Hungry all the time!
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skyhowl
Posts: 206 Member
I started my journey on MFP about 3 years ago at around 85 kg (I am 174cm). My goal was to get down to 63 kg. I was in a Calorie deficit for a year at first and was down to 66 kg and I plateaued for a few months and just stopped counting calories for 1 year. I hardly gained that much weight (about 1.5 kg). But I decided to go back into a Calorie deficit again a year ago. I got down from 67 and currently, I am around 63-64 kg (very slow progress, I know). Although I would say I did get to my goal, I am not very happy with my results. I still want to go down a few more kgs. But I am kinda stuck around 63-64 mainly because I am so damn hungry all the time. My goal in my diary is around 1200 but I eat more than that every day (I log even when I mess up). I am not that active. That's why I aim to eat at 1200.
I was able to stick to 1200 in my first year very easily. (at the time. I was driving to work and was doing some lifting at home). But since then, I moved to another country and I have to take public transportation so I am generally walking more. I would appreciate recommendations. I don't know what should I do since I am not making any progress since I can't seem to stop at 1200 calories a day. I average around 1600 calories a day. But I am not losing weight at 1600 calories so It means I am not in a deficit. and at days where I eat lower than that. I am very hungry.
I was able to stick to 1200 in my first year very easily. (at the time. I was driving to work and was doing some lifting at home). But since then, I moved to another country and I have to take public transportation so I am generally walking more. I would appreciate recommendations. I don't know what should I do since I am not making any progress since I can't seem to stop at 1200 calories a day. I average around 1600 calories a day. But I am not losing weight at 1600 calories so It means I am not in a deficit. and at days where I eat lower than that. I am very hungry.
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Replies
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You're well within the optimal BMI range for your height, so instead of trying to lose more weight, I would highly recommend starting recomp if you're unhappy with your body. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p113
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if you are moving more then you need more calories. up your activity level. Select a slow rate of loss (0.5lb or 0.25kg/week) and stick to it. having more food should help you keep it.
but the last few pounds are slow.
how long having you been at 1600? are you using a food scale for all foods? have you not lost ANYTHING or just "very slow"?3 -
I agree with changing your body composition instead. You don’t exercise. Is it because you don’t like it? Weight lifting 3 times a week can really make a difference in how you look and feel. Also what you eat can affect satiety. Typically lean protein and vegetables fill you up better than simple carbs and even fruit, due to the sugar content (but I won’t give up my fruit! I just pair it with meals instead of having it as a snack).4
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Exercise to burn calories; jogging, cycling, anything to get your heart rate up. This will allow you to continue eating how you are but create a deficit as if you were only eating 1200 cal.5
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With public transportation you're sort of walking more than you used to... so you're not sedentary. That by itself is an under-estimate.
You've also lost a good amount of weight and are now at a BMI of 21 or below, which is definitely on the low rather than higher end.
It seems to me that the body composition improvements that are going to come from weight loss and walking have already taken place!
If you're after a more "toned" body the answer is not going to be in losing some more fat and lean mass on a progressively less favourable ratio.
Your hunger is also an indication that you're pushing things beyond where your body is easily willing to go. Are you prepared to fight tooth and nail to lose a few extra lbs and then fight tooth and nail in order to maintain the loss while your hormones are surging to get you to regain?
To me it sounds as if it is time, at a minimum, for a full on diet break and, if you've stumbled upon the bottom end of your maintenance range of calories it is time to attempt to find your top end of maintenance calories!
If you want to recomp and introduce some strength training... that would be a most excellent idea. Once things have settled down for a few months and you're in a good routine then you may want to re-examine further weight loss... decisions can always be revisited, right?3 -
You're well within the optimal BMI range for your height, so instead of trying to lose more weight, I would highly recommend starting recomp if you're unhappy with your body. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
Thanks you so much for the suggestion. I will check the forum and try to adjust my plans. I guess my initial fear of recomp is not knowing how to check progress and how long would it take to see results. With cutting and then maybe bulking.. The scales will move. It is usually easy to also know when you expect to see results for cutting depending on the calorie deficit and with Bulking, you can definitely put weight that isn't just muscles if I am not working out properly. But that would be easier to tell I guess. I know that body measurements and body fat percentage are the things I need to check but I find measuing myself to be very inconsistent.. But i will have to do that then.2 -
if you are moving more then you need more calories. up your activity level. Select a slow rate of loss (0.5lb or 0.25kg/week) and stick to it. having more food should help you keep it.
but the last few pounds are slow.
how long having you been at 1600? are you using a food scale for all foods? have you not lost ANYTHING or just "very slow"?
