To be starving?

[Pollyputhtekettleon]

I'm trying to lose a stone and have started myfitnesspal app to do calorie control for a month and see how I go. I've never dieted before but ive just had 3 babies (in 3 yrs) and I found a love of cake in my second pregnancy.

Anyway, so far today I have had a bowl of porridge (decent size) made with whole milk, a big banana, a cup of tea and cup of coffee, both with whole milk. I am starving for the last 2 hrs! Surely that is a normal breakfast whether I'm calorie counting or not? I am physically hungry (growling tummy etc) and not just psychologically hungry.

AIBU to be hungry on that? Lots of people manage with no breakfast at all!

Do you genuinely like porridge, or are you just eating it because it's supposed to be healthy?

I can't stand the stuff. Looks like baby sick to me. I'd feel much more satiated after some Marmite on wholemeal toast because I like the stronger (savoury) flavours and texture.

Maybe try experimenting with different foods and see if something tastier/more savoury makes you feel less deprived?

Drink more water - I aim for around three pints at my desk if I'm fasting.

Proper porridge oats keep you filled up for longer than instant sachets, I find.

But what it always comes down to for is, if I eat breakfast I get hungry! I genuinely find it easier to fast until lunch. I've just had two boiled eggs with lots of salad veg and that will do me till dinner time.

I'm interested in all these low carb high protein breakfasts. I tend to eat toast or cereal because it's quick. I don't really like cereal anyway.

I'm fine weight wise but I'm often tired and hungry.

How do you all have time for cooking eggs in the morning? Also how do you vary it, as I thought you should only eat eggs a few times a week.

I need to lose a bit of weight, lost around 7lbs but then put another pound back on. Can I shift it? No, not having much success ATM. I think it comes downs to eating less, drinking more water and definitely distractions.

Have you any hobbies you can 'get lost in' for a bit? I have a slim SIL who asked me, "Do you ever get so interested in a hobby/busy at work you forget to eat?" No, I jolly well don't I'm afraid. That's why I'm two stone overweight and she's maybe a bit too slim. I feel like a fat elephant in her presence. I'm trying to eat healthy things but the loss is slow. So good luck and focus on the pleasing end result.

I have Sainsburys ordinary porridge oats with bran. Two small scoops with semi-skimmed milk and a spoonful of honey. Sometimes I chop half a banana into it, or a handful of blueberries.

I eat it about 8am and can last until 12.30 without fading away.

Eggs/protein for breakfast will help stop you being hungry mid-morning, however it's also getting your body used to eating less frequently. I've found being out of the house stops me feeling hungry, whereas at home I tend to want a snack midmorning. If you get out of the grazing habit, your body will adjust to food just arriving in 3 intervals rather than 6-7 intervals.

Thanks for the replies, I'll try to answer the questions.

I weighed the (dry weight) porridge, it's about 70g. It's normal oats, cooked in the microwave so not the easy oats type. I do genuinely like porridge, there isn't really any food I can say I dislike. Love food and love cooking. I work from home so have 3 proper meals a day, cooked lunches etc. I do a wide array of things. From meat and two veg to vegan to Japanese etc.

I'm doing MFP and trying to be as accurate as possible but don't want to get too bogged down so I sometimes for unlisted food, choose one that seems about right, leaning on the side of higher calories for it as I tend to not put in the blob of mayo or shake of sugar on the porridge so I figure it's fairly close without making me totally stress about what exact grain of what I'm eating.

I'm trying to stick to 1200cal/day but added 200cal as I'm combination feeding my baby at the moment.

I had porridge at 6.30am, (baby up at 5am every day recently) had banana at 9am and was very hungry by 10am.

I'll try a more savoury breakfast, love eggs and cheese, meats, leftovers etc.

Unless you're tiny, that's probably a rather too aggressive calorie restriction for someone who is breastfeeding at all. 1600kcal is probably more realistic. Plan for 4 small meals a day, if you're up at silly o'clock every day.

OP I feel your pain, I am doing the protein world plan at the moment, only a few days in and I am battling the hunger pangs. I typically have a protein shake at 8.30, apple or pear at 11, another shake at 1pm, carrot sticks or pepper sticks etc at 3.30pm then dinner is not until at least 7.30 because of travelling home, so I feel like I could eat one of my kids by then

I think it is case of, when you are used to 'over eating' you need to shrink your appetite and it takes a little while.

If you love food and love cooking, then the trick is just to build meals.

Have anything you like -- just as a rule, make sure it contains 20g of protein, a "serving" (cupped handful, or thereabouts) of a non-processed carb, and a serving of vegetables.

If I don't have time in the morning -- and that's pretty much every morning, I have protein shakes that I make with milk that I really like that fill the gap until lunch. As long as I stick to the above rules for meals, I can be on 1600 kcal per day, lose weight, and eat more or less whatever I please.

