New CCP user, first post hunger question

Just started counting calories, I'm a math nerd and I got dumpy, so I'm geeking out on the numbers to motivate me.

I'm going to the gym every morning at 6am for 30 minute brisk walks.  I optionally do the same at night if I don't go out (I usually don't).  I'm burning anywhere from 175 to 350 calories a day doing this. 

Here's the question:  Why am I so effing hungry?  I'm trying to budget my calorie intake, I'm trying to stay under my burn line, and I feel hungry constantly.  I quit smoking three months ago, but I'm on the patch.  I also started taking medication that increases appetite.  The result was I put on 20 pounds in 3 months without even noticing until I bought a scale.  Now I'm 40 pounds overweight and I've got to do something about it.  Will the hunger reduce when my stomach strinks a bit?  I did admittedly start over eating/eating much larger portions recently.  Am i just so hungry because I'm used to eating more? 

My daily calorie goal is 1950.  It seems like I'm just as hungry staying under or going a bit over.  Am I just a dieting wuss?  I've never dieted before in my life, but I've also never gained so much weight so quickly before.

Anyway, some advice would be greatly appreciated.  I need to get used to all this, and I don't know what I'm doing aside what I've read on this website.

What is your typical balance of protein/carbs/fats?  I would suggest that you're hungry because you aren't eating enough filling foods.  I aim for 50% carbs and 25-25 on protein fats.  Other people here use different formulas for that so you'll need to see what works for you but it's great for me.  If you're eating tons of fruits/veggies but not balancing it with lean meats, low-fat dairy, and whole grain foods, you probably won't feel as full.

One tip I heard yesterday (thanks Oprah and Dr. Oz!) but haven't tried yet is to start dinner with a piece of whole grain bread dipped in olive oil.  It's supposed to make you feel fuller and eat less during dinner. 

Hope this helps and good luck!

Fat - 36.8% (113 grams)
Protein - 33.8% (233 grams)
Carbohydrates - 27.7% (192 grams)
Alcohol - 0.0%
Other - 1.7%

This is by lunch today.  I had two hard boiled egg whites and two rice cakes for breakfast.  My lunch was a turkey sandwich with provolone on wheat with grey poupon, and vegetable soup.  I'm drinking water like a fury.  I have a jello with fruit cup and fat free tapioca pudding for snacks later in the day which I've already added.  That'll put me at 800 calories by dinner time, which leaves me with over 1k calories for dinner.

Can you try adding more raw/cooked veggies???  I find they really fill me up.  I eat veggies with every lunch and dinner making sure at LEAST 1/2 my plate is vegetables.  I also cook 2-3 different kinds at a time to avoid boredom.  I never realized how many vegetable possibilities there were!!!!

:)
~H~

When I first started counting calories, I too was ravenous. Sometimes, I still feel as if I can't quench my hunger. Those days, I end up eating at my maintenance level and call it a day. I did notice if I have a good work out and burn 500-600 calories, I'm not as ravenous. Sure, after the workout, I'll have the extra snack but there's still a calorie loss.

Sorry I'm not a huge help but what if instead of going from old you/new you right away, you made it more gradual. Maybe eat to your maintenace for a week and then give yourself a little deficit the next week and the next.

Original Post by revjerp:

My lunch was a turkey sandwich with provolone on wheat

COPY CAT!  I just got done eating this.  I did a grilled turkey/provolone with olive oil  Very yummy.

Sounds like you're doing pretty well.  I would add some more fruits and veggies, cut the fats a little bit, and try eating your bigger meals earlier in the day.  Usually it's recommended that breakfast be your larger meal and dinner your smallest.  Doing this might curb your hunger during the bulk of the day.

Congrats on quitting smoking.  I quit 5 months ago and put on 8 pounds just munching on popcorn the first month or so... It was a hard habit to break ( the popcorn - lol ).  I am sure that has something to do with it as nicotine is an appetite suppressant.  Give it a few days and concentrate on bulk food with low cals..... like fruit, vegetables, Go Lean cereal by Kashi....  You can eat alot of salad for hardly any cals as long as you choose a low cal dressing.  Some stink!  Some are very good.  It all depends.

Also - you said you are doing some meds that increase appetite.  You may want to ask your doctor if you can switch to something different!

I wish I could eat 1850 - you are making alot of women on here jealous!

 

Oh & PS - get rid of the patch!!!!  Check out www.whyquit.com.  They are big advocates of cold turkey.  Nicotine is an addiction.  To break an addiction you don't feed it in another way... Just like an alcoholic, smokers cannot have just one - ever.   The patch just keeps you addicted to the nic.  With cold turkey, you have  physical withdrawal for 3 days and once you are over it, you are over it.  Then all you get are occassional craves with triggers.  Anyway - that is a great site with a ton of helpful info about smoking cessation.

