70 lbs down - starting to struggle with hunger
Jmgkamp
Posts: 278 Member
Hi All. I'm 70 lbs down, currently weigh 149, 42 yo and female. 134 is the start of a "normal" BMI. Ideally I'd like to be in the low 120s/high 110s.
I hit my lowest weight a week ago (148.8) bounced up a few and came down, still not to my low. It's understandable and I'm not concerned about that fluctuation. However... I'm HUNGRY. I have a completely sedentary job, but I do make a point of working out just about every day for 45-60 min. Sometimes 45 min at lunch and again in the evening.
I stick to 1200 calories. I try not to eat my calories back - but if I'm really hungry I eat some. I've had a few days at maintenance and I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone over on one hand...
I'm just seeming to be much more hungry, consistently hungry, at this point. I typically do IF (skip breakfast/lunch, eat from 4:30-11). I'm just struggling. Any advice?
I have dropped 5 sizes, my fitness level/endurance is pretty strong, and I know that I look great. But I also know I've got more weight to lose.
My routine is mainly cardio, but I do strength training 2x each week.
Any wisdom you all care to share?
I hit my lowest weight a week ago (148.8) bounced up a few and came down, still not to my low. It's understandable and I'm not concerned about that fluctuation. However... I'm HUNGRY. I have a completely sedentary job, but I do make a point of working out just about every day for 45-60 min. Sometimes 45 min at lunch and again in the evening.
I stick to 1200 calories. I try not to eat my calories back - but if I'm really hungry I eat some. I've had a few days at maintenance and I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone over on one hand...
I'm just seeming to be much more hungry, consistently hungry, at this point. I typically do IF (skip breakfast/lunch, eat from 4:30-11). I'm just struggling. Any advice?
I have dropped 5 sizes, my fitness level/endurance is pretty strong, and I know that I look great. But I also know I've got more weight to lose.
My routine is mainly cardio, but I do strength training 2x each week.
Any wisdom you all care to share?
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Replies
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Perhaps up your 1200 calories, if I ate 1200 every day I'd be starving. Do you eat foods high in fibre and/or protein? They'll help you feel fuller for longer.0
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The cardio may be contributing to feeling more hungry. Maybe try and scale it back a little or replace with HIIT 3-4 times a week. Or maybe try doing some more strength training and less cardio!(: 1200 is also pretty low. Are you able to increase cals at all and still be in deficit? Also make sure you're getting your optimal fat, proteins, and keeping up the fiber!0
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1200 is low for most women. It's natural to be hungry on 1200. Why not try 1400 as a new goal? You'll still lose weight but it'll just be a little slower. Remember, you're in for the long haul - make sustainable habits.0
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Are you eating your exercise calories back? How long have you been in a deficit/have you considered a diet break?0
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You were 220 pounds and you are now 150 pounds that is awesome and you should give yourself a break. I've done the math and when I get down to 150 pounds I'm figuring to lose about a half pound per week until I reach my final goal. 149 pounds is not bad and infact it's pretty good. Ease up a little bit. Slow down the pace and slowly coast to the finish line. There's no reason to starve yourself at this point. You did a great job. Maybe eat at the maintenance calories for your goal weight. Sure it will go slower than eating at 1200 but you would get there just the same and you wouldn't be hungry all the time.0
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pinggolfer96 wrote: »The cardio may be contributing to feeling more hungry. Maybe try and scale it back a little or replace with HIIT 3-4 times a week. Or maybe try doing some more strength training and less cardio!(: 1200 is also pretty low. Are you able to increase cals at all and still be in deficit? Also make sure you're getting your optimal fat, proteins, and keeping up the fiber!
I'm doing a pretty good job with my macros now. Finally! And I plan to increase strength training. I'm one of those who didn't listen about how important it was to start strength training earlier in the process and I'm paying the price now
I have some wiggle room. But very little. A 1 oz piece of cheese could throw me over, easily. But I do think I'm probably being overly cautious because I don't want to get derailed.
