I AM HUNGRY ALL THE TIME

Hello!

I am just eleven or twelve pounds from my goal weight - I have been so hardcore and started running again in conjunction with my regular workouts. I have looked at my progress and have determined that on my less active days, I am not burning enough calories. Most days, I don't go over my 1200 goal.

I have posted about how grazing at work is killing my progress. I am working to improve that but the issue is that I am HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. I need to eat more filling foods. I have been working on a more calorically dense breakfast, which seems to be helping. Or at least, it helps for a couple of hours.

Am I eating out of boredom? On the weekends, when I am most busy and active, I have no problem staying under 1200 calories. But today, for example, I AM STARVING and have barely been active as I have an office job.

What's my problem? Thoughts? Advice? I am drinking a ton of water, too. If I hear one more time that I need to be drinking a ton of water, I will probably die...
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Replies

  • wifeoferp
    wifeoferp Posts: 86 Member
    Maybe you need to take a break from your diet for a week or two and eat at maintenance. You won’t lose progress but mentally it might help your brain to know that your body isn’t starving! :-)
    I would also make sure to focus on the quality of what you are eating, making sure you are getting a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat. I really only feel satisfied when I have all three in my snack/meal.
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    What's your height and weight at?

    1200 calories is a very small amount of calories. As the bare minimum, it's not gonna be appropriate to eat that little for most women.

    Aside from that, try upping your protein intake.
  • pancakerunner
    pancakerunner Posts: 6,137 Member
    Well, first things first, you shouldn't be eating 1,200 AND exercising. 1,200 is the minimum requirement for a SEDENTARY person. Not someone who is working out and running??? I'd say up your calories :)
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    edited October 2019
    Terytha wrote: »
    What's your height and weight at?

    1200 calories is a very small amount of calories. As the bare minimum, it's not gonna be appropriate to eat that little for most women.

    Aside from that, try upping your protein intake.

    well i'm pretty small, lol. I'm 4'11 and weigh 127 pounds!
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Hello!

    I am just eleven or twelve pounds from my goal weight - I have been so hardcore and started running again in conjunction with my regular workouts. I have looked at my progress and have determined that on my less active days, I am not burning enough calories. Most days, I don't go over my 1200 goal.

    I have posted about how grazing at work is killing my progress. I am working to improve that but the issue is that I am HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. I need to eat more filling foods. I have been working on a more calorically dense breakfast, which seems to be helping. Or at least, it helps for a couple of hours.

    Am I eating out of boredom? On the weekends, when I am most busy and active, I have no problem staying under 1200 calories. But today, for example, I AM STARVING and have barely been active as I have an office job.

    What's my problem? Thoughts? Advice? I am drinking a ton of water, too. If I hear one more time that I need to be drinking a ton of water, I will probably die...

    If you're only eating 1200 or less calories, and you're exercising, you are hungry because you most likely aren't eating enough.

    With so little left to lose, you should be expecting to lose @ 0.5lbs per week. Then you should eat all the calories MFP gives you, PLUS at least some of your exercise calories.

    What is your height and current weight, and what has your weight done in the last 4 weeks or so?

    I haven't lost anything in the last month!

    I had a good workout week and the next day I was down to 125, but the next day I was back up to 127
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,292 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    Hello!

    I am just eleven or twelve pounds from my goal weight - I have been so hardcore and started running again in conjunction with my regular workouts. I have looked at my progress and have determined that on my less active days, I am not burning enough calories. Most days, I don't go over my 1200 goal.

    I have posted about how grazing at work is killing my progress. I am working to improve that but the issue is that I am HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. I need to eat more filling foods. I have been working on a more calorically dense breakfast, which seems to be helping. Or at least, it helps for a couple of hours.

    Am I eating out of boredom? On the weekends, when I am most busy and active, I have no problem staying under 1200 calories. But today, for example, I AM STARVING and have barely been active as I have an office job.

    What's my problem? Thoughts? Advice? I am drinking a ton of water, too. If I hear one more time that I need to be drinking a ton of water, I will probably die...

    If you're only eating 1200 or less calories, and you're exercising, you are hungry because you most likely aren't eating enough.

    With so little left to lose, you should be expecting to lose @ 0.5lbs per week. Then you should eat all the calories MFP gives you, PLUS at least some of your exercise calories.

    What is your height and current weight, and what has your weight done in the last 4 weeks or so?

    I haven't lost anything in the last month!

    I had a good workout week and the next day I was down to 125, but the next day I was back up to 127

    Then it is either water weight masking the fat loss, or you are eating more than you think you are.

