Stopping IF, relearning fullness? Stay in deficit? Eating way too much.

charlenekapf
charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have always used extreme exercise to lose weight in the past and also have had issues with sleep (staying asleep). I've tried every diet and intermittent fasted for a number of years. As a result, I'm at a 27 BMI, and kind of at a loss at this point. I got down to a 21 BMI years ago but always maintained by wearing myself out running, eating once a day. I have low estrogen+progesterone and hypothyroid. I am on armour but no hormones I believe due to all the stress (mental/physical). anyway, I realize that it is probably best to stop fasting until 4pm every day because I have screwed up my hunger/fullness signals a lot. I would like to eat a sensible amount (1500 calories) daily but not quite sure how to do this without losing sleep and my sanity. Any tips besides coffee and gum, are appreciated. I've tried sleep supplements as well. The only thing that makes me sleep is a lot of excess calories. That is why I liked IF before...so i could just eat everything before bed but all day is miserable. Would like to hear your personal experience if you've gone through anything like this.

I can't stand low carb diets and they did not work for me so that's out...

Replies

  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    :( nobody? sigh.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    I'm not exactly sure what you're asking....you want to lose weight? How much? How long has it been since you ate normally, i.e. 5-6 small meals a day or 3 meals and a couple of snacks? The way I've lost weight with MFP is to eat whatever I want WITHIN my calorie allowance. I didn't do anything special. And I still don't. I just log every day, every single bite. Most people don't have to eat certain foods or eat at certain times of day, or fast, or even exercise.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    As for the sleep issues, you may need a sleep study. So I would see a doctor about your sleep. But if you have been eating once a day, in the evening and wearing yourself exercising, I can see that you would have trouble sleeping.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    Yes, I do want to lose weight but even just get my binge eating under control. If I don't fast, I tend to just screw the day. If I do fast, it's just a matter of trying to stay calm and deal with hunger, fatigue and then breaking the fast I feel so ravenous and have a hard time even then staying within my calories. it is VERY hard for me to ever stay under 2000. i agree...a sleep study may be beneficial. my mother is obese and has sleep apnea. i sleep fine when i eat a TON of food but obviously this is not ideal
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
    It's also entirely possible given your thyroid and other issues that your insurance may cover consulting with a registered dietician, who can help guide you more thoroughly.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    I agree. i saw a "holistic" psychiatrist to address hormones and she pretty much told me paleo and auto immune paleo will fix me. it just made me really really tired and depressed.
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
    charkelsey wrote: »
    I agree. i saw a "holistic" psychiatrist to address hormones and she pretty much told me paleo and auto immune paleo will fix me. it just made me really really tired and depressed.

    Yea, I think that can work for some people but not all, and it isn't as easy as just "eat a ton of meat and veggies". A good RD can definitely help.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I don't know if this will help you with your sleep but...
    Just recently I have started topping up any protein shortfall for the day with a protein drink just before bed, about 15-25g, (~100 cals) and find on the nights I drink that I sleep like a log and wake up still feeling quite satiated- so small or no breakfast.

    I do agree with the above posts that a bit of professional help could be benificial in helping you find an eating routine that satisfies you. There could be a lot of trial and error involved in finding the right nutrient balance and timing that works best for you and someone to guide and walk you down that road may be just what you need.

    Cheers, h.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    I tried IF...I felt pretty similarly to what you describe. Now I try to time my meals for when I'm hungry but still save calories for night time so I don't go to bed hungry. If I'm not hungry when I wake up I wont eat breakfast right away I'll but if I am then I will.
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    edited July 2016
    Have you tried recently having a small breakfast and lunch, but saving the majority of your calories for evening? I don't have the medical issues you have, but cannot sleep hungry and seem to need at least 750+ calories for dinner to avoid waking up in the night with my stomach grumbling.

    I did 16:8 IF for a while (skipped breakfast) but could never get used to being ravenously hungry all morning. I did it for a few months, hoping to adjust but didn't.

    So now I eat a small breakfast (~150 calories, greek yogurt, eggs, english muffin with laughing cow or similar), moderate lunch (~500 calories) and still save most of my calories for dinner. Seems to be working much better, and I still get a 1000 calorie dinner.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    Thank you all. yes I think not IF but eating a small breakfast if i'm hungry, budgeting calories wisely will help. i have some big problems with anxiety and depression all surrounding food choices and intake.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    Yes. It sounds like you need help with your anxiety. Please see a food counselor. It did world's for me.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    really? when you say a food counselor what do you mean? what kind of degree? MD? RD? therapist? I've tried a few different things that haven't worked like therapy did nothing...
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    Well, speaking from years of all sorts of therapy (bipolar), and I don't want to be harsh, you will only get something from therapy if you are willing to put in the work to make it work. I have so many friends who have "tried" therapy and insist it doesn't work. Yes, they went a few times and then gave up because they didn't "feel" better. For me, therapy is hard and it's scary and sometimes I feel a LOT worse after a session than I did before--because I have to challenge myself to work to get better. And it takes a LONG time, at least it did/does for me.

    Here's what tipped the scale for me--I had a few sessions with a nutritionist. And I had ONE session with a food therapist (don't know his degree, but he worked at the hospital). And that ONE session was a whammy! He leaned over the table and said, "You need to grow up! You can't have everything you want like you did when you were nine years old. Get over it! Stop feeding that little girl and feed yourself."

    This was harsh, very hard to hear. But I took this story to my regular therapist and little by little she helped me get to a point where I was ready to lose weight, about a year later. (She has lots of experience working with eating disorders and suggested that I see the food therapist.) And it mostly seems easy. But I still binge. I had a whopper binge in my car yesterday-inhaled a huge cinnamon roll and a raspberry muffin. But the difference now is that I don't blow it out of portion. So I binged. But I won't binge tomorrow. Or, if I do I won't binge the day after that.

    This has worked for me but it took a LONG LONG time to get here. And when I say long I mean over 16 years of regular therapy working on all sorts of issues, chief of which was learning to love and care for myself, something I still struggle with every day.

    You need to invest in yourself and your happiness and well-being. You sound like you're really suffering and won't allow yourself to get better. I think you know that eating the way you do is really bad for you, but you feel powerless. Well, you aren't. But you need help with the healing.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    If you are losing sleep, have anxiety and depression you really should seek help from a medical professional about it.

    You also might want to experiment a little with your food choices (maybe a talk to a nutritionist like @godlikepoetyes mentioned). What I like to do is bulk my meals up with low calorie sides. Some of my favorites are egg whites, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon.

    Last night for dinner I had a fish burger, a 90 calorie bun, slice of cheese, cucumber, 8 tater tots, and some spicy egg whites. My plate was full. I had a smaller portion of a calorie dense item (tater tots which I love!) and added cucumber and egg whites for some bulk. This was around 550 calories.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    If you have already seen a counselor, consider a psychiatrist to get evaluated for medication.
  • charlenekapf
    charlenekapf Posts: 309 Member
    @Rodarose I agree....However the one I saw was holistic and just told me to try low carb/paleo. ugh. i am worried about gaining weight with medication...

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