Slowly giving up because I'm always hungry
Replies
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Agree with others above that planning to include the foods that tempt you, in small quantities and as part of a primarily nutrient dense diet, can often make those out of control cravings go away.
You said you only have 15 lbs to lose and had your goal set to 0.5 lb/week and you're eating back exercise calories. That's great! Those are all the right ways to be successful! Were you losing at that rate, or faster?
You also mentioned being hungry quite often, are you getting plenty of protein? When I started exercising more it really surprised me how much better that made me feel.
I would keep at what you are doing but try working prelogged amounts of the foods you crave into your plan before attempting to go cold turkey or looking at appetite suppressants. With only 15 lbs to lose I really don't think you need to resort to medication. I think you need to really give moderation a go, and then if that doesn't work, or if you identify certain trigger foods, then maybe try some elimination of those either temporarily or permanently.0 -
I'm going to be honest, I didn't read the rest of the conversation, but I did take a look at your food diary. I know that for me when my goal was 1600 (yours is a less) that I was always eating over and always disappointed in myself. So step one, to give it one last try, I changed my goal to "lose .5 lbs a week", which shot it up to 1790, and then step two) I added a couple more calories for good measure. Now I had an attainable goal of 1810.
(I actually just glanced up and it said that you were already set to lose .5 lbs a week, which seems kind of silly to me. I think you should do some research on your BMR (likely around 1500) and your maintenance (likely between 1800 and 2300) and just net at 250 calories under maintenance, including eating your exercise calories).
Now step three) is to change your snacking habits. I saw that you eat a LOT of chocolate, like hundreds and hundreds of calories of chocolate, which is calorie dense. If you try and switch your chocolate craving to rice cakes (if you need salt) or an apple (if you need sweet) and eat just 100-150 calories of that it might be nearly as filling and help to satisfy that craving. You can still have a couple hundred calories of chocolate after supper if you really need it, but try and see it as a treat for doing well the whole day rather than a regularly incorporated snack.0 -
Would you please change your Sodium count to Fiber? I want to see if you are getting enough fiber, which is important for satiety. I don't see a lot of vegetables in your diary. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
Looks like you are getting most of your protein from diary and nuts? What about eggs (if you eat them) and especially legumes, which are a staple for my vegan friends?
When I do the following, I don't have cravings:
1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me.
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
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I still eat snacks and have cookies and such if it fits I eat it lol. Have a treat if it fits in your coloric allotment, because if you do not have little things here and their youl'll more than likely want to binge.0
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The way I look at it is that in six months to a year from now I don't want to wish I had stuck with it right now. Looking at where I want to be in the future helps me a lot. If you give up now and look back a year from now at where you were when you gave up then it will really be depressing. Keep moving forward!0
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I recently figured out I was low in magnesium. I only found this out when I cut out some foods to figure out a health issue and suddenly was a lot less hungry and with no interest in chocolate whatsoever. I was only a week into the experiment and I'd gone from "struggling to avoid 700+ calories of chocolate per day" to "I don't want it even though it's on a lower, easier-to-reach shelf than the vegetables". In. A. Week.
Looking at your diary, I see a lot of chocolate and very little that would be high in magnesium. Might be worth a try? Good foods for magnesium are things like bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, a couple of squares of dark chocolate - though I didn't even fancy the dark chocolate once I'd had lots of the other stuff.0 -
Take a break and eat at maintenance for a few days every few weeks. If you have been overweight for years, then getting to your goal weight a few weeks later than you would if you had been "perfect" won't make any difference. Unless, that is, you still aren't satisfied even when you eat at maintenance. In that case you may need to look at some deeper changes in your lifestyle/attitude/habits/mental health.0
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kimouette2 wrote: »Hi guys,
I feel like I am giving up on my caloric goal and I know that this is all because of my lack of willpower/sugar cravings/carb cravings/and the fact that I am surrounded by sugary food and chocolate at work.
Couple of weeks ago I felt like nothing could stop me! I was eating right, I was finally losing weight and feeling amazing while respecting my caloric goals. But cheat after cheat, I am now completely unable to stick to my goal... I don't even monitor everything I eat because it is too disappointing...
