Struggling to eat enough while losing weight?

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decibel76
decibel76 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know this sound strange but here goes. I'm 5' 11" and I'm now 266 pounds. I'm down 30 pounds over the last 3 months so I'm consistently losing about 10 pounds a month. However I'm only eating anywhere from 1500 - 1800 calories (and mostly 1500). I don't really feel hungry and to get more calories I'd have to force down more food. I haven't listened to my body in the past when it comes to hunger I just ate because it was "time" to eat or socially. I know it sounds crazy to be excited about feeling hungry but it's something that is a welcome change from my norm.

I'm not able to get anywhere close to 1 gram of protein per pound I see some people reference unless I supplement a lot of protein. Has any one else struggled with not having much appetite? Will it come back as I continue to lose and become even more active?

Replies

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,505 Member
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    1g per pound lean body mass, which might mean around 165g for you.

    30 pounds in 3 months is quite a lot, even assuming some of it is water weight. You might want to try being closer to the 1800 you mentioned rather than 1500.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,944 Member
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    How is your general nutrition? Are you hitting those fat and fiber goals? Lots of vegetables? You do NEED fats, so maybe start adding some nuts to your snacks, a little cheese or olive oil to your meals. Fat is 9 calories per gram, so just one serving will bump up your calories by close to a couple hundred. It seems like people cut out all the fats when they want to lose weight. That will come back to bite you. I agree with Retroguy - eat! Cookies have a couple hundred calories. Cereal is calorie-dense. You do need to try - and yeah, what Retroguy said about protein too.
  • decibel76
    decibel76 Posts: 4 Member
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    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    1g per pound lean body mass, which might mean around 165g for you.

    30 pounds in 3 months is quite a lot, even assuming some of it is water weight. You might want to try being closer to the 1800 you mentioned rather than 1500.

    You're right about the water weight I dropped like 10 pounds in one week due to water weight. I looked back at my diary and I do seem to probably average out to 1800 maybe. BUT those days usually include a couple shakes.
    cmriverside wrote: »
    How is your general nutrition? Are you hitting those fat and fiber goals? Lots of vegetables? You do NEED fats, so maybe start adding some nuts to your snacks, a little cheese or olive oil to your meals. Fat is 9 calories per gram, so just one serving will bump up your calories by close to a couple hundred. It seems like people cut out all the fats when they want to lose weight. That will come back to bite you. I agree with Retroguy - eat! Cookies have a couple hundred calories. Cereal is calorie-dense. You do need to try - and yeah, what Retroguy said about protein too.

    That's probably the key I'm some calorie dense food. I have cereal occasionally. My macros are a little all over the place I am not trying to go super low carb but I was keeping it low to see how it affected my blood sugar. I was right on the line for prediabetes years ago but it looks like my numbers have improved. Most of my veggies come at night with dinner during the day I'm mostly protein and fat. I do supplement fiber to try to keep my fiber intake up when I don't get enough via food. I started adding in a higher carb day on Sundays like a treat meal and for some reason that seems to help keep the weight coming off.. I had pizza and within a few days 2 more pounds came off after I had been at a small plateau. I was afraid pizza would trigger me as I could put down pizza before but it didn't and I couldn't eat as much as before.

    I opened up my food diary so any feedback is welcome. This week has been more messy with more eating out. I do want to add more fresh veggies in but they tend to just make me more full (broccoli and cucumbers are my favorites)

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/en/food/diary/decibel76

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,505 Member
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    Thanks for sharing. I had a quick glance.

    There are a couple of days you're adding exercise of 800-1000, which seems a big high to me. It's certainly possible. What is that from?

    I saw you sometimes have two scoops whey at once for 48g each. I'm not 100% sure on the science here, but I think it's not recommended to have that much in one go from protein powder. Something about muscle protein synthesis. It's less of an issue with proper food I think. Anyway, myself I space mine out, one scoop at a time with a bit of milk and water.
  • decibel76
    decibel76 Posts: 4 Member
    edited October 2022
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    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    Thanks for sharing. I had a quick glance.
    There are a couple of days you're adding exercise of 800-1000, which seems a big high to me. It's certainly possible. What is that from?
    Yea those are my outlier days. I usually cycle everyday for a 300 or 400 calories on those days I ended up playing 2 games of softball in addition or a circuit workout or it would have been one of my long rides. I try to keep those days down to 1 or 2 days a week to not get fatigued.
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    I saw you sometimes have two scoops whey at once for 48g each. I'm not 100% sure on the science here, but I think it's not recommended to have that much in one go from protein powder. Something about muscle protein synthesis. It's less of an issue with proper food I think. Anyway, myself I space mine out, one scoop at a time with a bit of milk and water.

