Dieting without feeling hungry? My food yesterday...

[Sleepmoreneeded]

I have been awake since 4am with a rumbling empty feeling tummy. Trying to cut out junk food starting yesterday but ended up eating biscuits before bed as was hungry. Obviously the biscuits were not good. I wasn't hungry during the day. Does my body simply need to get used to not overeating/bingeing in the evening?

Porridge, semi skimmed milk with berries
Salmon and vegetables
Boiled egg, salmon and salad leaves
5 biscoff in evening

Morning OP.

You're simply not eating enough, you need more carbs too otherwise you'll feel starving! You need to work out how many calories you usually consume and then reduce it (say by 200 to begin with).

Theoretically, you could eat whatever you fancied as long as you're in a calorie deficit and you would still lose weight. Don't deprive yourself - if you love biscoff biscuits then plan one into your daily calories. Do you have Instagram? I could recommend a couple of good pages to follow that talk about how dieting isn't just about eating chicken and veg.

Protein is the best way to feel full, with a decent side of fat

hard to know from what you’ve put down your portion sizes but a good guide to make sure you will be full enough is to eat at least 60g of protein a day, better to be closer to 100g

id guess you are probably around 35g there?

Morning. I have put everything into MyFitnessPal as per the attached photo.

I would say I was consuming over 2000 calories easily before, possibly a lot more some days. Maybe aiming for 1200 was a big jump.

I don't have Instagram but thank you.
I would love to manage healthy without an actual diet plan (never found one I can stick to).

You need more protein and good fats. They keep you fuller for longer.

Breakfast. Green smoothie with protien powder. Kefir yoghurt, kombucha. Latte.

snack. Pear had some nuts

lunch. Flat bread with whole can of tuna, greekyog, avo, tomato’s, jalepinos, salad leaves, pickled red cabbage on the side.

dinner- salmon. Greek salad with feta

exsrcise. One HIIT or weights class. One dog walk.

Try adding natural fats in (raw nuts, olive oil, avocado)
And also carbs with high fibre eg lentils. These are still keto.
Avoid dairy, even low fat, and don't calorie count. It doesn't really work.

Have you set the 1200 target or was that MFPs target based on your height/weight/activity level and a 1lb a week loss?

I'm making lentil soup today. Will get some avocado but on a really tight budget which limits me. If I get nuts I have learnt from experience I finish the bag!

1200 was my target.

I knowmlow carb is the thing, but I know my body needs them, especially if I'm being active. I'd have added a small portion of bread or potatoes to lunch and dinner.

Are you mobility impaired, 1200 doesn't sound a lot. I'm in a wheelchair and teedee reckons I can 1400+. Teedee is the calculator the NHS uses.

You really need to cut the carbs and incorporate a longer period of not eating.
If you have time go over to youtube and watch a video by Jason Fung, he explains weight gain/loss really well.
It is not just about calories, but about what our bodies do with those calories, which is dependent on hormones and what kind of food you are eating and when/how often you eat.

If you portioned out the nuts into smaller bags, would that ‘trick’ you psychologically?

I aim for a minimum of 100 grams of protein per day, a huge variety of veg and lots of it, some fermented foods, no white carbs and never in the evening. Berries only, no other fruit.

no alcohol.

strength training 4 times a week.

I’ve gone from a size 16 to a 10 in a year.

Look at James Smiths site because he has a calculator for working out calories deficit. I did diet at 1200 calorie which is just this standard amount that MFP etc throw out for everyone. I lost 2 stone but it’s all gone back on and there were plenty of times when I WAS hungry on that. I’m now taking a different approach. The nuts I eat daily but I put in a small pot. If you’re eating enough other food I don’t think you’ll want or overeat nuts ( unless I’m being naive there and you really love nuts). If you’re hungry before bed then you’re really not eating enough of the right thing for dinner but a banana might be good or a piece of a rye / whole grain toast with hummus or nut butter. You’ve really got to look beyond the calories of foods to how helpful they are for your wellness.

I'm mobile but I have a lot of weight to lose and I recalled 1200 being recommended before. Doesn't work if I can't stick to it though!
I went swimming in the afternoon, mostly playing and not a huge amount of swimming, but still some activity.

I could try portioning the nuts.

Ive just switched from sw to CC. I'm using nutracheck and said I want to loose 1/2lb every week to loose the holiday weight... it's estimated 1656 and the first day I went over. The last 3 have been under. I absolutely no way could do 1200 I'd starve! James smith has a calculator, he did suggest 1800 but nutracheck decided 1656 so I'll stick with it for now and go over if I need

I’ve gone from a size 16 to a 10 in a year. That's fantastic.

The more you need to lose the more calories you can eat and still lose. I'm generally about my "ideal" weight. If I do gain a few pounds, 1200 will soon get them off but I can only stick to it for a few days at a time. If you're heavier you need more calories just to sit still.

Youve got to be careful around here with the diet questions because you’ll get very varied advice and some very rigid thinking. ( cutting out entire food groups). The diet in the first place is very likely to mess with your metabolism so it’s better if you can find a sustainable way which isn’t too severe. ( I have a lot to lose too and am menopausal which makes it difficult)

I'm googling diet and menopause and diet and prediabetes and low budget healthy protein! Hopefully it all fits together - with weightloss too!

We are all different and you need to find what works for you as we are all different. (see "eat more protein/ fats/ carbs/ "on repeat)
I would step it down gradually eating a balanced range of foods, but cut out all refined sugars (so no Biscoff!) so the craving goes. Replace refined sugars with fruit.
Good luck!

The intense hunger is often a sugar crash. 1200 does sound too low depending on your current size but if you are hungry try to snack on something that isn't sugar. Also, check your water intake.

Even if you have a lot to lose, being slow and steady will serve you better in the long run.

Yes sugar definitely needs to go.
Maybe more calories for a while too.
I drink very little water, often none, so will increase that