Want to lose weigth but can deal with the hunger all over again

Hello all,

Well I'm a failed dieter back to 1950lb after losing 28lb last year although I still had a way to go as this was still no good for my height 5'5.

I think I failed last time as after 6 months I just couldn't deal with the pain in my stomach from hunger no more my, Dr says its just a matter of time but to me its not normal to always feel so hungry.

While activly losing weigth I felt my diet was good, wholegrain good quality meats, fruit and veg was plentiful and I would aim for between 1400 - 1600 kcal a day.I have an under active thyroid so I have a fairly sluggish metabolism at best but I was still losing weight. I experimented with higher but stopped losing weigth.

Going back to my old lifestyle I eat the same food really just more way more plus some of more naughty treats I can go for a seak with my family I get the big portion all you can eat finish my plate have dessert and still feel hungry but I can't possibly need the kcals as I wouldnt be so big!

So began to wonder if it as all worth it I figured my body would get used to smaller portions but it never did and I gave up so ended back in square one. I feel like iv tried everything apart from pills im either fat and miserable or hungry and miserable

Hate how my body requires so much food for nothing.

Can you add at least 30 minutes of activity into your day?  It would make a big difference in how you feel, and give you a few more calories to play with.

Activity doesn't need to mean "going to the gym".  It could be a brisk walk around the neighborhood, it could mean some active gardening (it's leaf raking time!), it could mean an exercise video.

I suggest you get a pedometer and try to get to 10,000 steps a day.  It doesn't have to be all at once, you'll probably get several thousand steps just in the course of your normal day.   Don't change your diet until you find that you have the "habit" of moving more.  Then, you can set a more generous calorie allotment of 17-1800 calories of mostly whole foods and probably not feel so deprived or hungry.  I bet that in a short time you will start dropping about a pound a week, and in a year you would feel better, look better, and probably be at a healthy weight.  Good luck!

If you have an underactive thyroid, see your doctor.  Sometimes it takes a few goes before the dosage is correct...

Eat more vegetables.  It isn't about the taste it's about your stomach, well, if you were being honest.  If not, then you already stated your options: fat and miserable, or hungry and miserable.

Remember, don't just look at kcals.  Make sure you're getting enough fiber and protein and vitamins, ect . . . if you're missing something it can make you more hungry even if you're getting enough cals.  Do you try to eat several small meals through out the day?  If you're hungry all the time, it might help b/c if you eat a small amount of food and you're a bit hungry, at least you know you can eat again soon b/c you're eating 6 small meals isntead of 3 big ones. 

Another thing that helps me is soup.  You can find a low cal, broth soup (not a cream soup), and eat more w/o going up on cals.  That way you get a full stomach feel w/o extra cals. 

"White" carbs leave me feeling hungry all day.  Do a little research on the glycemic index of the foods you eat.  Trying a low-GI diet might improve your results.

I LOVE the feeling of hunger! I feel like it's my metabolism working (so I'm not screwing my body over by depriving it so much) and munching on healthy things throughout the day. i had a period where I barely felt any hunger and now I feel it again I just feel so much healthier :)

I'm wondering if you are mistaking emotional or mental hunger for physical hunger?  I know I could eat pretty much constantly if I allowed myself to and often think "I'm hungry" but physically I know I have had enough to eat to last for another few hours and it's really just that desire to be eating something.

All my life I have eaten for pleasure and comfort and for something to do and I'm only just starting to break those habits now but it is definitely a challenge.

When you feel hungry try and figure out whether it's a genuine need for fuel eg are you becoming weak and headachey, is your stomach rumbling, has it been a while since you last ate etc, or is it just that you want the taste of something and the comfort of shoveling the food in? 

So sorry for your pain. Maybe some of these tips will help you:

If your thyroid is under-active, your doctor should be prescribing a thyroid supplement. Otherwise, not only will your metabolism be low & you will gain weight, but you will be more likely to feel depressed (miserable & fat vs. miserable & hungry; thoughts like "is it worth it?"), and you may experience dry skin and hair loss. Such good things, right?

When you feel hungry drink a big glass of water. Sometimes when we are really thirsty we interpret the feeling as hunger. And when that snack doesn't satisfy we eat another, and another...

Eat slowly and only until you no longer feel hungry. Then when you feel hungry again, eat again, slowly. You may find 6 smaller meals a day is a better way to eat for you.  

Plan your meals. This way you can make sure you have enough healthy, tasty, filling food to choose from. Make sure you include plenty of fruit & vegetables and lots of high-fiber items such as whole grain foods, beans, lentils, dried peas. Make sure you drink plenty of liquids, preferably water.