This is my big issue with strength training: the day after I lift heavy I feel like I could eat anything not tied down! I control myself, but good Lord does that make me want to eat!!
A diet break sounds intriguing, but I'm afraid it will last through 2016!! Not really, but you follow what I'm saying. I am considering going to maintenance, or a bit below, and doing minimal cardio with heavily increased weights. Am I paraphrasing your suggestion? I think I might just be.
Have any of you done this? Replaced cardio with weights and seen success? I don't really care what the scale says as much as what my reflection does.0 -
I'm also to the point where time stands still when I'm doing straight cardio. I hop on and it seems like FOREVER but the clock says 3 min 37 sec0
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arditarose wrote: »Are you eating your exercise calories back? How long have you been in a deficit/have you considered a diet break?
I eat back "some" but keep it to 50% bc I don't have a HRM and I know I'm not burning 550 in an hour on the cross trainer. I've been at this since March. I lost a lot, quickly, because I started at quite a heavy weight...0 -
I'm now losing very, very, excruciatingly, slowly... Which is okay. But not with only 1200 calories. That's just w r O n g!!! Lol.0
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pinggolfer96 wrote: »The cardio may be contributing to feeling more hungry. Maybe try and scale it back a little or replace with HIIT 3-4 times a week. Or maybe try doing some more strength training and less cardio!(: 1200 is also pretty low. Are you able to increase cals at all and still be in deficit? Also make sure you're getting your optimal fat, proteins, and keeping up the fiber!
I'm doing a pretty good job with my macros now. Finally! And I plan to increase strength training. I'm one of those who didn't listen about how important it was to start strength training earlier in the process and I'm paying the price now
I have some wiggle room. But very little. A 1 oz piece of cheese could throw me over, easily. But I do think I'm probably being overly cautious because I don't want to get derailed.
This is my big issue with strength training: the day after I lift heavy I feel like I could eat anything not tied down! I control myself, but good Lord does that make me want to eat!!
A diet break sounds intriguing, but I'm afraid it will last through 2016!! Not really, but you follow what I'm saying. I am considering going to maintenance, or a bit below, and doing minimal cardio with heavily increased weights. Am I paraphrasing your suggestion? I think I might just be.
Have any of you done this? Replaced cardio with weights and seen success? I don't really care what the scale says as much as what my reflection does.
I lift heavy and I stopped cardio. Honestly, I try to do it sometimes and I will just stop after 5 minutes. I lost my last 10-15 pounds with cardio maybe once or twice per week, 30 min each time. I maintained throughout the summer with zero cardio, and I've been in a deficit for the past 7 weeks or so doing no cardio...lost a few pounds and inches.
Sometimes I think I lose very slowly because I'm short and don't do cardio, but I do really like the results I'm getting aesthetically.
Anyway, I took a maintenance break...I couldn't quite eat at maintenance for a full two weeks straight (mental block) but I did something close to it, and it was awesome. My performance in the gym was better, I actually dropped the couple of pounds I had been waiting on, and it got me back on track logging wise (you bet I was logging accurately if I thought I was going to eat at maintenance).
I do get very hungry in a deficit while lifting heavy, but remember, there's not reason to try to lose 2 pounds per week anymore (if that's your goal). And if you're lifting, you're saving LBM and you may not even need to get as low on the scale as you thought you would if you have muscle left
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You were 220 pounds and you are now 150 pounds that is awesome and you should give yourself a break. I've done the math and when I get down to 150 pounds I'm figuring to lose about a half pound per week until I reach my final goal. 149 pounds is not bad and infact it's pretty good. Ease up a little bit. Slow down the pace and slowly coast to the finish line. There's no reason to starve yourself at this point. You did a great job. Maybe eat at the maintenance calories for your goal weight. Sure it will go slower than eating at 1200 but you would get there just the same and you wouldn't be hungry all the time.
