Hunger, calories and feeling very deflated

[Girlintheframe]

I see there is a similar post running but didn't want to hijack it.

Ive been trying to loose body fat but also maybe gain some muscle. I've been on 1500 cals but recently upped them to 1650. I walk on average 18k steps a day and workout 4 days a week using heavy (for me!) weights and progressive overload.

The thing is I can stick to my cals for a few days at a time but the hunger creeps up and up until im starving then end up eating copious amounts of toast totally blowing any and all calorie deficit for the week! I definitely end up over eating in these situations.

Im getting so fed up and deflated by this. My hunger has really ramped up since really pushing myself with the weights but I know calorie wise it burns next to nothing.

Im having 120g-150g protein. Lots of big volume meals but still im hungry.

I feel like I'm never going to get where I want to be as can't control my hunger levels.

Any one got any tips/experience of this and what may help?

Oh should have also said I'm 50 and post menopausal.

If I drop out carbs and stick to protein and fat, my hunger drops off to barely there.

What's your weight and height? If you're walking 18k steps a day and weight training 4 times a week 1650cals probably isn't enough. And weight training does burn calories. Around 200/250 an hour depending on your bodyweight and intensity of training.

I weigh 58kg. I'm terrible at getting my steps in due to having to sit all day at work so I'm lucky if I get 6k steps in. I weight train 3 times a week and do about 4 CrossFit sessions. I eat roughly 1800cals a day. Sometimes I'm forcing down a protein shake in the evening just to hit my calories. Other days I'm a bit hungrier so eat over the 1800cals. I just listen to my body.

If you're gorging on toast at night you're obviously not eating enough during the day. Also make sure you're drinking plenty of water.

If your only eating 1650cals and managing to stick to that for a few days I very much doubt you're blowing your calories deficit for the week just in one day eating toast, unless you're eating 2 loaves worth. Instead of eating copious amounts of toast make yourself a proper filling meal with plenty of protein.

How are you measuring progress? Are you just using scales or have you taken body measurements and before and after pics? How long have you been doing this and what has your progress been so far?

It’s because you’re not eating enough calories. Do the tdee calculator and work out your deficit that way it’s probably a lot more than 1600 calories times per day.

10,000 steps burns approx 500 calories depending on your size. Weight lifting around 200 for an hours workout. That’s 700 of those 1600 gone.

your body needs more fuel for that amount of exercise

You need more calories to be that active, recommend books by Dr Stacy sims as she's an expert in female nutrition and physical activity, especially after menopause.

Protein and fat after 6pm

Just a warning re TDEE calculators, I don't think they're always accurate for women, trial and error might be needed. Most TDEE calculators put me at 1500 a day. I'm in my forties, weight train twice a week and do some other sports. Im hungry on 1800, I'm still working out my maintenance but I think it's around 2000-2100. I'm slowly increasing my calories so I can build muscle.

The reason why it's important to fuel when strength training is because you're asking your body to build muscle and not giving it any materials. No wonder it's complaining! Muscle gain is especially important for women as we get older, plus it has the added bonus of using up calories at rest. Which is why I can eat 2000 calories and not gain weight. Ten years ago I gained weight if I went above around 1600, because I had no muscle on me!

you are expending so much energy you need to increase your portion sizes

Start having an extra chicken breast in your meals?

omelettes with three large eggs?

what sort of meals are you eating?

So my TDEE comes out at 1904 hence why I'm trying to diet on 1650. It's such a small deficit but I'm still not managing it. I'm 5 foot 5.

I'm doing scales, measurements and pictures. This last month there has been no change in any of them. I know why.

It's just so disheartening. I'm doing everything 'right' but can only control my hunger for a few days at a time. Once I get to the point where I did last night I do end up overeating.

Suppose all I can do is keep trying. I don't want to be smaller I just want to get my body fat down. Its obviously very difficult to know how much body fat I have but calculators seem to suggest anything from 26% to 29%.

Just can't figure out how other do it who lift weights too or maybe it's just me and I'm not committed enough

Should have said my weight is 134lbs

@Girlintheframe I've posted on here recently about trying to reduce and finding it too difficult. I'm shorter than you but a similar size - 5ft 3, 60kg which I think is around 130lbs. I tried 1800 and that was ok but difficult (and didn't make much difference to the scale)

The thing is, going much lower isn't going to work for me - I'm hungry, frustrated, and I want to still be able to eat out (within reason) So instead of trying to go lower, I'm going to try and build up my metabolism. Eat more, build more muscle. Building more muscle means that my overall TDEE will be higher, and calorie deficit in future will be easier. I know it's possible because in the past I got to the point that id lose weight on 1900 calories a day.

You can choose between trying to lose weight, or trying to build muscle. It's very very difficult to do both at the same time, as to lose any significant weight you need a calorie deficit, but to build muscle you need extra calories. However if you're prepared to play the long game, build muscle first, and the fat loss will come later.

There's a podcast I'd recommend on this by mindpump, called 'why women should bulk', have a look

If you're consistently hungry and it's not just cravings etc then you either aren't eating enough or you aren't eating appropriately satiating foods. Your body will be needing a fair amount of fuel for that level of exercise. What's a typical day for you?

@Proteinpudding someone who feels my pain!! It's so frustrating isn't it. I think I'm going to have to play the long game too if I want the results I'm after. I'm wasn't sure if it was just me and know people who are on prep etc for competitions and just can't figure out how they manage to cut when I have way more fat and can't manage a couple of hundred calories less!

