Cutting back on calories seriously blows. I'm so hungry!

Jasmine_simone23
Jasmine_simone23 Posts: 19 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??
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Replies

  • Aclaire88
    Aclaire88 Posts: 80 Member
    Hi @jasmine_pittman
    Eat low GI foods, make time for a good breakfast. Sip water in between mouthfuls, eat small meals frequently. Drink warm water or peppermint tea to ease hunger pains. Go to bed early as hunger is the worst at night. Don't do as much exercise but that's counter productive as you won't feel as hungry but you won't burn off calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    make sure you're getting enough fat, protein and fibre to help you feel full.
  • mme1127
    mme1127 Posts: 17 Member
    Protein....and lots of water
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    what is your current weight? goal weight?

    do you want to lose "weight" or "fat" - slightly different approaches (IMHO) required
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

    If 15 lbs is all you need to lose, perhaps consider lowering your weight loss goal to half a lb a week. Your current deficit may be too aggressive for you to stick to. :)
  • Keapix
    Keapix Posts: 92 Member
    I would change your goal to a 1/2 lb loss per week. I'm finding that, even with my goal set to 1/2 lb, I'm still losing 1-2 lb per week because I don't eat back all my activity (walking) calories.
  • catmomfat
    catmomfat Posts: 97 Member
    I'm that way. I'm on 1,200 calories a day and I find that I'm exercising my *kitten* off to get enough to eat, so I don't feel like eating my hand. I could easily do 1450 calories a day but this 1200 is brutal.
  • Jasmine_simone23
    Jasmine_simone23 Posts: 19 Member
    My current weight is 135lbs. I have been exercising and doing strength training(no weights) for about the past month and a half. I ended up gaining weight which is muscle I hope lol. I started to look to bulky for my liking my thighs were getting even bigger so I decided to lose more fat before I start really committing to gaining muslce. My calorie goal is 1600 a day but I have been eating less then that so I'll probably not go so extreme from now on. I hate counting calories every time I do it I get so obsessed and Im scared to eat anything!
  • netwatcher
    netwatcher Posts: 26 Member
    Baby carrots and greens not as a meal but to snack on between meals works for me! Remember no diet that leaves you hungry, ever works long term find the combination that works for you, healthy whole food diets tend to leave me without food cravings, and i dont allow myself to be hungry, currently dropping weight faster than planned without ever getting hungry.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    My current weight is 135lbs. I have been exercising and doing strength training(no weights) for about the past month and a half. I ended up gaining weight which is muscle I hope lol. I started to look to bulky for my liking my thighs were getting even bigger so I decided to lose more fat before I start really committing to gaining muslce. My calorie goal is 1600 a day but I have been eating less then that so I'll probably not go so extreme from now on. I hate counting calories every time I do it I get so obsessed and Im scared to eat anything!

    how tall are you?
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

    Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    A few of us have been doing a challenge to eat 800 g of fruit and veg a day, with the emphasis on veg. That is 10 servings (the national health system in the UK recently doubled their recommendation from 5 to 10 servings of veg a day). Since starting this challenge on Feb 27, I have been absolutely stuffed just about every day. Some days I have dinner just because it's time and I need to get my protein in, but I am still pretty full from lunch. I can't promise it will work for you (different things satiate different people) but it is worth a try for a week.

    I was getting a solid 5 a day or more previous to this challenge, but by doubling my intake, it has REALLY opened my eyes. I am kind of hanging out between maintenance and losing that last pesky 5 lbs now, but wish I would have known of the impact of so much veg when I was actively losing on a 1200 calorie base and going to bed hungry some nights.

    I am now on a 1350 base (but eat a lot more as I am very active) and I have a very high protein goal, so by focusing on high-quality protein and a huge amount of veg, I'm just not that hungry for anything else.

    Here is the thread if you are interested:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10521320/10-a-day-800g-veggie-fruit-challenge-participants-check-in/p1
  • Jasmine_simone23
    Jasmine_simone23 Posts: 19 Member

    TavistockToad wrote: »
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    My current weight is 135lbs. I have been exercising and doing strength training(no weights) for about the past month and a half. I ended up gaining weight which is muscle I hope lol. I started to look to bulky for my liking my thighs were getting even bigger so I decided to lose more fat before I start really committing to gaining muslce. My calorie goal is 1600 a day but I have been eating less then that so I'll probably not go so extreme from now on. I hate counting calories every time I do it I get so obsessed and Im scared to eat anything!

    how tall are you?


    I am 5'4
  • Jasmine_simone23
    Jasmine_simone23 Posts: 19 Member
    perkymommy wrote: »
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

    Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

    I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

    Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

  • airigirl
    airigirl Posts: 8 Member
    I'm only a couple of days into this but was so hungry yesterday. I ate a lot of salad and fruits but they don't sustain me. Today I added a little more protein so I guess I'll see if that helps. I'm far larger than you and also on 1200 a day. Hopefully we get this figured out.
  • samuelgina91
    samuelgina91 Posts: 158 Member
    On days that I am very hungry and I know I am going to overeat if I let myself I drink lots of water in the day, coffee the caffeine in it suppresses appetite, and I aim to eat a significant amount of calories in the beginning of the day the old adage of "Break fast like a King, Lunch like a prince, and Sup like a pauper." Then if I have a salad, I add seeds, avocado, nuts and spice. The fats and the spice make a meal more filling and satiating for me, and to top that all off I tend to add ground chia seeds to some of my meals at the end or sprinkled on top the same way I would with pepper and you can't taste it. It absorbs water, makes you feel fuller longer, and increases the fiber too. So in short: water, caffeine (less sugar), greens, fats from seeds/nuts/avocado in moderation, spicy foods to decrease quantity and satiate myself, and adding ground chia seeds to certain items to keep me full longer. Also if you are having bread it is better to just eat the piece you want with the butter the first time, instead of denying yourself that and eating four rolls instead. I used to do that with sweets, and opt for low calorie versions, but honestly I don't like the taste as much and it gave me headaches from using all that artificial sweetener.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    perkymommy wrote: »
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

    Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

    I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

    Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

    Since you are on a 1200 base, which sounds about right for your size, how many calories are you eating back from your workouts? You need to properly fuel all that cardio that you are doing. Remember MFP is designed for you to eat back exercise calories, although some eat back 50 or 75% to avoid potential inflation.

    Also, are you making a concerted effort to get in enough protein to preserve your existing muscle? (Generally recommended at .8 g per bodyweight or thereabouts...and many people find protein to be very filling). If you are eating at a considerable deficit and just doing bodyweight, you are not going to be gaining much muscle, but if you ARE able to gain a few scraps of muscle through some genetic advantage, it is going to make you look awesome, so don't think of it as a bad thing. I have been at the same weight for half a year but have been shedding clothing sizes as I recomp at maintenance. At the bare minimum, you want to make sure you don't lose any of the muscle you already have.

    Finally, when you say "spaghetti," are you talking about the a) miserably small amount of spaghetti and store-bought sauce that will fit into a 1200 calorie diet, or b) the awesome big pile of sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and/or rabe, combined with that same single pasta serving, and covered with a prudent homemade sauce and fresh herbs, which also easily fits into a 1200 calorie diet? Because something like that is going to make the difference between hangry starving misery and being happy and satisfied. (And if you are full, you are not going to be freaking out over counting calories--it just becomes another tool).
  • Jasmine_simone23
    Jasmine_simone23 Posts: 19 Member
    French_Peasant wrote: »
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    perkymommy wrote: »
    jasmine_pittman wrote: »
    Day 3 of cutting down on cals and don't know how I'm gonna make it through lol. Trying to drop about a pound a week to lose 15lbs of fat. Any tips on how to stay fuller for longer periods of time??

    Could you share what a typical day is like for you as far as food? If you are exercising are you eating back some of those calories? I try and keep a lot of low calorie snacks on hand such as apples, grapes, bananas, carrots because they satisfy me in between meals.

    I usually eat natural peanut butter on toast with a boiled egg for breakfast. Then I have might have crackers, baby carrots, apples, bananas though out the day before I eat supper. I try to get in as many food groups as I can. For supper it can be anything honestly, salmon, roast and veggies, spaghetti... I usually really cut back hard on calories during the day and in the evening I can have a good supper.

    Also doing cardio 5 days a week for 40-60 mins and every second day I add strength training only using my body weight though. I'm 135lbs right now I'm trying to drop down to 120lbs and then start gaining muscle. I really want to avoid being "skinny fat" haha

    Since you are on a 1200 base, which sounds about right for your size, how many calories are you eating back from your workouts? You need to properly fuel all that cardio that you are doing. Remember MFP is designed for you to eat back exercise calories, although some eat back 50 or 75% to avoid potential inflation.

    Also, are you making a concerted effort to get in enough protein to preserve your existing muscle? (Generally recommended at .8 g per bodyweight or thereabouts...and many people find protein to be very filling). If you are eating at a considerable deficit and just doing bodyweight, you are not going to be gaining much muscle, but if you ARE able to gain a few scraps of muscle through some genetic advantage, it is going to make you look awesome, so don't think of it as a bad thing. I have been at the same weight for half a year but have been shedding clothing sizes as I recomp at maintenance. At the bare minimum, you want to make sure you don't lose any of the muscle you already have.

    Finally, when you say "spaghetti," are you talking about the a) miserably small amount of spaghetti and store-bought sauce that will fit into a 1200 calorie diet, or b) the awesome big pile of sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and/or rabe, combined with that same single pasta serving, and covered with a prudent homemade sauce and fresh herbs, which also easily fits into a 1200 calorie diet? Because something like that is going to make the difference between hangry starving misery and being happy and satisfied. (And if you are full, you are not going to be freaking out over counting calories--it just becomes another tool).


    After my workout I usually have whey protein which is 30gs of protein per serving. Unless I have supper cooked of course then I just have a meal. I do find it hard to get in my protein so I have one shake a day. Often eat back all the calories that I burn off unless I have a shake which is only 180 cals.

    And yes when I cook anything I have as many fresh ingredients as possible:) I don't eat much during the day but I do enjoy my supper in the evening.




  • shancnj
    shancnj Posts: 3 Member
    I prefer to eat my calories rather than drink them, so a good way to stay within your calories and feel fuller is to only drink water or tea without sugar/honey and cut out all juices and sodas. Once you get in your stride with calorie counting it will be easier. If you have a little more one day, have a little less the next day to make up for it. Good luck!

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