Just Starting/ Hunger

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  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
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    If you are still hungry for at least the first few weeks... have some fruits or veggies... veggies especially are considered 'free calories" for a lot of diet plans anyways.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    My first 2 weeks at 1250 calories were tough--mostly because I had distract myself from mindless eating and I was working REALLY HARD on getting my portions weighed and all that. It was all very new and foreign to me. After a while, I was truly less hungry at that calorie level and stayed there for about five months. I upped my calories when I got to having +/- 50lbs to lose (I started out needing to lose 100), which is about 1430 for a 1lb per week loss.

    If you stick it out for 2 weeks and still feel terrible at that level, then look at changing your rate of loss. I know I had a sense of fear and panic that I could never eat and my brain really wanted me to cave in and eat ALL the food. I drank lots of water, had some black coffee, and went for walks to distract myself from what was really breaking the habit of eating out of boredom.

    No matter what you decide, hang in there and don't give up. You can do it!
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I'm a firm believer that you don't have to be hungry to lose weight. I refuse to be hungry. There are tons of foods that will fill you up but aren't high in calories--mostly veggies and high protein foods. Eat smaller meals throughout the day if you have to (that's what I do. NOT for the fake "I want to rev up my metabolism" thing, but because it helps with hunger).

    Changing to 1lb a week will definitely help, but don't feel like you have to be hungry to lose weight.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Sometimes you're gonna feel hungry. I think getting comfortable with that will save a lot of stress. If you're sure you're eating enough and at good intervals, do something else to take your mind off it for a while.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
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    Sharon_C wrote: »
    I'm a firm believer that you don't have to be hungry to lose weight. I refuse to be hungry. There are tons of foods that will fill you up but aren't high in calories--mostly veggies and high protein foods. Eat smaller meals throughout the day if you have to (that's what I do. NOT for the fake "I want to rev up my metabolism" thing, but because it helps with hunger).

    Changing to 1lb a week will definitely help, but don't feel like you have to be hungry to lose weight.

    Agree. I couldn't have lost the weight nor remained in maintenance over a year if I were hungry/starving. I would have fallen back into old habits quickly.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I'm definitely not saying you need to be hungry to lose weight. Or rather, you don't need to ignore hunger to lose weight. You should actually experience hunger, and fullness, and get used to more healthy definitions of those feelings. And if you decide to rejig your mealtimes, it takes time to get used to it. I was uncomfortable for a few days, and now it's fine. I'm not living in hungry misery indefinitely.
  • mharnden92
    mharnden92 Posts: 16 Member
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    thank you all these are great tips and I feel like i can get threw this. I have changed my weight loss goal to 1 pound and hope to be back down to 2 soon. I am going to try all things mentioned and see what really works for this body of mine. I need the will power to control the urge and i think that's where i need to start.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    In my opinion, you should not have to be truly hungry. Of course there can be mental adjustments to work thru.

    Look for ways to have bigger meals that are not calorie heavy. Having a salad with light dressing (even cheese!) can add bulk to a meal without adding a ton of calories. And veggies like asparagus, broccoli, squash: not calorie dense. Meaning you can get a lot of them for 20, 30, 40 calories. Having these things in your meals really helps. Have lean meat, and mostly cook it by baking/grilling. Avoid things that add calories without much other benefit, such as having fried food. I don't mean that you need to give up fried food totally but it should not be a daily thing if you're adjusting to a reduced calorie limit.

    My lunch today: spaghetti squash w/ sauce, parmesan cheese and garlic salt & some sauteed shrimp. It was a decent amount of food, because the squash is so low in calories. 236 calories total. I don't normally try to have that low of a lunch, but I also had some peanut butter on bread just before heading out to walk at noon. That was 137 calories and I logged it under breakfast. I may add a mid morning snack category...
  • mharnden92
    mharnden92 Posts: 16 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    In my opinion, you should not have to be truly hungry. Of course there can be mental adjustments to work thru.

    Look for ways to have bigger meals that are not calorie heavy. Having a salad with light dressing (even cheese!) can add bulk to a meal without adding a ton of calories. And veggies like asparagus, broccoli, squash: not calorie dense. Meaning you can get a lot of them for 20, 30, 40 calories. Having these things in your meals really helps. Have lean meat, and mostly cook it by baking/grilling. Avoid things that add calories without much other benefit, such as having fried food. I don't mean that you need to give up fried food totally but it should not be a daily thing if you're adjusting to a reduced calorie limit.

    My lunch today: spaghetti squash w/ sauce, parmesan cheese and garlic salt & some sauteed shrimp. It was a decent amount of food, because the squash is so low in calories. 236 calories total. I don't normally try to have that low of a lunch, but I also had some peanut butter on bread just before heading out to walk at noon. That was 137 calories and I logged it under breakfast. I may add a mid morning snack category...

    thank you that sounds very doable. I guess i just need to get recopies that are high volume low calorie.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I've lost 93 lb in 55 weeks with a weekly goal of losing 0.5 lb per week. This needs to be comfortable and that bigger calorie goal gives me a comfortable cushion.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,902 Member
    edited February 2017
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    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    feeling hungry on a diet is fine its a sign your probably doing it right, No one said weight loss is easy or wed all be thin

    That being said, 1 pound a week is definatly more doable, And you should never feel starving. It sounds very possible its a mind thing, As you havent even made i through the day "starving" your just thinking of it.

    Eventually youll get foods you love that satisfy you and youll find how to make them as low calorie as possible with maximum satisfaction. Just stick it out and play around with your macros, Find what keeps you satisfied for me its carbs id be horrified if carbs one day suddenly left and id be forever starving. Pay attention to how the foods you eat make you feel. Youll find some staples that keep you happy

    I disagree with the bolded. Except for right before meals, I think feeling hungry is a sign you're doing it wrong - your deficit is too aggressive and/or you're not focusing on satiating foods.

    The above Yous are generic, but IIRC, you've said you've been on 1200 calories the whole time, exercise, and are not an old or Little Person, correct? I find this concerning.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    I am very hungry for the first 2 weeks when I get into a deficit (I have frequent breaks so I am going between deficit and maintenance reasonably often). After that I adapt and then I am only hungry maybe an hour before meals.

    But don't torture yourself by trying to lose it too fast, it's not a race and a smaller deficit, allowing you to eat more, could make the difference between sticking it out or quitting. You need to be able to live with this for the long haul.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    edited February 2017
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    feeling hungry on a diet is fine its a sign your probably doing it right, No one said weight loss is easy or wed all be thin

    That being said, 1 pound a week is definatly more doable, And you should never feel starving. It sounds very possible its a mind thing, As you havent even made i through the day "starving" your just thinking of it.

    Eventually youll get foods you love that satisfy you and youll find how to make them as low calorie as possible with maximum satisfaction. Just stick it out and play around with your macros, Find what keeps you satisfied for me its carbs id be horrified if carbs one day suddenly left and id be forever starving. Pay attention to how the foods you eat make you feel. Youll find some staples that keep you happy

    I disagree with the bolded. Except for right before meals, I think feeling hungry is a sign you're doing it wrong - your deficit is too aggressive and/or you're not focusing on satiating foods.

    The above Yous are generic, but IIRC, you've said you've been on 1200 calories the whole time, exercise, and are not an old or Little Person, correct? I find this concerning.

    I mean if you read on more i also said but you shouldnt feel starving. If you NEVER feel hungry chances are your not losing weight. Its a natural healthy feeling to get used to. But okay. People can do 1200 calories if their smart about it not that id recomend it to many people

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