If I were you I would probably lower my fats a tiny bit as they're super caloric and raise my carbohydrates up a bit. You'd end up getting to eat more food as a result and probably feel more satisfied.

That being said, the first two weeks of calorie counting were completely miserable for me. You kind of have to power through it and then you'll start to feel really good.

actually, etahbear, good fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts, etc.) are extremely important for health AND the promote satiety, meaning, a little fat will help you feel full for a longer period of time. No worries about 33% fat if the fat is the right kind.

Carbs are the culprit in terms of hunger--keep protein and fat numbers a bit higher and you will feel satisfied longer.  When you do eat carbs, try to make them as whole as possible: vegetables, fruit and whole grains are best.

A good guideline is to have a small amount of fat and some protein with every meal or snack.

I can't quit the patch.  I did cold turkey for a month.  I ended up losing my girlfriend a few days.  I won't put her through that again.  I'm on step two (14mgs) and i'll go down to 7mgs in a few weeks.  My shrink actually suggested it, so I'm going to follow his advice.  Trust me, cold turkey makes me insufferable.

Also, on the veggies tip, I have a real hard time digesting most leafy greens.  I'm going to start packing apples and oranges in the lunch for work.  I can destroy some carrots and green beans.  I work insane hours, so if it doesn't fit in a lunch box, it's not going to be practical.  I'm lucky enough to find enough time to workout now.  And yes, the job involves sitting in front of a computer all day, so I really feel like all this working out I'm doing is only making up for sitting on my can all day.  That's why I decided to start dieting to lose weight, I didn't think the workouts would be enough.

I'm 5'10" and 195.5 lbs.  I would like to get down to 170, and the 'site suggests 156 (which I haven't weighed since High School, I'm 32).  Anyway, 170 looks good on me, it's what I weighed in the Navy.

I'm going to get more veggies in, and be mindful of my carb percentages.  I'm doing some weight training so that's why I wasn leaning on protein a little more.

Define 'hungry'.  Is your stomach growling or do you just want to eat something?  As the stomach shrinks, it will get used to less food and growl less often.  But the urge to eat can be related to blood sugar levels and other chemicals in your body.  Eating foods containing sugar (pudding, jello) can trigger a spike in your blood sugar and then a sharp drop when you body responds to the spike by producing a lot on insulin.  You could try taking all refined sugar out of your diet for a week or so and seeing if that helps.  Some people's bodies do not respond to it well.  The other part of appetite are the chemicals that tell your body that you have had enough.  Those can be messed up by medication.  You have had enough food, but your brain doesn't get the chemical signal telling it as soon as it used to.  That is a problem I don't know the answer to.  You could try eating more slowly to see if that helps.   Do things like putting your fork down between bites and thoroughly chewing each bite.  If that doesn't help, get used to ignoring the bodies cries for more food.

By hungry I mean my stomach feels empty and growls.

I could chew my bites 100 times like the Fletcher movement.  :)

I think it's that my stomach just got much larger from eating much larger portions, that's how I got into this mess.  Before I could hardly eat anything and wouldn't feel malnorished.  In the past few years, I fell in love with food (and my GF is a good cook, too).  I ate without restraint.  Now that I am using restraint, my stomach feels empty.  I'm still healthy, and I have the energy to workout as much as I do, so more than likely I just need to let the stomach shrink back to a normal size.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Try eating more calories for breakfast. Your highest calorie meal should be breakfast, as it revs you up for the day.

I find that when I eat a much larger breakfast (I eat like 5-6 boiled egg whites and some sort of carb, whether it be a pancake or toast or french toast..etc), I am much less hungry by lunchtime, and can go a bit longer than if I eat only a little or nothing at all.  Egg whites only have about 17 cals in each egg, so they aren't bad to stock up on a bit, especially if you are being active. They have all the protein but practically none of the cholesterol of eating the whole egg.

Rice cakes have absolutely no nutritional value, unless you get ones infused with it, so I suggest eating something more worth while in place of that too.

And did I see that you said you are taking a med to increase appetite (or it is a side effect)? That could be one big reason you aer always feeling hungry! My little cousin is on those because he is so underweight, and they basically make you feel hungry all the time so you want to eat. If you can, cut back on that or don't take it at all (of course, if you have to take then do, or ask your doctor about other options)

 

Sorry if this is repetitive of everyone else.. I didn't want to read all of them, and I wanted to telly ou about breakfast (I am a HUGE advocate for breakfast.. it's practically the best meal and food of the day for me =])

Hope you stop feeling hungry soon!

water water water water and more water.

Did I mention water? Seriously.....sthe more you drink, the less hungry you will be, it really does help fill you up. Also, anything with a lot of protein helps fill me up. I like reduced fat peanut butter with an apple or on a rice cake for a snack in between meals....