    Do you weigh solids and measure liquids you consume?
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member


    I had a good workout week and the next day I was down to 125, but the next day I was back up to 127[/quote]

    Then it is either water weight masking the fat loss, or you are eating more than you think you are.

    Do you weigh solids and measure liquids you consume?[/quote]

    I have been trying to get better about it. But if I'm being honest, I don't weigh as much as I should. I was surprised last night at how much an ounce of my snack turned out to be. I have been way underestimating what I should eat. I am learning so much, it is hard to incorporate it all - My goal this past week has been to choose more filling foods because fruit does not satiate me at all unless I eat A LOT of it. I had also been eating overnight oats (homemade and weighed all ingredients) and though it was a 430 calorie breakfast, I was full until lunch time.

  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    What was your starting weight?
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,970 Member
    Weigh EVERYTHING you eat. Period.
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    What was your starting weight?

    131, but at my very worst, during my cycle, I got to 137
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited October 2019
    At 127 pounds, you are only 4 pounds above your optimal BMI range. Weight loss at this point is very slow, easily masked by water fluctuations, and generally requires meticulous, accurate logging. Weigh ALL of your food, and give it time. You may not see the scale go down for 4-6 weeks; that's completely normal.

    You also need to be eating back a reasonable estimate of your exercise calories. If you're exercising, 1200 is not enough; that number assumes you are sedentary.
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    At 127 pounds, you are only 4 pounds above your optimal BMI range. Weight loss at this point is very slow, easily masked by water fluctuations, and generally requires meticulous, accurate logging. Weigh ALL of your food, and give it time. You may not see the scale go down for 4-6 weeks; that's completely normal.

    Well that is definitely encouraging! I'd like to be at the lower end of the BMI but still healthy - we'll see though because I don't want to be a rail. I am working on strength training, but also running, so I have to be careful about losing muscle because of the running. And the muscle weight will change the scale, I know. This has been no easy task, lol.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    At 127 pounds, you are only 4 pounds above your optimal BMI range. Weight loss at this point is very slow, easily masked by water fluctuations, and generally requires meticulous, accurate logging. Weigh ALL of your food, and give it time. You may not see the scale go down for 4-6 weeks; that's completely normal.

    Well that is definitely encouraging! I'd like to be at the lower end of the BMI but still healthy - we'll see though because I don't want to be a rail. I am working on strength training, but also running, so I have to be careful about losing muscle because of the running. And the muscle weight will change the scale, I know. This has been no easy task, lol.

    I don't know what you mean by "losing muscle because of the running." Running does not cause you to lose muscle.

    Muscle gain while in a deficit will be minimal. The goal of strength training in a deficit is to preserve the muscle mass you have, and perhaps gain a little muscle, but you are not gaining large amounts of muscle in a deficit.

    You absolutely need to be fueling your runs. Are you eating back your exercise calories?
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    At 127 pounds, you are only 4 pounds above your optimal BMI range. Weight loss at this point is very slow, easily masked by water fluctuations, and generally requires meticulous, accurate logging. Weigh ALL of your food, and give it time. You may not see the scale go down for 4-6 weeks; that's completely normal.

    Well that is definitely encouraging! I'd like to be at the lower end of the BMI but still healthy - we'll see though because I don't want to be a rail. I am working on strength training, but also running, so I have to be careful about losing muscle because of the running. And the muscle weight will change the scale, I know. This has been no easy task, lol.

    I don't know what you mean by "losing muscle because of the running." Running does not cause you to lose muscle.

    Muscle gain while in a deficit will be minimal. The goal of strength training in a deficit is to preserve the muscle mass you have, and perhaps gain a little muscle, but you are not gaining large amounts of muscle in a deficit.

    You absolutely need to be fueling your runs. Are you eating back your exercise calories?

    I read this article on Runner's World that running can cause muscle loss. Something about losing gains because of so much cardio.

    I am eating back as many as I can stand. My favorite thing about post-workout/ post-run is 1. endorphins 2. FOOD. :) But probably still not enough - it's usually something small but protein packed, like almonds.

  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    I made my food diary public so you all can see where I'm at today - this is everything weighed, also - huge win on that front. At 2, I will eat that apple and peanut butter because I have been able to wait, so really it would be a "snack," instead of "lunch," except I'm not sure that matters.

    This is also all before running tonight, so realistically I should be able to scarf down another 300 calorie meal.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    edited October 2019
    uhhh.... well... 127 is not very heavy, how tall are you? after looking at your diary, higher protein... 30% in most studies shows a spontaneous reduction in an Ad Librium situation. Maybe limit the "junk" food. No food is good or bad. Focus on mostly whole foods. Not the store, but less processed.