To be sick of dieting

[athingthateveryoneneeds]

Except it isn't a diet, it's a "lifestyle change" and I'll have to eat this way forever.

I've lost nearly 3 stone and have 2 more to go. I've been fine for ages, it really hasn't been a huge problem, but I'm suddenly HUNGRY all the time and craving carby things like hunks of sourdough bread and Costco cookies. I want to eat thousands of calories in one sitting.

It's probably psychological, as I know people are noticing my weight loss and I'm getting more and more comments. I feel healthier and fitter than even a month ago, and I'm working towards running 10k.

I don't really want to eat a years' supply of chocolate cake, but I wish I didn't have to exert so much self control to not crave it.

SIIIIGGGHHH

It's probably psychological

It's probably not. Leptin and ghrelin play huge roles here...

www.precisionnutrition.com/leptin-ghrelin-weight-loss

I know exactly how you feel op. I’m nearly 40 and it’s so hard to lose weight now. I was exercising 2 to 3 times a week and as soon as I stopped I easily put on half a stone!
It’s hard to not feel depressed at the prospect of having to limit booze and yummy food forever ☹️ Maybe a treat day once a month?

Your body is fighting the weight loss - watch this

Interesting article. That actually makes me feel better! I'll keep going, in the hopes that my hormone levels will even out over time. (Not sure.if they will but I'll try to stay positive!)

A treat day once a month is a good.idea, actually. Provided I can get back to normal the next day!

Also forgot to say well done, that’s an amazing weight loss!

Thanks Anonmcnon. Wasn't a stealth boast, just trying to put into context how long I've been working on this and how much further I have to go!

I'd say if you're that ravenous then you aren't eating enough, how much do you eat in a day, OP?

I'm not saying go ahead and binge eat, but maybe eat smaller meals more often? I really don't want to come across as condescending, you probably know a hell of a lot more about your own diet than I do! Just going on my own experiences :)

I'm aiming for 1700 cals/day. About half the time I will eat into my exercise cals, but I don't exercise every day either.

I've only recently started feeling extra hungry/cravings so it's irritating. I'd like this level of calories to be maintained long term. (And don't want want to go lower!)

athing does it help to know I’m going through the same thing? I’d lost 2.5 stone in the last year, but have put on a few pounds recently. I keep binging on carbs, even though I know I’ll feel ill the next day. I stupidly bought a load of treats last weekend (first time I’d been in a decent supermarket for months, so went mad) - technically for DP, but I keep attacking them. I need to stop.

Shall we tackle this together?

Thanks, Time! It's good to have a compatriot. :) Congratulations on your losses. I've been in your exact position; it led to a huge binge on pastries and pies. I did pull back by a couple hundred cals each day for a week after but it was ridiculous to eat so much in one day.

Right, we can do this. We willdo this! I’m away for the next few days and reliant on others for food (plus I’ve ordered a takeaway for tomorrow and added carbs to it -whoops!) but when I get back on Wed I promise I’ll avoid carbs like the plague. Please keep me in track!

Oh, and I’m popping my ParkRun cherry on Saturday. You fancy running 5K and keeping me company in spirit?

Can I join you too please? I've been on/off Slimming World all my life I'm 36 and have put a stone on in the last year that I spent the previous 6 months getting rid of. I've vowed never to go back though as actually don't agree with a lot of it.

So I'm permanently hungry. Like I get hungry every 2-3hrs regardless of what I eat. Don't know how many calories I have as never counted them. I eat really healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner...then have wine and treats when the kids are in bed, and I'm quite a social butterfly so always at friends for drinks and nibbles, or we meet for cake etc and I have zero willpower.

Well done on your amazing weightless OP!

Yep, let's keep poking each other to keep on track Time.

I will definitely run on Saturday"with" you!

Waffle what's one thing you could cut out that will have an impact without feeling deprived? I stopped munching on snacks after the DC went to bed ages ago, but I had to slowly wean myself off of it. First it was fruit like frozen berries, then savouries, then nothing. (I'm very sweet oriented, so the savouries didn't appeal) Now I hardly ever want to snack at night, though last night I did eat a lot of dried fruit and nuts. The Hunger is real.

Tbh, I know I can lose the weight, it's the maintenance that worries me. I still have this niggling mindset that I'll be able to go back to eating how I used to - chocolate in vast quantities, day and night. But that will lead me back to a place I never want to be again - a slave to my cravings, unhealthy and obese. :(

It's so unfair that we have to be careful all our lives, whereas others can eat what they want and not worry. So jealous of those people!

I started reading "Eating Less: Say Goodbye to Over Eating" by Gillian Riley and it had some really good points. But it's pretty heavy going in the middle so I've given up a bit.

Trying to think of one thing I could give up, but tbh if I tell myself I can't have something then I just want it more. Last year I gave up all sugar and sweeteners for a week, but ended up snacking on lots of nuts, oat cakes, cheese and crisps ! So def didn't lose weight.

