Feeling very hungry and discouraged

sparklepegasus
sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!
It took me a few tries but I am now able to get a handle on keeping my calories below my limit for the most part, which i am thrilled about.
It took me many attempts to get to this point. I'm talking years of attempts!
I have been consistently tracking and keeping under for 12 days now and today the hunger has really got me. I just ate a decent bowl of oatmeal and now 20 minutes later I feel I didn't eat a thing.
Is this normal?
Also could anyone kindly give me suggestions as to how to get through these hunger pangs?
I'm starting to feel a little discouraged.
Thank you

Replies

  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
    edited February 2017
    The easiest way I found is to start eating 1lb spinach a day. Try eating 1/2lb after your oatmeal and 1/2lb with dinner. Salted leaf spinach is very easy to consume in large amounts (not like lettuce! It's hard to eat even 100g of that stuff) and there's 100 calories, and LOADS of great micronutrition, in 1lb of it.

    What kind of protein foods do you eat? Because I could fill you up on 250 calories w/ 1/2lb spinach and some good Donegal cod. I'm a BIG eater (always been a fat guy in the past) and my foundational diet is so nutrient dense/low calorie/large in bulk that I occasionally need to eat something very sweet and calorie packed just to hit 1300 calories that day with ease.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    You're likely really hungry today because you've left a lot of uneaten exercise calories in the last few days.

    Your food is set at 1390. That's kind of low, how tall are you and how old are you and what do you weigh? It may b that you can adjust your rate of loss and get a few more calories daily, but try to eat a few more of those exercise calories. I see you are using FitBit so I'll let someone else talk to you about that - your settings could be off, I don't know.

    I would also add that when I eat mostly carbs for breakfast, I'll need a second breakfast pretty quickly. Try to get some more protein.
  • Scorpiotwin
    Scorpiotwin Posts: 124 Member
    I'm starting back up to and I've noticed that when I eat more protein I tend to do better. For me higher carb days = hunger. Low Carb High Fat = fullness

    Try adding a little more protein and fat to each meal it will probably help a lot.
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    Wow - what a great idea! I think I will go and and get some spinach! I am vegan and eat a lot of tofu products and some beans for protein. Though I do cook at home I also eat Gardein frozen fake meats. My job is a drain so at times I really don't want to cook from scratch. Also I am a sugar addict so have cut way back on it hoping to eventually stay under 50 grams a day.
    Thank you I will give it a try! I would like to have to struggle to get to 1300 calories a day!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited February 2017
    I peeked at you diary and I honestly couldn't find a good reason there. How do these hunger pangs feel like? When do they occur? Is it possible that "hunger" is appetite or digestion? Are you feeling weak, dizzy. lethargic, headachy? Google "The Hunger Scale" and see where you are at differerent times through the day. Maybe you can play around with meal timing. Lots of people like to postpone breakfast a few hours and eat bigger meals. Maybe increase fat/protein and reduce carbs accordingly. At least have some vegs+fat+protein at every meal.

    What's your height and weight? Maybe you just have to eat more.
  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
    edited February 2017
    sparklepegasus wrote: »
    Wow - what a great idea! I think I will go and and get some spinach! I am vegan and eat a lot of tofu products and some beans for protein. Though I do cook at home I also eat Gardein frozen fake meats. My job is a drain so at times I really don't want to cook from scratch. Also I am a sugar addict so have cut way back on it hoping to eventually stay under 50 grams a day.
    Thank you I will give it a try! I would like to have to struggle to get to 1300 calories a day!

    Emphasising the protein only meats is very helpful... I am not vegetarian but some quorn/linda mcCartney stuff I've found to be lovely and works well. I would have a core of lean protein foods and spinach, and once you're full at 800-900 calories (at 570 I've pretty much covered my micros and protein requirements and bulk to fill the tummy) you have a lot of flexibility with the rest of your day!

    I can eat 4,500 calories a day with ease when I'm not trying to eat well... so it does really work in staying full. I am super lazy (well, I work 60 hours a week and want other things to be easy!) and get Green Isle leaf spinach and have a pack a day. A few minutes in the microwave each time. Of course sometimes it gets boring but the flexibility with filling out your calories even while on a large deficit more than makes up for it.

    (*Note: I AM hungry in the mornings. I don't eat until lunchtime, but I stay full for the rest of the day. )
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    It's definitely appetite. I think I will try more protein as well Thank you!
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    Fantastic! Thank you for the suggestions it really helps. I'm going to incorporate more protein and try the spinach.
  • megd44
    megd44 Posts: 156 Member
    I notices yo only had one glass of water yesterday. Try to drink more if you can. Sometimes you can be dehydrated and you think/feel as if you are hungry.
  • Scorpiotwin
    Scorpiotwin Posts: 124 Member
    You might want to try Vega protein powder. It's plant based, certified vegan and it has 20 grams of protein per serving and 110 calories per scoop. It's a great base for smoothies. I know you can pick it up a Costco.
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    Water is a problem I have been beaning to up it but am struggling with that.

