Tell me it gets better-food related

[sunnysideup488]

I tipped 205 pounds on the scales last week at the doctors. To be at a healthy weight, I need to drop about 60 pounds. Preferably 70. *sigh*

The doctor recommended a lower calorie diet... From my 'eat whatever I feel like' diet. She recommended 16 - 1700 calories.

Guys. I'm so hungry!!!

My body will adjust, right?!

PS. It's day one.

[drloretta]

Can you drink water to fill up a bit?

I'm sorry, it sucks. I just discovered MFP (thanks Susie!) and I'm already 70 calories over what they say I should be eating

[cjeanette]

You will adjust. Also, look at the foods you are choosing to eat for breakfast/lunch. You might want to swap them out for something that will stick with you a bit longer.

[raangoli]

Yes, your body will adjust. You will be hungry but after the initial "OMG I AM SO HUNGRY" subsides, it does get better. You start to realize that maybe you were eating because you were bored, because it was there, etc.

Just remember to drink plenty of water and if you do get hungry that you have healthy snacks at hand so you aren't at the mercy of the vending machine.

Focus on the smaller increments like 5 - 10 lbs at first, otherwise it gets so overwhelming. You can do this!

[screwedup]

I eat about 1000 calories a day (I'm a bariatric patient so this is normal for me - it would be too little for most people). I would suggest eating protein first at every meal - this will help keep your blood sugar normal and keep you less hungry.

Also, drink tons of water. When I was doing my pre-surgery diet (lean protein, veggies and nothing else!!!), I sucked down all the water I could to feel full.

[dexteroni]

It gets better. Ditto the suggestions for protein at every meal, and a lot of water. And fiber - whole grain carbs, and lots of veggies, will keep you fuller longer.

[lime]

You will absolutely adjust.

Ditto all the fruit, veggies and fiber based food suggestions above.

I also find chewing a piece of gum or sucking on a mint helps relief some of the "gotta eat now" feelings.

Hang in there!

[ddi741]

You also need to look at what you are eating as well as how much. Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grain, lean protein, low fat dairy.
eat snacks that are high in fiber to fill you up.

[hocus2]

I would also note that is may help to step down. If you were eating 3000 calories a day then stepping down to 2500 then 2000 then 1700 might make the adjustment easier.

If you do weight watchers you can step down into your points. If your normal eating was 45 points a day and you want to be at 25 then you can step down to 40,35,30 then 25 over 4 weeks.

[sunnysideup488]

I reached my recommended protein in MFP by my morning snack. (protein is a stick with you, right?)

I have been drinking quite a lot of water. I've had two liters so far today. My body really is used to me eating whatever I want... So, not a good habit.

I've thought about doing weight watchers. I just don't know if it will work well enough to warrant the cost?

[emilyinchile]

MFP's recommendations for carbs/fat/protein aren't necessarily right for you. If your doctor suggested 1700 calories max (and you trust that your doctor knows what she's talking about) then that's great, but MFP's suggested way of splitting that up may not be the best for you. What numbers has it given you for the various macronutrients?

[sunnysideup488]

Aug 11, 2014 14:08:13 GMT -5 kooshball said:

What are you eating? What does a normal day look like?

On my calorie counting diet?

Breakfast - slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and bananas

Morning snack (after run) - Boiled Egg and a handful of cashews.

Lunch - spinach Ravioli with tomatoes

Afternoon Snack - cashews

Dinner tonight - Baked Salmon, Broccoli and Brown Rice.


This whole diet thing is new to me. So if anyone has recommendations on better lo-cal meals, I am all for it.

Normally I grab whatever is in the refrigerator or in the pantry. It's really healthy... Ha

[bostonmichelle]

I agree it gets better with the I'm so hungry.

Best tricks I've had help in the past.
- If you think your hungry, drink a glass of water or tea and see if it helps.
- If its not a meal time and you are hungry, pick a healthy snack, if none appeal to you figure out if you are bored or actually hungry.
- If snacking at night in front of the tv gets to you, do something else like knitting while watching tv.
- Portion out snacks when you get home from the grocery store if eating the entire box of Cheeze-its is your demise.
- Buy fruits and vegetables and clean/cut/portion out when you get home from the grocery store.
- If doing weight watchers put point numbers on the box in marker. You could probably do the same with calories. It helps you realize maybe you don't want it after all if its going to cost you x points/calories.

[sunnysideup488]

MFP recommends 20% protein. I don't know what that works out to be.

[bostonmichelle]

Did your doctor say net 1700 calories (aka after running)? Should/Did you eat back some of those calories burned running?

[Deleted]

It does get better. I'd up your protein. It will stick with you better.

[ddi741]

I do Weight Watchers. I love it, although I know it's not for everyone.
I found it helped me the most with portion control and now I'm following their simply filling plan so I don't have to track every day (although I still do because I like to). I eat so much better now.

