Dealing with appetite while dieting
Hi, I have a question! My weight totally yo-yos and I am not a dieter. I have in my closet clothes from size 2 to size 10 and everything in between. My best size is a 4, but in the past few months I have gotten to where 6′s are tight and that’s making me feel unhealthy and flabby. But whenever I *try* to lose weight, it never happens. I tend to lose weight when I am depressed or stressed for long periods of time, and my appetite diminishes. When I am trying to cut back on calories, I just feel hungry ALL. THE. TIME. Even more so if I am exercising. Does this happen to anyone else? That is, do you find it hard to lose weight when you’re actually TRYING to, and/or do you feel hungry ALL the time when you’re trying to eat better? (I was reading Linda’s “gut check” entries and finding myself thinking, “That would totally not fill me up!”)
– question sent in by Ashley
I know there are varying schools of thought on the subject, but I never let myself get super-hungry when I’m trying to cut back. If I’m noshy, I eat; I just try and pick things I know will either fill me up (lean proteins and fiber in particular) or occupy my food-hole until the urge to snack has subsided (ie, raw veggies).
I find that actual hunger is a very different thing from a craving, and I almost always experience the latter rather than the former while dieting. If you’re in the early days of changing your eating habits, your brain may not be on board with this new business of portion control and avoiding unhealthy foods, and will send you messages like OH MY GOD FEED ME. The trick is to deal with those moments without diving headfirst into a feed-bag of M&Ms, and to that end there are some great suggestions in the comments of Jennifer’s post over at Deserting Desserts.
Without knowing what sorts of things you tend to eat when you’re trying to lose weight, it may be that you need to adjust your diet. If you’re honestly starving all the time, I’d ask if you’re including enough healthy, nutritious foods in your eating plan. (Woman cannot live on rice cake alone!) I’ve found that carb-heavy foods, even in limited amounts, are often a bad choice for me—they satiate me briefly, then I just want more—while low glycemic options make me feel like I’m running on a higher quality fuel. Foods like almonds, low fat cheeses, beans, cruciferous vegetables, eggs . . . they keep me from feeling hungry much longer than, say, a bowl of pasta.
Finally, I’ll say that I am a HUGE proponent of exercise, and find that it is key to my own success with healthy eating. I also firmly believe that fitness makes a big difference in my mental health as well as my physical health, and helps immensely during those times of depression and stress. So my .02 is to step up the workouts. You may soon find you’re feeling better in your skin and clothes without losing a single pound.
What do you think, readers? Any advice for Ashley?
June 16th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I am going through the same thing right now, so I know how you feel! Here are a few things that have made it more manageable for me while I get used to controlling my portions and calories:
- I eat about every 4 hours (7, 11, 3, and 7 with the 3:00 being a snack). That way the next meal is never too far away.
- I have banished white/refined flour products from my house. Whole grain things just give you more fuel for the day (Linda is completely right on this one)!
- I eat something with protein and carbs about an hour before I work out, which leaves me not feeling so starving and stabby after the gym.
- Every meal has a pretty even combo of carbs (whole grains), fats (the “good” ones), and proteins (in my case, plant-based ones ’cause I’m vegetarian).
- I have a few healthy snacks around for when I must have something. Like Linda said, veggies, almonds (raw are the best – no added fat from being roasted in oil), etc.
That’s what works for me! Good luck!
June 16th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
My experience is different from Linda’s:
1. Exercise just makes it impossible for me to control my caloric intake. Working out strenuously with a personal trainer made me GAIN 20 lbs. I manage my weight best when I’m not exercising at all, or only exercising very moderately. Too much exercise and I have to refuel too frequently.
2. Eating in response to to hunger — even just choosing “healthy” options — doesn’t help me lose weight. What works best for me is embracing hunger. Instead of feeling panicky or distressed when I get hungry, I think “Good! I’m hungry! This means I’m getting thinner!” If you recalibrate your brain, you will find hunger to be a source of satisfaction not distress and you’ll find you can tolerate hunger much better than you ever thought you could.
Seriously, I worked out strenuously with a pricey personal trainer 3x/week, kept a rigorously honest food diary, weighed and measured my portions, avoided sugar, alcohol, whiter flour, and all junk food, and I STILL GAINED 20 lbs!!!!! Size 12 was TIGHT on me. So I fired the PT, cut way back on my calories, and promptly lost the excess weight and now fit comfortably in a size 8 (I’m 5’7″ so an 8 is a great size for me).
When the PT was kicking my butt, I had to eat a hearty meal ahead of time or I wouldn’t be able to complete the workout, and I’d have to eat AGAIN afterwards or I’d be dead for the rest of the day. All that eating — even though I wasn’t “overeating” and wasn’t eating sugar — had predictable results.
June 16th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Proteins and fats are more filling than carbohydrates, so ensuring you have a protein and healthy fat with your carbs is a way to get more bang for the buck. It also keeps your blood sugar stable.
If you’re sugar addicted (or refined carb-addicted), switching to a predominately healthy protein diet for the first three days will get you over the cravings while keeping you satisfied.
