Absolutely ravenous!

[CompanyCrowdFight]

I’m trying to lose weight - enough that my shorts will fit, once I’ve seen the button back on I thought I was doing ok l.
But I’m absolutely ravenous today and every time I stand up I get a fuzzy head and a few seconds of blackness. I’ve eaten 4 slices of brown toast this morning, picked at some cold chicken from yesterday that’s meant to be for lunch today, a couple of squares of dark choc and a cereal bar, had 3 cups of tea and a glass and a half of water. And a pinch of salt. Why do I feel starving, when quite clearly I’m not. Am I missing a particular food type?

@CompanyCrowdFight

What did you eat yesterday ummm, good question. 2 Croissant + jam, 2 buns + honey for breakfast. lunch was bbq - chicken leg, aubergine, pepper and pasta; evening - salad of one lettuce, avocado and packet of cherry toms between 4 of us, bread and cheese, yoghurt and an apricot.

If you were eating like that previously it’s going to take a while to adjust to low carb. Often people feel a bit odd once they cut the sugar and carbs out. You want to keep your insulin stable across the day.

4 slices of toast with what?
Also 2 croissants AND 2 buns for breakfast?

It's definitely the high carb high sugar breakfast that's causing this insatiable hunger. Would agree with PPs about replacing this with protein.

Alternatively (and this may be an unpopular opinion) I often find just having a coffee and banana in the morning and then not eating until lunch works far better at keeping appetite at bay than a large carb loaded breakfast where I just want to keep picking the whole morning.

@Luckyelephant1

4 slices of toast with what? Also 2 croissants AND 2 buns for breakfast?

It's definitely the high carb high sugar breakfast that's causing this insatiable hunger. Would agree with PPs about replacing this with protein.

Alternatively (and this may be an unpopular opinion) I often find just having a coffee and banana in the morning and then not eating until lunch works far better at keeping appetite at bay than a large carb loaded breakfast where I just want to keep picking the whole morning.

Lots of people do without breakfast and just have coffee and it works really well for them. I like to eat about 9/10am but then skip lunch. That works better for me.

More protein... Try;

Banana or apple with peanut butter
Eggs and avocado
Humus and veggie sticks

It's also not the end of the world to be hungry when losing the weight. Your body will get used to it, it's part of the process

It’s the high carb breakfast. That would have me shaky by 10:30.
Like you I’m not a massive egg fan so I just skip breakfast now, and I’m much less hungry all day for doing so.

OP in the kindest way, step away from the bakery aisle!

4 slices of bread, 2 croissants and 2 buns is far too much for 2 days!!

I tend to vomit and/or pass out if I skip a meal.
Toast with marmalade.

Skip breakfast, just have coffee
Then eat a high protein salad for lunch with fruit

I don't drink coffee
Should I?

It doesnt look like you ate enough carb yesterday and maybe healthy fats could be upped. Try entering it into My Fitness Pal. Also try intuitive eating, if you are hungry eat healthy food, it soon evens out as next meal time you might fancy less.

I'm trying to lose weight and make sure each meal is balanced e.g. carb, fat and protein to a ratio of 35/30/30.

Breakfast is a smoothie with oats, berries, hemp protein powder, skyr yoghurt (also high protein), milk, kale, seeds and avocado.

Lunch is something like 50g mixed beans, quinoa, Lentils, some form of protein e.g. ham, chicken, salmon, prawns and massive salad.

Dinner is some variation of soba noodles, black/red or brown rice, usually fish like macakarel, salmon, cod or chicken and veggies like brocolli etc.

Snacks - turkey slice spread with cream cheese, rice or oat cakes with peanut butter, a few nuts or some dried fruit.

Sticking to regular meal times is important too.

Also if I'm hungry I have usually have an omelette cooked in the microwave because I am a wrong'un

A couple of oatcakes with half a teaspoon of peanut butter are brilliant for hunger, also a small apple as it has a low glycameic index. Look at glycameic index - how fast it releases its sugars.

@MistySkiesAfterRain

Also if I'm hungry I have usually have an omelette cooked in the microwave because I am a wrong'un

Ooooh, how does one cook an omelette in the microwave?!!!

Op, you’re trying to lose weight but had 2
Croissants and 2 buns for breakfast yesterday?

I had this problem when I started dieting! I found changing breakfast to something savoury and protein rich helped a lot.

What I wanted to eat is sweet carbs: toast, cereal, croissants, etc. But I changed to smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with fried mushrooms, spinach and onions or to kedgeree. And that really helped. Bit of a faff at first but I got used to it. Sometimes I even have miso soup, rice and salmon - A bit like half a Japanese breakfast!