[orangeblossom]

Others have given good suggestions. I wouldn't go with just what MFP says for you.

When I look at my breakdown, it's wants something like 55% Carbs, 30% Fat and 15$ protein. That's crazy talk, IMO and 1200 calories.

I am always over my protein. I like to use it for it's tracking abilities, but I'm not always confident in their suggestions. I like SparkPeople, because they have suggested meal plans. I wish they could combine the best of MFP and Spark People.

Good luck!

[sunnysideup488]

Aug 11, 2014 14:18:51 GMT -5 bostonmichelle said:

Did your doctor say net 1700 calories (aka after running)? Should/Did you eat back some of those calories burned running?

After running was what I was told.

[smucky]

Hot tea,flavored carbonated water (la croix). Healthy fats keep me really full so I don't mindlessly eat (eggs scrambled in grass fed butter and sliced avocado for breakfast keeps me full for ages).

[Deleted]

Also, could we possibly ask for an update on the new kitten?

[sunnysideup488]

@ruralrabbit1

Yeah! She is doing really well.

She loves the girls, and they love her. She is a major drama queen. When food time comes around she flops over on the floor like we have starved her for days. Like in this picture.



And boxes are her favorite.

[screwedup]

Aug 11, 2014 14:15:50 GMT -5 Catlawdy said:

Cutting calories doesn't do much for me. I have to cut carbs. I eat low carb snacks and when I make smoothies, I use unsweetened almond milk b/c it has less carbs than cow milk.

This is more true than most people realize.  If you eat 1500 calories of carbs vs. 1500 calories of protein and fat, I GUARANTEE the protein/fat diet will have you losing more weight.  Obviously, you should eat some (complex) carbs but Americans eat way too many carbs.

[Deleted]

 Weight Watchers works if you work the program and are honest about counting points and activity. I’ve been a lifer for over 10 years. Also, my Dr recommended that I eat my weight in protein every day, which is easy for me because I incorporate it into everything I eat. For you, you should take whatever your ideal weight is and eat that. I’m not a Dr but I think 20% sounds really low. Just play around and find things that fill you up and have longer staying power until your next snack or meal.  Good luck!!

[Deleted]

Thank you! She's so pretty!

[screwedup]

Aug 11, 2014 14:17:09 GMT -5 sunnysideup488 said:

MFP recommends 20% protein. I don't know what that works out to be.

This is crazy.  You need 1 gram of protein for every kg of weight (i.e. if you want to weigh 135 pounds ( 61 Kg), you should be eating about 61 grams of protein a day.  More if you are a big exerciser.

[emilyinchile]

If you go into your food diary on a computer, at the bottom of a day it tells you have many grams of each macronutrient you "should" eat. I think that for 1700 cal/day, 20% would be 85 g of protein. I'm not sure how many additional calories you're getting from exercise to figure out the additional protein there. You can definitely up that - try changing it to 25% or 30% and see how you feel - but I also think maybe you input something wrong because one slice of toast with PB and banana, one egg and some cashews should not add up to 85 g of protein.

orangeblossom, you can change your settings. Those are crazy.

ETA: screwedup, I just saw your previous post. Am I calculating the total protein wrong?

[raangoli]

Does your insurance have any sort of allowance for visiting with a dietitian? Even if they cover one or two visits, that might help you understand the right balance of carbs/protein/fat and what get some ideas as to what to eat or how to structure snacks etc.

[mrs07]

One thing that helps me is caffeine as a bit of an appetite suppressant. I notice that if I don't have my tea in the morning, I'm voraciously hungry in mid morning, versus my usual I'm-getting-hungry-it-must-be-after-eleven feeling. If you already drink caffeine, this won't help

[hocus2]

Aug 11, 2014 14:14:52 GMT -5 sunnysideup488 said:

Aug 11, 2014 14:08:13 GMT -5 kooshball said:

What are you eating? What does a normal day look like?

On my calorie counting diet?

Breakfast - slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and bananas

Morning snack (after run) - Boiled Egg and a handful of cashews.

Lunch - spinach Ravioli with tomatoes

Afternoon Snack - cashews

Dinner tonight - Baked Salmon, Broccoli and Brown Rice.

  I think you need more fruits and veggies. They tend to have lower calories and lots of water to help fill you up. I might consider something like an apple with 2 tsp of peanut butter as a good snack. I also found plain popcorn a good option to since it is very filling. I'd also find that pasta kills my diet. I love it but it is very calorie rich. I cannot eat it regularly and still drop pounds. I'd consider switching your lunch to something else in the short term. I find that things like salad with a see-through dressing (so Italian or many vinaigrettes are fine, no ranch or white dressings)  dressing and grilled chicken, tuna or egg salad or even PBJ on whole wheat with fruit work for better for lunch for me.