Really Scared. Out of Control

LAWoman72
LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Help.

I have lost 60 lbs. This is in the space of a year and a half.

I was able to keep up with this. The occasional overeating business but, yeah. Got right back on track.

For the past few weeks I have been out of control. Out of nowhere. My husband swears it's some hormonal thing due to large weight loss, or else a psychological rebound. But I feel legitimately HUNGRY. Starving. I am NOT a newb to this. I know all the games a mind can play on one's dieting efforts. I know what faux hunger feels like. Yet out of nowhere I...just...can't...stop. And I think I've gained about 7 lbs. :(

I feel horrible about this...I'm still..well, I was still about 20 lbs. from goal. Now closer to 30.

What the hell is wrong with me? Again, this is full-on hunger. Like, holy carp I'm starving level hunger. I didn't change anything, except to bring proteins back after a restriction from them due to dental surgery...or, I ate protein, but it was eggs and the like rather than the big protein injections I'd been formerly getting from, say, chicken. Protein is supposed to be sating. Instead I seem to be huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuungry now that it's back.

I...just don't know.

Help...please help...I can't believe this is happening when I've had my shyte together for a year and a darned half.
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Replies

  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    You know...I just thought of something. I cut back a little on exercise since my dental surgery (in July) and I don't think I ever really got back up to my former levels. It's 3X/week + almost daily walking now and before it had been 5-6 days/week. That couldn't be it...could it?
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
    Maybe after restricting for so long you need a break. There's a thread at the moment "Of refeeds and diet breaks" that might be helpful.

    My only real exercise is walking and I find it helps a lot because I'm not doing it in a strenuous enough manner for it to make me hungry but it gives me enough calories that I can eat a small meal and not feel hungry that day. If I don't get my walk in I do tend to feel quite hungry. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm used to being able to eat that bit extra or not.

    Otherwise, I agree with KMChangingforgood trying out different ratios of macros could be helpful. Whilst some people find protein really satiating not everyone does. Others find volume eating more effective, or eating small amounts regularly, or eating high carb or high fat or whatever helps.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    I find when I am stuck in a pattern like this that one of two things helps. Either having a day where I do IF for 24hrs or so. Or, taking 3-4 days and only eating at maintenance without any thought of staying at a deficit. Usually, one of those two things will break this pattern for me that you're talking about. That said, I've also found that crazy menopause symptoms sometimes puts me in the spot you're in and only dealing with those helps the food thing.
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  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    counting_kilojoules wrote: »
    Maybe after restricting for so long you need a break. There's a thread at the moment "Of refeeds and diet breaks" that might be helpful.

    Another vote for this thread. It's long, and it does meander, but there is a metric tonne of great information about diet breaks (among other things) in there. What you've described sounds like a break is probably a very good idea for you. The last time I lost a lot of weight, about 11 months in I hit a patch of overwhelming hunger including some wild cravings that utterly derailed me. I think if I'd understood diet breaks then I probably wouldn't have destroyed my progress.

    Listen to the podcast, read the thread, take your time to ask questions in the thread, and plan a break for yourself.

  • Lesscookies1
    Lesscookies1 Posts: 250 Member
    I would reccomend eating at maintenance for a few weeks, and as others mentioned taking a break from trying to eat at a deficit. After let's say 3 weeks go back to setting your loss goal to a lesser amount if you still want to lose weight.

    What's your current height and weight? You may have been restricting yourself a lot before with a high loss goal.
  • davidylin
    davidylin Posts: 228 Member
    If you notice significant and profound changes in what you are feeling, you should get checked out by the doctor.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I found it helpful for me to add healthy fats like an ounce of cheese with an apple, a small portion of nuts (almonds or cashews are favorites for me), half an avocado sprinkled with a seasoning called Spike. I found these snacks got me through hunger pangs. Also, I've found that when winter approaches, with its cold temperatures and gray skies, I'm more apt to be much hungrier. My doctor said it's possible to have an onset of a low grade bout of Seasonal Affective Disorder, which can affect eating habits. I bought a light box that I sat next to when I read the morning paper at breakfast and that helped.
  • mfpchris
    mfpchris Posts: 279 Member
    A disclaimer, it's all personal, but I believe the common belief is that "fat" is what makes us feel more satiated. You wrote "protein." Of course they all do, and each contributes, but increasing your ratio to include more fats might be a good experiment. @DebLaBounty wrote about cheese, nuts, etc. Give yourself permission for let's say two days, to add these into, above, and beyond your target, and see if it helps hit the ravenous reset button.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Hey, I've kind of been preaching this up and down the forum boards for the last two days, but think about a diet break (eating at maintenance) for a week or two. When you've been at deficit for as long as you and I have been, eating at maintenance can feel like you're just FEASTING every day, which is AWESOME! It serves as a kind of a guilt-free refeed, and then jumping back to deficit is just so much easier, mentally and physically.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    I appreciate the answers so much. I feel like the consensus at least among a good portion who answered is a diet break. I actually started reading the refeed thread right away. It starts out mostly regarding restricted carbs, then adding carbs. I have already been eating like 135-ish grams/day so not severely restricted. I am going to keep reading since it seems like people are saying it branches out and covers all aspects of diet breaks, refeeds and the like. That is one hell of a thread. Awesome!

