Can't win

Jayne19099
Jayne19099 Posts: 149 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I feel like I can’t win at this weight loss goal. I can muster the self-discipline to lower my calories to about 1800 a day. I’m usually hungry all day and I can’t focus to get much work done. I eat well, I’ll have oatmeal for breakfast, have green chicken salads for lunch, snack on sliced veggies, and most of my food is whole food. I track my calories and I always get so hungry. I can ignore the hunger for a while and then I splurge. Today I had a muffin at lunch and now I’m 300 calories over my daily goal and I haven’t even had dinner. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and can get my weight down and then it just pops right back up again. I’ve tried so many diets, low calorie, paleo, keto, vegetarian, whole foods, eating by hunger. I just don’t seem to be one of those people who can lose weight. All I want to do is eat. I wonder if maybe it’s more in my head and I need to see a therapist or something.

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Can you open up your diary so we can look at it? We might have some suggestions that could help.

    OFf the top of my head, I'm wondering how much protein you're getting. I have to have a higher protein breakfast or I feel wiped out all day. I normally alternate between overnight oats made with protein powder and higher protein milk and a breakfast of eggs and high protein milk. This morning I was running late and stopped at a coffee shop, bought some of their overnight oats, which were delicious but definitely a much lower protein breakfast than I am used to. I have felt pretty blah all day and I know that is what caused it.

    Sometimes it's the number of calories that you're eating that causes you to feel hungry, sometimes it's the type of food you're eating, and yes sometimes it is in your head. We can help make some suggestions about the first two possibilities if you let us peak at your diary.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I agree with protein. Also healthy fats help me feel fuller longer.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    It's tough to feel so discouraged.

    1800 calories + exercise gives you a decent amount to work with. I know that some people swear by pre-logging. Have you tried that? You can work in chocolate or wine or whatever your favorite indulgences are. I know that, for me, avoiding food groups (like you have listed on your profile) doesn't work...an "off limits" mentality feels very punitive and I'm not about to stick with it for the long haul.

  • Amandajs232
    Amandajs232 Posts: 194 Member
    I am vegetarian and find healthy protein is the difference between success and failure. Also start with huge portions of the lowest calorie vegetables - broccoli, green beans, etc. Also don't be afraid to be a little hungry if you know you are eating properly - embrace it as acknowledgment that you had been eating far too much previously and your body is adjusting and drink water at this point. If you do this you will soon find the hunger goes away. If you must "splurge" go for more vegetables rather than a cake.
  • Wicked_Seraph
    Wicked_Seraph Posts: 388 Member
    edited April 2016
    Sometimes, I find that the hunger isn't actually hunger - it's a combination of boredom, stress, or simple thirst. After a while of eating basically whenever, I found it jarring to force myself to determine if I was hungry - or if I just wanted to eat. I don't think that every bite of food that goes in your mouth should be purely because of hunger, but on the same token I found myself eating a boatload of calories for times I thought I was hungry... when really, it was time to eat and I had the room in my stomach. Try drinking a cup of water or something before snacking, and see if you feel better. Often, I find that I do :)

    That being said - I also found that restrictions for certain food groups is unhelpful. Stay within your calories when possible, but don't limit yourself, or you'll just feel deprived and crave those items more. Eat what you want - but within limits. Often, we have an exaggerated sense of what a normal portion looks like, and logging calories helps bring us back to healthier limits.
  • violetness
    violetness Posts: 131 Member
    And are you exercising? I could not eat for three weeks straight, and unless I was exercising, I wouldn't lose an ounce. Ever heard of that Indian man who says he hasn't eaten or drank anything for 70 years? That would be me. I may lose a few pounds by then lol http://abcnews.go.com/Health/International/man-eat-drink/story?id=10787036
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Jayne19099 wrote: »
    I feel like I can’t win at this weight loss goal. I can muster the self-discipline to lower my calories to about 1800 a day. I’m usually hungry all day and I can’t focus to get much work done. I eat well, I’ll have oatmeal for breakfast, have green chicken salads for lunch, snack on sliced veggies, and most of my food is whole food. I track my calories and I always get so hungry. I can ignore the hunger for a while and then I splurge. Today I had a muffin at lunch and now I’m 300 calories over my daily goal and I haven’t even had dinner. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and can get my weight down and then it just pops right back up again. I’ve tried so many diets, low calorie, paleo, keto, vegetarian, whole foods, eating by hunger. I just don’t seem to be one of those people who can lose weight. All I want to do is eat. I wonder if maybe it’s more in my head and I need to see a therapist or something.

    If your goal is 1800 and you had oatmeal, a salad, raw veggies and a muffin how did that put you over? What was in that salad?
  • KristenNagle1
    KristenNagle1 Posts: 83 Member
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Jayne19099 wrote: »
    I feel like I can’t win at this weight loss goal. I can muster the self-discipline to lower my calories to about 1800 a day. I’m usually hungry all day and I can’t focus to get much work done. I eat well, I’ll have oatmeal for breakfast, have green chicken salads for lunch, snack on sliced veggies, and most of my food is whole food. I track my calories and I always get so hungry. I can ignore the hunger for a while and then I splurge. Today I had a muffin at lunch and now I’m 300 calories over my daily goal and I haven’t even had dinner. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and can get my weight down and then it just pops right back up again. I’ve tried so many diets, low calorie, paleo, keto, vegetarian, whole foods, eating by hunger. I just don’t seem to be one of those people who can lose weight. All I want to do is eat. I wonder if maybe it’s more in my head and I need to see a therapist or something.