Eating small meals every two to three hours is a good plan for many people. Others prefer three sizable meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and two snacks in between.
Never skip breakfast and eat a hearty healthy breakfast within an hour of being awake in the morning (or whenever you wake up). My breakfast, typically, consists of some variation of a berry shake with hemp protein, parsley (greens are powerful anti-oxidants), raw cacao powder (the most anti-oxidant food on the planet), raw pitted dates to sweeten, ice cubes, and sometimes a few pre-soaked nuts. This keeps me full for 3 hours. It’s also delicious.
Eating healthy is more important than counting calories. Usually eating healthy means consuming fewer calories, but not always. The only way to know how many calories you’re consuming on a daily basis is to keep a food diary for a week (without changing any of your habits). There are tools on the Internet for this that will calculate your calories for you. It’s really easy to forget what we’ve eaten so logging it, for at least a week, can make a huge difference in one’s self-awareness.
A lot of people – myself included! – resist journaling food initially because it’s time consuming but also somewhat threatening. Part of me didn’t want to know what I was eating and a part of me didn’t really want to change either. My thinking was, if I write down that I’m eating ice cream that sh*t becomes a fact I can’t escape, can’t forget. And then I can’t have it anymore, waaaaaaaaah.
Well, yeah. I had to give it up, until I reached my goal and could get back to sweets in moderation.
If you’re eating thousands of calories and still feeling hungry, then some of the foods are empty and creating a cycle of hunger. Those you’ll want to replace with foods that satisfy you over a longer period of time.
Personally, I found Jillian Michaels’ book Making the Cut: The 30-Day Diet and Fitness Plan for the Strongest, Sexiest You a gold mine. She doesn’t apply a one size fits all approach to the reader, but quizzes you on your food habits/intake/responses to foods and suggests a plan best suited to your “type.” This worked really well for me. I found the book to be very supportive and loaded with great ideas. I didn’t buy it, but borrowed it from the library.
Hope this helps.
June 16th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Drink lots and lots of water! Especially before meals. It fills you up.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:52 am
I would suggest reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. It goes into the mechanisms of hunger and fat storage in the body–very enlightening.
June 17th, 2009 at 4:09 am
For me, the tried and true is what works. Cutting calories and exercising. Also drinking lots of water. I have tried a couple of diets that work for a short period, as long as you’re prepared to watch portion control yourself after you finish the diet. I had good success with both Slimfast and Lean Cuisine.
There are a number of great excercise programs out there that you can do from the comfort of your own home. With my first son I lost weight using Slim in 6, which is a Beach Body program. I combined that with Slimfast. With my second son I used a mix of running and 30 Day Shred. I combined that with Lean Cuisines and eating every three hours.
I’m currently a size 4/6/8 depending on the cut of the clothes. Many of Ann Taylor Loft’s Julie pants, because they’re a *curvy* fit, run large. I know it’s all in my head, but it’s nice to wear a pair of pants with a 4 on the label. I still need to do some work to tone up. My midsection is not what it used to be thanks to my c-section.
June 17th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Something I read when I was dieting pretty hard-core, is that (as long as you’re consuming ENOUGH calories to fuel your workouts/life) hunger is sometimes a good thing. And something I tell myself is that I’d rather be a little hungry and meet my goal — knowing the next meal or snack is coming up — than NOT meet my goal. Then I’ll guzzle down some water (or, I admit, a diet coke) or a piece of gum and try not to think about being hungry.
Some great advice in the other comments.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:50 am
I actually do get hungry between meals, and snacks…always have. So I have between-between snacks consisting of cucumbers, carrots, blueberries, or strawberries…very filling for the amount of calories. Also. Fiber tabs. I have Celiac disease and can’t eat a lot of fiber rich whole grains, so I take the fiber chewable tabs with every meal, and they make a huge difference. I feel much more full.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
This all such fabulous, fabulous advice and everything really resonated with me, especially rhazz’s post about *gaining* pounds while working with a trainer.
I remember now that the best shape I’ve ever been in was when I was rock-climbing several times a week for a couple of hours at a time(something I can’t seem to do anymore now that I no longer have a climbing partner and now that I’ve had my daughter!) . During those times I could eat whatever I wanted and was still fit and thin. Maybe then I will incorporate a lot more weight-lifting into my workouts, because that’s basically what rock-climbing is. I think my metabolism was just off the charts back then, and a lot of it was to do with my climbing muscles!
Thanks, everyone, for the great advice!
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:41 am
First, try to sate yourself with less than what you normally eat at a meal, drink lots of water, fruit for snacks and no sugary drinks. All that we know, clearly.
I think when I feel good about myself I don’t have to appease myself with food. Standing tall, liking what I see in the mirror even when I know there are a few pounds that could be lost… Breathing deeply, unrestrictedly you feel calm and relaxed, probably the opposite of the stressful deprived feeling when we diet.
If you can’t please yourself with the foods you normally like, try to appease your senses with aromatics like fresh herbs in your meals, try new foods, keep it interesting for yourself. This will give you a feeling that you are caring for yourself and treating yourself nicely rather than punishing yourself with dieting.
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