Finding it so difficult to curb my appetite at age 62.
ldrag07444
Posts: 25 Member
Trying to lose weight is hard enough, but when your appetite won't quit, it's harder yet. I know I don't drink enough water, but I am also eat way too much when getting home from work because I am starving. Now the weight is all in the middle. I am about 134, but like to be around 122 to feel healthier. I gave up cookies, cakes and sugary sweets for about 4 years now, so that's not my problem. Basically eating too much food.
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Replies
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You've already done well cutting out those sugary treats. The next step is try finding a substitute for what you normally want to eat. Logging all your meals will readily help you see what's not helping & what you need more of. For me I have to start breakfast with oats & blueberries. That stops me from snacking through the day. I don't really have much then until an evening meal. You don't have to eat salad & fruit all day. There's a lot of low fat things out there is just finding the right ones. Some days I just snack on eating packets of chicken slices lol. Best of luck to you2
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Could you snack at your job around 2:30 or so?
A serving of almonds, a mozza cheese stick, apple, banana, a low sodium v8?
Maybe drinking water on your drive home? Leave the windows down in this heat and you'll get hot enough to like water.
Also, are you eating fast food for dinner or fixing your own meals.
Last night I was stuffed for 300 calories. Grilled chicken breast, a ton of mixed veggies.
Is someone else cooking your food? Have a talk with them.
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Hi @ldrag07444 I am 62 also.
Looking at your age and weight I am surmising you are on 1200 cal a day to lose 1lbs a week.
It is the numbers I had too, but it converted to .5 lbs a week pretty quickly and less as I got closer to my goal. It will be a slow deficit just because you have little to lose.
What I found worked well was -
weighing everything as there is so little room for error
concentrating on getting .8-1g protein per lbs body weight. As older woman our protein needs are higher than younger women so we can retain muscle, especially when in a deficit.
getting a good amount of fat. Helps with brain function and nutrient absorption.
Both of the above also really help with satiety too.
Lots of veg, especially salads, really help with the oral aspect of eating (Fork to mouth actions and chewing), as well as volume.
Water has become something that I only bathed in to something I have by my side all the time. I got a soda stream as I found I enjoyed water with a sparkle in it.
Carbs just fill in the rest of my cals.
I have always included biscuits, cake, chocolate, icecream, and wine. I enjoy them too much to eliminate them.
If you are not doing any exercise at the moment I would highly recommend doing some kind of resistance work to help with muscle retention.
Having never exercised in my life I started with Aqua fit. It was enought to get my body used to movement and the water resistance helped my muscles, balance and flexibility. I then went on to bodyweight and/or hand weight routines and now do a progressive compound lifting programm called All Pro.
Cardio is good too. I generally do 3 days weights, 3 days cardio. 30-60 min a day.
I walk, swim, row, and do bellydancing and Zumba at different times for cardio.
Eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories. Your deficit is built into your basic calories MFP gives you and you are expected to add and eat exercise calories. This is the way I finds itworks best as I am not under fueled tired and grumpy all the time.
Sorry that was so long. I hope it gives you a bit of encouragement knowing it can be done. I started at 130 and have maintained between 100-105 for over 6yr.
Cheers, h.
62yo, 5'1.15 -
Are you getting enough sleep? When I am tired from lack of sleep, at the end of the work day I feel hungry even though I have eaten.3
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Plan on an easy snack late in the day at work or as soon as you get home so you can focus on a cooking a good meal.1
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Here I am again 10/2/19 with the same problem. Once I get started, I'm okay, but I put on about 4 lbs. Would like to lose 5. Some people may say big deal, but it is extremely hard to lose 5 lbs. Same problem, starving after work. Bought fiber bars and end up having 2. I have an apple at work which helps, but again when I get home, I look for food.1
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PS I have to admit, I eat more than what is put in my diary. Although not purposely.0
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ldrag07444 wrote: »PS I have to admit, I eat more than what is put in my diary. Although not purposely.
for me eating after work became a habit... now I have a snack before I leave work and go home and make myself busy. I now do my workouts right when I get home. So instead of come home let the dogs out snack. It's come home let the dogs out, change into workout gear, workout, clean, shower, walk dogs, whatever whatever, eat dinner.
The busier I am the more distracted I am and I stop thinking about food until dinner time.4 -
ldrag07444 wrote: »Here I am again 10/2/19 with the same problem. Once I get started, I'm okay, but I put on about 4 lbs. Would like to lose 5. Some people may say big deal, but it is extremely hard to lose 5 lbs. Same problem, starving after work. Bought fiber bars and end up having 2. I have an apple at work which helps, but again when I get home, I look for food.
Some low calorie things I find filling: a cup of soup (I like Amy's brand of organic soups, the low sodium ones), or lowfat Greek yogurt, maybe with a banana, or a few almonds, or blueberries. Those things end my hunger.
Just me personally, but I wouldn't buy fiber bars. Most of them are just another type of candy and aren't worth the calories. Actual vegetables or fruit with fiber seem more filling and have better nutrition.
Good luck!0 -
I don’t think it’s easy at any age.
It’s all about how badly you want to be a healthy weight. We have the power within ourselves to get to where we want to be.1 -
I know the fiber bars aren't great for you. I do get the low carb ones, but still not great because of the sugar alcohols in them. Before that though I was eating a ton of cheese with pretzels. Worse! Maybe I'll try the low fat Greek yogurt. And I am healthy, but just not where I want to be on the scale. Plus an extra 4 lbs. goes right to my middle at this age.
