aaargh!

Okay.  I posted somewhere else earlier and was told that instead of having the "munchies" perhaps I am truly just HUNGRY.  I am 5' 5" and weigh 160 and want to get back down to 130.  I have been trying to maintain 1200 calories a day.  Until I was told it's probably not muchies, it's probably hunger I'm feeling.  So I bumped up what I'm eating. 

It's Monday, and today I have had
1 hard boiled egg (70)
1 cup oatmeal (150)
2 cartons of nonfat yogurt  (60 x 2 = 120)
1 bag of unbuttered popcorn (20 x 10 cups = 200)

And 2 cups of coffee first thing in the morning (4:30 a.m.) followed by green tea/water the rest of the day.  So I have consumed 540 calories today already not to mention the gum I've been chewing.

It is 4:30

AND I FEEL LIKE I AM STARVING!!!!  WHY WHY WHY????  I want so bad to run up to my kitchen and grab the chips or some peanut butter.  I'm chewing gum right now and my jaws ache

We are having Subway sandwiches tonite (the Jarod kind) for supper, but that's not until about 6:30.  

What do I do now?  I'm still working and will be until about 6:00.  HELP! 

Any ideas, suggestions, etc. woudl be helpful!!!

So I have about 2 hours to go ... UGH. 

1200 cals is really not a lot of food. And you have eaten very little for it being 4:30 pm, and you have been awake for 12 hours. No wonder you're starving.

I'd recommend increasing your daily intake to 1500 - you'll still lose weight, don't worry. That way, this hunger won't happen!

Instead of having the popcorn and yogurt you could have had a healthy meal with meat and veg for 320 cals, which would also be a lot healthier.

Let me get it straight: you have eaten 540 calories today, and you are hungry.

And you wonder why.

I wouldn't. Have you actually calculated how many calories you need to maintain/lose?

That subway sandwich you are planning to eat tonight won't put you over the minimum, I'll wager.

Go eat something, you have nothing to freak out about.

thanks so far you guys - osteoporosis runs in my family so I make my own nonfat yogurt and try to eat 2 of those each day since I can't stand milk!!!  the popcorn I munch on because it just takes a long time eating it one kernel at a time. 

lois - do you mean a literal meal when you said healthy meal?  Or is that a name brand of soemthing (meat and veg for 320 calories) or  would smoked turkey on whole wheat bread with mustard and alfalfa sprouts work - something like that ?

I need help!  I have been trying to just wing it here for the last two years, and at least I'm not gaining any more weight.  I type all day long so I have a very sedentary lifestyle!! 

540 calories is not enough, my dear.  I am 5" 4" and weigh 148 pounds.  My recommended intake for weight loss is 1700.  Your stats are fairly similar to mine.  I was starving this morning at 450 calories, so I can't imagine how hungry you must be.  Eat something for heaven sakes, even with the sub sandwich tonight you will be FINE.  You'll never stick with this if you feel tortured and hungry all the time!  

 

 

disc - I thought I read somewhere that to maintain my current 160 pounds on my 5'5" and sedentary lifestyle, I'd have to consume 1700 calories a day, so to lose weight, cutting out 500 calories a day would lose me a pound in a week.  So that's where I got the 1200 calories. 

I thought I was doing it right all this time! 

LOL. 

Keep up the comments!  I love it.  Thanks!

Original Post by ronna:

thanks so far you guys - osteoporosis runs in my family so I make my own nonfat yogurt and try to eat 2 of those each day since I can't stand milk!!! 

If osteoporosis runs in your family, you may want to get more exercise. That may serve you better than nonfat yogurt. Try to get enough exercise to fit into the "light activity" category, it really doesn't take more than a brisk walk every day.

ugh i know i need more exercise - BUTTTTT

i start my day at 4:30 - roll out of bed, turn on the computer, run upstairs for some coffee and start working.  I don't stop working until 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. 

my son is moving to college in June, and I will be moving in with an elderly 83-year old friend.  She and I have already talked about taking a walk in the evenings together.  It's just hard right now being single mom with literally two jobs (that's why I start at 4:30 and quit at 5:30 or 6).  My life will be changing in just a month or so, and I am looking forward to having a walking buddy

PS  I was gonna go upstairs and make myself some toast; but then I saw some apples so I'm munching on that right now!

Yes, while sedentary you burn 1700 a day to maintain (I did the calculation and put your age at 40?). So don't be sedentary!

If you want to lose a pound a week at your weight (i.e. not that overweight), you'll need to get some activity. Eating 1200 is not very sustainable or fun (as you're learning). Eating 1500 and exercising a bit, however, is sustainable and healthier.

Disc is right - exercise is good for osteoporosis prevention. The BEST exercise for your bones is weight training. Next to that, the standard walking/running, something with impact. Swimming a lot actually reduces bone mass, so don't just swim (lift weights or walk as well).

Walking is the easiest as it is free and available to everyone. You could take a stroll while eating your lunch, which would also help break up that long day cooped up in front of the computer. Or a nice stroll after dinner. Or buy some free weights and spend 20 minutes a day training with them - weight training is absolutely the best bargain in calories burned/time spent.

If you really can't make time for any exercise right now (I know what that's like), then I think you need to resign yourself to losing a bit slower - like half a pound a week instead of a pound. It's better than starving yourself and then quitting because it's gotten too frustrating. Sounds like you have enough stress in your life already, without your eating habits adding to it! :)

thanks Cat.  I'm actually 49.  But I knew I didn't just dream up that 1200 a day thing. 