    I will take a look at the Vega protein powder!

    Thank you so much!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited February 2017
    cmriverside wrote: »
    You're likely really hungry today because you've left a lot of uneaten exercise calories in the last few days.

    Your food is set at 1390. That's kind of low, how tall are you and how old are you and what do you weigh? It may b that you can adjust your rate of loss and get a few more calories daily, but try to eat a few more of those exercise calories. I see you are using FitBit so I'll let someone else talk to you about that - your settings could be off, I don't know.

    I would also add that when I eat mostly carbs for breakfast, I'll need a second breakfast pretty quickly. Try to get some more protein.

    @sparklepegasus count me as another person wondering how tall you are, how much you weigh, and how much you want to lose. You may be hungry because you've chosen too aggressive a deficit and aren't eating enough for your stats.

    Contrary to my grandmother's claims, oatmeal doesn't "stick to my ribs" at all. When I lived in a yoga community, one popular vegan breakfast was Tofu Scramble. Below are Asian and South West versions.

    http://kripalu-yoga.blogspot.com/2009/08/kripalu-recipes-scrambled-tofu.html

    http://minimalistbaker.com/southwest-tofu-scramble/
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    edited February 2017
    Whole grains help me. Also time - it can take a couple of weeks to adjust to being on a deficit.

    But do review your calories and make sure you are eating enough. How much are you trying to lose and how fast are you trying to lose it? Also, take seriously the need to log your exercise and eat back the calories. 1390 total is quite low.
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    I am not in a place yet where I feel comfortable sharing my weight. It took me about 3 years to actually face the scale! I was in sweet denial for so long and now I'm recovering from the shock!!! It's really shame based. Maybe some day I'll get over it.
    I am 5'5 and want to lose 40 to 45 pounds ideally. Thank you!
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    One big question I have is how many exercise calories can you safely eat back and still and lose your weekly goal weight?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited February 2017
    Okay, well set your goals here on this site to "Lose one pound per week." Eat that amount, unless you are going by your FitBit, and again - you may have synced to MFP incorrectly - but I don't really know how that works, since I just use MFP's numbers and it has always worked for me (I eat back ALL my exercise calories, too.)

    But if you are using FitBit's numbers, why are you leaving 1,000+ calories unused? That's going to lead to hunger, non-compliance, and at some point you'll either have a huge binge to catch up or you'll give up.
  • Kullerva
    Kullerva Posts: 1,114 Member
    If you're measuring everything perfectly in grams, you can eat ALL of your exercise calories left and still meet your deficit. Most of us aren't perfect, so the going wisdom is to eat half.
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    People have said before that you shouldn't eat back all your calories. I've heard contrary opinions and find it confusing.
    My fitbit syncs to myfitnesspal automatically so will adjust my exercise. the 1000 calorie day came from a long walk and a zumba class. I walk everywhere so believe that fitbit is correct unless they are calculating steps equals calorie burn wrong.
    I will try eating back my calories. I'm just worried about not losing the weight.
    Thank you!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    So eat back half of them and see what happens. You do have to come up with your own numbers, that is a fact.

    Keep really good records, a Food Diary, weigh in daily, eat a consistent amount of your exercise calories. If you want to eat half, eat half. BUT then know that will lead to hunger. Your body needs fuel for that much exercise. Listen to it.

    I used MFP's numbers. I have always eaten the exercise calories. I lost 70 pounds over a period of about 9 months and I have kept it off for ten years. When I don't eat enough, I can tell by the way I feel. Your records and how you feel are the best tools you have. Not us, not our numbers.
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    That is fantastic!!! Congratulations!! I will take your advice! So much appreciated I can't tell you!
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Yes, it's not a big deal - basically all estimates (food and exercise) have some degree of error, so you have to just pick a method, stick with it for a while (like several weeks) and see what happens. If you lose faster or slower than expected, adjust your estimates.

    My method is to err on the side of overestimating my food (though I suspect I'm pretty accurate really), and err on the side of underestimating the time I spend exercising - so if I walked between 20 and 25 min, I log 20. Having done that, I eat all the calories back. I lose weight pretty much at the rate myfitnesspal predicts, so my estimates are working for me.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sparklepegasus wrote: »
    I am not in a place yet where I feel comfortable sharing my weight. It took me about 3 years to actually face the scale! I was in sweet denial for so long and now I'm recovering from the shock!!! It's really shame based. Maybe some day I'll get over it.
    I am 5'5 and want to lose 40 to 45 pounds ideally. Thank you!

    With 40 to 45 pounds to lose, set your weekly weight loss goal to no more than a pound a week. Many of us have made the mistake of trying to use the 2 pound/week goal when it is not appropriate for the amount we need to lose.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sparklepegasus wrote: »
    One big question I have is how many exercise calories can you safely eat back and still and lose your weekly goal weight?

    MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.

    My FitBit One is far less generous with calories than the MFP database and I comfortably eat 100% of the calories I earn from it back.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • sparklepegasus
    sparklepegasus Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you!
This discussion has been closed.

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