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OK...need a lil help from the group.
I am just completing week 5 on CC and damn I am still hungry....almost all day. I go to bed hungry and I wake up hungry. I ate breakfast today (bowl of oatmeal-low sugar at 7:15am), decaf coffee with a lil half and half and nope, wasn't cutting it. Then came to work and about 9am had a small banana and nope, tummy is still growling....
The other day I had what I thought was a great lunch, grilled salmon, steamed veggies and a side salad with balsamic dressing...within an hour or so, I was hungry.
My calorie intake is 2200, I generally average about 2000. I do some form of exercise every day to the tune of about 500 calories (avg), my burn meter tells me to just function I burn about 2500 calories. I am currently at 308 (till I weigh in tomorrow).
I am really trying to be good but I am not sure I can deal with being hungry all the time. Not to mention, the last time I seriously lost weight doing WW, the hunger only lasted about 2 weeks....then things evened out.
HELP!!!
Being hungry all the time will definitely undermine your weight loss efforts so hopefully you can find a solution. I have a few ideas - high fiber foods (like the oatmeal, a great breakfast that usually keeps me full for a few hours), eating frequently (every 3-4 hours for me), and always incorporating carbs into every meal. If I had a lunch of just salad I'd be hungry in 2 hours, but if I had a roll with that salad I'd be hungry in 4-5 hours. That's different for everyone, although my personal trainer did once tell me to be sure to eat some whole grain carbs with your meal before working out. When do you exercise? If I exercise in the morning I'm ravenous all day but if I do it in the evening I can get away with a normal amount of food for the day. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good luck!
All my exercise is done between 5:30 and 6:30pm during the week and on the weekend, depending on the weather, in the afternoon.
I just need to get past this whole hunger thing....it's making me crazy cause I have not had to deal with it before.
Time to have some cottage cheese to hold me over till noon.....is that sad or what???
LOL
Original Post by sammarieob:
OK...need a lil help from the group.
I am just completing week 5 on CC and damn I am still hungry....almost all day. I go to bed hungry and I wake up hungry. I ate breakfast today (bowl of oatmeal-low sugar at 7:15am), decaf coffee with a lil half and half and nope, wasn't cutting it. Then came to work and about 9am had a small banana and nope, tummy is still growling....
The other day I had what I thought was a great lunch, grilled salmon, steamed veggies and a side salad with balsamic dressing...within an hour or so, I was hungry.
I got to tell you - I tried the low-surgar oatmeal (I went with apple-cinnamon) and it was horrible. Didn't fill me up, weird taste, and weirder texture. If I have oatmeal now, I go with the Raisin Date and Walnut or Maple brown Sugar (2 packets) and the 300 or so calories will keep my full until lunch.
And I think that is the key there - you need to reexamine your diet and try to get some more carbs with high fiber/low fat as they will both fill you up and let you eat more of them.
Your lunch sounds delicious, but when I look at it, I know that wouldn't fill me up. When I go to Ruby Tuesdays, for example, I either get the herb-crusted tilapia w/ broccoli which is 498 calories (I get it without the lemon butter), or the house sirloin (steak, broccoli...and mashed potatoes) which is 517. For just 20 more calories, I can get more protein and carbs (the steak and potatoes) which keep me feeling full for a longer time than the fish.
I'm starting my 4th month, and I still remember the hunger at the beginning. For me, the actual hunger pangs went away after about a week (where I felt like I was starving), but the psychological hunger stuck around for a couple more weeks. That is where you feel like you should be eating because that is what you have always done.
Sourmena mentioned eating smaller meals. I personally don't do this, but I understand why it works. A lot of people say this is done to keep their metabolism going, but what it really does is help you keep hunger from getting out of control.
Over these past 3 months, I have naturally gravitated to a high fiber/low fat diet - not by intention, but simply switching to foods that would keep me full.