And I appreciate the fact you know what it's like to not have much time!

I just read your bio!  Congrats on going back to school  I wish I had the time, money and energy to become a neurologist!

any hoo ... I thank you for your comments and suggestions.  I don't think I would ever "quit" trying to lose weight or watching what I eat, because that's not really how I gained my weight after I quit smoking (well, yes, it was in a way but I have stopped that behavior now). 

I am gonna do a little more reading here at CC and see if I can come up with a little bit better plan for my meals during the day.  I do look forward to starting walking this summer.

Well, I better get back to work now!!!!

I'm 5'5", 157 lbs, 34 years old...the tools show my maintenance as 1800.  For me in particular I cannot lose weight without exercise, probably because I like food too much.  Even so upping your calories to 1500 will help you not feel like you're starving and give you a chance to enjoy your life.  If you can fit time into your day for any exercise at all it would be useful...even taking a break every few hours and doing 10 push ups sit ups and squats would be a start.

If you have anytime on the weekends to do something a bit more active, that can also help...housework counts for burning calories.

Hi Sara - you know, I COULD do 10 pushups or situps or squats every hour or so - I never thought of that ... just to tighten my tummy and thighs - I do enjoy "feeling the burn"

but your idea of "housework counts for burning calories" - I forgot to mention I AM ALLERGIC TO HOUSEWORK!!!  I only do that at Christmas because my parents come over!!! (vacuum and dust)

lol.  does dancing with my cat count????

FYI everyone/anyone I went to the deli last nite and purchased oven-roasted turkey so now I plan to have a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with a little mustard and some lettuce.  I'm gonna start some alfafa sprouts today too but they won't be ready for a few days.

So my plan now is breakfast of oatmeal and a hardboiled egg
then a turkey sandwich with an apple
and in between breakfast and lunch, and then after lunch, I will have yogurt, and drink green-tea all day.

I will try this and see if this helps to keep my hunger at bay. 

thanks and any more suggestions are definitely welcome!

that sounds like a better plan! I read your post earlier of what you'd eaten, saw that it was now 4:30 pm for you and wondered why you didn't have any lunch...LOL

I would suggest adding some raw veggies as a snack in there too, things like baby carrots, or raw broccoli, or some cucumber slices and tomato w/your yogurt, etc. are very low in calories and the fiber in them will help you to feel more full as well :)

Oh and I think dancing w/your cat counts! LOL, I play tag w/my cat :)

((Psssst))  Dancing with the cat counts.  Try to keep it up for 20 minutes and don't let the neighbors see you.

Munch on some baby carrots, they have hardly any calories in them

Original Post by ronna:

 would smoked turkey on whole wheat bread with mustard and alfalfa sprouts work - something like that ?

 That sounds both healthy and delicious!

Original Post by rastagirl0703:

Munch on some baby carrots, they have hardly any calories in them

 Except, if she's only had 600 calories, she needs more calories, not somehting to munch.

hey everybody - i had my oatmeal for breakfast at about 9, followed an hour later by a hard-boiled egg, then about an hour after that a yogurt, then at 1:00 for lunch I had my turkey on whole wheat with mustard and lettuce (forgot to start the alfalfa sprouts), then about 3:00 I had an apple. I never felt hungry, until it was about 5:30.  So that was a big improvement!

On top of that, I managed to "dance" to 3 fast tunes today, each was about 5 minutes long.  I did squats and lunges.  I know it's not much and I have no idea if it is gonna do anything but hey I haven't moved this much in months!  I am gonna try to dance/exercise to a fast-paced song at least once an hour all day - I suppose even if it doesn't do much, at least I'm moving and that feels good! 

I'm gonna keep this up now and see if i can start dropping some weight.  I'm excited to at least give it my best shot!

Thanks for all the words and encouragement.

I just started doing a 10 Minute Solution cardio work out video because I don't have much time either. It's a video with 5 10-minute workouts that you can either do consecutively or just catch 10 minutes here and there. The one I do is called "Carb Burner" and it realllllly kicks my butt in those 10 minutes.

I watch it instantly on Netflix, and I don't know if it's available in stores, but you could probably check Amazon/Ebay and find one.

Your new meal schedule sounds much better, and what do you mean you forgot to start the sprouts? You grow your own sprouts?? Tell me more!! 

Ronna, 

I quit smoking almost 10 years ago and finding a suitable stress reducer to replace cigarettes has been an ongoing challenge. Food fit the bill nicely, and now I'm 20 pounds overweight.

At 39, my daily calorie goal for weight loss is 1300. I work at my computer all day, too. What I've found really helps is to eat something every 2 hours. Some days it's easier to get by on 1300 calories, but on the days I feel like hunger plagues me...I just nibble every 2 hours on 100-200 calorie snacks or small meals. If I'm hungry after an hour and a half, then I eat. Hunger is your worst enemy. Plus, I try to make sure I'm getting lots of protein as well as fruits, veggies, and fiber. The protein and fiber definitely help me feel fuller, longer.

This keep the binge monster away. And like quitting cigarettes, I found that with food...if I just wait 10 minutes after eating one of those small meals, I really am satisfied. You just have to wait out the craving. It goes away.

For the times when it doesn't go away fast enough - have celery, carrots, pickles, etc. on standby. At least if you have to binge, you won't feel so guilty about what you've binged on.

Good luck!