is there ANYONE who is SATISFIED ON THEIR DIET??

i mean seriously there HAS to be some way to feel satisfied on a diet. i just turned 17, female, 5'2'', 141 pounds

any tips??

I don't call it a diet.  I make changes I can live with forever, not just for now.  I don't care how long it takes for me to get back to a healthy weight.  I'll just keep going until I get there. 

Here's the basic plan I follow and when I do I'm never hungry

1500-calories in six meals a day.

Of course you're young, so you might need more calories than that.

how many cals does cc say you burn? it says i burn only 1700 so 1500 would take 5 weeks to lose 2 pounds that a bit too slow, i want atleast 3 pounds a month

do some exercise to burn 200 extra calories a day and you should be there...200 calories doesn't require hours in the gym. i think running for half an hour or walking for an hour could do it...check the activity database.

Like clairelaine I don't look at what I do as a diet but instead a healthy lifestyle change.  I eat anywhere between 1400-1500 cals. a day spread over 5-6 meals. Plus exercise a few days a week anywhere from 2-4 days a week.

I think it all depends on your personal food tastes. My pallet has changed a lot over the years and I am much more open to trying different foods and mixing them up. I like to cook now much more than before and experimenting with ethnic mixes as well. I love my food choices and I find that I get really full and satisfied pretty much every day.

Here's an idea, make a list of the foods you like, then see if you can get the same tastes with fewer calories by reducing the heavy calorie ingredients. Also, try adding some spice to heat up your food. It helps me feel like I'm eating something a little more daring and exotic rather than 'diet' food.

try having a piece of fruit or some veggies before your meals. They'll fill you up so you don't eat as much. And eating regularly does help. On days when i feel like i'm hungry all the time i'll have something small every hour, or even half an hour. (half and apple w/ 4 almonds... 2 crackers and .5oz cheese... a couple bites of my lunch.. etc)

adding a little protein... nuts, cheese, meat, yogurt.. to your snacks will help as well.

being satisfied is a decision if you want it; it will happen.

This is a bit OT, but I'm 37 and when I was your age, was totally fantastic (great body, if I could only look like that now!) and had no idea. Do not be afraid to love how you are right now, incorporate healthy eating and exercise habits into your life and see what happens.

A number is just a number.

Back OT,  I am satisfied with my food intake (and I'm NOT on a diet, because diets make me a crazybananas) in part because I don't put any foods off limits. If that happens, all bets are off. But like I pointed out above, I'm grown folks. In my case I don't share meals with other people very often and cook 50-75% of my own meals, so I'm in control of my food nearly all of the time.

One thing that helped me a lot was to start with a low calorie deficit and work my way up. I did this for two reasons. 

1. It was easier to get used to tracking and measuring portions when I didn't have to worry about keeping my intake low.
2. I was increasing exercise slowly at the same time and getting hungrier! I needed to get used to the exercise first.

For me the best thing was learning how to measure food. It can seem totally weird to run into the kitchen and measure out one cup of rice at dinner, but it gives you a great tool. Portions are probably one of the trickiest things (that is, they can trick you) when trying to eat balanced meals within your calorie range. 

And I have to disagree with hotharmony above, you can be satisfied with feeling hungry and weak, but that doesn't make it good for you. You are still growing and you have got to get proper nutrients for that to happen. You will be old like me someday and bone density will be your friend.

I really don't mind at all my diet -- 1200 calories per day -- mostly Lean Cuisine.  I keep a written journal of EVERYTHING I eat - including water.  I try to balance my calories throughout the day - 300'ish morning and afternoon; greater number at night allows me to eat an ice cream bar (90 calories) after my Lean Cuisine dinner.

 It has to be harder if you are 17 though - going out with friends is so important and equally so hard to do while on a diet.  Plus, that is the age that women really pack on weight - thus the freshman "15".    Can you seriously increase your physical activity?  Oh yeah, drink TONS of water - don't know why but it really helps in losing weight.

 

 

I'm with lavalady on this one. In fact, she and I both responded to a thread about feelings of hunger. Read our replies at this thread: http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/post/666 86.html. Hopefully they will give you a better perspective.