    Yea that was me trying to figure out how to get more in I was doing single scoops with almond milk. If I try to hit the 1 pound of protein per lean body tissue that would put me at 159.4 according to the Dexascan so I won't try to push as much protein.. I am a numbers / analytics guy so I can't help but track all the #'s. :smile:

  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 310 Member
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    are you eating low carb? if so, that is a side effect of ketosis. not just 'not hungry' its no appetite and have to force down food because you know you have to eat. just want nothing to do with food most times and hard to stomach eating. if so, this doesn't last (it lasts longer than the fat adaption period which is usually 2 to 3 weeks for most) and will go away ...how long depends on the individual...but not long.
  • DFW_Tom
    DFW_Tom Posts: 218 Member
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    decibel76 wrote: »
    I'm not able to get anywhere close to 1 gram of protein per pound I see some people reference unless I supplement a lot of protein.
    See this article on macro guidelines, section 2.4.2 addresses protein intake directly:
    https://www.ajmc.com/view/chapter-2-clinical-nutrition-guideline-for-overweight-and-obese-adults-with-type-2-diabetes-t2d-or-prediabetes-or-those-at-high-risk-for-developing-t2d
    Has any one else struggled with not having much appetite? Will it come back as I continue to lose and become even more active?
    Yes, but I ate anyway to hit goals. Mine came back as I became more active, but can still be a struggle some days. I do eat low carb, between 40-80g net per day. Otherwise, my experience pretty much matches yours: Apprx. 1500 C/d for several months (abundant energy from adipose met my other needs), then 1900-2000 C/d as I became more active and leaner. At 218 lbs now, down from 302) I aim for 125g protein/d on average. You likely require more protein as it appears you are more active.

  • JaysFan82
    JaysFan82 Posts: 852 Member
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    It could be mental.

    I was constantly eating way too few calories at the start because I was afraid of gaining and I wasn't hungry at all. Once I realized I was OK to eat and still lose weight I noticed my appetite came back. I run 5 days a week and my base is still 2400 set to lightly active. I eat quite close to that amount. I'm down 115 pounds since Feb.24 2022.
  • GloriaBJN
    GloriaBJN Posts: 78 Member
    edited October 2022
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    I'm not a professional, but I will say that with the amount of weight you have to lose, your body might be properly fuelled with what you already have. My head hurts when I look at all the calculations that we're supposed to squeeze into. I stick to the calorie count set for me and I rarely but sometimes skip calories. Consider it a blessing that you're losing so well and not having any issues with hunger or fatigue. When I'm doing physical work, i.e. yard work or housework, I tend to not eat and I'm not hungry. The exception was when I started losing a lot at once, and then I got fatigue with the yard work. I consider not having hunger to be a natural fast, and if your body isn't struggling with it, I'd continue. I decided to listen to my body and not force myself to eat. Your body will tell you when you need to eat if you're skipping calories.
  • GloriaBJN
    GloriaBJN Posts: 78 Member
    edited October 2022
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    Canned tuna = 30g protein per can (No Name brand)
  • decibel76
    decibel76 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you all for the support and replies. I'm going to keep trying to hit my macros just getting back into cycling for the last few weeks and I'm getting stronger so I'm happy with that. The weight is coming off a bit faster soo I'm guessing my calories will go up at some point. I do tend to be in very light ketosis so I'm not sure if that plays a role in the hunger or not.

    I just think I can't stuff my face as much as I used to :smile: Sundays are my treat meal day and I struggled with getting down a few slices of pizza.
    JaysFan82 wrote: »
    It could be mental.

    It very well could be mental too I'm afraid of screwing it up too. I'll keep chugging along and adjust as my activity continues to increase.

    Thank you all! This is a great community!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    decibel76 wrote: »
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    1g per pound lean body mass, which might mean around 165g for you.

    30 pounds in 3 months is quite a lot, even assuming some of it is water weight. You might want to try being closer to the 1800 you mentioned rather than 1500.

    You're right about the water weight I dropped like 10 pounds in one week due to water weight. I looked back at my diary and I do seem to probably average out to 1800 maybe. BUT those days usually include a couple shakes.
    cmriverside wrote: »
    How is your general nutrition? Are you hitting those fat and fiber goals? Lots of vegetables? You do NEED fats, so maybe start adding some nuts to your snacks, a little cheese or olive oil to your meals. Fat is 9 calories per gram, so just one serving will bump up your calories by close to a couple hundred. It seems like people cut out all the fats when they want to lose weight. That will come back to bite you. I agree with Retroguy - eat! Cookies have a couple hundred calories. Cereal is calorie-dense. You do need to try - and yeah, what Retroguy said about protein too.

    That's probably the key I'm some calorie dense food. I have cereal occasionally. My macros are a little all over the place I am not trying to go super low carb but I was keeping it low to see how it affected my blood sugar. I was right on the line for prediabetes years ago but it looks like my numbers have improved. Most of my veggies come at night with dinner during the day I'm mostly protein and fat. I do supplement fiber to try to keep my fiber intake up when I don't get enough via food. I started adding in a higher carb day on Sundays like a treat meal and for some reason that seems to help keep the weight coming off.. I had pizza and within a few days 2 more pounds came off after I had been at a small plateau. I was afraid pizza would trigger me as I could put down pizza before but it didn't and I couldn't eat as much as before.

    I opened up my food diary so any feedback is welcome. This week has been more messy with more eating out. I do want to add more fresh veggies in but they tend to just make me more full (broccoli and cucumbers are my favorites)

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/en/food/diary/decibel76

    Don't assume that the change in blood sugar is due to being low carb. I had the same result just from losing weight, without restricting carbs at all. You would need to restrict your carbs while still eating enough to maintain your original weight to know for sure whether being low carb was helping your blood sugar.

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