I may just be in love with your suggestion
I know that I've got to tweak something. I did have 2 major NSVs in the past few weeks. First, at the gym (where I spend my work lunches) a rock-solid woman who I see a lot came up to me to tell me how amazed she was at my progress. Second, a woman I work with who is fit told me that although she knew I was still trying to lose weight she wanted me to know that if I didn't, I should know that I look great as I am now. (Which coming from 220 is obviously a big change. But if I started at 120 and put on 30 pounds I'm pretty sure would not look so great...)0 -
When you went to maintenance did you notice the "jump" in "fake weight" (glycogen restoration) right away? And did it fall off rapidly?arditarose wrote: »pinggolfer96 wrote: »The cardio may be contributing to feeling more hungry. Maybe try and scale it back a little or replace with HIIT 3-4 times a week. Or maybe try doing some more strength training and less cardio!(: 1200 is also pretty low. Are you able to increase cals at all and still be in deficit? Also make sure you're getting your optimal fat, proteins, and keeping up the fiber!
I'm doing a pretty good job with my macros now. Finally! And I plan to increase strength training. I'm one of those who didn't listen about how important it was to start strength training earlier in the process and I'm paying the price now
I have some wiggle room. But very little. A 1 oz piece of cheese could throw me over, easily. But I do think I'm probably being overly cautious because I don't want to get derailed.
This is my big issue with strength training: the day after I lift heavy I feel like I could eat anything not tied down! I control myself, but good Lord does that make me want to eat!!
A diet break sounds intriguing, but I'm afraid it will last through 2016!! Not really, but you follow what I'm saying. I am considering going to maintenance, or a bit below, and doing minimal cardio with heavily increased weights. Am I paraphrasing your suggestion? I think I might just be.
Have any of you done this? Replaced cardio with weights and seen success? I don't really care what the scale says as much as what my reflection does.
I lift heavy and I stopped cardio. Honestly, I try to do it sometimes and I will just stop after 5 minutes. I lost my last 10-15 pounds with cardio maybe once or twice per week, 30 min each time. I maintained throughout the summer with zero cardio, and I've been in a deficit for the past 7 weeks or so doing no cardio...lost a few pounds and inches.
Sometimes I think I lose very slowly because I'm short and don't do cardio, but I do really like the results I'm getting aesthetically.
Anyway, I took a maintenance break...I couldn't quite eat at maintenance for a full two weeks straight (mental block) but I did something close to it, and it was awesome. My performance in the gym was better, I actually dropped the couple of pounds I had been waiting on, and it got me back on track logging wise (you bet I was logging accurately if I thought I was going to eat at maintenance).
I do get very hungry in a deficit while lifting heavy, but remember, there's not reason to try to lose 2 pounds per week anymore (if that's your goal). And if you're lifting, you're saving LBM and you may not even need to get as low on the scale as you thought you would if you have muscle left
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And THANK YOU to everyone who commented. You wanna know one of my "diet" secrets? Sometimes when I'm hungry I come here and just read...0
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When you went to maintenance did you notice the "jump" in "fake weight" (glycogen restoration) right away? And did it fall off rapidly?arditarose wrote: »pinggolfer96 wrote: »The cardio may be contributing to feeling more hungry. Maybe try and scale it back a little or replace with HIIT 3-4 times a week. Or maybe try doing some more strength training and less cardio!(: 1200 is also pretty low. Are you able to increase cals at all and still be in deficit? Also make sure you're getting your optimal fat, proteins, and keeping up the fiber!
I'm doing a pretty good job with my macros now. Finally! And I plan to increase strength training. I'm one of those who didn't listen about how important it was to start strength training earlier in the process and I'm paying the price now
I have some wiggle room. But very little. A 1 oz piece of cheese could throw me over, easily. But I do think I'm probably being overly cautious because I don't want to get derailed.