I do use food scale. However, i have to be honest with myself in admitting that I am not as precise as I used to be with measuring everything I eat. But this is mainly because I kinda got a little discouraged after reachinf my goal and not seeing actual results rather on the scale. Like I still wear the exact same sizes, I don't look that much different either. So in my mind, i have this idea "even if i lose a few more pounds, how big of a change those will make?" but i still want to do it because i know some people say that the last few pounds make the biggest difference.
And i guess I do lose a bit of weight. But it's very very very slow. Like the scale won't move for months. I've seen my weight drop below 63 kg to 62.7 kg.. But I haven't seen that number ever again since. Also, I would say i've been at 1600 for more than 6 months. I was a bit more strict when I started started logging a year ago. I lost those pounds I couldn't lose 2 years ago and then it stopped and I just couldn't stay at 1200 calories. So i started to just ignore my calorie goal.
I will see and try to adjust my goal. I don't remember what was my goal
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Just a thought. Maybe think of an idea of ideal weight vs goal weight. There is a theory that your body has a happy settling range for your lifestyle, food you are eating, exercise, weight history... ect. If you want to push below it, you have to buckle down and might be hungry a lot. Is it worth it? 🤔 I would recommend thinking about maintenance NOW. best of luck!6
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I agree with changing your body composition instead. You don’t exercise. Is it because you don’t like it? Weight lifting 3 times a week can really make a difference in how you look and feel. Also what you eat can affect satiety. Typically lean protein and vegetables fill you up better than simple carbs and even fruit, due to the sugar content (but I won’t give up my fruit! I just pair it with meals instead of having it as a snack).
I don't hate exercise for sure. And i would say I actually like it physically. My issue with exercise is just the practicality of going to the gym. Mainly (these may sound like excuses, so apologies for that) :
1- I didn't go the gym that much in my life. But the times I went, i didn't like being surrounded by people while I am doing my workouts. I mean, people usually mind their own business but i am not a very social person. That's one of the main reasons that I purchased some gym equipments when I was still in my home country. I was way more consistent with exercise then.
2- Financially.. I know that gym memberships aren't that expensive but at least the past year for me it would have been almost impossible with just moving to a new country and since I am a grad student. I don't make any money and barely afforded my transportation tickets and lunch. Thankfully, this is resolved now as I will have a source of income starting my PhD next year.
3- I know that especially with weight lifting, consistency is key and that I won't see results if I go for a month and then stop and my life with my MSc last year and PhD next year can be very unpredictable. Sometimes i have lots of free time and sometimes i work 10am to 10pm if i have deadlines or exams. And with that pressure, it is hard to stay sane and focus on working out. I know it is my own mentality with it and my biggest struggle isn't the actual workouts. I just don't like going to the gym. If i had my own equipments here, it is so easy to fit an hour break where i just stop working and do some exercises and then go back to working. I've seen alot of colleagues have activities outside of studying. I have other interests and things I want to do other than my studies. But i work myself way too hard i guess and don't allow myself that much free time as other people around me. It's not healthy and I definitely want to change that.
With that being said. Practically, I know I have to go to the gym since it is impossible to have any gym equipments in my place. No space for that and I do honestly want to exercise and I do plan to start working out since i won't stay my healthy young self for that long so I wanna stay as active as much as I can to avoid health problems later in life.
For the protein. I guess that could be an issud with not feeling full. I kinda turned into eatinf more plant based for the past year and a half. I barely eat any meat and I never hit my protein goal. However, i do try to incorporate healthy fats. But my diet is mainly fats and carbs.. It is something to consider. I know I will have to up my protein if I am lifting so I will research a bit.
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Justin_7272 wrote: »Exercise to burn calories; jogging, cycling, anything to get your heart rate up. This will allow you to continue eating how you are but create a deficit as if you were only eating 1200 cal.
Thanks for your comment. This would definitely work if i want to keep my 1600. 0 -
Be kind to yourself and know that you are doing the best for your body, this often promotes patience within oneself. Don't fear failure, failure does not exist it is merely perception. And frustration comes from the difference between expectations and reality. It is always best to build a positive foundation for any action. Be well!1
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With public transportation you're sort of walking more than you used to... so you're not sedentary. That by itself is an under-estimate.
You've also lost a good amount of weight and are now at a BMI of 21 or below, which is definitely on the low rather than higher end.
It seems to me that the body composition improvements that are going to come from weight loss and walking have already taken place!
If you're after a more "toned" body the answer is not going to be in losing some more fat and lean mass on a progressively less favourable ratio.
