Lowering calorie intake without being hungry all the time?

i have the same problem!
i have to eat breakfast before 0630 andim STARVING by lunch.
recently ive been drinking protein for breakfast.
yeah it has quite a bit of calories, but you start off with protein and it really keeps me full.
theres plenty of yummy kinds too.
hope this helps!

Go low carb. Since I went low carb, I struggle to get in the daily calories MFP gave me as a goal.

I think it takes time to get used to it. Maybe you're going to low too fast. Your body will get used to it. But I do know what you mean, if I just try to jump into my lowest calorie level after not dieting I feel super hungry. But now I eat 1200 and feel fine. Just keep logging those calories, logging actually really does help.

I would suggest dropping your calories gradually. Instead of dropping from 2300 to 1600-1800, drop to 2000 for a week or two, then to 1800 and then, if you need to, drop from there. But at 5'7" you'll probably lose at a good rate with 1800 calories.

Dropping 200-300 calories from your diet is going to be less noticable than 500-700.

Hi, I'm trying to lose weight by lowering my caloric intake and being more active. Before deciding to be more healthy, I counted my calories for just over a week, and I consume ~2,300 every day. (I'm a 5'7" girl). I would like to reduce that number, but I've found it quite difficult.

I've been eating pretty healthy (I eat either oatmeal or hard boiled eggs for breakfast, tons of fruits and veggies, no fried foods, etc), but I've found that even though my food choices are healthier, I'm still eating the same amount of calories. Whenever I try to get down to the 1,600-1,800 range, I feel deprived. I've tried drinking more water and eating more 'filling' foods, but no more than a couple of hours later, I'm hungry again.

Please help?

Here's what I did, your mileage may vary.

- I start eating "lunch" around 10:30-11 when I start getting hungry. I eat little bits at at time, and pretty much snack once an hour most of the day. I pack my lunch, so I can focus on having the calories available I need to get through the day.
- I started tracking all the components of calories (fats, proteins, and carbs). Carbs (the oatmeal and fruits you mention) made up too much of a percentage of my diet, and I wasn't eating foods that satisfied hunger and KEPT IT SATISFIED for any length of time. I cut out some fruit from my diet and added some fats and proteins, and I'm a lot less hungry now.
- Exercise = extra food you can eat. I upped my workouts so I could afford bigger suppers.

Here's my regular diet:
- Breakfast: One-half bagel with cream cheese, coffee, 2 fish-oil pills (my wife is into that sort of thing, it's only 25 calories). The carbs in the bagel get me going, the fats and proteins in the cream cheese give the small breakfast some lasting power.
- First hungries 10-11AM: Half a wheat tortilla with turkey, cheese, and mustard. Has some fats, proteins, and a few carbs.
- +1 hour: The other half of the wrap.
- Lunch-ish: Workout for 30-45 minutes minimum, followed by a banana (sugars + potassium, great recovery food).
- + 1/2 hour: 1/8 cup mix of sesame sticks, almonds, walnuts. Big quart bag full of veggies.
- Afternoon snackies: 1 apple and 1 piece of citrus.

Supper is whatever I can "afford" with my remaining calories. With a light/no workout day, it's a sparse meal focused on proteins and fats that keep me satisfied overnight. With a moderate/heavy workout day, it includes a glass or two of wine, and maybe a few dark chocolate chips for dessert. On a cycling day when I've had more than 2 hours in the saddle, it's a big meal and I still leave 1000-2000 calories uneaten.

I am 5'5". In January I weighed in at 212 lbs. I started eating natural whole foods only and cut out all unnatural sugar. No processed foods either. I eat 6 meals a day and drink about 130 oz of water a day. I eat roughly 1600-2000 calories a day and have lost 31 lbs since January 9th. It's all about the choices in your food.

Number one...ditch artificial sweeteners and sugars. That means also ditching all diet drinks, fruit juices, sweetened teas, etc. Empy calories right there.

Secondly, eat a protein at every meal. If you are eating fruits or veggies by themselves you will spike your blood sugar and you will be hungry shortly after. Throw in a handful of almonds and you're set.

Thirdly, add some resistance training to your workouts. It's a proven fact muscle burns fat. the more muscle you build, the more fat you burn.

Last but not least.....DO NOT CUT CALORIES below 1400 unless you are morbidly obese and can't walk.....your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to weight. Do some research on how Sumo Wrestlers gain their weight....they don't eat!!!
And give it at least 4 wks for your metabolism to kick in.

Totally agree about the first part of your post (diet soda may not have calories but those sweeteners are not good for you) except, can you post a medically or scientifically verified source that says your body will go into starvation mode? I've never been able to find one. I also couldn't find that sumo wrestler diet you mentioned, it sounds very interesting. Could you post a link?

I'm 5'7" and I take in around 1390 cals per day and am never hungry. I do go over now and then, but generally stay within that mark.

what you need to do is eat foods with a low GI. Foods high in GI send a chemical signal to the brain and you get irrational feelings of hunger even if your body doesnt need anymore food.

IVe found that portion control with food that has a high GI is very difficult because it leads you to feel hungry every time even when your not

Try foods high in protein like egg whites, chicken, ect. I also like to have bowls full of steamed veggies (no oil) When I stuff myself with veggies I feel so full.