This is my big issue with strength training: the day after I lift heavy I feel like I could eat anything not tied down! I control myself, but good Lord does that make me want to eat!!
A diet break sounds intriguing, but I'm afraid it will last through 2016!! Not really, but you follow what I'm saying. I am considering going to maintenance, or a bit below, and doing minimal cardio with heavily increased weights. Am I paraphrasing your suggestion? I think I might just be.
Have any of you done this? Replaced cardio with weights and seen success? I don't really care what the scale says as much as what my reflection does.
I lift heavy and I stopped cardio. Honestly, I try to do it sometimes and I will just stop after 5 minutes. I lost my last 10-15 pounds with cardio maybe once or twice per week, 30 min each time. I maintained throughout the summer with zero cardio, and I've been in a deficit for the past 7 weeks or so doing no cardio...lost a few pounds and inches.
Sometimes I think I lose very slowly because I'm short and don't do cardio, but I do really like the results I'm getting aesthetically.
Anyway, I took a maintenance break...I couldn't quite eat at maintenance for a full two weeks straight (mental block) but I did something close to it, and it was awesome. My performance in the gym was better, I actually dropped the couple of pounds I had been waiting on, and it got me back on track logging wise (you bet I was logging accurately if I thought I was going to eat at maintenance).
I do get very hungry in a deficit while lifting heavy, but remember, there's not reason to try to lose 2 pounds per week anymore (if that's your goal). And if you're lifting, you're saving LBM and you may not even need to get as low on the scale as you thought you would if you have muscle left
I don't really remember. Maybe a pound or 2, but I fluctuate between 5 pounds ALL the time so I might not be the best person to ask.
The thing you have to remember is you know how to log. You're losing weight. Trust yourself and your stats. You don't gain weight in maintenance. It's maintenance lol.
You could always add a couple hundred one week, and a couple hundred for the next. Or just stay 100 calories under where you think maintenance is, if it makes you feel more secure.0 -
Well lady, I'd do a flipping MC HAMMER dance if I could get my body to look like yours. So weight training it is.0
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I think you made a great choice and again congrats on your weight loss. I can't wait to reach 149 pounds. 0
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Honestly, you've done a great job, but you might need a diet break (mentally if nothing else). I'd suggest eating at maintenance for a month or two, and then a smaller deficit as others have suggested.0
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If you've been weight training, your body might be doing some recomp, although you seem to be eating at a pretty big deficit, so that's not as likely. Have you been taking measurements too?
I agree with everyone saying it's OK to slow it down a bit. I know it seems scary to eat a little more, the fear that a little will turn into a lot. My advice would be to change your deficit on MFP and keep eating what it tells you to eat. Keep doing what you've been doing. Continue to eat foods that are working for you, just eat a little more of them.
If you don't fix this problem of hunger now, it will derail you worse later. Stay in control.0 -
First of all, congratulations! Second of all, you need to eat your exercise calories back. Trust me, it's okay! I used to be afraid of doing that too, but I realized it's okay to do. I started here at the end of June at 139 pounds, I'm 117 pounds now. I used to eat 1200 calories and none of my exercise calories back. I grew tired. I realized how hungry I was, so I started doing 25-50% back. When I got my Fitbit Charge HR, I'd eat back 50-75%. I still lost weight. Now I'm eating 100% of them back. I eat 1700-2300 calories per day depending on how many exercise calories I earn back and I'm still losing weight. My body runs so much better when I just let myself eat. Just as my body was trying to tell me something, your body is sending you signals. Sticking to 1200 calories without eating any exercise calories back is a dangerous game. If you're scared, try increasing your intake by 250 calories per day and see how that goes after a few weeks. I guarantee you'll be pleased with the results and your body will thank you.0
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Wow, what an awesome transformation! From what i've picked up on these boards you should be eating back some of your exercise calories. Maybe try 25%-50% and see how that works. Especially if you plan on increasing your strength training. Dropping 5 sizes is a sweet accomplishment-nice work!0
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I took a break and ate at maintenance for the last two weeks of July and 1st two weeks of August. I continued to do strength training but had to cut back on the cardio because of an injury. I was able to resume eating at a deficit without problems. I love my cardio, I wished I had the time to do more, but I know others who just do lifting. I think exercise needs to be enjoyable, maybe you can find some type of cardio you enjoy more. Congratulations on a fantastic loss so far and don't be afraid of taking a break by eating more calories for awhile, you can always go back to eating at a larger deficit again.0
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Maybe take a break, eat for a few weeks closer to maintenance?
