Unable to diet

2»

Replies

  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,066 Member
    I'd seriously consider readjusting your macros and cut back on the carbs. You don't get a long of "bang for your buck" even with "healthy" carbs. You can eat a rather massive pile of veggies in exchange for 1/2 cup of, say, rice.

    I tend to use my carbs earlier in the day, and dinner is usually protein, lots of veggies, and maybe a tiny bit of some carb based food (often in the form of a desert or wine). The veggies are what give me plenty of volume to make it until bedtime without being hungry. Also be sure you're getting enough fats in your diet.

    Seems the calorie calculator is pretty close to where you should be.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    That also sounds like a reasonable suggestion. I eat about 250 carbs, sometimes more sometimes less, a day. I will try upping the protein, or just upping the veggies, and again, see if that works. My fat is around 60 per day, though varies a far amount, its about thirty percent of my diet. I tried eating 30 percent protein, but that left me doing to the loo all the time, and feeling massively moody, I did lose a pound, but probably from passing water (!!)
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    When I eat at night, I tend to drink some water, wait a while, and then eat something. If I get hungry again, I drink water, and wait half an hour. If it gets worse I eat, and repeat until I stop feeling hungry.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    How much fat are you eating? It sounds like your protein and fiber are already fine, perhaps you're satiated by fat and eating low fat?

    Set your goal to lose 0.5 lbs per week (which will require patience, because it won't always show up on the scale).

    See if you can eat a little lighter earlier in the day and save 150-200 cals to eat as a late night snack before you go to bed.

    If you are using any of your calories on beverages, consider trying to cut back on that and save all of them for filling food.

    With your stats it's odd that eating 1800 cals would leave you so hungry it wakes you up. Is it possible something else is waking you up and then you happen to notice you're hungry. Have you had a physical recently?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited April 2018
    Lyndauk86 wrote: »
    I am about 143 pounds about 10 stone 3. I don't mind being 140 pounds as long as I don't go to far into ten stone and end up more like eleven stone.

    So best case, you want to lose ten pounds. But you'd be okay with losing 3. Set MFP to lose ONE HALF A POUND a week. Eat every calorie it gives you, and half of what it tells you to eat back. How many calories is that?

    Aim for nutrient dense carbs (think vegetables, fruits, legumes rather than crips and biscuits). Eat plenty of healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocados...) and eat protein. You should not be ravenous.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    Yeah best case I lose ten pounds, but realistically lets stick to three, and worry about the rest once I can start losing again, and I am not fighting my body so hard.

    And I am hungry if I try to eat 1600- 1700, and that is what I need to lose 0.5 a week. I used to be able to eat that no problem, though occasionally I would have issues with night hunger. I will over haul the content of my diet, and I do drink 3 to 4 cups of coffee, perhaps just replace that with food, as you say (though I love my coffee).

    After my binge last week, I have cut back on treats, though I have had a few things I have fancied, but nothing excessive.

    On an active day, I have to eat at least 2000 calories etc. You get the drift.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    I will give you a low down on what I eat on a typical day in a sec.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    Actually I will log on tomorrow (its nidnight), and give the run down of a typical day. Thanks for your help so far!!!
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    You could just make your diary public? Then you don't need to type out what you eat and people may be able to give you some more focused advice.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    edited April 2018
    Ok, I will give the greens stuff a shot. Lol. I love exercise, but perhaps I am not bulking out my diet enough and its just killing me with the hunger.

    Today, I have just woken up and eaten a bowl of porridge with raisins and honey, two boiled eggs, and half a pitta bread with a cup of coffee.

    Lunch will be 100 grams of chicken with the other half of the pitta with tsp of humus,
    then some yogurt 30 grams and pineapple, 40 grams, grapes, 40 grams

    Dinner- 100 grams of chicken, half a tin of mixed beans (coop brand) about 140 grams, 100 gram of potato, half a bag of microwaveable veg from the coop about 140 grams. the same amount of humus and a little low fat cheese.I generally microwave all of the above for a few minutes, but perhaps I will just cook it normally, adding a little more fat to the day, and may make me feel a bit fuller.

    dessert will be the same as lunch, yogurt with fruit.