Deep down unside I know what I want, I do exercise almost every single day, I love healthy food and I know what is right for me, but I feel like a junky when it comes to resisting to a cookie or a piece of cake.
I am a vegetarian and would like to keep it that way.
Do you guys have any recommendation? Have you been there and figured out a way to get back on track?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Kim
Personally I recommend something to help curb the cravings and for me that was Adipex. Like one of the other guys on here who recommended Contrave these doctor prescribed drugs can make a world of difference. I take one pill in the morning and consume 1200-1350 cals a day and have lost 18 lbs in 5 weeks. It just plain works. I would suggest that you include your normal workout routine as well to get the maximum benefit. Find a weight loss doctor in your area and have them create a program that will work for you. I believe that you should use every tool at your disposal to achieve your goals.0 -
fivelongmiles wrote: »I recently figured out I was low in magnesium. I only found this out when I cut out some foods to figure out a health issue and suddenly was a lot less hungry and with no interest in chocolate whatsoever. I was only a week into the experiment and I'd gone from "struggling to avoid 700+ calories of chocolate per day" to "I don't want it even though it's on a lower, easier-to-reach shelf than the vegetables". In. A. Week.
Looking at your diary, I see a lot of chocolate and very little that would be high in magnesium. Might be worth a try? Good foods for magnesium are things like bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes, a couple of squares of dark chocolate - though I didn't even fancy the dark chocolate once I'd had lots of the other stuff.
Ya, if I stop taking my magnesium supplement for more than a few days I'm back to wanting to
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kimouette2 wrote: »Hi guys,
I feel like I am giving up on my caloric goal and I know that this is all because of my lack of willpower/sugar cravings/carb cravings/and the fact that I am surrounded by sugary food and chocolate at work.
Couple of weeks ago I felt like nothing could stop me! I was eating right, I was finally losing weight and feeling amazing while respecting my caloric goals. But cheat after cheat, I am now completely unable to stick to my goal... I don't even monitor everything I eat because it is too disappointing...
Deep down unside I know what I want, I do exercise almost every single day, I love healthy food and I know what is right for me, but I feel like a junky when it comes to resisting to a cookie or a piece of cake.
I am a vegetarian and would like to keep it that way.
Do you guys have any recommendation? Have you been there and figured out a way to get back on track?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Kim
Personally I recommend something to help curb the cravings and for me that was Adipex. Like one of the other guys on here who recommended Contrave these doctor prescribed drugs can make a world of difference. I take one pill in the morning and consume 1200-1350 cals a day and have lost 18 lbs in 5 weeks. It just plain works. I would suggest that you include your normal workout routine as well to get the maximum benefit. Find a weight loss doctor in your area and have them create a program that will work for you. I believe that you should use every tool at your disposal to achieve your goals.
OP only has 15 lbs to lose I don't think prescription weight loss drugs are warranted here...0 -
I think you have to deconstruct the hunger. Most of the examples you give are temptation, habit not genuine hunger.
I believe in feeding real hunger and gradually redirect one habit at a time.0 -
kimouette2 wrote: »Hi guys,
I feel like I am giving up on my caloric goal and I know that this is all because of my lack of willpower/sugar cravings/carb cravings/and the fact that I am surrounded by sugary food and chocolate at work.
Couple of weeks ago I felt like nothing could stop me! I was eating right, I was finally losing weight and feeling amazing while respecting my caloric goals. But cheat after cheat, I am now completely unable to stick to my goal... I don't even monitor everything I eat because it is too disappointing...
Deep down unside I know what I want, I do exercise almost every single day, I love healthy food and I know what is right for me, but I feel like a junky when it comes to resisting to a cookie or a piece of cake.
I am a vegetarian and would like to keep it that way.
Do you guys have any recommendation? Have you been there and figured out a way to get back on track?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Kim
@kimouette2 I had the same problem and gave up over and over for 40 years and wrecked my health until a year and a half ago.
Cravings are not NORMAL and should not exist if the macro is correct or at least in my case but the right one can be very different from person to person. I found the only reason I had cravings was because I had the wrong macro for 40 years and I found it by accident when trying to manage my body pain by diet.