Thanks for the podcast suggestion, will have a listen.

@Pandaflop so yesterday was a work day and I just wasn't hungry when I got up so

Breakfast - protein bar and banana

Lunch - bagel with tin of tuna and 4 fruits

Dinner - large beef stir fry followed by 250g greek yoghurt with 1 scoop protein powder and 1/2 tin of fruit. Then a small dark choc bar.

This should have been it but then I managed to rack up over 1,000!!! Cals last night with 1 muffin, 8! Slices of bread (no butter just scraping of jam) 9 wine gums and 2 belvita yoghurt biscuits.

So ended the day on around 3000! Calories.

It's almost always carbs I crave when I get this hungry. I can be fine for 4,5,6,7 days but then the hunger hits.

It's very demoralizing and makes me feel like I'm 'failing'.

You aren't failing, you're human! Everyone is different but for me if I end up eating a tonne of carbs in the evening it's because I haven't eaten enough during the day. If its not every day but periodically would carb cycling work for you? It's not for everyone and I know as with anything some won't agree with it, but might be worth exploring different options.

8 slices of bread?! 🤣🤣🤣 god can you stop buying it? That is like a serious binge

The only way I can do it is to not have it in the house
So I know Pringles, nuts, stuff like that trigger a binge for me and I won't have them available
Is it boredom rather than hunger or habit maybe?
Popcorn is a good one, takes a while to eat and if you pop it yourself it's low cal and you can make it savoury or sweet

Dieting doesn't work for me any more. I get too hungry especially with my job which is 5-6 days a week full on mentally and physically.
I've lost a stone the last two months by switching to a completely non processed vegetarian diet, it doesn't have to be vegetarian, you can eat non processed meat but not huge amounts.
No salt, no sugar. Your cravings for sugar eventually stop.
When you have no additives or salt in your food and lots of veg you do stop eating when you are full because the food isn't salty, fatty or sugary which is what makes you crave more and your can eat a fair bit.
I honestly thought I'd come to the end of the road with weight loss at my age but this is working great and no calorie counting.
Loads of recipes and info on youtube.

I know fruit is good for you but I'd cut it out. If you're eating a banana, 4 pieces of fruit at lunch plus tinned fruit that's a lot of calories for something that really won't fill you up. Substitute the fruit for extra veg with your meals as they're less calorie dense and you'll still be getting plenty of nutrients from them.

I don't find protein bars very filling. Switch that for porridge with protein powder added. I've never done intermittent fasting or anything but I try to eat breakfast as late in the morning as possible as I find it I eat first thing it kicks off the hunger pangs earlier.

Do you really need the yogurt straight after dinner? Is the stir-fry itself not filling enough? Or are you just eating a dessert after dinner out of habit.

Try leaving the yogurt to later on. If you're still hungry in the evening make a proper filling meal rather than just snacking and racking up the calories. It might mean adding 400/500 calories on rather than 1000.

Could you try sapping the bagel to an omelette or add an egg for breakfast?
Are you sure you aren’t thirsty?

Yes all that fruit is probably spiking your blood sugar.

If you are eating 8 slices of toast in the evening because you are hungry you would be better off having a larger dinner and then as a previous poster said saving the yogurt for later. I’ve recently got into having one sugar free boiled sweet after lunch and dinner to curb my want for sugar.

Every time I have been on a diet I have been starving during the day. Made it really hard to stick to.

until…. I was diagnosed with gallbladder disease about two months ago. So I had to change my diet to only eating things that were under 3% fat per 100g. The first thing I noticed was I wasn’t getting hungry. I thought it weird and a fluke at first. But I don’t get hungry. Obviously with that amount of food cut out my diet I cannot eat processed or crisps or biscuits even if I added them into my calorie amount.

I was no longer getting that sugar rush of hungry. Has massively opened my eyes. Though I do have the threat of pain to keep me on track but still finding nice things to eat.

Thanks everyone, you've all given me a lot to think about!

Agree the toast started off as hunger then ended up in a binge! I certainly didn't need the last 4 slices!

I was keto and then low carb for years but I've been trying to reintroduce carbs, fruits etc back into my diet as want to have more balance with food but it looks like things have swung too far the other way! I suppose it's all a learning curve.

Agree with I should have waited before having the yoghurt. I need to create more of pause between foods. The protein bars aren't very filling to be honest but they get me out of a pickle at times as I work odd hours but I'm trying to reach for them less and less.

I used to carry water around with me religiously but I've stopped doing that too so maybe need to rethink that too.

So helpful to have everyone's opinions and see things in a new perspective so thank you all.

Just to add, if you're bingeing like that in the evening, it's because you've starved yourself in the daytime. Nothing to do with willpower. You're working out, you need more fuel!

Please don't compare yourself to people prepping for competition, if by that you mean bodybuilding. I respect what they do, but bodybuilders close to comp are usually feeling like shit. Very, very hungry, and not at all healthy. It's a very different (and temporary) goal.

Protein bars are not great. Look at swapping breakfast for eggs or porridge.

You are eating a lot of fruit. It’s not filling and full of sugar. Cut back and perhaps continue with the banana but have a few berries in your yoghurt instead. Is your yoghurt full fat? If not switch. Full fat will keep you full for longer.