Please help me understand why I'm always starving

[Friendshipissue]

I have about 2 stones of body fat to lose from pregnancy. A typical day of eating for me would be:
Breakfast - scrambled eggs with wholemeal toast or high protein smoothie with berries
Lunch - wholemeal chicken wrap + veggies
Snack - fat free yoghurt + fruit
Dinner - veggie bolognese

Adds up to about 1800 calories, 25 gr fiber, 100 gr protein. If I stick to this I lose about a pound a week. The problem is, I can't. I frequently find myself starving in the afternoon and attack sweets when DS is in bed!

He is a poor sleeper and I'm always exhausted. Also very stressful job and major bereavement. Maybe they aren't helping either but need to find a way of losing fat, I feel really miserable and unhealthy.

Any advice appreciated, tia!

The clue is in your constant exhaustion. When we're tired our body demands more fuel to keep going. Take a look at the research linking poor sleep habits and obesity

Agreed, it's the lack of sleep. I know that's a frustrating answer because it's part of being a parent and not something you can necessarily change, but lack of sleep will prevent you from losing weight and will increase your appetite.

If there is anything you can do to improve the rest that you get - going to bed any earlier, avoiding screens, black out blinds, getting outdoors when you wake up (helps with circadian rhythm) etc that's where to start focusing, don't try and be in a calorie deficit if you're not rested.

I agree sleep is so vital and it sucks at this stage when you are so deprived. You do have one main thing you can do though, and it’s what you choose to eat when you are hungry. Don’t eat sweets they aren’t going to fill you up. Choose something else or eat a larger portion of dinner for a few weeks and see how you go, or a bigger lunch as obviously it could be that your calories are too low at the times when you need them the most