I never use the word "diet" because it sounds so temporary. As I said in my other post, this is the last time I am losing weight! To do that, I need to retrain myself and that will take time. I plan to take the time to do it right this time, once and for all. I just wish I had discovered this approach after I had my children.

Oh, I'm always satisfied (I have to be, I feel like throwing up if hungry. Odd reaction, right?)! I even eat cookies and chocolate(gasp).

Just everything in moderation. Plan your meals and allow 'wiggle' room (for, let's say, that irresistable pie slice your friend made).
Eat smaller portions, but more often.

And exercise(that way you can eat a little more (but don't over indulge!), ahaha)!

Drink water and tea like a fish in the sea (during the Boston Tea party, of course).

And apples fill me up, so them too

Good luck

I agree with missreporter. You're too young and too healthy to be sedentary!! Even light activity will bring you to about 2000 calories a day in expenditure, and then eating 1500 will have you losing a pound a week.

I find it's really hard to be satisfied on less than 1500. I know it's possible, especially if you never eat anything unhealthy, but that's sort of unrealistic.

Water, water and more water. Seriously helps curve the hunger and aids in weight loss.

trustwomen: what applies as light activity?

& about your suggestions with water, i started school up a few months ago, & find it very hard to drink as much water as i used to when i was dieting during the summer. i dislike going to the bathroom while the professor is lecturing

Yes! I absolutely love my "diet" -- I plan to be on it for life, that's how much I enjoy it.

I don't deprive myself of anything. I still enjoy all of my favorite foods by working them into my calorie allotment, making lighter versions of them or having them on my "free days" (cheat days).

I cycle my calories from high to low (zigzag) so I am never eating the same calories 2 days in a row.

I'm taking it slow, I average 1829 calories/day, exercise 3 to 4 days a week (will increase to 7 days eventually) and I don't feel like I am on a diet, even though I've lost 50lbs since June 2007.

If you feel like you are on a diet, you will end up failing if you don't like it. You have to do something that you can live with today and 5 years from now because you have to maintain once you lose it -- it's a lifelong commitment, there are no quick fixes. That's also why I am taking it slow, there really is no rush.

I believe people should eat at or close to their target maintenance calories from day one, it might take longer, but they will eventually end up at their goal weight. This has been working for me.

Guilt is counter-productive; if you have a "bad day", forget about it and start wher eyou left off the next day. This really is something you have to practice for life.

im on a detox fast (which i know some people are for others against but we arent here to discuss it). I havent had to think about food in over a week and strangley enough its become so unimportant to me. I dont feel like im missing out and im not tempted. What does excite me is getting on the scales and seeing them fall 1lbs a day, i cant wait to get out of bed in the morning to see the number drop :-) that makes me very satisfied with my diet, as does the compliments from people im suddenly getting

Chelseagirl I don't see how that helps her, fasting isn't something that is sustainable for a lifetime and in my opinion only sets you up for failure because you can't do it. Not to mention not healthy.. but you're right another topic. I just wanted to point that out for the OP.

 

And to answer your question it is surely sustainable. At your age though you need to eat because you're body is growing and changing, it's the not the same for me at 31 years old. That said if you eat the right things it will keep you fuller longer. Try things high in fiber, protien and healthy fats. It's good for you and your body and will keep you fuller longer. Try Kashi products, a bowl of Go Lean Almond Crunch can keep me feeling full for a long time. Odwalla bars are great, South Beach makes some sandwich wraps that have 14 grams of fiber and 25 grams of protien for example, and they are all under 250 cals and make a great lunch or dinner.

Light activity: walk places if you can, take the stairs instead of an elevator if it's less than 5 floors, do groceries or clean house or walk the dog etc, (y'know, you don't break a sweat, you don't pant, but you're constantly moving) for maybe 2-3 hrs in your day. That's light activity, it'll burn off about 300 calories above sedentary. You can also check the activity meters on CC for any given activity (like, an hour of yoga might do it instead of 2 hrs of walking, if you know what I mean). Also keep in mind that walking uphill, and/or walking with a heavy bookbag, burns off more calories than "normal" walking.