starving!

Jessicaruby
Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
so before i started MFP i didnt really eat alot of snacks. i ate 3 meals a day although they were not very healthy. then i started MFP. at first i was set at 1480 calories plus exercise calories. but i was scared to eat that many so i always had a bigger deficet. But i was always full. well i can not lose anymore weight so i tried raising my calories. i changed my goals to lose 1/2lb a week and now have about 1700 calories plus exericse calories. i always make sure i net at least 1200. I usually eat between 1600 and 2100 calories. BUT now that i have increased my calories (for two weeks now) my weight has not changed still and i am always hungry. i get hungry about every 1-2hrs. what is the deal?

Replies

  • It's really interesting that you say that because I feel the same way. The less that I eat, the less hungry I feel. Sometimes I have to make myself eat things because I know it's unhealthy to eat less than 1000.
  • You could try reducing your carbs, a lot, to around 100 per day. You may be sensitive to the insulin spike from all the carbs and that's what is making you feel hungry all the time.

    Read http://www.spinalhealth.net/insulin.html or google around.

    I remember your other thread. Some people said eat less to lose weight, some said to eat more. So you tried eating more...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Well keep in mind, you could just be at a stall. it happens from time to time. Now if you go a month or two (yes, its a good ol waiting game, lol) and your weight doesn't decrease or increase, try to up your calories by 200 more calories. If you gain weight, then decrease calories by 200. There could several contributers to yoru situation; under estimating portions of food, under estimating calories burned from exercise or just under estimating caloric needs. Heck, the more body fat I have lost, the more I eat. I also find myself adding more weight and pushing myself harder, so I am thinking I am burnging more calories. FYI, I went two months with eating 3000 calories. In that two months, I gained 8 lbs. So i decrease my calories by 200 and I started losing weight again, In fact, i am losing about a pound a day.
  • catwrangler
    catwrangler Posts: 918 Member
    Could you be pregnant?
  • I agree with routerguy...if the glycemic index of your foods are high, it will trigger insulin roller coasters which then you feel starved. Choose foods with a low glycemic index and you won't feel that way so much. Also switch up any exercise routine you have for a bit. Your body will acclimate to "walking" and plateau. So try something new and use different muscle groups for a week and see if that helps too!
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    I agree with routerguy...if the glycemic index of your foods are high, it will trigger insulin roller coasters which then you feel starved. Choose foods with a low glycemic index and you won't feel that way so much. Also switch up any exercise routine you have for a bit. Your body will acclimate to "walking" and plateau. So try something new and use different muscle groups for a week and see if that helps too!
    i understand what you are saying about the carbs but i am probably eating less then when i started MFP as i was eating alot of processed foods and fast food. i always go over my fiber and protein limits. my sugars are usually over but it is usually from fruit and veggies. my carbs and fat are almost ALWAYS under. i just bought a bodybugg to hopefully that helps with tracking how much i really burn. i walk/jog/run, do zumba and hip hop abs, and weighlifting for my workouts. and no there is NO way i could be pregnant LOL
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    You could try reducing your carbs, a lot, to around 100 per day. You may be sensitive to the insulin spike from all the carbs and that's what is making you feel hungry all the time.

    Read http://www.spinalhealth.net/insulin.html or google around.

    I remember your other thread. Some people said eat less to lose weight, some said to eat more. So you tried eating more...
    yes i chose to eat more because i did some research and my BMF is around 1400. i was not netting nearly that and i workout everyday so i decided i needed more fuel. but no matter what i do not lose or gain weight
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    You could try reducing your carbs, a lot, to around 100 per day. You may be sensitive to the insulin spike from all the carbs and that's what is making you feel hungry all the time.

    Read http://www.spinalhealth.net/insulin.html or google around.

    I remember your other thread. Some people said eat less to lose weight, some said to eat more. So you tried eating more...
    yes i chose to eat more because i did some research and my BMF is around 1400. i was not netting nearly that and i workout everyday so i decided i needed more fuel. but no matter what i do not lose or gain weight
  • i understand what you are saying about the carbs [...] my carbs and fat are almost ALWAYS under.

