I’m counting calories to lose weight and I’m starving/hangry

[Anonymous]

3 days ago you posted that you were on day 24 of the whole30 and hadn't counted calories. So at most you are on day 3 of counting calories.

[Anonymous]

How do you know it’s the same OP

[Anonymous]

I am not that OP, but I admit that it is very similar. Whole30 didn’t jumpstart my weight loss like I thought it would we switched to counting calories.

I am this OP, however: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/648403.page#11053731

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I ended up doing intermittent fasting to deal with the hunger. If I eat breakfast - even a protein rich breakfast, I am ravenous during the day. If I don't eat in the mornings, then I don't really get hungry until about 3:00. At that point I eat two hard boiled eggs and that holds me until I get home and get dinner (lots of veggies and protein).

I thought about doing this too. If I eat breakfast, then I’m MORE hungry all day. What gives?

[Anonymous]

How long have you been doing this? I recommend trying a couple of days of fasting and then going back to your calorie counting. Fasting has a great effect of lowering hunger. Sure that first 15 hours you are hungry for a couple of hours when you just skip a meal, but, no joke, after a few hours you are not hungry at all. Not even hungry the next day. This will help with the cravings and hunger. 1800 calories per day is not that little overall. The fact is that we eat so much more than we need, it is actually insane. I was comparing my food intake in Europe vs here, and I am realizing that I never stop eating since I moved to US. Sure it is my fault, not the fault of the country... but somehow my willpower here is overruled by constant food presence around me. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I ended up doing intermittent fasting to deal with the hunger. If I eat breakfast - even a protein rich breakfast, I am ravenous during the day. If I don't eat in the mornings, then I don't really get hungry until about 3:00. At that point I eat two hard boiled eggs and that holds me until I get home and get dinner (lots of veggies and protein).

I thought about doing this too. If I eat breakfast, then I’m MORE hungry all day. What gives?

It raises your blood sugar, I think. I am not an expert. But, I love, love huge breakfast but if I skip it I am not hungry later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Increase protein to fill you up.

Hydrate.

Can you list a normal range of foods and we dcum experts can help you decide if they are good choices?

Also, do you exercise? Even a quick walk around the block? Or lifting some arm weights while sitting and watching tv at the end of the day?

Breakfast: 1/4 cup cubed steamed sweet potato, 1/2 chicken apple sausage, 1/4 avocado

Lunch: salad (“super girl” green blend) topped with 1/2 chicken breast and tomatoes, with Primal Kitchen green goddess dressing

3pm snack: 1/2 apple with 1 tablespoon sunbutter

Dinner: bolognese sauce over zoodles

This is a dumb diet. The noodles and heavy sauce are bad especially before bed.

Do this:

Breakfast: egg whites + berries (berries are low in carbs)
Lunch: salad w/real chicken, nuts, +fruit
Snack: Greek yogurt (14 g of protein will keep you full til dinner)
Dinner: grilled salmon, grilled chick, steamed veggie (lightest meal of the day).
Ton of water.

If you're still dying for carbs, eat them with high protein to slow the absorption and keep you feeling full.

No alcohol either (dont drink any calories).

Stick with this. You can do it.

GET exercise too!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long have you been doing this? I recommend trying a couple of days of fasting and then going back to your calorie counting. Fasting has a great effect of lowering hunger. Sure that first 15 hours you are hungry for a couple of hours when you just skip a meal, but, no joke, after a few hours you are not hungry at all. Not even hungry the next day. This will help with the cravings and hunger. 1800 calories per day is not that little overall. The fact is that we eat so much more than we need, it is actually insane. I was comparing my food intake in Europe vs here, and I am realizing that I never stop eating since I moved to US. Sure it is my fault, not the fault of the country... but somehow my willpower here is overruled by constant food presence around me. Good luck!

What do you mean a couple days of fasting?

[Anonymous]

If you actually have significant weight to lose, and you're motivated, which it sounds like you are, and you're willing to make substantive changes in your diet, which it also sounds like you've already done, you seem like a good candidate for a little pharmaceutical help.

I would go talk to my doctor. Someone near the top of your thread suggested Phen-pro. At least go see what's available to make this process less awful.

[Anonymous]

Drinking a cup of hot tea helps curb hunger.

[Anonymous]

You are doing it all wrong, my dear! A diet means healthy eating and not starving at all. Also you need to be prepared with something ready to eat or quickly prepared.

Your aim is to eat nutrition packed meals that are low calorie but are full of bulk. Which means you need to eat a whole lot of vegetables. Make home made vegetable soups in bulk with very small amounts of salt. Add lentils, beans and other good starch in it. Eat a bowl full of soup before every meal and for snack.

Another good diet aid is warm skim milk with ground chia seeds, ground flaxseed and some turmeric.