Every now and then, I'll get a naked burrito from Qdoba. No wrap (300+ calories right there), and made with chicken, black beans, and cheese. I'll add some hot sauce or salsa and it will be right at 500 calories.
Now, I have since found that I can take half a frozen mesquite chicken breast (85 calories), cut it up, add 1/2 cup of black beans (105 calories), add 28g of Fat Free cheddar cheese (45 calories), and then put it all in a a Flat-Out wrap (90 calories). I end up with a (wrapped) burrito the same size as one from Qdoba/Chipotle for 325 calories. I can now add a banana or some other side and still be under 500 calories.
So I would recommend start tracking the times you are feeling hungry and comparing them to what you ate leading up to it. See what alternative foods you can come up with that will let you eat more of them for the same calories.
Well I am going to admit when I do food, it needs to be easy...if its not, I know myself, I will not follow.
So that being said....I need some idea for high protein/high fibre/low fat foods that are easy....LOL I am on a strict budget which means I don't eat out alot and I try to keep my grocery bill from looking too much like I shop for a small third world nation..LOL
So throw a few more at me....and lets see if I can build up a repitoir of good heathly and filling foods!
Thanks!
Nuts are my go-to snack. They're not low-fat (don't focus on low-fat as long as your fat sources are healthy; low-fat does not in itself encourage weight loss) but they are high in protein and fibre and are very filling. Another thing is that real oatmeal, I mean thick cut oats or steel-cut oats, not the packaged kind, are more filling (less processed, more fibre). Umm, fruit is a good one, high in fibre. Whole wheat bread is always a winner. Hummus and pita or baked pita chips are good. Beans and brown rice is a quick, easy meal with loads of fiber, keeps me full for hours. Veggie stir-fry with brown rice, and I put cashews on mine, is a very easy and cheap meal, also quite filling.
Not having read the other posts, what I don't see on your list is water. Could be you are water hungry. We are basically cavemen in our brains. Food back then meant water. So, sometimes when your body needs water, it triggers hunger. Try drinking two cups of water when you are hungry, waiting a little bit and see if you are still hungry.
Doesn't always work for me, but it often turns out that it does completely away with the hungries until my next scheduled snack.
It also could be your body trying to get you to eat because it knows you have cut back on calories. Your body wants to be fat for some reason...maybe because of stress you are under...who knows. So it sends out hungry signals.
I noticed one other thing. You are eating starches and not protein on two of those examples. Starches metabolize to glucose, raising your glucose level in your blood. Then insulin surges out to put that glucose where it belongs. In some people who are insulin resistant especially, you end up with a surplus of insulin running around your body looking for sugar and not finding it, send a signal to your brain that there is not enough sugar, so that triggers hunger signals. Your brain is wanting you to eat.
Try the water and see what happens. Or add a little protein to your meals, like cottage cheese or string cheese or peanut butter, etc.
Oh, 67 that reminds me. I've had to get over eating to prevent hunger!!! After 3 months I am still fighing that battle. Last night before Bible Study I was not hungry, but I knew Bible study would last til nearly 9PM. So I was thinking, what can I eat to "tide me over" til supper (late night supper at Applebees with the special speaker). Then it came to me once again, you are trying to prevent hunger. you are not hungry.
So I didn't eat. I took two bottles of water with me.
Oh, 67 that reminds me. I've had to get over eating to prevent hunger!!! After 3 months I am still fighing that battle. Last night before Bible Study I was not hungry, but I knew Bible study would last til nearly 9PM. So I was thinking, what can I eat to "tide me over" til supper (late night supper at Applebees with the special speaker). Then it came to me once again, you are trying to prevent hunger. you are not hungry.
So I didn't eat. I took two bottles of water with me.
Fresh fruits and veggies. Low fat salad dressings for dipping.
I am working on pita nachos. Pita chips, low fat cheese and jalepeno. maybe even some mashed pinto beans (instead of refried beans) or a mashed black bean kind of thing.