    This website can pull a number out of a hat for any nutrient it likes, the bottom line is your body may be reacting negatively to the amount of carbs you are consuming. If you didn't track them prior to mfp, you don't know if they were higher or lower so all you can do is look at the amount you eat now and how it makes you feel and change them to see if it helps. Or not.
  • The "starvation mode" theory is a myth. It is true that your rate of weight loss can slow down if you put yourself into too big of a deficit (say 1500 calories less per day instead of 500-1000 calories less), but you would still continue to lose weight. For the most part, it is healthy to eat at least 1200 calories a day (no less than 1000). If you are exercising, remember you are building muscle which weighs more than fat (and can actually take up just as much mass so you may not lose inches at first either).

    If you need more info on this, just google starvation mode myth. Unfortunately, a lot of these extreme exercise video fads are pushing the "eat more calories" theory (i.e. Buy our protein powder formulas). It all boils down to calories in, calories out. Just stick with it. You may not be able to notice the results yet, but there are changes taking place.

    Good luck!
  • LisaKyle11
    LisaKyle11 Posts: 662 Member
    just hang in there until your Body Bugg comes --- once you wear it for about a week or two consistently you will be able to see your average calorie burn and a whole lot more.

    i also honestly think you may want to lower your carb (processed) intake. just a thought.

    good luck with all of this.

    you will LOVE your new toy!
  • lbgano
    lbgano Posts: 234
    Could you be pregnant?

    I had the same thought.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    The "starvation mode" theory is a myth. It is true that your rate of weight loss can slow down if you put yourself into too big of a deficit (say 1500 calories less per day instead of 500-1000 calories less), but you would still continue to lose weight. For the most part, it is healthy to eat at least 1200 calories a day (no less than 1000). If you are exercising, remember you are building muscle which weighs more than fat (and can actually take up just as much mass so you may not lose inches at first either).

    If you need more info on this, just google starvation mode myth. Unfortunately, a lot of these extreme exercise video fads are pushing the "eat more calories" theory (i.e. Buy our protein powder formulas). It all boils down to calories in, calories out. Just stick with it. You may not be able to notice the results yet, but there are changes taking place.

    Good luck!

    I agree with most of this. I'm not surprised that eating more is not helping.
  • LisaKyle11
    LisaKyle11 Posts: 662 Member
    The "starvation mode" theory is a myth. It is true that your rate of weight loss can slow down if you put yourself into too big of a deficit (say 1500 calories less per day instead of 500-1000 calories less), but you would still continue to lose weight. For the most part, it is healthy to eat at least 1200 calories a day (no less than 1000). If you are exercising, remember you are building muscle which weighs more than fat (and can actually take up just as much mass so you may not lose inches at first either).

    If you need more info on this, just google starvation mode myth. Unfortunately, a lot of these extreme exercise video fads are pushing the "eat more calories" theory (i.e. Buy our protein powder formulas). It all boils down to calories in, calories out. Just stick with it. You may not be able to notice the results yet, but there are changes taking place.

    Good luck!

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat.
    Let's also please be cautious with stating theories as fact.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Another thing - I noticed you have cals added because of exercise. Are you using the MFP cals burned values? As great as MFP is, these estimates for cals burned can be off so it might be adding too many cals in there.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    The "starvation mode" theory is a myth. It is true that your rate of weight loss can slow down if you put yourself into too big of a deficit (say 1500 calories less per day instead of 500-1000 calories less), but you would still continue to lose weight. For the most part, it is healthy to eat at least 1200 calories a day (no less than 1000). If you are exercising, remember you are building muscle which weighs more than fat (and can actually take up just as much mass so you may not lose inches at first either).