Your hunger is also an indication that you're pushing things beyond where your body is easily willing to go. Are you prepared to fight tooth and nail to lose a few extra lbs and then fight tooth and nail in order to maintain the loss while your hormones are surging to get you to regain?
To me it sounds as if it is time, at a minimum, for a full on diet break and, if you've stumbled upon the bottom end of your maintenance range of calories it is time to attempt to find your top end of maintenance calories!
If you want to recomp and introduce some strength training... that would be a most excellent idea. Once things have settled down for a few months and you're in a good routine then you may want to re-examine further weight loss... decisions can always be revisited, right?
Recmop does indeed sound like my best option. I certainly feel like I will benefit from that in terms of body composition. My initial plan was to lose a few more lbs and then maybe add more weight via weight training +small surplus. But it feels like my body is struggling to lose those last few lbs. I upped my calorie intake for now to eat at around maintenance and will start looking into some recomp plans.
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BuddhaBunnyFTW wrote: »Be kind to yourself and know that you are doing the best for your body, this often promotes patience within oneself. Don't fear failure, failure does not exist it is merely perception. And frustration comes from the difference between expectations and reality. It is always best to build a positive foundation for any action. Be well!
Thank you so much for your kind words. It means alot. I wish you the best. 0 -
psychod787 wrote: »Just a thought. Maybe think of an idea of ideal weight vs goal weight. There is a theory that your body has a happy settling range for your lifestyle, food you are eating, exercise, weight history... ect. If you want to push below it, you have to buckle down and might be hungry a lot. Is it worth it? 🤔 I would recommend thinking about maintenance NOW. best of luck!
Thanks for your recommendation. I will start to look into recomp and upped my calories to wat at maintenance for the moment.3 -
If you google "same weight before and after working out" you will be amazed at the body compostion differences. Often it's not the weight that is a problem but the body composition. Alot of us who have lost a fair amount of weight need to build some muscle to make our bodies look the way we want them to. I agree that recomp is likely your best bet and I would also increase your calorie limit to maintenance levels so that you don't feel so discouraged. Congratulations on losing and pretty well maintaining! That is a huge accomplishment right there.2
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Sometimes there's a little hunger in the beginning, especially when you're cutting calories. It's natural for the mind and body to go "Hey! We are used to eating more! What's going on?" It doesn't mean you lack willpower. It just means you're human.2
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First of all congratulations on doing so well on your weight loss routine! It may seem slow but that is the best and safest way to go to keep your weight at the level you want.
I would like to make a suggestion to help with being hungry. Protein is good for satisfying hunger but the calories can add up. I am currently on a low-sodium diet due to heart failure and also need to lose weight (was up to 99kg but now after 2 months at 94kg--and still have a ways to go!) at about 1200 cal. per day. Hunger was a problem but I discovered that upping my vegetable intake helped with that as well as keeping calories down. I like to roast vegetables, especially cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts sliced in half by putting olive or avocado oil (good fats) into a plastic sandwich bag, adding chopped garlic, and shaking it to coat the veggies. Then put on foil into the oven at 400 F (about 200 C) and cooking for 20-30 minutes. I make a lot at a time and save to snack on later. Eating 1-2 cups at a time fills me up with a minimum of calories, and I don't get hungry as much.2 -
My suggestion is the same as @araglen. Increasing protein can keep you full longer, and adding a lot of veggies will fill up your stomach while keeping calories lower (bonus--lots of nutrients and fiber).
I have a pretty big appetite and use the concept of "volume eating" to make my meals feel satisfying while still keeping calories low enough to hit my target. There's an active thread on MFP about volume eating with lots of ideas for "volume" meals. See if this helps with the hunger:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread
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cheryldumais wrote: »If you google "same weight before and after working out" you will be amazed at the body compostion differences. Often it's not the weight that is a problem but the body composition. Alot of us who have lost a fair amount of weight need to build some muscle to make our bodies look the way we want them to. I agree that recomp is likely your best bet and I would also increase your calorie limit to maintenance levels so that you don't feel so discouraged. Congratulations on losing and pretty well maintaining! That is a huge accomplishment right there.
That is very True. I know I personally have a high-fat percentage just by looking at my body even though I am at healthy weight.. So I figure recomp will be my best option to gain some muscles and lower fat percentage.. Thank you so much for your reply! I wish you the best. 1 -
Sometimes there's a little hunger in the beginning, especially when you're cutting calories. It's natural for the mind and body to go "Hey! We are used to eating more! What's going on?" It doesn't mean you lack willpower. It just means you're human.
That is true. I do remember struggling with hunger when I started my journey 3 years ago. Although it was a bit different then. Thanks for your reply!1
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