easily eat 100 calories of carrots with a dollop of hummus...making that a 200 calorie snack (same as egg on toast)

    But still a good suggestion...I like cooking up my vegetables into a big filling chilli or Mediterranean stew that I eat with a sprinkling of cheddar ..yum
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
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    It took me until the next morning, when I saw my weight had decreased. And every day my weight went down a little bit more. I also rediscovered exercise. I joined a gym. I bought a heart rate monitor and ate back nearly all my calories (but I was on 1200 to start with).
  • SteveEighty
    SteveEighty Posts: 21 Member
    edited December 2014
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    No, I haven't made any mistake. I wrote "virtually cal-free" because it is: 14 cals in 100 g of carrots, same with broccoli, you won't find anything better to fill you up between meals without damages. It's partly how I lost 80 lbs in just over 5 months (and believe me, I like my food, that's why I'd got so fat in the first place!).

    The trick here is precisely to NOT use hoummous, sauce, cheese, etc. to go with these little snacks between meals, or only exceptionally (you can have a treat during the weight-loss period of course but not too often - consistency is the key).

    As for prepared meals, like you, I love to eat chillies, low-fat stews, noodles, white meat, stir fries, salads (little dressing only), etc. washed down with some wine most evenings, but in small quantities only, otherwise I know what will happen! (I'll balloon again). Six months after losing 80 lbs, I haven't put anything back on, have even lost an extra 2 lbs, partly thanks to these bowls of carrot sticks/broccoli florets, etc. that I dip into whenever I'm a little hungry (will have, maybe, 10 carrot sticks at a time), they've really helped me. They are the business!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    SteveEighty wrote: »
    No, I haven't made any mistake. I wrote "virtually cal-free" because it is: 14 cals in 100 g of carrots, same with broccoli, you won't find anything better to fill you up between meals without damages. It's partly how I lost 80 lbs in just over 5 months (and believe me, I like my food, that's why I'd got so fat in the first place!).

    The trick here is precisely to NOT use hoummous, sauce, cheese, etc. to go with these little snacks between meals, or only exceptionally (you can have a treat during the weight-loss period of course but not too often - consistency is the key).

    As for prepared meals, like you, I love to eat chillies, low-fat stews, noodles, white meat, stir fries, salads (little dressing only), etc. washed down with some wine most evenings, but in small quantities only, otherwise I know what will happen! (I'll balloon again). Six months after losing 80 lbs, I haven't put anything back on, have even lost an extra 2 lbs, partly thanks to these bowls of carrot sticks/broccoli florets, etc. that I dip into whenever I'm a little hungry (will have, maybe, 10 carrot sticks at a time), they've really helped me. They are the business!

    41 cals in 100g carrots and they weigh heavy

  • SteveEighty
    SteveEighty Posts: 21 Member
    edited December 2014
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    The idea here - in my suggestion - is not to be annal about the number of cals and split hair (28/100 g for carrots actually - 41 is for 150 g -, figures vary but is very low in cals http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories-in-food/salad/Raw-Carrot.htm) but to get the general picture: if you replace the usual snacks between meals with bits of vegetables and fruits, you're on very safe grounds and it fills you up for a while, which is what the OP needs help with. Don't we all! Even on a Maintenance Plan, it's a recurring problem and I've found that my suggestion works very well.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited December 2014
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    SteveEighty wrote: »
    The idea here - in my suggestion - is not to be annal about the number of cals and split hair (28/100 g for carrots actually - 41 is for 150 g -, figures vary but is very low in cals http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories-in-food/salad/Raw-Carrot.htm) but to get the general picture: if you replace the usual snacks between meals with bits of vegetables and fruits, you're on very safe grounds and it fills you up for a while, which is what the OP needs help with. Don't we all! Even on a Maintenance Plan, it's a recurring problem and I've found that my suggestion works very well.

    Without wishing to nitpick ...even your USDA says 41/100g

    nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2383/2

    I don't snack on raw, plain vegetables ...that would not work for me ...it's about finding ones own balance and tricks ...and learning to understand a real hunger cue and ignore the ones that are just appetite ...if you've just eaten you're probably not hungry ..if you leave it 30 mins it might go away
  • SteveEighty
    SteveEighty Posts: 21 Member
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    No, it says 28 in the table (41 is for 150g): Calorie and Nutrition Values for 100g of Raw Carrot - Calories 28.

    That's way beside the point anyhow, as explained in my previous post, whether it's 10, 20 30 or 40 it's excellent stuff to have in one's fridge. My two posts also suggested broccoli (about 30 cals/100 g) and radishes (12 cals/100g) to put in the between-meal bowls to stave off the hunger.
    It is one of the alternatives, by no means the only one, but I hope it'll help the OP, it did - and still does - help me an awful lot to keep off the weight and remain healthy at the same time (alongside the other stuff, food control, exercising, etc.).
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    I have problems in the evenings too. What I've found helps (sometimes) is to have a small breakfast, bigger mid-day meal and then the biggest meal in the early evening. Then I try to just have drinks after that. I like being able to have a more "normal" sized meal in the evening. I know this is obvious, but getting to bed earlyish helps too. If I stay up later than usual, I always want to eat!

    If 1700 calories is a deficit, you should still lose weight, even if it's slow. I lost all my weight at a fairly small deficit (usually around 300 calories or so), because I found that easier to stick to.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    imo hunger is your first target to avoid.
    Spread your food through the day and adjust it to balance out.
    look for the food that gives you more bang for your calories.
    Exercise (gets you eatback calories)+ drink water( is importnat for hydration and fills you up).

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