Your tricks to 'embrace' the pain of your lifestyle changes?

sansaeverdeen · February 2015

Does anyone else feel like they are losing weight in a sensible way (not eating too little or too restrictive, exercising at an appropriate level, following Drs orders, etc) but still struggle? Any lifestyle change will be challenging. So let's share your tricks to cope with the pain that comes from any lifestyle change. I think a large part of actually succeeding on your diet is embracing the suck.

How do you embrace it?

For me, I feel hungry because I cut my calories by 20%. My body REALLY wants me to maintain the weight I've maintained for 10+ years. I have upped my protein, changed the timing of my meals, changed the quantity on certain days and made up for it on other days, etc. But inevitably there is a point where I just have to accept that I will feel a little bit hungry at least 2-3 times per day.

I also accept that the 30 day shred video is something I'm capable of, but I will FEEL THE BURN in the last 10 minutes until I graduate from that series to something else.

In anther thread, someone had good advice to accept that they will be hungry in the evening right before bed no matter what. So they drink a tonne of water and go to sleep.

Another thing I'm doing is creating a tea ritual. I'll buy some really nice tea and think about my thin friend who will drink green tea all day long. She derives a great amount of relaxation and serenity from just sitting on the patio with her vat of tea. I need at least a latte to feel that it is a special, relaxing ritual. Making the switch is painful but hopefully I'll reset my baseline for enjoyment.

EmmieBaby · February 2015

for me it's the boredum hunger that just suck.

I now know the difference between being hungry due to wanting to eat to survive and hungry because I am bored or stressed out.

Another "suck" is when I run out of room in my macro for the day and someone offers me something I want (like a cookie) and having to either turn it away or storing it until the next day.

lkniebuehler · February 2015

I too just accept that there will be times when Im hungry and hope that as my body adjusts, the feeling will fad. Im also try to ensure I get enough water too, as not to mistake dehydration for hunger.

Overall, I think that when we are eating what we want and not working out and generally not taking good care of ourselves, we also embrace the suck... maybe its easier to embrace that suck?? I guess its just a different kind of suck we have to embrace. I just have to remember how horrible I felt being 60lbs + from where Im at today and compare that to how a little bit of hunger here and there feels. I will take this suck over that suck any day!

cwolfman13 · February 2015

I really don't find anything sucky about eating well and rockin' my fitness. When I'm cutting I keep my deficit reasonable...I don't recall ever really having hunger pangs or anything...I mean basically to drop some weight all I have to do is cut out a snack or two to get me my 250 - 500 calorie per day deficit...EZ-PZ. I'm also a really good cook so my "healthy" foods all taste like awesomeness.

As exercise goes, I'm a former competitive athlete so I enjoy getting out and working on my fitness and challenging myself to go further, faster, and harder.

My biggest issue with cutting is that my fitness performance suffers somewhat and I can't crush it the same as I can at maintenance or really kill it like I can in a surplus.

rybo · February 2015

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I really don't find anything sucky about eating well and rockin' my fitness. When I'm cutting I keep my deficit reasonable...I don't recall ever really having hunger pangs or anything...I mean basically to drop some weight all I have to do is cut out a snack or two to get me my 250 - 500 calorie per day deficit...EZ-PZ. I'm also a really good cook so my "healthy" foods all taste like awesomeness.

As exercise goes, I'm a former competitive athlete so I enjoy getting out and working on my fitness and challenging myself to go further, faster, and harder.

My biggest issue with cutting is that my fitness performance suffers somewhat and I can't crush it the same as I can at maintenance or really kill it like I can in a surplus.

Well said

lizek316 · February 2015

I drink a LOT of water. But I've always liked water so that's not very difficult for me. The hunger feeling sucks for me when my acid reflux is acting up. All I want to do is eat to push the burning down. And some days, you are not going to be able to resist temptation and it's ok to give into it once in a while. Just don't over do it. Eat enough to make the hunger go away and then get back on track the next day. Or if you have the time the day you indulge, add an extra few minutes to your workout or go out for a walk at lunch. It's not always going to be easy, especially at first, but once you develop a routine and your body adjusts, it will get easier.

azulvioleta6 · February 2015

I don't experience any pain...I hardly ever feel hungry.

Maybe you need to be better hydrated?

DKG28 · February 2015

I always eat a late breakfast. Then there are fewer number of hours left for the remaining calories to have to cover. Until I break the night's fast, my body isn't expecting food, like it didn't all night while sleeping, but after that 1st meal the hunger quickly resumes in expectation of the next meal. But I don't like cereal and I've never been a breakfast lover.