    My stats: I WAS 5'1" and 147 lbs. No more! Well, okay...so I'm still 5'1". But I think when "binge" water goes down I'm hovering around 154-155. I feel very devastated. This is definitely in no way too lean to keep restricting. KWIM? :p There is no "lean" in there. There might be if I were a pro bodybuilder, but...no...

    I am going to go figure maintenance and sit there for a couple weeks. I binged last night, and after a binge I weigh 4-5 lbs. up and then it goes down from there over a period of several days, so I'll figure my weight minus a few pounds and figure maintenance.

    And then I'll go from there...
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    LAWoman72 wrote: »

    I am going to go figure maintenance and sit there for a couple weeks. I binged last night, and after a binge I weigh 4-5 lbs. up and then it goes down from there over a period of several days, so I'll figure my weight minus a few pounds and figure maintenance.

    And then I'll go from there...

    Sounds very good. Remember that you're doing this for a scheduled, limited time, it's a very real part of losing weight/being healthy, and you're ALLOWED those "extra" calories. Enjoy them! And please check in and let us know how it goes.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,203 Member
    mfpchris wrote: »
    A disclaimer, it's all personal, but I believe the common belief is that "fat" is what makes us feel more satiated. You wrote "protein." Of course they all do, and each contributes, but increasing your ratio to include more fats might be a good experiment. @DebLaBounty wrote about cheese, nuts, etc. Give yourself permission for let's say two days, to add these into, above, and beyond your target, and see if it helps hit the ravenous reset button.

    It seeks to be very individual. Some people are satiated by fats, some by protein, some by volume (often fiber-rich veggies), some few even by carbs, usually complex ones. It takes experimenting.

    I'm a protein-plus-volume gal, myself.

    OP, experimenting is good, but you've been at this a while. I'd +1 your insight about activity/exercise, and the diet break (couple weeks) idea.

    For me, healing seemed to make my body benefit from some extra calories, even if that slowed weight loss for a bit. Perhaps your dental surgery had that effect on you, dunno.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I get beastly hungry and super tired in the fall. I feel like eating everything in sight and sleeping all day. Making sure I get a lot of light during this time helps. B)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I went through something similar the last few months and I think (and have good reason to believe) it was a medication I was on. It didn't start until I'd been on the med a few months, but now that I'm off of it, I'm back to normal.
  • cherys
    cherys Posts: 387 Member
    Also, is it possible you've got into an eating pattern that might be denying your body some essential vitamin or mineral? I find sometimes crazy hunger comes from actually needing something very specific but not knowing what it is. Could you try taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement every morning to see if that calms things down. Also, I found when I was growing a stomach ulcer that I kept thinking I was starving - it was all the bubbling acids (gross - sorry). As soon as I took an antacid, the 'hunger' vanished. Certain types of calorie control can lead to stomach ulcers.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    I get beastly hungry and super tired in the fall. I feel like eating everything in sight and sleeping all day. Making sure I get a lot of light during this time helps. B)

    This is my experience too. I think your idea of maintaining until you have a better handle on what's going on is a really good approach.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Our weather hasn't changed very drastically yet...I live in SoCal...it was very very hot, now it's 70s-80s depending on the day...OTOH, there's less daylight, so...? Hmmm.

    I just checked maintenance...1570...that sounds sooooooo relaxing.
  • MARILYNENA
    MARILYNENA Posts: 53 Member
    When I get the crazy hungries: I fill up with 1# raw greens and 1# cooked veggies and if I am still hungry I eat 1c beans......and then I am satisfied.
  • batorkin
    batorkin Posts: 281 Member
    edited November 2017
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    You know...I just thought of something. I cut back a little on exercise since my dental surgery (in July) and I don't think I ever really got back up to my former levels. It's 3X/week + almost daily walking now and before it had been 5-6 days/week. That couldn't be it...could it?

    For me, regular exercise cuts my hunger levels down significantly. I exercise daily because of this...

    If I don't exercise, I eat and eat and eat. 2000-3000 calories a day. When I exercise regularly, I struggle to even reach 1200 calories. Most days I have to "eat more" towards the end of the day because I am not eating enough.

    I don't know if I am weird, but for me exercising is the key to maintaining my diet.

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