You can complicate it by talking about things like 'carb tolerance' (how many grams of carbs you can eat before your blood sugar goes haywire and produces either A: a craving for sweets/more carbs or B: produces that hunger response) and if you have the tolerance for a low carb diet I really believe that's the best way to lose weight. However, for me, that's not sustainable so I stick to the above rules.

Absolutely in agreement with the posters saying 1200 kcal is too little for you, especially with your breastfeeding. 1600-1800 kcal is more realistic, will net you the weight loss you're looking for (esp. with breasteeding!) and you'll actually feel satisfied.

If I have breakfast I find I'm very hungry just before lunchtime. If I don't have anything to eat in the morning I can easily last till lunch without feeling hungry.
No idea how that works but it does

You can't be doing MFP properly if you don't know how much porridge you made. You have to give the weights for MFP to accurately track the calories.

I'm a type 2 diabetic and was recommended porridge by the nurse. I wasn't supposed to use my test strips for testing after meals, only a once-weekly fasting test. I bought my own strips and tested after various foods. Porridge spiked my blood sugar way way up. It can have a high GI despite nurses recommending it for diabetics. So it won't keep you full for long. I found muesli (even with fruit!), with extra nuts, had no blood sugar spikes and kept me more full for longer at the same calorie count. YMMV. But if you're one of those people who can't face a low-carb breakfast muesli is worth a try.

I've noticed that too stripey but my theory is that you wake up your metabolism by having breakfast (breaking the fast).

If you eat, you start burning calories faster than if you don't, so while you eat more if you have breakfast, it's not necessarily bad for weight loss because you also burn more calories.

Not sure if it is true or complete rubbish and obviously it is something that could only be tested properly by proper study of several people at least.

It's all quite tricky as I imagine there are such different reactions to different ways of eating for different people. I have a very sedentary lifestyle at the moment other than the few hours of madness looking after the tots in the morning and evening. I'm not getting much sleep either which I think affects my metabolism (or maybe just appetite). I'm happy that generally I have a very good diet and attitude to food, it's just this recent 'cake' issue that's wreaked me.

Barbara - that theory looks like it's not true l. Lots of studies are going on. But it looks like it doesn't make a difference.

I only have breakfast if I have done a 6am training session or run. Most of the time I don't and have lost 7 stone

The research the nutritionist at the diabetes clinic showed me actually did show that the cells need time to 'wake up' and become receptive to insulin. In the study, carbs in the morning produced a much higher insulin response than the same food later in the day -- the pancreas had to work overtime and produce more insulin when the cells were less receptive.

So yes, waking up the metabolism is totally a thing!

I have 29g dry pure oats nothing added and 180ml and cook it. I weigh everything, Dry or Raw ingredients before they are cooked.

Its funny because for 2 years mine and partner breakfast has been eggs 2 every morning scrambled or made into an omelette with tomatoes and ham. Eggs are far more filling so I would definatly recommend that and to fill up with protein. I just had so many non stop that porridge makes a nice change atm.

Drinking is the key 2000 to 3000ml a day water is the best to keep full and hydrated when losing weight. - This is my issue I managed it well when i lost weight initially but this time I am struggling as always on the go its what I put in my mouth that's the issue rather than the exercise.

I lost 6st after last pregnancy within a year and I kept it off for 3 years this would have been my 4th but I put 1st 7lb on later part of last year (Most over Christmas) and I'm back on to ensure it does not spiral out of control.

I agree with others I think your calories are too low. I set mine and instantly changed it as I couldn't make/ have hardly anything. I'm at 1230 calories to think of dropping it below that what it said in the beginning is unrealistic and I would say unhealthy for me. I think if you are combine feeding you may need more than what you have set yourself now. Eating too little with lower your metabolism and dropping calories too low leads to fasting and losing weight too fast often leads to putting it back on again when you come to eating more normally.

The other thing is, it's totally OK to be hungry.

Just acknowledge it. Have a glass of water. Then move on.

This urge to take action the minute we notice the hunger pangs is one of the main things driving obesity, imo. We're often tired, but we can't just go to sleep at work, we often need to fart but we can't always let one go

It's OK to just be hungry. Nothing bad will happen, the roof won't fall in, you won't faint because of low blood sugar. You'll just be hungry.

Personally, I might not faint because of low blood sugar, but I'll lose focus and my performance at work will drop and I won't be able to sustain a conversation due to lack of concentration and snappishness.

You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry.

we often need to fart but we can't always let one go

Oh. That's what I'm doing wrong.

I love porridge but I've recently swapped oat for quinoa porridge. A bit more of a faff to make, but it's higher in protein and fills me up till lunch.

OP you are still breast feeding? I'm no expert but I think you need way more than 1200 calories to support your body and your baby, even now that you are combining it with other food intake for the baby.

I'm combination feeding so I need approximately 400 cals extra if fully feeding so I've raised my 1200 target to 1400. Not very scientific I grant you;)

Stll far too little. That will stil put you at a net caloric total of 1,000 per day 1,400 minues the 400 or so from breast feeding and that's unsustainable, possibly dangerous.

1,200 net is the lowest most women should go at all.