When you are hungry go for something crunchy like an apple or celery for a snack. Low calories plus heatlhy for you.

In the morning I normally eat a Lara Bar (high calorie and high protein) but usually that's all I eat for breakfast and I feel fine. I've been on here about a month now and I love that it tracks exercise and foot intake. It's great and once I see what I've eaten all day I tend to do better.

Did you see that I also mentioned fruit juices and sweetened teas or just the diet soda part? And the diet soda is nothing more than a chemical wasteland. I'm giving advice on what works for me.....if it's not in your game plan to do that, then don't.

I am 5'5". In January I weighed in at 212 lbs. I started eating natural whole foods only and cut out all unnatural sugar. No processed foods either. I eat 6 meals a day and drink about 130 oz of water a day. I eat roughly 1600-2000 calories a day and have lost 31 lbs since January 9th. It's all about the choices in your food.

Number one...ditch artificial sweeteners and sugars. That means also ditching all diet drinks, fruit juices, sweetened teas, etc. Empy calories right there.

Secondly, eat a protein at every meal. If you are eating fruits or veggies by themselves you will spike your blood sugar and you will be hungry shortly after. Throw in a handful of almonds and you're set.

Thirdly, add some resistance training to your workouts. It's a proven fact muscle burns fat. the more muscle you build, the more fat you burn.

Last but not least.....DO NOT CUT CALORIES below 1400 unless you are morbidly obese and can't walk.....your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to weight. Do some research on how Sumo Wrestlers gain their weight....they don't eat!!!
And give it at least 4 wks for your metabolism to kick in.

Totally agree about the first part of your post (diet soda may not have calories but those sweeteners are not good for you) except, can you post a medically or scientifically verified source that says your body will go into starvation mode? I've never been able to find one. I also couldn't find that sumo wrestler diet you mentioned, it sounds very interesting. Could you post a link?

http://www.kitchentablemedicine.com/are-you-on-the-sumo-wrestler-diet/


This shows how they skip meals to keep weight on.


http://women.webmd.com/features/boost-metabolism?page=2

This one from WebMD talks about starvation mode....if you want medical evidence....ask your Dr. I am sure they will tell you the same thing.


One thing I learned in this lifetime....and 20 years of dieting later.....keep doing the same thing and you will get the same results. All these folks cutting calories and skipping meals and guzzling down diet soda are still fat....period. I was that person 4 months ago...I changed my mind about this whole "diet" world and started feeding myself the proper fuel and poof....it works!

I'm not sure if you have a Kindle or like to read but there is a book out there by Tosca Reno called The Eat Clean Diet. It changed my life and helped me understand why all these diet mistakes I have made all these years did not work. Ok maybe they worked for a little bit...and yes I lost a little bit of weight but I always gained it back and then some.
She really helps you understand the difference between the quantity of calories and the quality of calories. I haven't counted calories in 4 months. I eat GREAT food AND I eat a ton of it.

If you are tired of doing the same old thing only to fail in the end...give something different a try

Thank you. This has been the most helpful post I have seen!

I am 5'5". In January I weighed in at 212 lbs. I started eating natural whole foods only and cut out all unnatural sugar. No processed foods either. I eat 6 meals a day and drink about 130 oz of water a day. I eat roughly 1600-2000 calories a day and have lost 31 lbs since January 9th. It's all about the choices in your food.

Number one...ditch artificial sweeteners and sugars. That means also ditching all diet drinks, fruit juices, sweetened teas, etc. Empy calories right there.

Secondly, eat a protein at every meal. If you are eating fruits or veggies by themselves you will spike your blood sugar and you will be hungry shortly after. Throw in a handful of almonds and you're set.

Thirdly, add some resistance training to your workouts. It's a proven fact muscle burns fat. the more muscle you build, the more fat you burn.

Last but not least.....DO NOT CUT CALORIES below 1400 unless you are morbidly obese and can't walk.....your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to weight. Do some research on how Sumo Wrestlers gain their weight....they don't eat!!!
And give it at least 4 wks for your metabolism to kick in.

Totally agree about the first part of your post (diet soda may not have calories but those sweeteners are not good for you) except, can you post a medically or scientifically verified source that says your body will go into starvation mode? I've never been able to find one. I also couldn't find that sumo wrestler diet you mentioned, it sounds very interesting. Could you post a link?

Don't bother looking up any sumo wrestler diet. NOBODY gains weight by not eating. To gain weight (fat, not water weight, obviously), you have to eat more calories than you burn. Period.

Try gradually lowering your calorie goals.

Try spreading your meals throughout the day. It won't do anything to your metabolism, but it may help with your satiety. If you normally have a bowl of cereal and an orange for breakfast, maybe eat the cereal at the normal time and have the orange halfway between breakfast and lunch.

Try eating more fats and especially proteins. They may make you feel full longer.

Try drinking water when you first get hungry. Sometimes thirst feels like hunger. Drink a cup of water and if you're still hungry ten or fifteen minutes later, have a snack.

Don't worry, I got used to eating less after a week. It may take longer for you but you do adapt.