Still Hungry

Hi,

I'm 5'3" and 136lbs.  According to this site, my target caloric intake should be about 1300 because I want to be around 120lbs eventually - I put in that I do light daily activity...I have a small frame.  Problem is, after I eat, I'm still hungry!   I wind up cheating a little each day and I never lose any weight... I just stay the same.  My daily activities include typical office work, chasing around two dogs when I get home, usual housework and I try to do about 20 minutes a day on the Gazelle (it's kind of like an eliptical).  So, my question is, should I eat more than 1300 calories a day or should I just drink more liquids instead of food?  I've been using this site on and off for over a year.  Last year I lost about 10lbs with little exercise and then plateaued..(difference with last year is my hungry was satisfied) this year I thought I'd throw in the Gazelle but so far, no change in weight. 

any thoughts?

Thanks!

1300 is about right so you need to find more filling foods to eat.  Try to find foods high in fiber and protein.  These foods will keep you full longer.  I bring baby carrots to work and snack on them during the day.  I also snack on almonds (but I have to be very careful not to have too many).  What are you eating for breakfast and lunch?

breakfast is usually oatmeal or some sort of healthy cereal but today i had a hard boiled egg, english muffin and two small pieces of bacon.. then a banana later because I got hungry

lunch is usually a turkey sandwich or left over dinner - chicken or fish and a veggie like peas or broccoli.  today i had chicken and broccoli, got hungry soon after and grabbed an apple. 

I think maybe I just need to get used to it again... and just try to avoid cheating with unhealthy foods :) 

Well, that sounds like a good diet.  The oatmeal, is it instant?  A lot of the instant oatmeals are mostly sugar.  I eat Quaker's Weight Control brand (or something like that) if I eat instant.  Other than that, it sounds great.  You might just have to get used to eating less.  Have carrots, celery, or some kind of fresh veggies around for snacks.  Fruit is nice, but higher in sugar and calories.

I'd say if you're going to go over, do it with healthy foods to get yourself away from all those gross (yet so amazing) cheat foods.  I had to TRAIN myself hard to not just grab something snacky whenever i was hungry.  I had a hard time with 1300, so I added more exercise to I could snack more and still have a decent deficit.  or, I'd alternate from 1300 on off days and 1400 on days I exercised until i got used to less food all the time.  Good luck! 

I have a similiar frame as you and I also understand what you're giong through.  I think I have a system that is starting to work for me though.  I just eat more frequently, but in smaller quantities.  For example, I'll try to limit my breakfast to 300 cals or less because whether or not I eat 300 or 500, I am still hungry at the same time!  So I'll eat less and still plan on having my mid morning snack.  To keep your organs functioning you need at least 1200 cals, so if you only consuming 100 extra it's no wonder you're hungry...

Original Post by alphagal26:

Hi,

I'm 5'3" and 136lbs. According to this site, my target caloric intake should be about 1300 because I want to be around 120lbs eventually - I put in that I do light daily activity...I have a small frame. Problem is, after I eat, I'm still hungry! I wind up cheating a little each day and I never lose any weight... I just stay the same. My daily activities include typical office work, chasing around two dogs when I get home, usual housework and I try to do about 20 minutes a day on the Gazelle (it's kind of like an eliptical). So, my question is, should I eat more than 1300 calories a day or should I just drink more liquids instead of food? I've been using this site on and off for over a year. Last year I lost about 10lbs with little exercise and then plateaued..(difference with last year is my hungry was satisfied) this year I thought I'd throw in the Gazelle but so far, no change in weight.

any thoughts?

Thanks!

How old are you? Just curious because if you are a teenager then you do need to be eating more. I'm 5'!.5", small frame, and just hit 139 today. What I do to fill up is eat a lot of fruits and veggies early in the day with a lot of protein. It may seem weird to do but make an omelet out of egg whites, I use 3, then fill it with chicken from the night before and mushrooms and some low fat natural cheddar cheese. That keeps me really full and its not bad for you at all! If I eat oatmeal for breakfast even with egg whites mixed in I am hungry within an hour of eating. You need lots of protein!

I'm 32.  and im starting to realize that part of my problem is all the sugars i consume... i have such a sweet tooth...i crave sugary things.... im trying to drink tea without sugar while im at work...    i rarely snack on junk food like chips or pretzels or anything like that.. its just when i eat normally at meal time (before i started really counting calories) .. i would eat big portions cos i was so hungry..  so maybe i really should just spread stuff out more, healthier smaller portions, less sugar.. more exercise.  we shall see what happens.  like i said, i havent really gained anything major in the past couple years.. i pretty much have been staying around 135 ...  i just remember that when i was in my twenties, i was about 120... and i'd like to safely reclaim that weight again one day. ;) 

another problem is - i didnt really do much exercise throughout my teen years and early 20's because I tore the ACL in my right knee when I was 12 and it wasn't diagnosed til i was 27... (some crap about docs never thinking kids could do that) .. so both knees became pretty damaged over years of wear and tear... walking and running during those years was really tough...(cant even count how many times i fell down stairs!)  I was told it was growing pains.. ha   on top of that i have a strange problem with body temp regulation... my body does not sweat normally so paired with muscle atrophy/leg pain and heat intollerance.. exercise has always been really tough..  which is why i like the gazelle or an eliptical ....sometimes i try to mountain bike with friends but i lack the stamina they have... i just turn red faced and almost pass out so its no fun to bike with me.. ;)  ha   

anyhow, im going to keep on trucking.. i really want to get back into shape and eat healthier.. hopefully lose some of that weight ive gained but the most important to me is to build my leg muscles back up and be able to feel normal again.  

thanks everyone for your tips and thoughts!

The 1300 is not including exercise. If you are burning a lot of callories during your exercise then you may need more callories to stop you getting into a point where your metabolism slows down. It may be worth considering eating a little more if you have plateaued? i'm by no means an expert, but just a different angle.