    If you need more info on this, just google starvation mode myth. Unfortunately, a lot of these extreme exercise video fads are pushing the "eat more calories" theory (i.e. Buy our protein powder formulas). It all boils down to calories in, calories out. Just stick with it. You may not be able to notice the results yet, but there are changes taking place.

    Good luck!

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat.
    Let's also please be cautious with stating theories as fact.

    It does weigh more for the same volume, which I'm sure is what was meant by the person you quoted.
  • The "starvation mode" theory is a myth. It is true that your rate of weight loss can slow down if you put yourself into too big of a deficit (say 1500 calories less per day instead of 500-1000 calories less), but you would still continue to lose weight. For the most part, it is healthy to eat at least 1200 calories a day (no less than 1000). If you are exercising, remember you are building muscle which weighs more than fat (and can actually take up just as much mass so you may not lose inches at first either).

    If you need more info on this, just google starvation mode myth. Unfortunately, a lot of these extreme exercise video fads are pushing the "eat more calories" theory (i.e. Buy our protein powder formulas). It all boils down to calories in, calories out. Just stick with it. You may not be able to notice the results yet, but there are changes taking place.

    Good luck!

    Muscle does not weigh more than fat.
    Let's also please be cautious with stating theories as fact.

    We should be careful stating hypotheses as fact.. a theory is something else. People just need to stop using "theory" as a substitute for hypothesis, they are not the same thing. A hypothesis is a conjecture that you feel might be true based on previous observation but needs to be verified by experiment, a theory is when a bunch of proven hypotheses come together to show a overarching trend/creating a model that explains the overarching phenomenon linking the proven hypothesis, like the theory of gravity, relativity and others.

    Also what was said was fact: Muscle weighs 1.06 g/ml where fat weighs 0.9 g/ml.

    1. The density of mammalian skeletal muscle is 1.06 g/ml.
    "... 1.06 g/cm-3 which is the density of mammalian skeletal muscle"

    Source for quote: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological
    Sciences and Medical Sciences 56:B191-B197 (2001)
    Specific Force Deficit in Skeletal Muscles of Old Rats Is Partially
    Explained by the Existence of Denervated Muscle Fibers
    Melanie G. Urbancheka, Elisa B. Pickenb, Loree K. Kalliainenc and
    William M. Kuzon, Jr.a,d
    http://biomed.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/full/56/5/B191#R23

    2. The density of adipose tissue (fat) is about 0.9 g/ml
    "...by multiplying the density of adipose tissue (0.9196 g/ml)"
    Source: Association of adiponectin and resistin with adipose tissue
    compartments, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia
    M. S. Farvid1, T. W. K. Ng2, D. C. Chan2, P. H. R. Barrett2 and G. F. Watts2*
    http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1463-1326.2004.00410.x

    I also agree that insulin is likely the culprit for feeling starving, try eating a more protein oriented diet to reduce the starving feeling.
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    if eating more was not a good idea wouldnt i gain? i weigh the same as when i was eating 300-600 calories less a day. no matter what i do i stay the same. i try to limit my carbs but carbs are in every thing! lol i love apples and there are 22 carbs in the granny smith apples i eat! i eat ALOT of fiber and protein. right now i do use exercise calories burned through MFP (i just ordered a bodybugg should get it today or tomorrow) . Because i know they could be off or i could be somewhat off in measuring my food i never use all of my calories that way i have a backup and do not go oover. i usually leave about 150-400 calories left to take care of that problem so i should not be going over
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    if eating more was not a good idea wouldnt i gain? i weigh the same as when i was eating 300-600 calories less a day. no matter what i do i stay the same. i try to limit my carbs but carbs are in every thing! lol i love apples and there are 22 carbs in the granny smith apples i eat! i eat ALOT of fiber and protein. right now i do use exercise calories burned through MFP (i just ordered a bodybugg should get it today or tomorrow) . Because i know they could be off or i could be somewhat off in measuring my food i never use all of my calories that way i have a backup and do not go oover. i usually leave about 150-400 calories left to take care of that problem so i should not be going over

    You may gain, but sometimes you may just maintain.. like if I up my calories too high, I maintain weight instead of losing it.
    Plus it takes your body time to get used to a new calorie goal... it doesn't happen overnight.