I agree with texmom. Add some protein. I talked to a dieticain and she told me never to eat a carb without a protein. For a snack have an apple and a piece of cheese (string cheese is a good one because you can find low fat ones and they are measured for you.) A banana and some peanut butter or a few nuts.
The protein is slower to digest and sticks with you longer.
Original Post by sammarieob:
Well I am going to admit when I do food, it needs to be easy...if its not, I know myself, I will not follow.
So that being said....I need some idea for high protein/high fibre/low fat foods that are easy....LOL I am on a strict budget which means I don't eat out alot and I try to keep my grocery bill from looking too much like I shop for a small third world nation..LOL
So throw a few more at me....and lets see if I can build up a repitoir of good heathly and filling foods!
Thanks!
black beans - I buy the low sodium ones (and then rinse them before cooking as well), and then add some paprika and garlic powder.
chicken breasts - cooked so many ways - low fat, high protein and cheap!
Turkey - in the offseason, whole turkeys can get ridiculously cheap and you'll have leftovers forever
Fruit - just keep an eye on sales for peaches, bananas, etc. Fruit is pretty much year round now, so you can get a high fiber/low calorie fix
Popcorn - look for the low calorie stuff like Popsecret 94% fat free (130 calories for 6 cups - a ton of popcorn) Great source of fiber and very filling. Youcan also invest in a popper so you can air pop your own.
I switched to pitas as a replacement for bread, so I can get my fix for PB&J at 180 calories vs 400+ w/ typical bread.
Low sodium soups - there's a great selection these days
Look for shrimp on sale in the freezer section - stores around here will frequently have it for $4 - which works out to $1 a serving and is an amazing source of protein. Cook it in a pan with some lemon and you've got 18g of protein in a few minutes.
While it is true that healthy foods cost more than junk, what I have found is that this is more than offset by the simple fact that I'm eating so much less! I made some tacos a month ago and made the usual 2lbs of meat. In the past, my wife and I would normally polish that off in about 4 days. This time, it took almost 2 weeks to eat it all.
Two weeks ago when I made tacos, I used ground turkey and could eat twice as much as the beef.
I drink alot of water. Almost 60oz a day and the only thing I drink at night is decaf iced tea with nothing in it (the way I prefer it), no sugar, sugar subs or lemon, just tea.
I do eat fruit, bananas, apples, peaches, etc....
Lunch today consisted of a large salad with mushrooms, cherry tomatos, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and fat free salad dressing a container of chunky sirloin burger with country veggies soup. Decent amount of protien and fibre and yet by 2:45, my stomach started to grumble ( i started eating at 12:20 and was done about 12:45 or so).
And here I sit, hungry.
My whole point to this thread was that I would have thought by 5 weeks into this, I would not be starving anymore, but that is not the case.
Original Post by sammarieob:
Lunch today consisted of a large salad with mushrooms, cherry tomatos, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and fat free salad dressing a container of chunky sirloin burger with country veggies soup. Decent amount of protien and fibre and yet by 2:45, my stomach started to grumble ( i started eating at 12:20 and was done about 12:45 or so).
And here I sit, hungry.
Ah - I see what you mean now, and it seems reasonable. For me, 2-3 hours after lunch is when I have a 100-200 calorie snack.
The only time I don't seem to need a snack is in the morning - I eat 16oz of grits almost every day. It is less than 300 calories and very filling. My morning routine consists of drinking a 24oz bottle of water before breakfast, a 20oz Coke Zero with it, and then another 24oz bottle of water about 90 minutes later. In the afternoons, I have to have a snack at around 2pm or 3pm as I won't be having dinner until ~6pm.
