Losing the diet.....

[trebless]

Been dieting for 2 weeks and lost 5 pounds so far....I've been doing so well and really enjoying it. But now I'm losing it. I'm constantly hungry!
Please give me ideas on low calorie meals that will actually keep me full for a few hours?! I'm having a bowl of special k or museli for breakfast. And I've had a banana too as I was so hungry.

I'm aiming at 1200 calories a day and trying to do more exercise.

Yesterday I caved and had 2 digestive biscuits. I really don't want to go back to the other side where I eat a full pack of biscuits with a cup of tea.

You’ve done well so far!
What about porridge with berries and a few almonds for breakfast? Homemade soup with a salad/sandwich for lunch, cereal bar mid afternoon to keep you going?

Diets don’t work. You need to figure out what your issues with food are, instead of just denying yourself anything you like. There shouldn’t be any angst over a couple of biscuits!

What’s your exercise routine like? What’s your overall aim - do you want to lose a lot of weight or just trim up for a special occasion? Is 1200 calories a day actually enough for you?

Firstly don’t see having a couple of biscuits as a bad thing. Plan it in instead

Cereal never fills me. I would rather have something like porridge or scrambled egg on toast

I’d swap the special K / museli for something with protein, as protein is more filling. Greek yogurt or a couple of poached eggs would work.

If you can’t stand those then a small serving of porridge, perhaps with some extra seeds added might also keep you full - porridge isn’t high protein, but it has lots of other health benefits (more so than special k).

It's baby weight I'm trying to lose. 3rd baby 7 months ago left me at the heaviest I've ever been. Going away in a few weeks and want to try lose some weight before we go.

I've put my weight and height into a fitness app and 1200 was my aim, I'm recording everything I eat.

I honestly feel soooo much better from healthier eating. And it was working, Ds has been unsettled for the last few days and the clocks changing I think has just made me go down hill abit. Tiredness has kicked back in.

Right so I think it is just planning. I have 2 other dcs and school run to do so cereal is always the quickest/easiest thing for me.

Going to have tuna pasta and veg for lunch

I’ve been on 200-400 cals a day for a week (surgical issues) and managed to lose....

3 whole pounds. I am so fucked off!!

You’ll get the “more protein” crowd in a minute, but that never works for me. You have to find your “thing”. I find toast, bagels etc keep me going for breakfast/lunch, then a dinner to use the rest of the allowance.

Are you able to wait until after the school run for breakfast so it’s less rushed?

@Sirzy yes I'll start doing that. I actually thought cereal was good but I can defo start making more of an effort with breakfast.

Those who say ‘no harm in having a couple of biscuits’ don’t get it. Certainly for me anyway is the reason I’m overweight in the first place is because I can’t stop at a couple of biscuits, it would be a whole packet. Therefore it’s safer to eat none at all.

I'm also trying to lose weigh at the moment and have lost 4 pounds in the last week. I have porridge in the morning, for lunch salmon on ryvita with low fat Philadelphia spread (lots of salt and black pepper) and dinner either a turkey burger on s slim bun ( can't remember the name of them) with some salad or salmon with salad. I don't snack but petty much live on diet coke

If you're doing a lot of exercise then 1200 calories a day won't be enough and you do need carbs for energy.

Cuppa soups or miso soup are good if you're hungry. Or snack on raw veggies. They fill you up for not many calories. Or pickled gherkins if you like that sort of thing.
My default lunch is half a bag of salad and cottage cheese with chilli flakes.
Do plan in some nice things like biscuits though!

Georgie I get it. I have lost (and kept off) over 7 stone. For me, and many other people who have successfully lost and kept off, the key is finding your moderation. As soon as you feel deprived that’s when it all goes wrong.

I have been carb free for the past 5/6 weeks and it really does work in the long run and I’ve stopped craving sugary stuff and I’m not as hungry as often. It’s worked for me and nothing ever does lol

I guess people are overweight for different reasons and different solutions will work for them.

So est breakfast late (or if you can skip it entirely, do that)

B: 2 egg veg and cheese omelet
L: big bowl of homemade lentil and veg soup, sliced ham, turkey , tuna. Don't have brwad, if you're starved have two bowls of soup.
D: chicken stew, baked potato, steamed broccoli

Loads of water, watch the milk in your teas and coffees.

I semi-agree with the above.

Diets are not as simple as eat less, move more, no matter what people say.

I had my best loss of my 4st so far - 9lbs in one month - in a month where I had takeaway once a week. My worst - 3lbs - in a month where I stuck rigidly to 1500. Loss increased when I shifted my allowance up to 1800.

I've kept varying the pattern, because different styles suit different exercise programmes. What are you doing activity wise? What kind of drop from your daily diet is tht 1200?

My current programme is 4x400, with a 200cal bump in the evning if I've done a big workout. I very rarely feel hungry these days.

Protein. have a couple of eggs instead of the carb-heavy cereal. Have some plain yogurt or cottage cheese as a snack. Protein and fat will keep you full and stop you from eating the bisquits.

Go to James Smith Academy, sign up for the 5 day free trial (it really is free, you don't enter card details) and use his calculator to find your TDEE and your target kcals for weight loss. He talks a lot of sense. Ultimately, the only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie defecit.
My TDEE is about 1700, I aim for 1450 kcal a day. Some days I hit it, some days I'm way under, some days I'm over. It balances out and I'm steadily losing weight. I do log everything in MFP because I know it's so easy to drink kcals, and it makes me accountable.

I find low carb / high protein works for me as I feel fuller for longer. Loads of veg and some fruit 80/20 split.

Portion control - I buy individually wrapped things and find it easier to stop. Current favourites are Morrisons high fibre brownies 90 cals and Tesco lentil curls 90 cals.

Add chia seeds to your food. They keep you full.
Google 'fast day meals' if you are trying to stick to 1200cals.
Start eating slim rice or pasta. Its made of konjac/japanese yam.
Eggs, eggs, eggs!

If your rushed in the morning try making overnight oats, use Greek yogurt and loads of frozen fruit to bulk it up. Bananas are a really filling snack. Try eating more carbs at lunch instead of evening, quinoa, couscous and sweet potato jackets can easily be made in bulk and added to salads. Good luck

I also agree with the individually wrapped items if you do need a sweet treat, less likely to overindulge

More protein/fat, less carbs.

Full fat natural yoghurt, a few chopped nuts, and some berries works for me at breakfast.

For lunch, have tuna and veg, or hummus and veg, or cheese and apple and nuts, but don't have the pasta, the bread or the crackers.

Dinner, meat and veg, but not the potatoes, rice, pasta etc. You'll find that you very quickly stop craving carbs and you're not hungry.

I'm guessing it is MFP you put your stats into, and that you said you want to lose 2 pounds per week. That's a lot to lose per week unless you are very, very big! Aim for 1 pound per week. It will take longer to come off but you might be at danger of losing muscle if it comes off too quickly. 1200 calories isn't enough for a lot of people, mainly only if you are very short and quite small.