I know for me, though, a lot of my 'hungriness' seems to be mental. As soon as I feel like I'm depriving myself of anything I want food wise, I ALWAYS hungry......it doesn't matter if I'm full, I'm STILL hungry....so I make sure I make allowances for little things that I really like so I don't play that mental game.

Original Post by librarygirl:

actually, etahbear, good fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts, etc.) are extremely important for health AND the promote satiety, meaning, a little fat will help you feel full for a longer period of time. No worries about 33% fat if the fat is the right kind.

Carbs are the culprit in terms of hunger--keep protein and fat numbers a bit higher and you will feel satisfied longer.  When you do eat carbs, try to make them as whole as possible: vegetables, fruit and whole grains are best.

A good guideline is to have a small amount of fat and some protein with every meal or snack.

actually, I am quite aware of the importance of good fats in a diet. I think, however, that 36.8% is a TAD on the high side which is why I suggest lowering it a "tiny bit". My point was that fat is extremely calorie dense and that if you lowered the percentage a bit you could add a little more good complex carbohydrates that would make you feel more *satisfied* and less hungry.

Try eating more calories during the day... cuz that's when your body is needing them.. it's screaming for them.. that's why you feel hungry. When i first started dieting I did what you did.. leaving calories until the end of the day.. so I could "reward" myself for suffering all day.. and also to prevent going over.. but I quickly learned you need to eat.. especially if you are exercising in the morning..

Try this:

Eat breakie..

do exercise..

Eat a healthy snack like carrots, banana, yogurt, beef jerky, low-fat cheese string, apple, whole wheat melba toast and salsa..

Eat Lunch.. something FILLING with CARBS and PROTEIN... like a sandwich with side salad, a bean salas, chili, rice with veggie stirfry, sushi... CARBS CARBS CARB

Eat another healthy snack to keep you until dinner

do exercise

Eat a dinner.. with little or no starch but TONS of PROTEIN.. like chicken breast or fish... with seasonal veggies... 

_________________________________

The goal is the FUEL your body to get it to burn efficiently... but you need wood if you are going to make your fire burn hot... (ie. you need fuel (food) if your metabolism is gunna get pumping and make you loose pounds) If your body is telling you that you are hungry it is doing it for a reason, it NEEDS more calories to keep burning..... there is no problem EATING... just eat the right, low cal things in big quantities

You MUST get rid of your jello and pudding.. they provide 0 nutrition and don't give your body what it needs (fiber/protien - the things that make you feel full and give your body the signal that have sustenance). you are already limiting what your body CAN have, so what you choose to allow your body to have BETTER BE what it NEEDs.. you can't afford to be eating crap with such a low calorie budget.. there's simply no room for it!

Oh and drink at least 2L of water a day.

 

I hope that helps, I went from 275 - 210 (and still loosing) doing this...  and I am an ex-smoker as well....  you just need to re-learn how to eat right/healthy habits so that it become a permanent healthy lifestyle change

 

Try having a big bowl of cereal for breakfast.  I usually have something with lots of  texture and crunch to it as well as one that gives me a high percentage of my daily mineral requirements.  For instance half a cup of Quaker Oatmeal Squares (hint of brown sugar flavor or cinnamon), plus half a cup of Kellogs Bran Buds (or All Bran) plus maybe half a cup of Multigrain Cheerios with half a cup of 2% milk.  I usually have two of the three mentioned but given that  you’re a guy and have a higher daily allowances, three would be fine for you I’d think.  That should keep you going til lunch or nearly lunch.

 

For lunch take a HUGE salad.  I usually prepare 5 containers of salad on Sunday night for my lunches during the work week, and just add tomato, dressing, wine vinegar & salt & pepper each morning.  Mine are made up of half cup each of chopped celery, cucumber,  and carrots, plus about half a cup of chopped green onions and green peppers.   I just grab one of these containers each morning, add the tomato, dressing and S&P, and off I go.  I take a couple of apples for morning and afternoon snacks.  You could take along a serving of meat or cheese as well for added protein, but make sure you add up all the calories honestly.

 

Yes, my stomach does have a bit of a growl session on some days, especially if whatever I have for dinner the previous night wasn’t high in calories but the way I look at it, the growling means I’m doing something right!  

 

Everyone says that to get a 1 – 2 lb weight loss per week you need to have a calorie to burn deficit of 500 cals/day (not sure if that is different for guys or not – anyone know?).  You don’t want to loose more than that otherwise you won’t keep it off.

 

Oh and I quit smoking 3 years ago with Wellbutrin after smoking for 30+ years – that was my 20 lbs that I am trying to loose – 8.5 down, 11.5 to go.  Goal – by Christmas (or before).  I tried the patches some years ago and they drove me crazy – shortness of breath, couldn’t sleep, deer in the headlights look – not nice.