I'm losing weight but I'm so hungry 😭

[Clemopesea]

I've been about a stone to a stone and a half overweight for pretty much all my adult life, yo yo-ing back and forth on various diets (I've tried them all including keto). After a shit time and 3 back to back miscarriages I comfort ate my way into oblivion and had a nasty shock when I realised I was now nearly 2.5 stone overweight and had just tipped into the "obese" BMI range. at 5ft 3 with a desk job my TDEE is 1700 cals so a 1lb loss requires me to eat no more than 1200 calories a day. I've been doing this for 8 weeks (that's the longest I've ever stuck to a diet) and I've lost nearly a stone which is obviously great. However, I'm starving all the time and I'm finding it is seriously affecting my mood. I follow a Mediterranean style diet with plenty of protein, healthy fats, fibre etc (which I always did, just ate too much of it) and I am just starving. To the extent that I'm often so hungry it wakes me up at night. I eat two meals a day, 400 cals for lunch and 600 for dinner with 200 left for milk in tea or a small snack etc. I cannot do any high impact exercise due to a knee injury but I walk 10-15k steps per day and do some yoga. I'm completely healthy otherwise. My thyroid is normal (not just within NHS normal ranges but genuinely completely normal).

I would have thought after 8 weeks I'd be getting more used to the smaller calorie allowance but I'm so hungry I can't bear it. I tried upping my calories to 1400-1500 but weight loss completely plateaud. With all previous diets I've felt hunger like this but always assumed it was because I hadn't stuck to them so hadn't adjusted. Am I destined to just feel starving forever now?

It's getting warmer where I am in the SE and am having to up my water intake, it helps to add some electrolyte powder imo.

I drink a shedload of water, it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Well done first of all for your loss so far.

ive no answer for you but could have written most of what you said. I’m a week and a half in and have lost 4lbs and I’m starving and tired all the time too. I’m 5’6” so get 1500 cals and really struggling.

Only thing I can recommend is low carb. You need fat and protein to make you feel full

What exactly are you eating?

You could also try 16:8 (only eating during an 8 hour window)

I already do low carb.

Yesterday I had a Greek salad with salmon for lunch, and chicken breast with sautéed courgette , broccoli, green beans and spinach in full fat creme fraiche on the side. Butter on the other veg. Woke at 2am starving. I've experimented with both low carb and adding in carbs and don't notice any difference between the two.

Already do that, I have to or I'd never stick to my calorie allowance.

Well done on your weight loss so far. I'd recommend doing some resistance training at the gym. By building muscle your body will burn more calories just existing. There's plenty you can do without injuring your knee. I have ordered problems with my knees as well and I weight train 4-5 times a week.

I'd also recommend taking your measurements and before and after pictures as sometimes changes don't always show on the scales.

I can't afford the gym but I do do some weight training at home. I'm losing weight and inches, that's not the issue. The issue is I'm starving 🤣

OP maybe you need to up your calorie limit to 1300 or 1400 per day to make this more sustainable. Even a healthy 200 calorie snack that you can have on hand in an 'ravenous emergency' situation.
There's no point being miserable everyday, and it sounds like you would still lose weight but a bit more slowly.

I’m not surprised you are starving!!

you are low carbing and eating only 1000 calories a day!!

anyway either roast some broccoli with salt

or eat more chicken

or buy protein powder and add it to yoghurt

or consider going for a kebab but drop the pitta bread

I’m doing the same, OP. I’ve lost 1 stone 2 pounds and I’m always hungry. It’s just a bit adjustment. And you do get used to going to bed with an empty feeling!

I took the weekend off from calorie counting and just did what I want. I went back and added everything I ate in and I was only a tiny bit over what I should have had, so it is changing my habits. I’m eating smaller portions and making better choices.

Just stick with it and you will adjust.

I'm eating 1200 calories a day, not 1000.

I think you have to decide whether you are suffering from emotional or physical hunger and deal with them accordingly. I managed to get control of feeling starving while losing weight to recognise hunger feelings as normal and therefore to be redirected and ultimately ignored - so I can rationalise that I am not in physical need of food ifswim?

amihungry.com/why-am-i-hungry-all-the-time

It doesn't sound like a happy way to live your life, or be sustainable medium/long. I would increase my calories tbh, and focus instead on some exercise that makes me feel good/happy.

Thank you, this is heartening to read.

I have to say that I did a week of 1200 cal low carb and a week of 1200 cal anything and there was 0 difference in either weight loss or hunger - I lost the same and felt equally hungry. When I did low carb before I never experienced this magic fat satiety that others talk about. For me it really does seem to be calories in vs calories out. But I do tend to stick to low carb most days anyway, just because I get more for my calories that way.

Fasting is working well for my hunger levels. I eat in a four hour eating window each day and when I do eat I get full really quickly so I’m never able to consume that much.

The electrolyte powder will help your body utilise the water more effectively, but for waking up in the night hungry? I would finish your last meal with something high in fat like a fat bomb made with some nuts and seeds, perhaps a peanut butter or high cocoa content.
Fat keeps you satiated.

I think it genuinely is physical hunger, because I feel it constantly even when distracted. Previously I'd know if it was emotional hunger because I'd forget I was hungry if I was busy or whatever. And it certainly didn't wake me at night.

I tried this but I physically can't fast, I'm horrendous to be around, and I home educate my kids so I need to be functioning. Even 800 calorie fast days were too little. And it made me more likely to overeat on non fast days.

I'll try a fat bomb, thank you!

You are not starving, people in drought torn Third World countries can starve though.

You feel hunger and that's kind of normal. I am also surprised that your system hasn't yet adjusted to a lower intake of food by now. I was you at one point and I found I was very hungry when I was at a loose end and bored! So I did things like puzzles, internet research, went down YouTube black holes, instead of reaching for something bad to eat, you get the picture.

Try and stick with it. You don't have to drink litres and litres of water all day long. Save some fizzy water and add ice and lime or whatever when you get the hunger pangs. I know how hard it is, but it is a discipline and it takes iron will to overcome a pig out. Don't do that, but have a treat now and then. Total abstinence from anything enjoyable is not the way to succeed here. We all need something to look forward to.

I see you do 16/8. So do I as maintenance. I am not that strict and have coffee with milk in the fasting window, and the occasional nice dessert etc. But I get back on track immediately.

I hope I don't sound like I am lecturing you here, I mean well and hope you keep going.

I second peanut butter or a handful of nuts. They are good for you and do take the edge off the hunger.

I am also on a mission to lose weight (baby weight) I need to lose a total of around 1.5 stone to get back to my comfortable size. I already walk loads and I love MTB so ride once a week at the moment but iv also started doing a 6 week summer shred program. I have a bad ankle at the moment so I can't do anything high impact on it for a while but those 3 activities are all fine for me to do. I'm also trying to eat a carbless diet (although I still have porridge for brekkie and a small amount of nutella with peanut butter and fruit) which is definitely not easy. My point is that maybe up your calories (maybe a couple of healthy snacks) and take up another exercise like cycling (doesn't have to be MTB just normal cycling) if you are really struggling because that's no way to feel all the time. Different things work for different people though so if one thing doesn't work maybe try something else. Well done for getting this far already though!