Sometimes when I "feel" hungry I know I'm really just frustrated at work or bored at home. If you really think about it and find these triggers get you too, find something to do to take your mind off eating.

Another advantage to planning your meals and cooking "from scratch", you can avoid a lot of the appetite triggers found in prepared foods. The right ratio of fat-sugar-salt in a food makes you crave more, and the more you get the more you crave. And food manufacturers know this, so make sure that your diet consists of less-processed foods. You'll likely feel fuller for the same number of calories.

Exercise is a really BIG plus!!! It's especially good if you can get it earlier in the day or before a meal. Exercise raises your metabolism and it will stay up for a few hours. I like to walk. It's relatively easy. Park further away than usual. Take the stairs. Walk around the block or two or more every day. The pedometer idea is a good one. If you can get up to 10,000 steps a day I'm sure you'll notice a difference in both your mood and your weight. If I can't get my walk in I don't feel as good the rest of the day.

30 minutes of fast walking is about 3500-4000 steps for me, and most days I get very little exercise at work so I love to "shop" on my way home-deciding on & getting vegetables for dinner, or just spending a lot of time walking around the store to see what I want to get when I reach my next weight goal. That's the kind of reward I like. If it's not hot or wet out I'll try to get in a walk on my lunch hour, though not as intense as my morning walk.

I'm fortunate to really like vegetables. I have to watch my sodium so I love to make a saute of veggies to have with brown rice (whole grain). I use corn (cut off the cob or frozen), squash, black beans (canned, drained unless I've had time to cook some up) or other cooked dried beans, tomatoes (diced, canned) and whatever else catches my eye. I log my recipe in "My Recipes" and add it to my log.

Oh yes, if you're not already doing it, please take advantage of the food logs and other wonderful resources on this web site (caloriecount.about.com)

I hope you find some of my ideas useful. I feel really confident that you are going to see progress soon!

losing weight =\= hungry.  if you eat right and stay active, you can lose weight without being hungry.  by quitting smoking, becoming more active* and eating right, i've lost 11 pounds of fat and put on some muscle.  it's taken a year but it's a result that'll last and i can envision myself doing for the rest of my life what i'm doing today.  you've gotta take a long-term approach to this if you want lasting results.

* "more active" doesn't just mean the gym.  i've made a concerted effort to be more active in real life.  there's the little every-day stuff like taking the stairs or parking farther away from my building.  but i also try to have 3 active weekends each month: yard work, hiking, golfing, swimming, competitive thumb wrestling, biking.  something other than the gym that i can do for fun that happens to be good for me.  and it's nice to put all the strength and endurance i've gained at the gym to a practical use.  it's makes going to the gym more fun, too.

Like others have said, exercise is a great option. The more you work out, the more you can eat and lose weight. Also, I'm always really hungry after I've overeaten for the first few days, but after 3-5 days my body gets used to eating less again, so how long have you stuck to that diet and not gotten used to it? My friend has hypothyroidism and she takes something for it, so I hope you are too-her metabolism seems good now, at least normal if not a little above.

I agree also about what types of food you are eating. I had a 400 cal bagel this morning and it didn't fill me up nearly as well as my usual apple and oatmeal which is actually less calories. I eat about 3 servings of veggies every night with my dinner which really helps to fill me up. Last night I couldn't even finish the other stuff. Milk makes me full too. And fruit.

Original Post by naruelle:

I LOVE the feeling of hunger! I feel like it's my metabolism working (so I'm not screwing my body over by depriving it so much) and munching on healthy things throughout the day. i had a period where I barely felt any hunger and now I feel it again I just feel so much healthier :)

Ah!  I thought I was alone on this one <3

Some really good advice has been shared here.  I would add:

If you haven't already, go see your doctor/another doctor and get this in check now, before you try to diet.

Weight gain is very common with slow thyroid.  As is depression!  I bet you are tired all the time too?   Any wonder it is so hard for you to stick to a diet!?

Going on meds (or getting on the right dose, if you are already on meds) might get your thyroid working again and could even result in some natural weight loss.  This could be the boost you need to get on a diet and exercise plan and stick to it, get to your goal and stay there for life!

You will get there! 

tealparadise- yeah I used to hate it, but after my metabolism got screwed up, I'm really happy to feel the hunger- i just feel like my body knows what the heck it wants and when it wants it :)

You can get hunger control tablets/drinks at any drug store. Also, try eating your fiber intake.