Modest weighloss goal. Meeting Calories, still hungry.

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initialsdeebee
initialsdeebee Posts: 83 Member
edited June 2015 in Food and Nutrition
Hi. I've been on and off this wagon a few times. One reason is, I start out vigilant with my modest goal of .5 pound per week. I'm not looking to lose a ton, maybe 10 lbs or so. If I exercise, which I often do, I log it and usually make up the calories. I find that I start out feeling ok, lose a couple pounds, then I start to just feel hungry all the time and think about food too much. It seems the longer I stick with this, the harder it gets to meet daily calorie goals. Then I likely have a binge day and go way over. Is my psyche perceiving some restriction/over preoccupation with counting and then rebelling even though I'm eating reasonably? Am I eating foods that are not filling enough? Am I logging them wrong? Is my body burning more calories than a typical 5'1", 130lb, 32 year old woman, as calculated by Fitness Pal?

I went to culinary school and have always had an interest in healthy cooking and eating despite my sweet tooth, which I'm working on, so I like to think that I'm pretty well informed about what is healthy, how to watch for good ingredients, include good proteins/fats etc. Any feedback? insight? similar stories? advice? (P.S. I sometimes don't log plain, raw vegetable, such as lettuces/greens etc. If I logged all the plain steamed or raw non-starchy green veggies I ate today for example, I'd be well over my goal and feel no less hungry.)

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  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    For weight loss, "healthy" foods won't make a difference one way or the other if you eat more calories than your body uses over the course of the day.

    You need to log everything that goes in your mouth, whether it puts you over your goal or not. The diary is a tool for you to use and you won't have accurate data if you don't log everything.

    Are you weighing solids and measuring liquids? If not, you may be eating more or fewer calories than you think.

    Are you avoiding certain foods? When I crave something, I'll keep craving it until I actually eat it. I'll try other things and they won't work so I end up eating more calories overall than I would have eaten by just eating the thing I really want. If I really want something, I work it into my calorie budget.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Open your diary, this would help figure out what you could change. It could be you are making choices that are too calorie dense without being that filling.
    Your body is most certainly not burning more calories than you think, or you would be losing weight very fast.
    As for logging food, what is the point of logging but not logging everything? Cheating the application? Either you are over your calories and should know it and take it into account, or you are not over your calories and meeting your goals. What is the reason to not log everything?
    In general, at your height and with a sedentary lifestyle, even your maintenance calories are probably on the low side. So, aiming for a low calorie number to lose weight, it sounds logical. The question is, even if you do lose the weight, will you be able to maintain, or will the new maintenance goal be too low for you? It might be a matter of accepting you will have to settle at your current weight, or changing your eating habits, or setting a new exercise routine or adding more physical activity in your daily habits.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Your title says that you are meeting your calorie goal but then you say you didn't log all your veg. Veg is just as much a calorie as a calorie of chocolate. You need to weigh and log everything. If you are hungry tweak the amount of fibre and protein you are eating.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
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    I go through some very hungry patches and sometimes my weight-loss is incredibly slow or bouncy. On other days, I manage fine and end the day with spare calories. My strategy is to keep the spare calories over for the days when I need them - the hungry days. Everyone is different, but for me personally, saving calories for a more satisfying dinner also helps. Being hungry in the evening is the worst. Worry about the weekly balance rather than the day.

    It can be tough to push through hungry times - I am experiencing a 3 week plateau for some reason and it is very difficult for me to stay sensible around it. I have to just keep reminding myself that I am not a mystery of science and that if I keep eating under my calorie goal, the weight will come off. The solution when weight loss is slow cannot possibly be to eat more. "I may as well just give up" is a stupid idea that makes no sense. I am not happy now, so I choose to be worse off by gaining back what I lost? What a daft idea. We all know that, but the mind is a tricksy thing...

    I agree with the others about weighing and logging EVERYTHING. Veggies are not *free*, neither are tea and coffee. Rather see the real picture, it will be more helpful long term.
  • jenmovies
    jenmovies Posts: 346 Member
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    I agree with seska422. Log everything. It is amazing how quickly the 'extras' can add up. To be safe, I calculate 20% of each meal and add it on top (quick add calories), then I minus 20% off my exercise. I never eat back more than half of exercise calories. Good luck!
  • SamberryC
    SamberryC Posts: 25 Member
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    Measure everything, replace empty calories (chocolate, crisps, sweets) with nutritious calories (it's important to remember that one calorie isn't necessarily the same as another calorie in terms of the effect it has on your body) and drink plenty of water when you get hunger pangs. But ultimately I think you're right, it comes down to mentality. For a long time I battled with myself over my eating habits, I'd have good weeks and bad weeks, but I just hit an epiphany point and never looked back. Good luck and keep working at it!
  • pennydreadful270
    pennydreadful270 Posts: 266 Member
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    No one has really answered the hungry question apart from soopatt. Do other people really not feel hungry when restricting? I have to go and find stuff to do around the house most evenings to distract myself from feeling hungry!
  • doodlegram
    doodlegram Posts: 3 Member
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    Regarding Hunger - I have the same challenge. I find it's far worse when I'm not otherwise occupied, so try to occupy my mind on something other than eating. I also graze throughout the day (carrot sticks/satsumas/cucumber/celery, bell peppers).