    I would also not leave 150-400 calories left over at the end of the day.. 100 or less is what I normally leave.
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    if eating more was not a good idea wouldnt i gain? i weigh the same as when i was eating 300-600 calories less a day. no matter what i do i stay the same. i try to limit my carbs but carbs are in every thing! lol i love apples and there are 22 carbs in the granny smith apples i eat! i eat ALOT of fiber and protein. right now i do use exercise calories burned through MFP (i just ordered a bodybugg should get it today or tomorrow) . Because i know they could be off or i could be somewhat off in measuring my food i never use all of my calories that way i have a backup and do not go oover. i usually leave about 150-400 calories left to take care of that problem so i should not be going over

    You may gain, but sometimes you may just maintain.. like if I up my calories too high, I maintain weight instead of losing it.
    Plus it takes your body time to get used to a new calorie goal... it doesn't happen overnight.

    I would also not leave 150-400 calories left over at the end of the day.. 100 or less is what I normally leave.


    i just dont know what to do anymore. no matter what my weight stays the same. i have toned my arms and legs but not my stomach were i want to tone the most. i know i am probably healthier but i weigh the same as when i was eating burgers fries and milkshakes all the time and i didnt have the headache of counting calories and worrying about what i ate. sometimes i just get frusterated and wonder what is the point if i am just going to weigh the same.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    So are you noticing your arms and legs toning while staying the same weight? Maybe you should not worry about the number on the scale as much - are you taking measurements?
  • catjrow3
    catjrow3 Posts: 532 Member
    Thought I would pop in with a suggestion that worked for me. I went on a 9 month plateau, horrible. I exercised 6 days a week, would eat more for a while, tried eating less, nothing! Then I tried calorie cycling and it broke the plateau. Its not fast weight loss, but it confused my body enough that the metabolism kicked in again?? I wear a body bugg too, and that did nothing to help me break the plateau. Great, I am burning 3000 calories a day, and I ate 1500 and I still did not lose weight... so its not the total answer if you cannot get it moving again....

    Calorie cycling, like JUDDD, or Fast 5, you eat your maintenance level on an UP DAY (UD) and you eat a very low calorie day the next (DD) down day, like around 500 calories. Does not matter what you eat, just within your range, and you alternate. It finally broke mine and it was a terrible one to budge. Just thought I would share incase you wanted to try it. You can google JUDDD for more information on it if you are interested in the idea! Its only one day of low calorie, followed by a high calorie, for me its 2500, but its based on your weight/activity, etc... Good luck! I know how stressful it is, and I hope you figure it out (you are exercising right?)
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    Thought I would pop in with a suggestion that worked for me. I went on a 9 month plateau, horrible. I exercised 6 days a week, would eat more for a while, tried eating less, nothing! Then I tried calorie cycling and it broke the plateau. Its not fast weight loss, but it confused my body enough that the metabolism kicked in again?? I wear a body bugg too, and that did nothing to help me break the plateau. Great, I am burning 3000 calories a day, and I ate 1500 and I still did not lose weight... so its not the total answer if you cannot get it moving again....

