Sick of being fat and hungry

[ruthonfire]

I am overweight. I eat too much of the wrong stuff. I binge on snacks. But I'm hungry always. Everyday I swear I'll try and improve my diet and eat more healthily but then I feel hungry and can't control my behaviours around food. I crave stodge and I just binge on it.

I need to seriously change my habits but how?

Calorie counting works for me although it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Count everything you put in in your mouth and work out your TDEE.

Im fully addicted to carbs/sugar too. The volume of sugar i must have consumed the last few weeks is frightening. It’s just out of sheer boredom when wfh, im breaking my day up with it. It needs to stop and I know I can stop it if I want but each day I make a new target for when I’m starting instead of just doing it!

Working out one's TDEE and subtracting around 500 calories, with a view to losing around a pound a week is a good idea.

What I did was to work out a series of daily mealplans within that total, so I wouldn't have to count calories all the time.

Can you try exercise when the cravings threaten to overwhelm you? Just a few push-ups and 50 jumping jacks... or whatever seems feasible to you.

Try the book 'why we eat too much' by Andrew jenkinson

It's about reducing sugar and increasing fat and protein

Some of the science is a little speculative but the basic idea is sound, that your body is dictating your balance of calories in to calories out and you can't really fight it, you have to convince it to stop stockpiling.

It's working well for a bunch of us on this thread (though it doesn't seem to work for everyone)

Why We Eat (Too Much) thread 6 http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weightlosss_chat/4590255-why-we-eat-too-much-thread-6

Cut out refined carbs and fats for a week as an experiment. You'll feel like hell for 2-3 days but then you'll feel fantastic. Full of energy and pride in your achievement, which will fuel you on to continue to eat more healthily.
It's a reset and it's always worked well for me.

Look up Morgan green on YouTube. She focuses on a healthy lifestyle for life rather than 'losing weight' or 'going on a diet' which is a game changer imo. Whatever you do has to be sustainable otherwise what's the point.

Op are you crafty? My mil and sil have started doing online art classes two nights a week- would stop from the having nothing to do- or knitting, crochet- suggesting something to do with your hands as that’s when I start grabbing for stuff. Could you join something start swimming or dancing or something else that’s fun?

I started making myself not eat after 8 at night as I would literally eat the kitchen while watching tv. It’s insanely difficult for about two weeks (think trying not to go to bed early, pacing, the lot!) Then I fell into it but ate frozen grapes or frozen yoghurts (just stick a yoghurt and a sandwich bag with some grapes in it in the freezer!) as they took soo long to eat!!!!

dh lost four stone last year through serious healthy eating etc but I lost enough to make me feel better about myself from

1. halfing everything unhealthy I ate (he substituted or cut fully)
2. allowed myself only three slices of white bread a day, instead ate crackers, rice cakes or apples (I know I sound strange!)
3. making myself drink water (I didn’t before it so was just dehydrated)
4. instead of crisps I’d go for the ones I saw had less calories or popcorn
5. halfed my fizzy drinks (they are my vice- incidentally I cut them out for a month once along with cutting white bread and it was the trimmest I ever was but I can’t live without
6. a day where you ease up on yourself is very important

Best of luck op and remember it’s really all about making you feel happy with yourself, any small change is huge and a bad day doesn’t have to be a bad week(or even a bad day as you can make up for it later!!) x

This is head hunger. I've recently started the Cambridge diet. It's really helped me understand that I was not hungry
I drink loads of water now too. Good luck.

I was the same as you OP but I had my moment between Christmas and New Year a few years ago. At that time, I went low carb. The weight fell off. I lost 4 stone in an under year and felt amazing.

The pandemic, like a lot of people increased my weight again. I put 2 stone back on. I couldn’t get into low carb again. I joined Slimming World but I honestly don’t recommend that to anyone now. I stuck with it though and lost a stone and a half. I then switched to another platform called Team RH. Quite content with that. It’s taken a while but I am happy with my calories, what I eat and what I weigh. I fluctuate between 10 stone and 10 stone 5. I’m 5’7.

It’s been quite a journey for me. I do need some sort of group to keep me focussed and food and my weight is thought about every day. I did need that proper light bulb moment to get properly started though. All the best to you. Good luck!

Do you have a slow cooker? You can make nice stews and soups with lots of veg and lean meat that are very comforting (especially in the winter) but also healthy. They’re great too, as you can switch them on the morning before going to work and you have a lovely meal waiting so you don’t start snacking when you get in and you’re hungry.