    I also find preparing a meal helps; I prep dinner as soon as I get home from work, so I know I'm going to eat "soon" even if it isn't straight away. This has stopped me snacking after work/before dinner (which was a thing before!)
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
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    I have been known to take an early evening nap to escape hunger - so that I do not have to be in my own hungry company for a few hours. Desperate times. Taking a bath or brushing my teeth also helps, so do endless cups of rooibos tea (no milk, no sugar, no calories but warm and comforting). Some days it is really horrible and I feel very sorry for myself, and then I make it through and the next day is easy. It really is one day at a time.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    pennydreadful270 wrote: »
    No one has really answered the hungry question apart from soopatt. Do other people really not feel hungry when restricting? I have to go and find stuff to do around the house most evenings to distract myself from feeling hungry!
    When I feel hungry, I eat. If I don't eat something, then I'll want to eat everything. My goal is to avoid feeling deprived.

    If I'm feeling empty or just wanting something crunchy, I have things like cucumbers or radishes. If I want something with a little fat or protein, I have a tiny (35 calorie) square of dark chocolate, a stick of cheese, or a 50 calorie container of egg whites with a little pico de gallo. Snacks with few calories but a lot of satisfaction for me.
  • initialsdeebee
    initialsdeebee Posts: 83 Member
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    Thanks. I appreciate the remark about remembering that your body is not a mystery of science. Also appreciate the recognition that it can be tricky mentally. As a teenager, I had a phase of obsessing over calories and under ate for a time, so with something like fitness pal, I try to be careful to not go down that road. I started this thinking it would be a good way to watch my weight without overestimating my calories or depriving myself, which is what can happen when I'm left to guessing. That is why I feel concerned I'm doing something wrong if I'm feeling hungry even though I'm setting a reasonable calorie goal. That was also my internal logic for not logging raw, green leafy veggies. On a day where everything I ate was pretty healthy (no desserts, heavy food, large restaurant meals, etc), I didn't think I ought to feel "accountable" for eating lettuces and shaved Brussels sprouts when I needed something in my stomach at the end of the day (I did log all dressing ingredients and garnishes, none of which were particularly high in calories). Sometimes because I cook a lot, I wonder, too, if I'm getting correct data for certain ingredients, or if I should change my lifestyle/activity setting. Anyway, whatever. I'll just keep tweaking things till I find what's right.
  • M30834134
    M30834134 Posts: 411 Member
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    Deebee,

    I pluged in your numbers into BMR formula and it looks like your BMR is 1237-1356 calories range (different formulas slightly differ in calculations), which means that your body needs about 1,237 calories per day for only the basic functions (kidneys, heart, brain, breathing). So, if you just lie down all day - your body will burn 1,237 calories.

    Now, with minimal activities and to lose about 0.5 lb per week, you should be eating around 1,544 - are you eating in this range? (of course, these are NOT exact numbers as each of us is different, but they should be a pretty good start)

    The reason I listed all of the above is that, from my own previous experiences, when we are unnecessarily undereating way below our BMR, we make ourselves hungry which leads to frustration and emotional and physical exhaustion. It's only a matter of time before we fail. By eating healthy, above your BMR while creating the deficit in the healthy range, the hunger is usually tamed. As a matter of fact, I'm 5 lb from my weight goal after losing about 23 since the beginning of March while eating on average 2,100-2,200 calories and never felt hungry.

    Hope this helps and best wishes.
  • initialsdeebee
    initialsdeebee Posts: 83 Member
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    Thanks. According to Fitness Pal I'm supposed to aim just under 1500 (I think 1480). I haven't done the BMR thing before. That's kinda new to me. I have listed in my profile that I'm moderately active in my daily activity. My job requires me to be on my feet most of the time, and sometimes lifting heavy boxes, stacks of books etc. This varies from day to day though. Some days I sit more. If I exercise, running, biking etc, I do log it and make up calories. In any case, I'll just have to maybe adjust up a bit. I've been logging for only a couple of days after not doing this at all for almost a year. So we'll see how it goes this time around.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    edited June 2015
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    When I first started here, I was in the same boat, looking to lose about 5 pounds. When I stayed within my calories, I felt hungry all the time... like an empty, gnawing feeling most of the day. I thnk I've been on here over a year and just fluctuated around my original weight.

    About a month ago, I went through a bit of a stressful time. Nothing major (it just felt major to me - lol). When I'm stressed I can't eat - it lasted about 4-5 days. I lost about 4 pounds (mostly water I'm assuming) but I think it reset my appetite. I found I could eat less and feel fine/full. So now I've lost a total of 6 pounds and I'm thinking of trying to lose a few more.

    Edited to add, that if you are eating enough to fuel your body/activities, I think it just takes awhile to get used to eating fewing calories and the hunger pangs subsides. I just never gave it enough time before caving in.

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