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?

OP I'm sorry to say most slim people I know just put up with hunger.

Absolute and utter twaddle. This thread is appalling, the majority of the replies sound deeply disordered. No one ought to be starving eating a balanced diet that doesn't run in to excess. No one. Unless they have a health issue.

Whilst fat isn't bad (no food is 'bad'), it is often incredibly calorie dense. The obsession with avoiding carbs is an exclusion diet, not a balanced diet, and pulling away bits of simple bread or crumb from food absolutely smacks of ED behaviour, which is sadly so integrated into women's lives now it doesn't even stand out as shocking anymore.

Carbs in their healthy form affect the brain, mood, energy. We actually do require good carbs even if not in large amounts. Many, such as wholewheat pasta contain oleic acid, others are high in protein and are very satiating.

I know countless people who fell off the low carb bandwagon, and most professionals (ie, not youtubers) would never advise cutting out an entire food group. It isn't sustainable, just like low fat isn't, but moderation just doesn't sell, nor does it assist women in self loathing, so the cycle continues.
One friend of mine cut carbs to almost nothing for over 10 years, during which her weight went up and down regardless. She was piling on the saturated fat and fell for the trend driven garbage that we only need protein and fat to survive. She eventually began to eat small amounts of healthy carbs and felt much better for it, and has since managed to keep her weight in a good place with moderation.

Self denial is lose lose. It doesnt work. And no, naturally slim people do NOT starve or feel hungry. If you are slim and starving I would advise seeing your GP.
I have always been at the thin end and have struggled to gain over the years, so the presumption that all slim women are starving is severely screwed up. I honestly would not advise anyone to seek assistance in this section of MN, it's the first time ive popped in and wft, this place is heaving with issues.
Many users are sincerely kind and helpful, but sadly they are outnumbered by extreme diet advice.

OP, misery loves company, I don't think it's healthy in here. Good luck.

@Toastedtoacrisp

She was piling on the saturated fat and fell for the trend driven garbage that we only need protein and fat to survive

I agree with a lot of what you said, but not this. There is no essential carbohydrate for the human body. If we don't eat it, we can make our own using gluconeogenesis. That's not a trend. There are essential fats and essential proteins, but carbs we can actually do without, regardless of how your friend felt. Lots of us feel shit when we stop eating carbs, but it's not because we have a biological need for them.

Theres a study that Chris van Telleken references in his book. Two groups, one on a low carb one on a low fat diet. The low carb group lost weight quicker initially but over a longer period the weightloss was the same and their fluctuation also the same.

Interesting. I did a low carb diet a couple of years ago and did lose weight and looked good. But I was quite miserable. I find calorie counting with healthier carbs really helps my mood but weight loss is very slow. Easier to stick to for me anyway.

Op how is your weight loss going?

if you eat real food then it does not trigger your body to release insulin which I think of as the weight gain hormone

however your diet sounds a bit miserable to me

buying pure protein powder should fill you if you mix it with your fav yoghurt which is what the shops do anyway with shakes etc

I am 5 foot 3 and have been told to keep to 1600 calories, I am fairly active but have been told not to eat less than that as its not sustainable. I have lost weight and inches.

As in fairly active exercise wide, rather than job wise.

Also I aim for at least 100g of protein a day.

Very well thank you, I eat between 1400 and 1600 calories and eat a range of foods. I'm all good, this thread got resurrected but I'm fine!