    If your goal is 1800 and you had oatmeal, a salad, raw veggies and a muffin how did that put you over? What was in that salad?

    I was thinking the same thing!
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    Op, if you make your diary public we can take a peek at it and offer suggestions.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    KristenNagle1 wrote: »
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    Jayne19099 wrote: »
    I feel like I can’t win at this weight loss goal. I can muster the self-discipline to lower my calories to about 1800 a day. I’m usually hungry all day and I can’t focus to get much work done. I eat well, I’ll have oatmeal for breakfast, have green chicken salads for lunch, snack on sliced veggies, and most of my food is whole food. I track my calories and I always get so hungry. I can ignore the hunger for a while and then I splurge. Today I had a muffin at lunch and now I’m 300 calories over my daily goal and I haven’t even had dinner. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and can get my weight down and then it just pops right back up again. I’ve tried so many diets, low calorie, paleo, keto, vegetarian, whole foods, eating by hunger. I just don’t seem to be one of those people who can lose weight. All I want to do is eat. I wonder if maybe it’s more in my head and I need to see a therapist or something.

    If your goal is 1800 and you had oatmeal, a salad, raw veggies and a muffin how did that put you over? What was in that salad?

    I was thinking the same thing!

    Yeah...that doesn't make sense.

    1800 calories of whole foods is a LOT. There is no reason why that should not fill you up.

    Are you getting enough:
    -water?
    -fiber?
    -fat?
  • jandsstevenson887
    jandsstevenson887 Posts: 296 Member
    Some of this is just going to take willpower. You can have all the tools in the world but you have to chose to use them. And you need to build in things like muffins in your diet. My total was 1300 today and I just had some York peppermint patty minis.
  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
    Jayne19099 wrote: »
    I feel like I can’t win at this weight loss goal. I can muster the self-discipline to lower my calories to about 1800 a day. I’m usually hungry all day and I can’t focus to get much work done. I eat well, I’ll have oatmeal for breakfast, have green chicken salads for lunch, snack on sliced veggies, and most of my food is whole food. I track my calories and I always get so hungry. I can ignore the hunger for a while and then I splurge. Today I had a muffin at lunch and now I’m 300 calories over my daily goal and I haven’t even had dinner. I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and can get my weight down and then it just pops right back up again. I’ve tried so many diets, low calorie, paleo, keto, vegetarian, whole foods, eating by hunger. I just don’t seem to be one of those people who can lose weight. All I want to do is eat. I wonder if maybe it’s more in my head and I need to see a therapist or something.

    How long are you staying on these diets?

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Bad food choices.

    Oatmeal alone for breakfast will never fill you up, especially if you're using plain instant oatmeal.. it's a recipe for disaster. You want to have plenty of protein and fat in your first meal, and oatmeal just doesn't have either unless you add some protein and/or fat. If I have oatmeal, it's typically steel cut oats (the 5-7 minutes kind), and I cook it in milk/almond milk, then add half a scoop of protein powder and some nuts.

    Then your lunch... add some fat. Put some nuts and/or cheese in that salad. And avocado. Then plenty of veggies (I don't waste calories on dressings, they just don't fill me up - I just use mustard and vinegar). Even then, I found that I need carbs to keep me going, personally... so I'd add 80g of rice or a slice of bread or something.

    Your snacks - same, no protein or fat. A Greek yogurt with some fruit, or a piece of cheese with some fruit will be more calories but way more filling.

    Honestly you have to find what works for you, but I know that for me, I need carbs to help me feel full too. The most filling meal for me? 100g of protein, 100g of veggies, 100g of complex carbs (potato, rice, pasta, beans, whatever). That's typically around 400 calories too.
  • valente347
    valente347 Posts: 201 Member
    edited April 2016
    I feel hungry a lot if I don't have coffee, don't get enough sleep, am really stressed, my workout schedule gets messed up, or eat a ton of carbs with little protein for breakfast.

    You could also try skipping breakfast. I usually eat breakfast, but if I do skip it I tend to hungry for lunch later. It also gives me more calories later in the day. (I enjoy breakfast and continue to eat it, but if I want extra calories for something, I skip it.)

    I also like eating until I'm full, so I drink a lot of liquids with my meals, not just water and coffee, but also things like chicken broth and tomato juice.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    I'll agree on here with opening your diary so we can take a better look because something isn't adding up right. I work with 1330 calories and there are days when I still have calories left over (and I didn't get fat snorting pixie sticks, I ate).
    I find that often I have boredom/dehydration hunger, I'm not actually hungry but something makes me think I am and it's taken me some time and effort to get better at differentiating the two.
  • Btheodore138
    Btheodore138 Posts: 182 Member
    I eat around 1500 calories a day, and found that a diet high in protein and a good amount of healthy fats keep me satiated. If I just ate carbs for breakfast, no matter what kind they are, I would be STARVING within hours. You're welcome to peek at my diary if you need any ideas. Also, if you've just eaten and still feel hungry, try having some water and waiting 10 minutes. If you're still hungry, go back and have something else. It takes your stomach awhile to register that you're full.

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