Hungry all the time, metabolism not what it used to be...

[Anonymous]

I'm in my late 30s and have been pretty athletic all my life. I've never been stick thin but never overweight either (except when pregnant, but was able to lose baby weight fairly quickly).
I try to take good care of myself, and don't aspire to a killer bod, and have generally been happy being fit and strong, etc.
But I have gained about 8 lbs in the past year. My new-found 8 lbs puts me at the higher end of normal, so clinically I'm not overweight or obese, but obviously I can't keep gaining 8 lbs a year.
Though I am still active (run, bike, weight train, use the stairs, etc) the weight is not coming off like it would have in years past, and to make matters worse, I feel hungrier and craving junky food (carbs, carbs, carbs).

Anyone else in this situation? Would anyone be willing to share suggestions for real-life, healthy hunger management? more coffee? gallons of water? How do ya'll stay thin?

[Anonymous]

I find that eating simple carbs makes me continually crave simple carbs. So you can try to cut them out of your diet. Eat 200 calories of cheese sticks, for example, rather than 200 calories of Twizzlers candies (not saying you do, just giving an example). So you can still eat the same number of calories, just of different things. I stay fuller longer this way.

Also, no diet soda. I swear this makes me hungrier for no reason.

[Anonymous]

You might have a touch of hypoglycemia, esp. reactive hypoglycemia. I agree with the previous poster that building a diet centered around protein and complex carbohydrates (vegetables) is the way to go. Google "glycemic index."

[Anonymous]

Low GI diet. I strictly follow South Beach and have lost 20 lbs. My DH lost 45. I eat NO sweets, no HFCS, and white starches only 2xs a week. It was not easy at first, but now I don't even crave these foods.this is the only thing my body responds to. Meal planning and prep consume a large part of my life.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I see I am violating a lot of these things. I don't eat twizzlers, but I guess a bagel with cream cheese is the same or worse.
The diet soda thing is going to be tough, though.
Other suggestions? Very inspiring to hear this stuff, because DH is naturally thin and is no help at all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find that eating simple carbs makes me continually crave simple carbs. So you can try to cut them out of your diet. Eat 200 calories of cheese sticks, for example, rather than 200 calories of Twizzlers candies (not saying you do, just giving an example). So you can still eat the same number of calories, just of different things. I stay fuller longer this way.

Also, no diet soda. I swear this makes me hungrier for no reason.

Me too. I think part of it is the "association" I make with soda - pizza, burgers, chips, doritos, etc.

[Anonymous]

Bagels w/ cream cheese are horrible if you want to lose weight. Think protien and veggies.

[Anonymous]

i've had the same problem with junky carbs - and i find that if i eat something junky in the morning, it'll set me up to want sweets all day. When i've had to lose weight in the past, I've responded by cutting out sweets COMPLETELY (or allow myself 1-2 sweets each weekend) and that seems to help. I've heard that carbs are like alcohol in your body - like the alcoholic will have one drink, which starts the craving for another, one serving of sweets or whatever can set up a similar reaction.

Note: I'm talking about junky carbs. I love carbs in general, and include a serving or two at every meal to fuel my running. (Pasta - whole wheat where possible, brown rice, whole grain bread, oatmeal, etc.)

So that might work for you. When I'm doing the "no sweets" thing I make an exception for stuff like birthday cake.

oh, and if it helps, i'm still trying to lose the last 6 lbs of baby weight and it is NOT coming off easily. If this keeps up, I may have to give up my nightly glass of red wine, god forbid.

[Anonymous]

I spent years being hungry and fighting to keep weight off.

For me, what has worked is to:

1. Cut out all artificial sweetners (I think they make me crave real sugar)
2. Make sure I get ENOUGH protein and fat - especially at breakfast. I don't have a magic number, I just realize my energy level is higher when I eat fat and protein at breakfast.
3. Instead of counting calories, I focus on getting nutrients - protein, calcium, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, etc. For example, I don't look at lunch and think "how many calories" instead I think, "do I have a source of protein, source of calcium, and some fruits and/or veggies? I used to avoid cheese because of the fat. Now I realized I need calcium and protein, so cheese is a good food (in moderation). I think my body used to crave food because it wasn't getting everything it needed.
4. Stay hydrated. Often I feel tired or hungry when I am really dehydrated.
5. Eat like a toddler. Smaller meals, more often.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree with previous poster. The biggest thing for me has been getting the protein. Even if it's a half-cup of 2% milkfat cottage cheese, it makes a huge difference. And if I skip breakfeast? Look out. I am going to snack and crave carbs all day.

Also, drinking hot tea or black coffee (with nothing in it) can help you cut down on cravings and hunger feelings. For some reason they are better than water for me. A good soda substitue is is sparkling water with 0 calories (Poland Springs makes a bunch of flavors, as do others).

[Anonymous]

OP again. Pretty sad that it wasn't glaringly obvious that skipping breakfast followed by a "lunch" of bagel, cream cheese, doritos, and choc chip cookies was a recipe for a more junk in the trunk. Ugh.
Obviously, I need to get real about the massive levels of carbs and simple sugars I eat and the cycle that puts me in. When my kids were younger, I could eat the carbs but strap kids into the jog stroller and have a great run. Now instead of a great run, my butt is in a car "running" the kids all around town.

Do ya'll do weight training in addition to cardio? More of one than the other?

[Anonymous]

A PP here. I think weight training is really important for strength as we get older. I let myself get to the point where I could not pick up the dog (he weighs about 80 lbs) or get a heavy carry-on in the overhead bin. My exercise commitment waxes and wanes, but I always include some strength training, even if it's just push ups or pull ups. Sometimes I do Olympic weightlifitng to build strength, too, but if I am not careful I can injure myself, so I have backed off on that a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i've had the same problem with junky carbs - and i find that if i eat something junky in the morning, it'll set me up to want sweets all day. When i've had to lose weight in the past, I've responded by cutting out sweets COMPLETELY (or allow myself 1-2 sweets each weekend) and that seems to help. I've heard that carbs are like alcohol in your body - like the alcoholic will have one drink, which starts the craving for another, one serving of sweets or whatever can set up a similar reaction.

Note: I'm talking about junky carbs. I love carbs in general, and include a serving or two at every meal to fuel my running. (Pasta - whole wheat where possible, brown rice, whole grain bread, oatmeal, etc.)

So that might work for you. When I'm doing the "no sweets" thing I make an exception for stuff like birthday cake.

oh, and if it helps, i'm still trying to lose the last 6 lbs of baby weight and it is NOT coming off easily. If this keeps up, I may have to give up my nightly glass of red wine, god forbid.

OP again: I don't drink and can't stand the taste of the stuff, but I'm pretty sure your nightly glass of red wine is better for your health than my nightly carb load.

[Anonymous]

" Instead of counting calories, I focus on getting nutrients - protein, calcium, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, etc. "

I totally agree with this - it is the best thing for me, because I don't get obsessed with what I can and can't eat but am focused on my body's needs. Plus it is easy to track - I can keep a running count on a small sticky of how many f (fruit), v (veggie), d (dairy), g (grain), p (protein) and o (other) servings I've had during the day ("other" meaning wine, sweets, or high fat foods). If the other gets out of hand, or I'm short elsewhere, I'll focus on changing that the next day.

Also agree that artificial sweetners are awful, at least for certain people. My obese mother and sister have been drinking diet soda for years, and in addition to seeing their weights go up and up, I now have a hard time eating some of their cooking because they make everything too sweet for my taste buds (and same for DH). I gave up diet soda 20 years ago and have maintained my weight.

[Anonymous]

Have you had your thyroid tested?