I found it was wrong for me to worry about calories before I found a macro that worked to cut out all of my carvings within 3-4 weeks after testing several for about a month each.
Kim do you think you could do this thing if you had no cravings.0 -
Based on what you guys said or asked, here are couple of clarifications...
I know how proteins are important, I do meet the official recommandation based on MFP, and I do try to eat more protein than I used to (I drink protein shakes, eat plenty of nuts, often trade some deserts for soft tofu mixed with pure cacao, normally eat plenty of tempeh, tofu, lentils, beans and quinoa on a weekly basis etc....). But honestly, even when I exceed my protein ratio, it doesnt affect my sugar/carb cravings.
About chocolat.... please dont just look at the last 4 days of my diary! Everything is very messy because it's Easter, it also happens to be my birthday and I got all these chocolates and cookies as gifts! Look at January, February or the 2 first weeks of March, cuz the last 2 weeks are exceptionally catastrophic.
I do crave these foods on a daily basis, but I almost never get to eat that many extra calories cuz I dont eat out or at other people's house that often!
So if you try to understand how I meet my macros and if I eat enough vegetables and proteins, dont just look at the last 5 days!
Easter, birthday, Valentine's day, Halloween and Christmas are not very good phases in my weight loss journey !
kshama2001, I have just changed my setting to show sodium instead fiber... like you asked. But again, if you want to analyse my diary, dont just look at the past 4-5 days (they are just not normal days).
I do take a multivitamins and minerals supplement, but magnesium is not 100% supplemented in these capsules I take. I will give magnesium supplements a try, even though I thingk I do eat couple of high magnesium food in a week. Just not bananas though, cuz even though they are my favorite fruit (used to eat them EVERY morning in my smoothie), they give me very bad stomachaches...
I only have 15 pounds to lose, so there's no way I am taking any drug to lose weight. This is not a life threatening situation where if I dont lose a lot of weight my heart might give up on me. I simply need to take care of my bad habits and cravings and try not to be too drastic, that's all (which is a lot for me!)
GaleHawkins, maybe the macros are not perfect, but by monitoring my cravings (in my personal agenda), I know for a fact that macros can not be the ONLY responsible cause. I do have hormonal cravings (like many other women on this forum), and also, deep down inside, I know, I remember how chocolat and cookies have always been associated with good moments in my life. Also, I am very stressed (building my own house + working full time) + I quit smoking 2 years ago + I sometimes have insomnia... and like I said, I am surrounded by sugary foods at work. So I know that this is mainly a mental struggle with couple of physical obstacles. Macros are important, but I really feel like all these things I just mentioned are the main reason why I am struggling.0 -
Then you aren't eating enough.0
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It's probably true, I did not eat enough for a while which drove me in the extreme opposite direction: where I still feel hungry after eating an extra 1000 calories!
There are a lot of tweaks and things to try : like allowing myself to eat what I want to eat but in controlled portion, also try to work on my stress and sleep problem, cutting my breakfast in two meals, adding magnesium supplements, drinking more etc... I have lots of things to try and thanks to you guys for pointing out all these good ideas!
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Are you drinking enough water. Sometimes hunger cravings are due to dehydration. Water helps me eat less because it tricks.me.into.feeling fuller0
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More vegetables. Once I refocused on making sure I got my daily 5+ servings of those, things started falling back into place. I weigh and measure everything, because I do not trust my perception. I do my best to 'eat the rainbow', and we're not talking skittles
One little change at a time....I started by simply cutting the cream out of my morning coffee. I wanted those calories for something else. You know what you really want, so take each little decision of the day and make the choice that will give you what you really want. 0 -
kimouette2 wrote: »It's probably true, I did not eat enough for a while which drove me in the extreme opposite direction: where I still feel hungry after eating an extra 1000 calories!
There are a lot of tweaks and things to try : like allowing myself to eat what I want to eat but in controlled portion, also try to work on my stress and sleep problem, cutting my breakfast in two meals, adding magnesium supplements, drinking more etc... I have lots of things to try and thanks to you guys for pointing out all these good ideas!