I try to be good all week then relax on weekends, but as I'm getting older I've realised I can't actually get away with that any more. I started C25K last month and loved Week 1... then managed to hurt my back and my Osteopath has banned me from running for now as it's so painful

Oh, it doesn't help living with a slim, eat what he wants, husband and two skinny kids either ! I'm the only one who can't have the bread and butter, followed by dessert and some Easter egg

Why don't you come and join BIWI's Low Carb Bootcamp? It's the reason I've lost weight this year and it's worked wonders for me. I know I've gone off piste recently, but that's because I've been stupid and have been buying junk food which I've then not resisted. Once I come back from my time away I'm diving back in wholeheartedly and I know the final few pounds will come off.

I've been considering it. I'm mostly veggie though so I'm not sure how it would work! I eat loads of complex carbs and whole foods, it's the simple carbs that are so tempting. I think I need to lay off the fruit for a start. Today I had savoury porridge oats with veggies and kale. Was actually really nice with salt and pepper!

I'm also fitting into some trendy ripped jeans that I couldn't wear a few months ago so I'm definitely sticking with this. NSV are always helpful in keeping me on track.

@TwatWaffle

I have to admit to an unsavoury dose of schadenfraude when a friend's bad eating habits finally caught up with her.

It was OBSCENE how much she could eat without gaining weight. What I'd call a double English breakfast (4 sausages, fried and scrambled eggs, 3 hash browns - everything to the max), eaten at 11pm at night (after a normal 3 meals already). Then have the same again at 10 in the morning, then perhaps the works on curry in the evening, meals laden with cheese all the time.

She stayed a size 8-10 all through university, then suddenly put a lot of weight on her arms and face especially afterwards, in spite of a full on active job.

I promise I was only a bad friend because she makes snarky remarks about people's looks and weight, praises her own, and would boast about how much she ate .

Parkrun is fantastic. You’ll love it.

I despite trying huge amounts of various things have found the only thing that really works for me is to let myself have a day off a week so for 6 days it’s really healthy food, all home cooked, tonnes of veg, no snacks, no crisps, no chocolate, no booze, no fizzy drinks (my Achilles heel is drinking my calories).
Then I have a day (I picked wednesday as it’s the middle of the week and keeps my resolve up on weekends!) where all bets are off and I find it so easy to snap back into it now and I have lost 1st1lb since Mother’s Day!

Hi all
OP I could have written your post, even to the amounts lost and to go... (I may have a bit more to go than you...) and am starting to crave salty carb snacks and stuff. I'm not really up to running yet - can manage about 1 minute every 10 mins on a treadmill but I'd like to be able to jog without wondering if a knee was going to collapse. Here's to keeping going!

Can I join you? Im the same, have lost 4 and a half stone over 2 years with Slimming World but Im struggling at the moment. I just want to eat bread slathered with butter and huge hunks of cheese.

I think we crave these things because we know we can't have them so maybe a snack day once every couple of weeks might help. It doesn't work for me though because once I get the taste for something nice I just want more of it. My name is Stormy and I'm a food addict

I think you've done fantastic to lose all that weight and you really need to be proud of yourself. I'm not overweight, but put on weight very easily if I leave the self control slip. I'm in between jobs at the mo so home far too much. I'm a nibbler and constantly at the fridge door. Also, I'm 50+ and have recently developed a sweeter tooth.
I try to stick to 85% chocolate and if I really have a sugar need, I buy a bag of Flying Saucers or a few refreshers. I know they're crap but they do the trick.
It looks like you found a few MN friends to keep going.
Keep up the good work!

It's so unfair that we have to be careful all our lives, whereas others can eat what they want and not worry. So jealous of those people!

It must just appear that way, but can't really be the case.

There's barely any difference in resting metabolic rate between people. A study I saw said only 200 cals per day between the highest and lowest across a large sample set.

So a difference of a couple of biscuits per day?

I think it must be that people who stay slim self regulate. Occasionally, if I overeat, I won't eat as much the next day. But mostly I just carry on overeating!!

Yes, it's very difficult.

And I think all this about your stomach shrinking is absolute bollocks. If I try I can 'eat the table top off' as my grandma used to say.

No matter how long you eat salads for if I had the chance I'd eat high fat, sugary foods any day of the week. If I want to be a size 10 I have to eat 1500 per day to maintain.

I got like that once I started running so upped my calories to around a couple of thousand or more a day which still gave me a deficit and accepted I’d lose more slowly. I also had a couple of weeks eating at maintenance and do that regularly now as find that helps me. Allegedly it helps regulate leptin and grehlin levels. No idea if that’s true but it has helped me,

Also I make sure I build in things I like regularly as when I feel deprived things have a tendency to go pear shaped.

Hang in there.