Hey everyone,
So a few years back I weighed in at 235, and after a few months of diet and exercise I dropped down to 189. I felt amazing! Annnnd then life kinda happened and I stopped worrying so much about my diet, thinking "well I've lost this much so far, if I gain some back I can just lose it again!"
What a poor fool I was.
So here I am, near 230 again and I'm trying to get back on the ball. I'm running into a new problem though. I get cravings, fam. I reeeeeally want to be able to go through the day, eat in my range and not have to worry about me reaching for the junk. (food)
Any tips on how to curb cravings/ suppress appetite while maintaining a healthy diet? Thanks guys.
GoingSaiyan
Member Posts: 52 Member
Member Posts: 52 Member
Replies
When I do the following, I don't have cravings:
1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food. Additionally, mild to moderate exercise appears to work as a mild appetite suppressant for me.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated
8. Have a calorie deficit that is appropriate for the amount of weight I need to lose. An overly aggressive goal can definitely lead to cravings.
9. Eat at maintenance when my appetite goes up premenstrually.
Probably my biggest downfall is getting sufficient sleep. I typically get 6 to 6 1/2 hours of sleep. I've been told that's not the worst but I should probably be getting more. I also wake up super tired so I guess that's one aspect for me to work on.
@hellonew2015 I love coffee and I think you just put me on to something. I didn't know butter coffee was a thing. I read that it's a good way to replace a meal for breakfast. I'm gonna give that a try. Just gotta find some unsalted/unsweetened grass-fed butter!
Uhhh bullet proof coffee? Well maybe... protein helps me. Also getting out into the sunlight for 30 to 45 mins a day helps me sleep.
I meant unsalted butter. Check out Kerrygold pure irish butter/unsalted
But keep in mind, butter has calories, which need to be logged. Would 100 calories of butter in your coffee keep you more full than 100 calories of eggs or yogurt or something more solid?
While I find caffeine in general and coffee in particular can be a slight appetite suppressant, it's only a plus for me if it has the bare minimum calories. I am not satiated even a little by beverages, no matter how many calories they have.
Take a look at your macros and make sure you are at least hitting your goal for protein, fat, and fiber. If not, bring the stragglers up to par.
How many lbs per week are you aiming for? Are you eating foods you enjoy?
A valid point you have there. I've noticed that I can typically live on fluids like coffee and water up until lunchtime until recently. Though I think I'm better off not having something so small as yogurt or eggs as you mentioned since I feel like it'll only make me want more solid food.
I have mfp set to 2lbs a week, with 1500 being the goal. I think my issue is controlling myself around foods I enjoy! lol
In all seriousness, I would suggest changing it to 1 lb per week temporarily and playing around with your diet/macros/meal timing until you get to a place where it's easy peasy. Then if you want, try a higher weekly goal.
Also, 1500 is the absolute minimum goal for a man. I'm assuming you set yourself as sedentary in order to get it. Are you truly sedentary? Are you logging your exercise and eating back your calories?
A wise rabbit here once said "He who eats the most food and loses the weight wins". Sometimes it's the dramatic shift to the lowest possible calories followed by the dramatic switch back to maintenance at goal weight that does people in. Just some stuff to think about, you'll figure it out :drinker:
I tried bullet-proof coffee when I first read about it, but I am not one of those people who is satiated by a lot of fat. I like more balanced macros.
I gradually reduced fat and added protein and now my winning combo is this:
The teeccino is just because I like the flavor. It is an herbal coffee substitute.
@kimny72 I used to have it set my current way when I lost my weight the last time (back in 2016, did it minimum calories go lower back then? I don't remember.), but I guess it couldn't hurt to switch it up a bit.
I set myself to sedentary because I work an office job where I sit around but I'm also walking around a lot and lifting heavy stuff here and there so it's really hard for me to define what sedentary means. When I get exercise in I usually eat about half of what I burned and leave some room for deficit.
Got it
Only 1500 calories?! You’re not eating enough which is why you’re hungry. I’m female, 5’ 4” and eating 1900/2000 calories on exercise days (5 days) and 1300 on rest days (2 days). I’m in a 500 calorie deficit. I’m not super active either. Play around with your macros, try Intermittent fasting (works really well for men) and try eating abit more.