Also what you eat might be affecting you. Some foods have much higher volume than others for the same calories. If you have mainly e.g. focused on calories so far by eating smaller portions, changing what you eat might help.0 -
I hate cardio. I love lifting. So that's what I do.0
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Being left hungry is counter-productive for weight loss. Research in UK shows how it can lead to weight gain. This is because the body has a primitive response to food shortage, and starts to put fat away. At same time we actually start craving fatty or carb-rich foods. So at best we're just left fighting our instincts. There has also been tons of research to show that we're much more likely to keep the weight off over time if we cut weight slowly. I've been going for 1 pound a week - the weeks roll by and the weight rolls off!0
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I just logged 126 pounds, so that leaves me with 6 pounds to my ultimate goal of 120. I am 44, and only 5'1". Weight comes off much more slowly nowadays and if I don't do any activity at all, I might lose .3 pounds or even less on 1200 calories a day, which is no good. LOL. I do love my treadmill and have some hand weights that I use on there, so that's what I do so I can try and get .5 loss a week or more. But at this point, other than trying to shrink my extremely stubborn belly i'm not in any big hurry.
In response to this:This is because the body has a primitive response to food shortage, and starts to put fat away.
No.0 -
I seem to be back on track in the hunger department. Hormonal cravings were bad this month, and they're getting stronger and more frequent. So there's that.
But... I'm coasting to the finish line now. It'll be a long road, but there's no other choice. I'm not dropping to a ridiculously low calorie limit. It would be counterproductive (I'm trying to keep my LBM) and unsustainable. And just unhealthy. So I'm just gonna keep on trucking.
Thanks all!0 -
Hi All. I'm 70 lbs down, currently weigh 149, 42 yo and female. 134 is the start of a "normal" BMI. Ideally I'd like to be in the low 120s/high 110s.
I hit my lowest weight a week ago (148.8) bounced up a few and came down, still not to my low. It's understandable and I'm not concerned about that fluctuation. However... I'm HUNGRY. I have a completely sedentary job, but I do make a point of working out just about every day for 45-60 min. Sometimes 45 min at lunch and again in the evening.
I stick to 1200 calories. I try not to eat my calories back - but if I'm really hungry I eat some. I've had a few days at maintenance and I can count on one hand the number of times I've gone over on one hand...
I'm just seeming to be much more hungry, consistently hungry, at this point. I typically do IF (skip breakfast/lunch, eat from 4:30-11). I'm just struggling. Any advice?
I have dropped 5 sizes, my fitness level/endurance is pretty strong, and I know that I look great. But I also know I've got more weight to lose.
My routine is mainly cardio, but I do strength training 2x each week.
Any wisdom you all care to share?
Congratulations on your weight loss! Job well done!
What is your height?
What is the weight range for you to be in a normal BMI?
I ask because you say you that 134 lbs is the start of a normal BMI, but you want to get lower. That means you will be underweight.
At this juncture in your weight loss, you need to be eating more.
You are hungry because your deficit is too aggressive.
It seems to me you are already close to normal weight (depending on your height). If you truly have more to lose, please set your goals to lose .5 pounds a week. That will increase your calorie level significantly while still keeping you in a deficit.
If you look great and feel great, why do you want to lose more weight?0
This discussion has been closed.
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