Thanks for your advice though! Appreciate it!1 -
I have a couple of vegetable soup recipes loaded with veggies. Have to start them up again also.0
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ldrag07444 wrote: »PS I have to admit, I eat more than what is put in my diary. Although not purposely.
If you don't fill out the food diary truthfully, you never know whether you're in a calorie deficit. The only person you're cheating is yourself. 💙5 -
I find late afternoon snacks and having a high volume, low calorie dinner planned or prepared helps with this. I also tended to grab high calorie snacks while I was waiting for dinner to cook after work. I now chew gum or suck a sugar free mint, I'm much less likely to snack as everything tastes bad.0
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What do you feel you have learned about eating and satiety in the five years since your original post? Have you recently tracked your macro percentages? Consider trying foods that will give your greater satiety, ie more protein, less carbs. I’m not saying do a “low carb” diet, but you might be over MFPs recommended ratio, so a small adjustment might be in order.1
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ldrag07444 wrote: »Here I am again 10/2/19 with the same problem. Once I get started, I'm okay, but I put on about 4 lbs. Would like to lose 5. Some people may say big deal, but it is extremely hard to lose 5 lbs. Same problem, starving after work. Bought fiber bars and end up having 2. I have an apple at work which helps, but again when I get home, I look for food.
Maybe have some protein and fat with your apple, like nuts or cheese? I don't find just fruit filling at all.
I work from home now, but when I worked in an office I made a batch of hard boiled eggs on Sundays for afternoon snacks during the work week. I kept nuts at work in my desk, and carrots and cheese in the frig.1 -
ldrag07444 wrote: »I know the fiber bars aren't great for you. I do get the low carb ones, but still not great because of the sugar alcohols in them. Before that though I was eating a ton of cheese with pretzels. Worse! Maybe I'll try the low fat Greek yogurt. And I am healthy, but just not where I want to be on the scale. Plus an extra 4 lbs. goes right to my middle at this age.
Thanks for your advice though! Appreciate it!
I like the Fage brand plain lowfat yogurt and add some almonds or blueberries to it -- it's a more substantial yogurt than many other brands. The 2% fat has 20 grams of protein and 140 calories vs the 5% full fat which has less protein and 190 calories.
A cup of Amy's brand organic soup (some of them, anyway, like the minestrone) has only 100 calories -- or, like you wrote, you could make your own, which would be even better.
Again, snacks that are filling for me, but might not work for other people. Good luck!1 -
Add a salad to a meal. It may sound bleak - but you can get lots of different flavors to liven it up. It adds bulk - so you feel like you're eating 'more' without adding a ton of calories. Stick to low cal dressings, and limit cheese. A little crumbled blue cheese or feta adds a lot of flavor for just a little calories.
And having an afternoon snack is also a good idea. If I have a low cal lunch, I'm hungry in 3-4 hours. Just had 100 calories of popcorn and will have a 70 cal Babybel cheese shortly. Then dinner tonight is tilapia, asparagus, and a small serving of mashed potatoes. Dinner will be about 325 cals - and if I decide I need more food then I will add about a 200 calorie salad.ldrag07444 wrote: »Trying to lose weight is hard enough, but when your appetite won't quit, it's harder yet. I know I don't drink enough water, but I am also eat way too much when getting home from work because I am starving. Now the weight is all in the middle. I am about 134, but like to be around 122 to feel healthier. I gave up cookies, cakes and sugary sweets for about 4 years now, so that's not my problem. Basically eating too much food.
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ldrag07444 wrote: »Here I am again 10/2/19 with the same problem. Once I get started, I'm okay, but I put on about 4 lbs. Would like to lose 5. Some people may say big deal, but it is extremely hard to lose 5 lbs. Same problem, starving after work. Bought fiber bars and end up having 2. I have an apple at work which helps, but again when I get home, I look for food.
Are you absolutely certain this is entirely a physical hunger/appetite problem, vs. a post-work fatigue, stress-recovery or habit problem?
Changes in timing of eating, or composition of eating (which macros or specific foods), or aggressiveness of loss rate (not trying to lose super-fast), will usually help with physical hunger. But if the problem isn't physical hunger, the best solution has nothing to do with food.
Best wishes!2 -
I made the weight watchers veggie soup so I'm going to try that after work. I have about 5 lbs i would like to lose just finding it more difficult to start this time around. I usually try not to put on more than 5. Thank you for your suggestions. It really helps to talk about it.2
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I think that stress is ONE of the triggers. When confronted with an issue, I mindlessly go to the pantry to eat something to help. The gratification is short lived. Then the guilt sets in and I get angry at myself. I also think that I've gotten into a habit of eating after work. Just head right for the frig or pantry. Going to try to distract myself. Thank you all for your advise.1
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How about building a habit that doesn’t involve food when you get home? Find a podcast perhaps that interests you, light a few candles, relax in a chair or on your bed or in the bath, listen and soak in the calm before you get yourself together to get dinner.
I’ve found those things help me, I’ve been on the go all day, cook family dinner, clean up, then give myself an hour alone with candles, a podcast and I’m ready to make good decisions for my meal. Somewhat easy for me as I’m vegetarian and my family aren’t so I’m not eating the same meal, but the mindset of taking time out really helps me to focus on what’s best for me.2
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