    Calorie cycling, like JUDDD, or Fast 5, you eat your maintenance level on an UP DAY (UD) and you eat a very low calorie day the next (DD) down day, like around 500 calories. Does not matter what you eat, just within your range, and you alternate. It finally broke mine and it was a terrible one to budge. Just thought I would share incase you wanted to try it. You can google JUDDD for more information on it if you are interested in the idea! Its only one day of low calorie, followed by a high calorie, for me its 2500, but its based on your weight/activity, etc... Good luck! I know how stressful it is, and I hope you figure it out (you are exercising right?)
    i might have to try this. thanks for the info. yes i work out every day. i do take my measurements and they stay the same to!!! i just am dumbfounded. when i started MFP i weighed 130lbs. after about 3 months i dropped down to 125. then i started to gain those lbs back and am back up to 130lbs again and i did not change anything. until just recently because i could not lose the weight again
  • catjrow3
    catjrow3 Posts: 532 Member
    Thought I would pop in with a suggestion that worked for me. I went on a 9 month plateau, horrible. I exercised 6 days a week, would eat more for a while, tried eating less, nothing! Then I tried calorie cycling and it broke the plateau. Its not fast weight loss, but it confused my body enough that the metabolism kicked in again?? I wear a body bugg too, and that did nothing to help me break the plateau. Great, I am burning 3000 calories a day, and I ate 1500 and I still did not lose weight... so its not the total answer if you cannot get it moving again....

    Calorie cycling, like JUDDD, or Fast 5, you eat your maintenance level on an UP DAY (UD) and you eat a very low calorie day the next (DD) down day, like around 500 calories. Does not matter what you eat, just within your range, and you alternate. It finally broke mine and it was a terrible one to budge. Just thought I would share incase you wanted to try it. You can google JUDDD for more information on it if you are interested in the idea! Its only one day of low calorie, followed by a high calorie, for me its 2500, but its based on your weight/activity, etc... Good luck! I know how stressful it is, and I hope you figure it out (you are exercising right?)
    i might have to try this. thanks for the info. yes i work out every day. i do take my measurements and they stay the same to!!! i just am dumbfounded. when i started MFP i weighed 130lbs. after about 3 months i dropped down to 125. then i started to gain those lbs back and am back up to 130lbs again and i did not change anything. until just recently because i could not lose the weight again
    I completely understand. My measurements did not change either, and I worked out hard all the time... it was very frustrating, and everyone said...either ... eat more....or .... eat less... nothing worked. Exericse less, exercise more.. Its not as simple as calories in, calories out...although they like to lead you that way. When you start out, maybe... but when you hit that plateau... lordy, I could have put holes in my head for banging it against a wall and getting no where. Its still slow, but very moving at least. I hope it works for you too, and good luck either way!!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Can you provide some simple information like height, weight, age and body fat if you have it? Using these numbers, we can do some to figure out where you should be at in terms of caloric needs. Also, in your food diary, can you add sodium instead of sugar. I have some idea's to help but it's hard without that info.
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    Can you provide some simple information like height, weight, age and body fat if you have it? Using these numbers, we can do some to figure out where you should be at in terms of caloric needs. Also, in your food diary, can you add sodium instead of sugar. I have some idea's to help but it's hard without that info.
    i am 5'7 CW is 130lbs i am 24 years old last time i got my body fat % done it was about 17% but that was at the beginning of the year.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    So i ran the calcualations and you can eat about 2100 can still lose weight. But you are already at a healthy weight and body fat. So really what are your goals? To just not be starving?


    ps- the 2100 is a flat number, and does not require you to eat exercise calories as it's baked into the total daily energy expended (TDEE).
  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    So i ran the calcualations and you can eat about 2100 can still lose weight. But you are already at a healthy weight and body fat. So really what are your goals? To just not be starving?
    ...
    That's what I was going to say. You're likely hitting a plateau because you're already at a healthy weight. 5'7" 130# is a great size - especially if you have much in the chest and hips department. Those of us with 50 lbs to lose find it easy to drop weight because there is a lot more fat to burn in the first place, but you're already there. You're at the point now where your body changes probably can't come through calories alone, but through exercise and the composition of your diet - as others have suggested already.

    If you're just hungry, eat more often. Same total amount of stuff, just spread out more. I eat breakfast, lunch, PM snack, dinner and a late snack. (I stay up very late so this works for me, but a more normal schedule would be an earlier breakfast with a morning snack before lunch and no late snack.) I don't go more than 3-4 hours without eating. I am NEVER hungry and often force myself to eat the PM snack just because it's time.
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