Some boiled eggs and nuts are always good to have on hand.

Finally, mix inulin in your water to give yourself satiety and bulk and a does of good prebiotics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Increase protein to fill you up.

Hydrate.

Can you list a normal range of foods and we dcum experts can help you decide if they are good choices?

Also, do you exercise? Even a quick walk around the block? Or lifting some arm weights while sitting and watching tv at the end of the day?

Breakfast: 1/4 cup cubed steamed sweet potato, 1/2 chicken apple sausage, 1/4 avocado

Lunch: salad (“super girl” green blend) topped with 1/2 chicken breast and tomatoes, with Primal Kitchen green goddess dressing

3pm snack: 1/2 apple with 1 tablespoon sunbutter

Dinner: bolognese sauce over zoodles

This is a dumb diet. The noodles and heavy sauce are bad especially before bed.

Do this:

Breakfast: egg whites cooked with spinach + berries with 1/4 cup plain yogurt(berries are low in carbs)
After breakfast - 1/2 cup of warm skim milk with turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon ground chia and 1/2 teaspoon ground flaxseed.
Lunch: salad - microgreens, spinach, carrots, radishes, beets, bell pepper, cucumber, onions, lettuce, tomatoes - w/real chicken and 1/2 teaspoon of salad dressing made with olive oil and vinegar/lemon juice, A cup of veggi soup, water with Inulin
After lunch - Nuts, + a low glycymic fruit like pear
Snack: Greek yogurt (14 g of protein will keep you full till dinner) sprinkle a teaspoon of sunflower seed to get zinc in your diet.
Dinner before 7 pm: grilled salmon, grilled chick, steamed veggie (lightest meal of the day), water with inulin (1/4 teaspoon) .
Still hungry after dinner - have a bowl of veggi soup or some hazelnuts for magnesium or have 1/2 cup warm milk with turmeric.

Ton of water.

If you're still dying for carbs, eat them with high protein to slow the absorption and keep you feeling full.

No alcohol either (dont drink any calories).

Stick with this. You can do it.

GET exercise too!!

NP here. I think the above diet still does not have enough bulk for the OP. I have made my recommendations in bold. You need to eat more small meals throughout the day. Low calorie, low glycemic, lots of fiber and containing all micronutrients that you can get. The diet should make you energized and healthier. Being hungry, angry and exhausted means that you are doing your diet wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 50 pounds to lose and I know counting calories is the only way to do it.

It’s been a week and I am starving. I did this before over the summer and was so hungry I had to quit. It made me short tempered and angry, especially with my little kids.

Is this hunger my new normal? I was obviously eating too much since I was overweight.

Does my body just need to get used to eating like this? How long until I’m not so hungry?

You are so wrong. It is not about calories; it's about hormones. Bring down your insulin and you will lose weight. Low carb, high fat. I eat at least 1900 calories a day, sometimes up to 2200, and still lose weight.

You will only fail at this. Calorie restriction leads to a metabolism slowdown. You'll lose weight at first, then plateau, then gain it all back and be sicker than before.

Read "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. It will change your life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How long have you been doing this? I recommend trying a couple of days of fasting and then going back to your calorie counting. Fasting has a great effect of lowering hunger. Sure that first 15 hours you are hungry for a couple of hours when you just skip a meal, but, no joke, after a few hours you are not hungry at all. Not even hungry the next day. This will help with the cravings and hunger. 1800 calories per day is not that little overall. The fact is that we eat so much more than we need, it is actually insane. I was comparing my food intake in Europe vs here, and I am realizing that I never stop eating since I moved to US. Sure it is my fault, not the fault of the country... but somehow my willpower here is overruled by constant food presence around me. Good luck!

What do you mean a couple days of fasting?

I mean either around 24 hours or 36 hours of not eating any calories, just water, coffee or tea. So, have early dinner and then next day don't eat until 3, 4pm and only very little, like 500 calories. Or try a whole 36, dinner, next whole day just no calorie drinks, go to bed early and then breakfast the next day, that gives you 36 hours. It is best to try this when you can sleep in and go to bed early. If you are diabetic, disregard everything I wrote. It controls hunger like nothing I ever tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I ended up doing intermittent fasting to deal with the hunger. If I eat breakfast - even a protein rich breakfast, I am ravenous during the day. If I don't eat in the mornings, then I don't really get hungry until about 3:00. At that point I eat two hard boiled eggs and that holds me until I get home and get dinner (lots of veggies and protein).

I was just going to post this. I have failed miserably in the past at counting calories, however I'm on day 13 of IF 16:8 and it's been fairly easy. I'm shocked myself that I'm not shaky in the mornings. My cravings don't kick in until I break my fast.