You have a disordered relationship with food and that generally needs professional help to change. Otherwise all you are going to do is get in a cycle of restrict food -> fail to stick to it -> punish self -> feel worse about self. Lather, rinse, repeat. The last part gets worse with every round, giving you a bigger hill to climb when you start again.

I would consult a dietician and a therapist specialising in weight loss. Also, we know that weight loss is in the kitchen and not in the gym but what exercise are you doing at the moment? I find that it is much easier to make those good food choices when I am full of endorphins post exercise.

Read ultra processed people and once you’re about 3/4 way through it cut out the UPFs and processed sugar. Just don’t have it in the house. No sugary yogurts, only plain etc. No UPF bread products. You’ll get there

I haven't read all the messages but I highly recommend fasting. I couldn't go more than an hour without eating, my sugers would drop if I didn't and I would start shaking and pass out.... the less you raise yoru sugar levels in the morning the less insulin you produce... the less you need sugar to combat the insulin.
I now have just black coffee until lunch time and if I eat breakfast I spiral back to needing a snack by 10am.
It works - it takes discipline to start it but it works well and you loose the hungry feeling all the time. On Saturday I was so busy with my broken motorbike it got to 4pm and I thought oops not actually eaten anything yet today!

OP, you sound very hard on yourself. You’re size 14, not Rik Waller.

Saxenda and WeGovy are intended to reduce hunger. I can say personally that this is working for me! I think you’d have to pay as you’re not big enough to get the drugs on the NHS. Can you afford this?

The answer is Ozempic (or Wegovy which is about to be approved)...

I have a counselling appointment next week to try to get a handle on my eating. Seriously considering a gastric sleeve when I can afford it.

I'm very similar op. Hungry all the time compared to other people, big appetite, happily have 2 helpings then pudding. Big sweet tooth. The answer for me is fasting.

Fasting was a revelation. Just removing the choice of what to eat was such a relief, I used to do it 2 full days a week for 24 hours. Surprised by how easy I found it and wasn't hungry constantly either.

You would need to look at what technique is best for you lifestyle but I've done 2 full days a week of water fasting, 16:8, skipping breakfast. One meal per day. All effective. It pair particularily well with keto/reduced carb diets as they ace as a sugar fast all on their own.

You find the first week tough but then it gets easier abd easier.

I'd switch breakfast to eggs with no bread or equivalent for a while (can reintroduce later but still keep it high protein and low sugar). Like eggs, mushrooms and tomato or similar. Have a wrap or sandwich at lunchtime but no sugary things. Full fat Greek yogurt is a good snack.

Look up the Glucose Goddess on Instagram

She has some v useful ideas on how to change round what you eat to regulate your blood sugars

Worth trying?!

Add 30g of protein to each meal

There is very little protein. That's one reason you are hungry

Do you use Instagram?

Follow Tim Spector (from the Zoe food project) - they have discovered all this fascinating stuff about the way we eat and it might help you figure out why you can't lose weight. There are loads of interesting videos

First things first, you need to make sure your body is getting proper nutrition 3 times a day, so just going on a diet isn't the best place to start ironically. start eating right first for a few weeks, and thinking about exercising more in a way you find fun. Be kind to yourself x

Are you actually hungry or do you feel a sad, aching hole in your middle that nothing really ever fills?

The latter is unhappiness.

Do you have things in your life where you focus on food because eating stops you from saying what you really think? Swallowing down your frustration and anger is a real thing.

Do a fitball.class and leg bums and tums. I'm 11st11 5ft6 n I'm finding it really helps. X

Someone on mumsnet inspired me on AMA.
I am spending 6 months regularising my eating. So I am doing 3 meals 2 snacks. I am intolerant to gluten, wheat, yeast and things like chick peas.
I meal plan and buy the right ingredients. I make breakfast the night before and take it and lunch to work
I am on day 37 of no bingeing. I am not weighing myself because its a long term issue and weighing seems to spark my destructive behaviours. My issues are nothing to do with knowing how to lose weight.
I have also started counselling, something I thought wasn't for me but it is helping to shed light on my dark thoughts and destructive behaviours. I am rewarding my good behaviours ( new clothes, some make up etc) rather than judging myself by what is on the scales.
My thoughts are that once I have done 6 to 8 months of this, I will adjust my meals to reduce the cals, not the quantity. But that's a way off yet.