Looking at your diary I wonder if you have breakfast and all meals? As your sugar level may be dropping and then you need a hit of it?0 -
I always eat atleast 3 meals a day (+morning + afternoon + night snack).6pkdreamer wrote: »kimouette2 wrote: »It's probably true, I did not eat enough for a while which drove me in the extreme opposite direction: where I still feel hungry after eating an extra 1000 calories!
There are a lot of tweaks and things to try : like allowing myself to eat what I want to eat but in controlled portion, also try to work on my stress and sleep problem, cutting my breakfast in two meals, adding magnesium supplements, drinking more etc... I have lots of things to try and thanks to you guys for pointing out all these good ideas!
Looking at your diary I wonder if you have breakfast and all meals? As your sugar level may be dropping and then you need a hit of it?
If you say that because of my diary, know that I recently modified my diary settings to have the 3 snacks separated from my main meals. Adding these 3 categories messed up all the food I had already logged.
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You don't have to give up any food to lose weight. If you want to give up foods, only give up foods that you are willing to give up forever. If you figure out a sustainable eating plan while you are losing weight then you can stick to that basic plan (with a few more calories) for maintenance.
Here's my suggestion:
Start over. Eat the foods you normally eat in the amounts you normally eat, including all of the "bad" foods. Log everything. Always log everything, good days and bad days, so that you have accurate data.
After a couple weeks, go back through your log and see where you might make some sustainable changes. Things like smaller portions or substituting some foods that you like with other foods that you also like and that are satisfying to you.
Also, don't be too aggressive with your weekly loss rate. I you are hungry at 2 pounds per week, start with 0.5 pounds per week (after the initial baseline logging) and see if that works hunger-wise. If it does, you might go for 1 pound per week or just stay at 0.5 pounds per week. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.
So this! This is what I did and not only did I lose the extra weight, I've now been maintaining the loss for several years.
Op-don't set yourself up for failure by making unrealistic changes. Continue eating the foods you enjoy, just focus on portion sizes and eating within your calorie parameters 0 -
I also have a sweet tooth. My recommendation to you is stay away from sweets outside of fruits and honey in moderation. Cold turkey or live with the unhealthy consequences. It's a decision after all. Close that door and like an alcoholic in recovery don't look back.0
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Maybe even 0.5lb a week is too much to aim for (especially with a small amount to lose). I'm petite, so my maintenance calories are very low anyway, so in order to remain healthy and not feel hungry I am aiming for around 1-1.5lb a MONTH loss. It's slow, but I don't feel like I'm suffering. (I've had a crazy week of dance workshops so my diary is a bit bonkers at the moment).
Another way to try and come to terms with cravings it to use rolling average. The app does this well. So there will be some days you are higher and some days lower, but try and maintain an average calorie count. I have days where I would really like some chocolate or a beer, and other days where I'm not bothered. By working on a rolling average this means I don't have to restrict myself.0 -
Hi guys!
Just wanted to let you know that I have been doing what I said I would (giving up on my restrictive diet and just eat whatever I feel like). I have been doing this for almost 2 weeks now and was really scared of the scale because I have exceeded my caloric goal EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 2 weeks. I still do feel guilty when I overeat of give in to eating not 1 or 2 but 3 or 4 cookies.... But guess what? I'm losing weight! I weighed in once every week and each time lost some weight. I cant believe it. I do kill it on the threadmill 6 days a week, but that used to not be enough when I was on my super strict diet!
Like I said, not only do I eat all my workout calories back, but I always eat an extra 100-1000 calories (which is a lot considering I am on a 1330cal/day plan) and the scale is not punishing me... I still cant quite believe it and kind of feel like there's a catch somewhere (like I'm gonna gain weight from all these extra calories in 2 or 3 weeks or something), it's just unbelievable!
Right now, I am so happy 0 -
I don't know if someone also said it but I find fruit to be the substitute if I am craving sugar- my body is craving the vitamins that come w I th the sugar not the sugar itself, when you go to work pack oranges, apples mangos and multi vitamins. That is the only thing I have found that works really well.0
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I'm the same but I'm taking my own snacks for work and swap cravings for healthier alternatives. So I know I can't cut carbs so I've switched to brown and smaller portions. Vegetable chips/crisps, dark chocolate etc...0
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