Stupid Stupid Question

Packing my lunch and snacks every day was one of the two best permanent changes I made when I started MFP (regular exercise was the other). My routine is one morning snack and one afternoon snacks, around 100-200 cals each. Today I cut an apple in half, used a melon baller to scoop out the centers, and filled each side with 1/2 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter. Around 3:30 I'll have vanilla Greek yogurt with fruit and almond slivers. For each there's a little protein, a little fat, and some carbs and that seems to keep me satisfied. Other days it'll be baby carrots with 2T hummus, pretzel crackers with Laughing Cow cheese, or Skinny Pop white cheddar popcorn.

To commiserate, I've been wanting to eat the world this week too. Sometimes it depends on the type of exercise I've done that day. Walking for an hour doesn't leave me ravenous, but 15 minutes of HIIT and watch out!

mathjulz wrote: »

emilybeaver wrote: »

I eat around 1400 calories or over. It's about two weeks from the TOM

Ovulation, then? Some women feel hungrier then.

How long have you been eating at 1400 calories?

Plan out your meals and snacks so you can eat frequently enough. Make sure you have healthy alternatives available at work. Make sure you're getting enough protein, fat, and fiber.

Was just about to say this. I get hungry the week I'm supposed to ovulate, despite my birth control preventing that. But it happens every month.

OP, what is your goal? I lb weekly loss, or more?

Yeah, I'm thinking you need to increase your calories. I guessed at your height and your activity level, but at your age and current weight, I got back a calorie recommendation of 1781 calories a day to lose almost a pound a week.

I'm guessing your goals are a bit too aggressive. If you're too hungry, you'll cheat on your food and the weight will never come off. Make that goal more attainable.

emilybeaver wrote: »

I've been STARVING this past week. I can't get enough food and I know I need to stop. But my belly is growling at me. I've been drinking tons of water as well to see if it's just being thirsty. I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I feel like I could eat tons at every meal....

What's stupid?
Anyway, that's how I felt when I began, and it was my body fighting against my efforts to lose the fat.
It's like a battle.
After losing 3o pounds, it stopped, and all was well until I hit that 50 pound wall.
BANG!
It was the same all over again...and it happened at 70 pounds, then again at 80 pounds lost.
Over time I have learned to break past these walls, and it's never easy.
Today, I am maintaining my 100 pound total weight loss, and some days are still like this.

If you go to eating 1,700 like Dubird said, I can almost guarantee you you won't get hungry, and you'll still be losing weight at a fairly steady rate. And it's so much easier to stick with if you don't feel deprived.

It's been great to see the helpful information posted here. I have found that macro content makes a big difference in terms of hunger pangs when I am in a calorie deficit, particularly that first meal of the day. So for me, that first meal consists of at least 20 g of protein (plain greek yogurt, e.g.) and a slow-digesting carb (like oatmeal - for some reason, if I decide on bran flakes instead, the appetite is roaring the whole day) and about 150g of blueberries. I plan for snacks that also include 20 mg of protein at minimum. I make sure to reach the fat g I have set for macros, and have at least 21 g of fiber. When I was working, I would bring raw vegetables and humus and plain greek yogurt and an apple for lunch and would have additional yogurt and veggies/fruit for snacks. I'd have to leave room for a late afternoon snack since dinner doesn't happen until 7 at the earliest.

Celery.

It takes more calories to eat than it provides, apparently