How long to stop feeling hungry

[Anono1001]

So I have a holiday in 7 weeks and got on the scales on Monday and I was 10.5 stone. I've never been over 10 stone! My usual weight is 9.5 stone or less. I get this isn't the worst weight to be but my clothes are tight and I just hate the way I look. But I am finding losing weight so hard. I have no energy, and in alot of constant discomfort with my back and pelvis (under investigation). I feel burned out.

This week I've cut out snacking massively. I can be awful when it comes to sweets, chocolate and biscuits, pretty much anything picky. I haven't really missed them to be fair but I am finding myself feeling abit hungry?

I'm tracking calories having between 1400 and 1600 per day. I can't see how I would be able to eat any less! I've added fruit and seeds into my diet. The biggest change for me is cutting out the sugary snacks from my diet. As I was awful for it. An easy 500-1000 calories a day would come from sugary snacks. But I'm not the best eater. Never done breakfast and lunch, hence the picking nature of my diet. I feel I have cut out alot but I worry my calories are too high.

Will this help?

I don't want to feel I am depriving myself and if I reduce calories even more , with the added loss of chocolate and sweets etc I think I'm setting myself up to fail.

Will cutting out the bad foods make much of a difference? Also I'm noticing I am starting to feel hungry. I used to just go and grab something but now I'm not, maybe that's making me think of food more, but when will the hunger pass? I don't even know of I'm hungry or if it's just because I'm thinking about food, I want it.

Any advice welcome

Hi, so I don’t know if your cals are right for you but they sound good, also cutting out what you have done, google TDEE calculator and work out your calorie intake that way. Reducing calories too low runs a risk of feeling dreadful, it’s the content and quality of your diet that is important and sounds like you are doing well.

You will feel hungry, hunger is normal remember to some extent. You have to make sure you are eating enough volume and protein. Think about how large a stir fry can be, you need to be eating decent amounts of vegetables, meats etc to feel full up rather than small snacks that don’t go very far. Fill up on decent meals and you will find yourself feeling hungry before the meals but more satisfied as time goes on

Thanks. That's a great site by the way. Made me feel better as it turns out I'm eating in the right calorie range.

I feel different today. Maybe it's starting to get easier. I don't feel like I am craving anything. I can look at the snack box in the fridge, the biscuit tin, and the chocolates and it's not bothering me. I'm starting to wonder if I reached for those foods out of hunger or just because they were there and eating them gives you and instant hit. It's nice to feel like I can go days without indulging.

As much as my holiday is driving this, I want to make an overall lifestyle change. I will be 40 in a few years. Really need to start looking after myself and not living on rubbish low benefit foods

So, i am nearly 2 weeks in and not a single pound lost.

I am tracking my calories, I haven't touched any of the foods I would snack on in volumes. I'm eating better more nutrious meals. I'd be lying if I said I'm not gutted about this. Luckily it's not making me reach for the foods I'm trying to avoid as I haven't missed them no where near as much as I expected I would, but to cut out a large amount of calories which I can honestly say have not been replaced with other foods/drinks and not lose anything is so disheartening.

I believe I am in the beginning perimenopause, as all tests I am going through are indicating this is likely, could this be making weight loss harder?

But please help as right now I'm wondering what was the point if it's not made any difference

What is your activity and how much are you moving around

I'm always on my feet due to the fast pace of my job. My exercise mostly consists of walking

I haven't found that perimenopause has made any difference to my ability to lose weight but other women would have a different experience. I too have chronic pelvic and back pain from endometriosis. I only walk too.

I found that cutting down on junk food caused less to be travelling through my system and I became constipated. I drink a lot of water which helps keep things moving and aids weight loss. There's a scientific explanation where fat needs water to shift. I can't remember exactly.

Being hungry is normal and it sounds like your body is telling you to eat more regularly. Do you not like eating breakfast and lunch or is it just a habit or other reason? I couldn't function on one meal a day with my level of activity. I eat porridge for breakfast and Greek yogurt and fruit compote for lunch then whatever u fancy for dinner. My calorie intake is similar to yours and I lost 2 stone. You can do it! It just sounds like your body isn't getting what it needs right now so it's not happening and you feel rubbish.

It's bad habits really. I have a very disordered eating background and I never fully think it leaves you.

I've still not picked. Quite proud of myself bit still not weight loss either. So still really disheartening

I think you might find it’s a good time to build in some more, different activity, your body is clearly used to the level it is doing. Can you add in something new? Swimming, Pilates? Weights? Give your body an extra bump of movement and exercise to move you along

Track what you eat and eat a LOT more protein. It will keep you feeling fuller for longer because either takes longer to digest.

Well I've been so strict all this time and no a single lb lost from my original weight. So tonight I've binged. Feel so ashamed

Are you weighing your food? Also, get a safety banana.....my rule is if I won't eat (when dieting) a banana then I'm not really hungry. And ensure to max out your protein, lots of Greek yogurt.

No not weighing food but eating much less than I was doing. I feel so deflated. I used to binge on junk every day. I've ate better and tracked calories, made better choices and no difference at all.

I have started low UPF and found I am not getting hungry.
Typical day is

Lunch: salad with grains with nuts or feta and veg
Pudding: frozen fruit and Greek yogurt with oats
If I need it: apple/ satsuma

Dinner: homemade risotto, curry type meal
Pudding: berries and Greek yogurt sometimes with nuts.
If I need it: rice cakes, low fat soft cheese, banana
Sometimes a little dark chocolate

Do not count fat, calories, sugar, carbs or anything of the sort
But not craving the continuous rubbish I used to eat.
Feeling better and losing weight.

What is low UPF?

If you are not weighing food then you have not really tracked your calories - unless you only eat ready-made meals but then it’s not really healthy, wholesome food.

It’s very hard to track calories without weighing everything. For instance, 30 grams of rolled oats (my normal base for overnight oats) is about 111 kcal, but 45 is already 167. 15 grams is just a single tablespoon difference which most people don’t even notice.

It’s really hard to help as we are not sure what you are eating. There is a disconnect between the size you think something should be as a portion and the actual size of the portion. Google what 30g of cereal looks like or 25g of nuts it’s much smaller than you think.

You won’t be gaining more as quickly if you have knocked a lot of your previous eating habits on the head but you could still just be eating a little too much every day which isn’t causing a weight loss. It’s good you are eating less because this will stop you keep gaining if that’s what you are aiming for

It’s hotly disputed by the fasting people but calories in calories out is very much shown to be relevant to weight loss in studies so you need to know how many calories you need to eat a day, then work out what you are actually consuming

You need to go low carb high protein.

The best advice that I can give you is to stay well away from any ultra processed foods. They are designed to make you crave more and overeat.
We have plenty of food freely available in the UK so food manufacturers need to encourage you to go back to them for more to increase their profits
Stick with whole foods and you will not have the hunger pangs.
Good luck.

Work out your tdee. Mine is1200 calories a day. I don't lose weight on more than that.

UPF are Ultra Processed Foods
There are lots of Facebook forums etc.. that help
It is basically stripping all the foods with additives, flavourings, colurings etc..
I have realised in retrospect these are trigger foods for me
The more I eat, the more I want