I honestly was a cup of tea and bowl of cereal type person before. So it is possible to change.

I agree with a lot of what other posters have said.

Don't cut carbs out completely just don't use them as the main part of your diet. You need protein and fat to fill you up, carbs give an immediate sugar rush but then you get the drop and you'll be hungry again.

I always have full fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs, full fat Greek yoghurt or quark and some kind of sliced cold meat in the fridge. They then form the basis of breakfast and/or lunches.

Some ideas for breakfast

• yoghurt/quark with berries or with a small amount of honey, nuts and seeds
• omelette/scrambled eggs - add in onion, peppers, chilli, mushrooms, whatever you like
• bacon and eggs with mushrooms and grilled tomatoes

Some ideas for lunch

• green veg - asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli. Steam in the microwave for 3 mins then add a little butter, seasoning and some of the sliced cold meat or boiled egg for a warm salad.
• cold picnic plate, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, boiled egg, cold meat, lettuce leaves, cucumber
• boiled egg or avocado on toasted rye bread (the darker and more seeded/granary the bread the better

What I found was that after eating shit tonnes of Danish pastries, croissants, white bread.... for years. The first 7-8 days of lower carb I was hungry, no way round it I was just hungry. In those days I ate more but I ate protein and fat. Then all of a sudden like a switch I wasn't starving all the time and I felt great.

May I ask how much you weigh and how tall you are? And your age (and I've made the assumption you're a woman)?
What weight are you aiming at roughly?

Then people can make suggestions that are more appropriate.

Also- diabetes (of both types) can begin at any time, so please don't ignore signs if you have developed any. (That doesn't mean it's a given you have diabetes though )

I'm trying to lose weight and make sure each meal is balanced e.g. carb, fat and protein to a ratio of 35/30/30.
Is that a weight ration or a volume (what it looks like on the plate) ratio? And what's the other 5?

I don't eat nuts, yoghurts or mushrooms, although I do usually force one of those drinkable yoghurts down every day.

We eat 630-7am, 1230 and 1830.

May I ask how much you weigh and how tall you are? And your age (and I've made the assumption you're a woman)?. Turned 40 this year, 177 and 72.5kg
What weight are you aiming at roughly? I don't know really. I'm aiming to be able to fit into a 12 again.

Whats your body shape OP?

I weigh more than you (11st 10lbs) but am shorter (5ft 5in) and in a size 10 so it's not always height/weight and more body shape which determines your size.

Tbf though, That really is a lot of sugar, jam, honey and marmalade at breakfast times. 2 x croissants - I'd only have one, as a weekend treat. The sugar peaks and then dips are what make your hunger spike.

Big, clunky with a layer of jelly!
I’m usually a size larger in trousers than T-shirt’s. Pre-DC I was 8/10 but that went to 10/12 post DC and has been creeping up on me and I’m now 10(just)/14. I also have the same bra size as when I was bf

And there was me thinking cutting the crisps, cake and biscuits would be enough. My toast has to go too

@CompanyCrowdFight

Big, clunky with a layer of jelly! I’m usually a size larger in trousers than T-shirt’s. Pre-DC I was 8/10 but that went to 10/12 post DC and has been creeping up on me and I’m now 10(just)/14. I also have the same bra size as when I was bf

And there was me thinking cutting the crisps, cake and biscuits would be enough. My toast has to go too

Toast does not need to be abolished, neither does anything else. Just keep the portion size sensible and think about what you pair it with.

So instead of 4 rounds of toast with butter and jam have one round with butter and scrambled/fried/poached eggs, or with garlic fried mushrooms, or with peanut butter.

Honestly op
I just think you need to get busy
It’s boredom eating
And will require iron will to implement long lasting changes if you’re just twiddling your thumbs

The diet changes will come with a lifestyle change in your case I reckon

@CompanyCrowdFight

Big, clunky with a layer of jelly! I’m usually a size larger in trousers than T-shirt’s. Pre-DC I was 8/10 but that went to 10/12 post DC and has been creeping up on me and I’m now 10(just)/14. I also have the same bra size as when I was bf

And there was me thinking cutting the crisps, cake and biscuits would be enough. My toast has to go too

4 rounds of toast for breakfast one day, 2 croissants and 2 buns the next. I think there’s more than cutting out crisps and biscuits that needs to happen. Obvs if you were having those on top of these carby breakfasts then cutting out may help but you need to rethink your food as a whole if you think that this is diet food