SergeantSausage · February 2015

Wait - There's supposed to be pain?

I'm doin' it wrong then, I guess.

lthames0810 · February 2015

I don't graze all day long, so I feel empty before meals. I figure that's how I'm supposed to feel. It's not painful. I note it and get busy and it goes away in a few minutes. There's a time to eat and a time to not eat (hmmm...reminds me of a song...probably going to be stuck in my head now.)

Many things that are well worth doing have some bit of suckiness once in a while. I really like bicycling, but not every moment is going to be glorious.

cmoll520 · February 2015

The eating part isn't really hard. I am at 1320 calories and don't usually eat back my exercise calories. I'm rarely starving.

The exercise part is what is hard. I'm a busy working full time mom to 3 kids. Two of the kids have special needs. I don't get home from work until 6pm and have to make dinner and do homework and baths and bedtime routines before I can get to the gym. It's often 9 or 10 by then. And snowy and cold. I get through it by reminding myself why it is worth it. Sometimes I negotiate and tell myself to just commit to 30 minutes because that is better than nothing. Once I get there I usually end up doing the full hour. It's a daily battle but I have made it 42 out of the last 50 days.

Wiseandcurious · February 2015

I really don't feel that it sucks in any way, in fact I feel terribly empowered, and very happy. May be it's just in my mind:)

sansaeverdeen wrote: »

But inevitably there is a point where I just have to accept that I will feel a little bit hungry at least 2-3 times per day.

I think that feeling a bit hungry before your next meal is a part of normal human life, just not a part I knew about

I don't mind at all, it helps me work up an appetite and enjoy my food, and I'm good with it because I know the next meal will be satiating. If I was feeling hungry *after* meals, that would be a sign that something is wrong then.

sansaeverdeen wrote: »

In anther thread, someone had good advice to accept that they will be hungry in the evening right before bed no matter what. So they drink a tonne of water and go to sleep.

This is something I never put up with. It rarely happens, i.e. if I go to bed much later than usual, and I get piece of cheese usually or a couple of slices of lunch meat. Going to bed hungry sucks, why do it? Just budget for the snack.

arditarose · February 2015

I don't do hunger pains. Even when I was eating as low as 1400 calories, I still ate 6 times per day. I eat high volume and constantly...up until the time I go to bed.

sjaplo · February 2015

Why do people feel the need to flagellate thmselves? Use the website as it was intended, eat at an appropriate defecit. Voila! - where is this pain of which you speak?

Ooci · February 2015

I think a lot of people just don't get that for some of us there's an over production of a hormone driving our hunger. Some of us are just hungrier than others. It doesn't matter that the deficit is tiny, that I'm careful to eat regularly and eat filling things, I could permanently eat a very hearty meal. Even an hour after just eating one.
There have been studied into this and for some of us it's physically harder.

caryb2015 · February 2015

Ooci wrote: »

I think a lot of people just don't get that for some of us there's an over production of a hormone driving our hunger. Some of us are just hungrier than others. It doesn't matter that the deficit is tiny, that I'm careful to eat regularly and eat filling things, I could permanently eat a very hearty meal. Even an hour after just eating one.
There have been studied into this and for some of us it's physically harder.

Agreed. Acknowledging this factor helped me design a new "normal" way of eating where I eat small amounts every few hours. I learned long ago that my hunger level had NOTHING to do with the amount or quality of the food I had recently eaten. I am going to get hungry again regardless so now break up what would have been a meal into smaller chunks. So if lunch in the past would have been a sandwich and piece of fruit or veggies now I would eat half sandwich then 2 hours later the other half and two hours later the fruit or veg. Same amount of calories and nutrients but much more satisfying.

SergeantSausage · February 2015

Ooci wrote: »

I think a lot of people just don't get that for some of us there's an over production of a hormone driving our hunger. Some of us are just hungrier than others. It doesn't matter that the deficit is tiny, that I'm careful to eat regularly and eat filling things, I could permanently eat a very hearty meal. Even an hour after just eating one.
There have been studied into this and for some of us it's physically harder.

You are not a special snowflake.

We ALL deal with hunger.

LiveLoveRunFar · February 2015

Breaking it up into smaller meals sounds like it would work for someone who gets hungry more often. I do think some people have a harder time with it than others. Not that they are special in any way, just different.

areallycoolstory · February 2015

There are lots of reasons that folks eat other than hunger. If that were not true the diet industry would not be such a money maker. For me the struggle is only eating when I am hungry rather that eating due to being bored, tired, or even dehydrated like others have mentioned. I've not been overly hungry since beginning to limit my calories, but I have definitely felt like eating because I was bored.