On Monday, for example, I ate:
- 9:00 - 16oz Grits (286 calories)
- 12:30 - PB&J Pita (180 calories), cup of roasted garlic and olive oil couscous (220 calories), and a medium banana (105 calories) - total was 505
- 3pm - snack bag of 94% fat free popsecret popcorn (makes 6cups for 130 calories)
- 6pm - Cup of Lentil and Potato stew (219 calories), 1/2 cup of couscous (110 calories), pita w/ 1 Tbs jalapeno hummus (90 calories), medium banana (105 calories) - total was 525
- 9pm - another bag of popcorn (130 calories)
- Total for the day was 1576.
For that day, both lunch and dinner were higher than normal (I usually have around 450 at each), but that leftover soup and couscous was delicious. Even with that extra 50 calories at each meal, I still ate a snack ~3 hours later.
That was a pretty high carb day, but I also had over 40g of fiber.
I am curious... in your own opinion... what *could* you eat that would make you not hungry? Could it be you are partially craving food with just more weight, or something on a more emotional level? What is your daily/weekly analysis like? Are you getting about 25 grams of fiber a day?
What if you lowered your calories per meal (b,l,d) and increased calories for a mid morning snack, afternoon snack and after diiner snack ?
But for breakfast, if it is just 1 packet of instant, I don't see how that could be satisfying. My daughter is 7, tiny tiny, no body fat, 40 pounds and she eats 2 packets for breakfast made with milk instead of water.
sammarieob,
I agree with 67 in that I plan snacks into my day. My usual day goes something like this:
6:30 AM 2/3 cup oatmeal
9:30-10 v8 juice and string cheese
12:00 healthy choice frozen dinner, salad with zero calorie dressing, and fruit
3:00 mini delights and diet drink
6:00 big supper...spaghetti with marinara, veggie, and low cal dessert for example
9:00 fruit
Water in between. Something like that. Today, because I am at home, I just had soup for lunch and a few crackers, and I am about to eat a snack. I had a long nap.
I still get hungry, but I plan snacks to cover it. If you don't ever get hungry, I think something is wrong. there is nothing wrong with getting hungry. Just plan something to eat or drink to eat WHEN you get hungry.
Hunger is nothing to fear, it does mean your body will use it's own fat for fuel. But don't let it get out of hand and make you eat out of control.
Original Post by kdh1221:
I am curious... in your own opinion... what *could* you eat that would make you not hungry? Could it be you are partially craving food with just more weight, or something on a more emotional level? What is your daily/weekly analysis like? Are you getting about 25 grams of fiber a day?
What if you lowered your calories per meal (b,l,d) and increased calories for a mid morning snack, afternoon snack and after diiner snack ?
But for breakfast, if it is just 1 packet of instant, I don't see how that could be satisfying. My daughter is 7, tiny tiny, no body fat, 40 pounds and she eats 2 packets for breakfast made with milk instead of water.
I am really not craving anything and I do allow for snacks....I have my breakfast about 7am, piece of fruit at 9am, cottage cheese at 10-10:30 then lunch and noon, a snack about 4 (especially if I am headed to the gym) and then dinner at 6-7 and then a snack at night.
I am drinking plenty of water, and my food rating for the last 30 days is a B. I checked all the RDA stuff and the only thing I am over on is sodium....
It may really be your blood sugar. You might try trading some of your calories for protein calories. For example 100 calories can get you a large apple or a half plain chicken breast (approx) or 2 string cheese...you get the idea.
Or do half and half. crackers with peanut butter or apples with peanut butter is good or cottage cheese and strawberries or blueberries......
Not criticizing anything you do, just trying to brainstorm what is happening. also as 67 said, adding fiber with your sugar item slows down it's absorption. (apple has the whole package except the protein).
I am willing to try anything....I will experiment tomorrow while we are home....and see how I fare...but I, like most people, don't have issues with the weekend, it's the weekdays that kill me....probably because I am stuck in an office.
That's interesting. I do better at work because the only food I have is what I brought...that is except the vending machine and that is off limits.
At home I have all this food here I can choose from or even eat out.
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