    Then before bed I intend to have some more porridge with raisins, might skip the honey.

    I also have had a naked bar (mostly dates and cashew nuts), as a snack before breakfast, and I am trying to stick to two cups of coffee.

    The above is about 1810 calories. I am not going to exercise today, as I did loads this week and need a rest day
    and a break from endless hunger.

    I ate so much last night it was incredible. I am slightly worried I am actually pregnant or have some sort of phantom baby coming (its impossible for me to be with child).

    I am going to the shops to buy more beans, veg, and greens. I am not a fan of nuts. I will try grazing when I get hungry, on greens instead of pitta, naked bars, humus, chicken, etc, which have been my night snacks.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    Oh and I have a little honey on the fruit and yoghurt...maybe I need to cut down a little. Just love honey, way better than sugar.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    So if you logged that, what are the macro ratios?
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    Ok I will make my diary public and people can critique at leisure.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    My macro ratios for today are 52 percent carb, 26 percent protein, 22 percent fat
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    if I increase my fat, what should I eat exactly?
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    You could increase your servings of the hummus or the cheese you're eating, add oil to your vegetables, have some avocado.

    Be patient and hang in there. I generally find that playing around with macro balance/dietary choice helps most people when it comes to satiety.
  • lilltessiiie
    lilltessiiie Posts: 57 Member
    You could try to just eat the calories you need to maintain your current weight, but not more. Try to do that for 3-4 weeks, until you feel completely comfortable at that level. Then, try to lower your intake by 50 calories/day for 1-2 weeks. When you feel comfortable, lower your intake by 50 calories more. Remember, weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint :)
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    I bought some seeds to add some 'fats' in there, and a whole bunch of vegetation and salad stuff. One hundred grams of salad is about 20 calories....???...that is insane. My grazing days have begun.
  • Lyndauk86
    Lyndauk86 Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks guys all good advice. I am munching on a bowl of salad, and I am going to try and have a bowl for lunch, dinner, and general snacking, see if it helps with feeling full and staying that way. Dieting definitely is a life long commitment. I think once I am comfortable with my food combinations and the hunger is more manageable, I will see about lowering my calories a little more. I don't mind a little hunger when dieting, its just when it effects your sleep too much its hell and maybe there is something going on with the macros as you guys have been saying.

    I go by measurements as well as weight, so when I gained a couple of pounds and got to ten stone, my measurements went down, so I didn't sweat it too much. Since I gained a couple over one week, I have gained a few inches. It is true that it might just be a lot of water, I was originally 10 stone 4, and I basically decided there was no way I had gained 4 pounds of fat in one week. I might have gained 2 pounds of fat, and I have been ill a lot between February and March, so that probably hasn't helped.

    I looked back on the weeks I had gained the weight between 9 half and ten, and I definitely over ate to the point of 3000 calories, it probably was fat, but just wasn't showing or something, very odd.

    I am tracking and measuring everything as much as possible, and didn't stop after finishing the diet (though it is mind numbing and my colleagues give me a hard time over it because they don't think I need to lose weight, or they just want to eat a lot of chocolate cake and not care!).

    Thanks again guys.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    edited April 2018
    You like eating at night.... Have you tried not eating first thing in the morning, and waiting until later in the day to eat your first meal? This way you can save calories to use when you "need" them.

    I feel more hungry all day when I eat first thing, and if I ate your breakfast, I'd be wanting to eat my arm off in about 30 minutes. Id echo the suggestions to increase protein, and maybe fat, to help with satiety.

    Same here! Is that your photo?
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    If you think of it as a diet, it makes it a lot harder. It sounds like you're eating things that make you hungry - lots of refined sugars. Eat more mindfully and figure out what makes you feel full and good after you eat it. Also, pay attention to how good things taste and eat things you like. I find if I really savor what I'm eating, I'm satisfied a lot faster and put less food in my mouth.

    Plus double check your protein and fat. If they, together, aren't 60% of my diet, I can't lose no matter what.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Lyndauk86 wrote: »
    If I eat less, my body keeps me awake at night until I have eaten more.

    I eat less during the day so that I can eat more at night. It works ok that way.

    I do this too, sort of naturally. I like to roll on into the early evening with 1,000 cals on the board still.