Empty feeling

bmcohen2780
bmcohen2780 Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was 305 when I started this diet. I have done other diets where I started great then started feeling too empty. I'm active at work but have a junk food obsession and a crazy sweet tooth.
What does anyone else do when they get that empty feeling and only a sugar and fat binge seems to fill you? I'm trying desperately to not fail this time

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Lifting filled that spot for me until I learned to eat sugary foods in moderation.
  • sharonandwyatt
    sharonandwyatt Posts: 86 Member
    If I feel like I need something that won't fit into my daily calorie allowance. I go for a long walk and earn some extra calories back. Fruit also satisfy my cravings
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    Interrupting the ritual helps. Get up and do something different (preferably outdoors, if the weather is nice.) Talk to a neighbor. Do a household chore you've been putting off. Find a great book and lose yourself in it.

    Sugary treats will be waiting for you when you're feeling stronger.
  • bmcohen2780
    bmcohen2780 Posts: 17 Member
    I also end up with at least 1700 calories by end of the day. Maybe I'm not eating enough? I'm allowed 2410 but that always goes up because I'm always moving. I get 8-11k steps a day on Pacer
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    edited March 2016
    Sounds like you probably need to eat more!

    Don't feel that you can't have so-called "junk" and sweets, unless you really can't control yourself around them - fit them into your calorie goal so you can still have something you love. It sounds like you have plenty of wiggle room for that, and if you really have that many calories left over then that probably explains why you feel empty...! :smile:
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    bmcohen2780 wrote: »
    I also end up with at least 1700 calories by end of the day. Maybe I'm not eating enough? I'm allowed 2410 but that always goes up because I'm always moving. I get 8-11k steps a day on Pacer

    Are you weighing your food? How much weight are you set to lose per week?

  • bmcohen2780
    bmcohen2780 Posts: 17 Member
    I am weighing it. I set for 1.5 lbs a week. Maybe I just need to eat more bananas to gain calories without adding fat and sugar
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    bananas are sugar. Stick to bacon and eggs.
  • anniemac08
    anniemac08 Posts: 8 Member
    When I feel the empty feeling, I find that drinking a glass of water helps (though it sometimes feels like torture when I know I'd rather have something sweet/salty and delicious!). I second interrupting the ritual, I like the way vivmom2014 phrased that.
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    edited March 2016
    bmcohen2780 wrote: »
    I am weighing it. I set for 1.5 lbs a week. Maybe I just need to eat more bananas to gain calories without adding fat and sugar

    Do you need to be on a low-fat or low-sugar diet for a medical reason? If not, then try actually adding more fat to your diet (make sure you're still weighing and logging it).

    I personally am finding that a higher percentage of fat and protein helps me to feel more full and I get less cravings for sweet things. As far as I can tell (from what I've read on these forums by posters I'd trust), unless you need to avoid it due to medical issues there's no reason not to include higher fat options that fit within your calorie goals. Try things like nuts, peanut butter, avocados, full fat milk, cheese, Greek yogurt etc.

    Don't think of fat and sugar as 'evil', especially if you end up craving them anyway, and especially as it sounds like trying to avoid them is causing you to eat far too little. No particular food caused you to gain weight, eating too much caused it. At 300lbs you're carrying enough weight right now that you can easily eat way more than you say you do and still lose pounds. You'll be more likely to stick to your new lifestyle if you find ways to fit in the foods you enjoy. If you cut them out, you might crave them even more just because they're 'forbidden' - then if you do binge on them you could feel like you've "failed" and give up.

    You don't have to be miserable and hungry in order to lose weight. You just need to find what works for you.
  • Suzanne106
    Suzanne106 Posts: 149 Member
    It sounds like you need more "real" food with protein and fiber to fill you up. If you have a sweet tooth, try a granola bar with chocolate chips like the new GOODNESS bars. They come in 4 small squares so you get the taste but not the waste and you don't feel guilty. Good Luck!
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    bmcohen2780 wrote: »
    I am weighing it. I set for 1.5 lbs a week. Maybe I just need to eat more bananas to gain calories without adding fat and sugar

    Fruit has lots of sugar. Nothing wrong with sugar. And, as a PP said, nothing wrong with fat.

    Your bottom line here is calories. Weigh your food & track your intake, and stay under your calorie goal. Eat any & every thing that you enjoy - with an eye toward meeting macros... but even that can come a little later. Just get comfortable with accurate intake. Do not impose arbitrary eating rules upon yourself.

    Sure, there are some foods that we all feel a little weak around. You can keep them out of house & mind for a while. But there's just no need to think of them as "bad" or "evil". You want to have a satisfying relationship with food, and you'll get there. The power rests in your hands.

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