ALWAYS hungry...wary of exercise

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So I'm currently at a weight that's healthy for my height and age but want to get the BMI down and am also trying to cut my relationship with food - I love love love trying new foods, cooking, eating out, finding new recipes, etc. Like lots of women in my family, food is simply a way of life.

I'm also a very lazy individual and a vegetarian. Lately it seems like I could eat and eat and eat without ever getting full and could easily snack throughout the day. What's the best way to eat 1200 calories a day...and how on earth can I motivate myself to exercise?!!!!

Replies

  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    once you get into exercising, your appetite will probably decrease (does for a lot of people) + you get to eat more when you work out b/c you get to eat your exercise calories!

    Tell yourself "I'll just do 10 minutes..." .. and by the time you already do those 10 minutes (even if it SUCKS), you'll want to make it 20 minutes or more!! If not, hey, that's 10 more minutes of exercise that you didn't do before :)

    somtimes it's a chore just getting my tennis shoes on!! ... but you won't regret it :) and once you get in the habit, im sure you will learn to *like* it :D

    hope this helps!
  • 1smemae94
    1smemae94 Posts: 365 Member
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    Hello! I would recommend more veggies, they are filling and low calorie. I would also eat whole grains and protein sources such as more beans and lentils. Try to not eat junk food and keep things in its purest form as possible.

    Also for exercise, just do alittle at a time. the more you do, the better you feel. Plus you get to eat more because of exercise.
  • zooflute
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    Like Sarah said, your appetite will decrease but you can "spend" more calories eating what you enjoy. As for the exercise, try to find something you enjoy that you can stick with and the exercise itself might provide the motivation. I've discovered I HATE going to the gym but I love running.

    I don't know how old you are (you look young!) but it's sooooo easy to not pay attention and blammo, gain 20 lbs without noticing.
  • AnneGenevieveS
    AnneGenevieveS Posts: 441 Member
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    I have to say that when I exercise, I am less likely to binge and get crazy hungry. Not sure how that works, but that is what happens. Also, it takes up time that I would be sitting thinking about eating.

    Like Sarah said: start small, and you'll find yourself wanting to do more.

    Eating vegetarian doesn't mean eating low cal and healthy all the time. So keep counting those calories, and get up and take a walk, or a bike ride, or turn up the music and dance like a crazy person around your house :)
  • lutzka1
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    I'm a foodie too:) Always more the better as well as willing to try anything in regards to food. I've been hungry lately too! I'm trying out some hungry girl recipes currently and bought the American Test Kitchen Cookbook. The American Test kitchen is designed to take favorite/popular dishes and trim them down while still leaving the overall dish as fabulous as the original. All the recipes have before and after nutrition counts as well as reasons why some ingredients couldn't be removed/adjusted more. I liked that because it educates me for the times I want to mess around in the kitchen and try something new:) In terms of exercise, anything that works for you...some people use dessert for incentive(I'm one of those), andI others use a particular exercise that they like, treadmill walking, dancing, swimming. Besides dessert, I use music and tv time. I use my mp3 player for only when I'm working out and have 75 songs on it. I know that's not alot, but the goal is just to be motivated to move based on what kind of mood I'm in and I can blow through songs easier if there's not 1000 of them. My laptop fits right on the tray of my treadmill. I walk at an incline, I don't run so the computer is safe. I turn on a tv show, or a movie, or something off netflix and it motivates me more to keep going so I can finish the show!! I've watched a couple entire movies this way and ended up walking 5 miles. Everyone's right when they say do what works for you...I hope this at least gives you a couple ideas in terms of getting creative in motivating yourself so you can eat anyway you want. Good luck!!
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    Like the other posters, exercise always works to DECREASE my appetite, PLUS I get to eat exercise calories if I want. When I am feeling extra hungry, I 'force' myself to go for a walk or do a workout so that I can 'earn' some extra calories. Afterward, I don't feel as hungry and perhaps don't even eat more.
  • LJGmom
    LJGmom Posts: 249 Member
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    Do zumba or belly dancing...so fun and you don't feel like you are exercising.
  • Sparksfly
    Sparksfly Posts: 470 Member
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    Seriously find a gym in your area with an awesome class schedule. Group exercise classes can be fun and motivating! I love working out with others, and you;ll meet lots of great like-minded new people!

    It will become a routine or dare I say, fun?
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
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    I need to exercise in order to get enough calories to feel good. And I hate exercise. I'm on my third Jillian Michaels DVD. I hated 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 and I hate 6 Week 6 Pack. But, it gives me an extra 260 calories so I do it.

    I love to get out of the office at lunchtime and eating out is too expensive (both in cash and calories) so I tried running. I really wanted to like it. Turns out, my knees hate it. My knees used to hate walking until I got a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes. I can walk without pain, but running still makes me feel like I have knives in my knees. So, my knees and I compromised and started rollerblading. 4 days a week I do 4 miles on a local greenway.

    I don't hate rollerblading. Don't get me wrong. I'd much prefer a nap. Or a good book. But rollerblading gets me another 250 calories and it gets me out of the office. And I've found that if I don't rollerblade, I'm exhausted all afternoon.

    I've also noticed that when I exercise more, I'm more aware of if I'm genuinely hungry or just bored. If I just worked my tuchis off, I'm reluctant to waste my hard-earned calories on junk. Other times, I just hiked 7 miles, cross country, carrying a pack, in 90 degree heat and 95% humidity. I EARNED a trip to McDonald's. And it wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped.