Got the exercise part. Can't get the eat less part.

[Offthegrid]

Hi, everyone. I love these forums -- so supportive and it's nice that it's just us gals.

My name is Susie, and I've been a recreational rider off and on for a couple of years. I didn't do much riding this year, and I'm starting to build a foundation for next year.

I need to lose a lot of weight. My goals are all fitness oriented (finish a sprint triathlon in under 2 hours, jog a 5K in under 40 minutes, finish a half-century bike ride, commute to work 3x/week starting in the spring). I watch what I eat, and the hope was that the weight would come off by choosing healthier foods, better portions and exercising.

But I find I'm so HUNGRY all the time, despite choosing whole grains, vegetables and good proteins. For example, I'll eat a big salad at lunch with veggies and chicken, and be STARVING an hour later. I'll wait another hour, then eat an apple and low-fat yogurt, and I'm starving an hour after that. I'm eating roughly 1,500 to 1,800 calories/day.

I'm curious to see a breakdown of what you eat during the day (and especially your lower volume days or rest days). Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I do eat 5 meals/snacks a day and try to keep it varied.

And, to add a completely unrelated rant, why is it that cycling clothing manufacturers don't make women's XXL bike shorts? I currently use men's shorts, but the ... ahem ... parts are different.

[pooks]

Check out these shorts. At least some of them come in a XXL (2X), maybe all?

http://www.boure.com/shortswomen.html

[mimitabby]

Your caloric intake sounds a little low. Have you talked to a nutritionist?
I want to say doctor, but i know doctors don't take nutrition classes.

[TsPoet]

"They" say that American's have conditioned themselves to mistake thirst for hunger. Next time you are starving try a glass of water (not soda, coffee, or anything else, Water) and wait 30 minutes. If you are still hungry, eat a piece of fruit or veggies.
This, along with all the other things you are doing, worked like a charm for me - lost 50 lbs and kept it off for 3 years. I did not reach my goal, but I moved from "obese" to just plain fat and I'm much happier.

Also, just a personal nit - I also did the oatmeal thing, thought it was good protein source... Then I found that the non-instant takes less than 5 minutes in a microwave and has a lot more nutrients in it. So, I switched from the instant to the non instant. I also "Dr" it myself, for example, dried apples and cinnamon, no sugar, or a 1/2 teaspoon of honey if I'm feeling adventurous.

[Geonz]

How much are you drinking?

I suck on my recycled gatorade bottle filled with tea, which puts something in the stomach, and then the caffeine serves as an appetite supressant.

SOme of it also just comes with time. You gotta get your stomach accustomed to not being full all the time.

And sometimes it helps just to be distracted.

I am trying wtih mixed success on this regimen: Bagel and cheese with tea in the morning (no cheese the past two mornings but only 'cause I'm out).

Try to stay away from the snack room... oops, a few tortilla chips...

Oatmeal for lunch (instant in the envelopes; put it in the coffee mug and get the instant-hot water from the cafeteria).

Sneak a few more tortilla chips. Make another glass of tea.

Tell myself hungry is GOOD within reason, for a little while, and it's not a bargaining thing ("I was feeling hungry, so now I *deserve* to eat more!")

Go home and make one of those Michelina pasta dinners and eat slowly. Drink water with two shots of OJ in it so it has some flavor; if I'm feeling luxurious, make it fizzy water.

Last night was a bust, 'cause the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee met and we had dinner first, tho' I did limitmyself to that pizza and water... but afterwards I was wound up enough to really want that Sam Adams. (Better than last Tues. after the MOvie... sigh, that was a worse bust...)

Now to ride home and savor that Michelina ... with tabasco sauce, anything is good

[chickwhorips]

congrats on your goals that you have set for yourself. you CAN and WILL do it.

when i'm working out alot i'm the same way as you. i always feel like i can eat something, even if its 5 mins after i just ate. i notice when i cut my calories, for the first week i'm starving all the time, the second week gets a bit easier and so on.

you don't want to know my eating habits right now. i can't wait for a month when i'm in civilization and all i do is eat fruits and veggies all the time, and they are FRESH!

[han-grrl]

If you read through this article...towards the end it explains how for some people maintaining a lower weight can actually be associated with constant feelings of hunger.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/ma...e54769&ei=5070

[Grog]

I'll add another $.02 here.

I think eating some fat might help. I know it's counter-intuitive. But it's clear that fat takes a longer time to digest, and in the meantime your stomach doesn't start screaming for more food. For example, if I have an egg along with the rest of my breakfast (big bowl of Shreddies cereal with 1% milk, plus one glass of apple-orange juice, plus coffee), I'm fine until noon or even past that. If I don't and have a couple pieces of toast or a muffin or the like in its place, I'm starving by 10:30 or 11am. The extra fat and protein keep my inners busy for a while...

So that piece of cheese, that egg, or a bowl of low-fat instead of no-fat yogourt or glass of milk might be helpful in preventing you from snacking all the time. And if you keep it in reasonable proportions, it will not impair your weight loss. Also remember that the low-fat stuff (especially yogourt) usually contains a lot more sugar to make it taste better (because fat enhances the taste, hence no fat = often bland, in industrial products at least, which means most of what we eat).

[bacarver]

Hi -

I love to eat. It's a good thing I ride or I would be outta control. I hold myself to 1400 calories per day average. I have "go wild" days about every 3 weeks. My metabolism is sluggish to say the least. I have to be very careful or the weight and the poor eating habits get away from me. I have a few "rules" to keep me on track. I do not eat between meals 95% of the time no matter how much my body complains. Apples are "free" and I eat at least one a day. If I'm hungry, I find a project to keep myself busy. I was on Depakote for about 2 years to control migraines. The medication put 13 pounds on me and I was gaining faster and faster. I told the doctor I had to stop taking it because I couldn't wear my clothes. The weight has come off and I feel great. I weigh myself every day and adjust my intake according to the number. Hills are so much easier to climb when I'm lean. Hang in there!
Barb

[emily_in_nc]

I agree completely with Grog. I lost weight by low-carb dieting before I got seriously into riding and other forms of fitness (which require more carbs for energy). Although I eat more carbs now, of course, I don't force myself to eat really low-fat either. I try to eat good fats like olive oil, nuts, flax, fish oil, and the like, but I also allow myself some eggs and cheese. I don't eat fried foods and eat very little red meat, however. I agree that fat fills you up more so you don't get the between-meal munchies nearly as often as with a carb-heavy, low-fat diet. As a result, I think I eat fewer calories on days when I eat more fat than on lower-fat, higher carb days. I get hungry every hour or two when I eat that way.

I've been able to maintain my weight loss for five years eating this way (along with exercising pretty much daily). Of course, what works for me will not work for everyone. I have a fast metabolism, which helps a lot -- and exercising more helps with that as well.

Best of luck,

Emily

[han-grrl]

I was a lot like you...perpetually hungry. everyone was amazed, they actually thought i was pregnant. anyway, with some experimenting this is how i am eating now...

I am a fitness instructor and teach 2-3 classes a day right now but not doing a lot of training (i also train 2-3 clients a day as well).

Typically i eat for breakfast:
2-3 fruits, one serving of spelt cereal with milk and two tablespoons of mixed nuts. coffee, my only vice. no sugar, just a bit of milk in it

4 hours later i eat:
a banana, some kind of home made muffin or a one piece of toast, one serving of protein (chicken, or tofu or something like that), one serving of dairy (usually cheese, not low fat) and some veggies.

4 hours later:
plain yogurt (but not low fat, no added sugar, gelatin or corn starch either), celery and peanut butter with raisins (my favorite) and that usually takes me to dinner a couple of hours later

dinner will vary: protein, one serving of grains, and all the veggies i can handle.

I don't find that i am tired or hungry. when i do my own training, i will add in extra servings of everything depending on what i am doing.

I don't eat more than one serving of regular wheat per day (all grains are other kinds like millet, barley, buckwheat etc) and i don't add sugar to anything. any sweetener is either honey or maple syrup.

I lost 13 pounds this way over the summer, and i have no problem maintaining it. (i was 130 and holding 117 now). i don't have cravings any more, and i was really amazed about not adding sweetener to coffee.

Anyway this is what works for me. I recommend doing a lot of reading, researching and talking to a nutritionist.

Good luck!

Hannah

[CR400]

Well first off Grog thanks for making me hungry. I'm trying to follow my own advice I'm about to give.

Anyway what I usually do is just flat out and ignore the feeling of hunger after I know that eating has only been a short time ago. Us overweight people have a problem, our bodies really do not want to loose the extra weight, and they will do whatever it takes to keep it on. Sometimes it is to give us the feeling of hunger to make us eat because it worked in the past when we didn't care about loosing weight. Plus if you have significantly dropped calories from what you were eating before your body thinks that it is starving. So it tries to get you to eat more. In reality in a small way you are starving your body because you are not eating as much. You must take in few calories or expand more then you eat to loose weight thus the starving part. Not literally starving by eating nothing though, please no one even think about that.

[mimitabby]

For those of you driving while hungry, isn't there something you can keep in your car for those times, something that takes the edge off, but isn't something that you will feel like eating too much of?

Like carrots or apples?

Then you can get home without the screaming stomach and make a good dinner?

I think i'm too cheap to snack like that (go to fast food places) i would be feeling guilty about all the good stuff i have at home!

[Squeaky]

I usually try to be prepared, but yes, I need to make sure I have something with me at all times. The problem is, I eat one of these snacks before leaving work, then I go do one of my activities, which burn through that snack fast. I'm usually an hour away from home at that point, and another apple or pretzel is unappetizing. hmmm, what else besides apples, cereal, pretzels, and granola bars are easy and convenient snack foods that I can keep in the car even when it's hot out?

[EBD]

This is going to seem off-topic, but Offthegrid's story sounded so familiar. I have been 10-15 pounds overweight for years, and despite lots of exercising that never seemed to change. I was up for eating at any moment, and had all kinds of cravings, especially at night. The a few months ago, everything changed overnight - I stopped craving, I was less hungry in general, and my whole attitude toward food changed - despite the fact that I was exercising more than I have in my life, in preparation for my first Olympic tri. What was the change? I stopped taking birth control pills. (Didn't quit all the way, but switched to Nuvaring.) Seriously, the first day I was off the pill, my appetite went down, and it has never bounced back. I've lost 10 pounds without trying, even though I'm not training intensively anymore. I still love to cook and eat, but I don't crave snacks all the time, and when I am hungry I can choose good food with my brain, because it is not overpowered by hormonal cravings.

So, this may not apply to most people, but if you really are hungry all the time, it might be worth examining your medications. (Although I know there are not good substitutes for many other meds, like there are for the Pill).

The only thing that bugs me is - does this mean that I could have been thin for the last 8 years? (That's how long I was on the Pill). Darn it! Being thin in my early 20s would have been a lot of fun .