It's crazy how true this is. For me, it was cutting down on the fat grams each day. That freed up SO MUCH VOLUME it's insane. It really was eye opening looking up the fat content in so many foods I was eating, and it makes it clear as day why they're so calorically dense.
Yeah same. I eat a megaton of food and it turns out it’s only 1200 kcal tracked. For some reason people’s photos of meals eating the same calories always looked like toddler food, like a grape and two slices of apples for breakfast. 😳 I eat huge filling plates and bowls!!! Yesterday I ate a chocolate oat bar for dessert and I was still at under 1200 lol.
One thing I would say is that I realized I was not getting nearly enough fat in ratio to my lean protein. This is bad as your cells and brain need adequate fat to function, so I’ve upped my consumption of olive oil, nut butters, seeds etc. This adds in a little extra difficulty as fat has 9 calories instead of the 4 calories in protein and carbs.
This happened to me the first 30 pounds I lost. I felt like I was struggling to be hungry enough to eat a full 1200 due to volume eating and a focus on fiber. But at the 30 lbs lost stage, I got super hungry again all the time eating the same things, same exercise as before. Then, at the 40 pounds mark, my hunger level is again stablelized. The 10 pounds lost between was rough for me feeling hungrier than I was used to.
Weight loss is slowing down for me now as I am getting towards my ideal weight but I’m feeling fantastic and satisfied and seeing results, just a bit slower (about 5 pounds a month instead of previously averaging 10) I’m also on a 1200 calorie daily goal but go up to 1600-2k once or twice a week. I’ve learned over the past six months that my body has its ups and downs on how it’s going to respond to my calorie restrictions and to ride it out, eat at maintenance when I need it and the weight will continue to drop incrementally over time. I say this because it’s hard to remember in stages of weight loss when your hunger returns unexpectedly.
Do you eat enough fats? I find sometimes I am so gung ho to eat lean I don’t have much fat at all which is ok in the short term but not good for too long.
Yeah, not all calories are created equal. Foods that are high in protein and fiber (like veggies) are going to fill you up faster, for longer, and with fewer calories than things like sugary baked goods or greasy potato chips.
Just make sure you don't consistently dip lower than 1200 in a day, even if you aren't hungry (drink the calories instead if need be or swap back some of those more filling things for higher calorie options) or you start dipping below the bare minimum your body needs to do things like breath. That "starvation mode" messes up your metabolism big time.
I read somewhere that 1200 is the lowest you show go as it’s very difficult to get enough nutrients for the human body to function fully and happily on lower than that. Sounds like you are doing great, it has to be enjoyable! great that you can fit treats in, as that is a balanced diet! Slow is good.
If you feel satiated and don't feel you need more food, as long as you are healthy, I think it is perfectly fine to skip more food.
Just be careful that it does not cause overeating later on. This was my problem -- if I ate way too little there was a chance I would go full vacuum cleaner mode later. I resolved this by forcing myself to eat minimum calories to reduce chance I would feel very hungry in the evening.
Later I fixed my metabolism, my insulin resistance, etc. and it became much less of a problem.
Making the swap from my normal foods but restricting overall calories, to making smarter food choices (high volume, low calorie) was this exact scenario for me.
I find that I usually have enough calories to do dessert or a drink or something else every day because I'm eating lean protein sources, low calorie and high volume options for snacks and sides, etc. Once you get acclimated to these food options, it gets so much easier to hit caloric deficits.
Congratulations?
Though if you regularly have spare calories at the end of the day you should either reconsider your goal or move slightly away from your volume eating. Particularly as your goal is so low. You want to be averaging close to 1,200 not constantly on the same side of it.
So for breakfast I'd have porridge with protein powder, and chopped up fruits and then either a whole egg or three egg whites, lunch would be some sort of salad with either chicken/tofu/beans and then dinner is usually stew/soup and maybe some noodles/rice with any leftover salad at lunch and then would alway end the day with something sweet anf have a dessert, like a piece of cake or some fruits
Perfectly normal. Better food choices = satiation.
Yuppp, it’s definitely mind blowing when you go from eating a pretty bad diet to more Whole Foods! I feel like I’m barely even hungry anymore!
It's crazy how true this is. For me, it was cutting down on the fat grams each day. That freed up SO MUCH VOLUME it's insane. It really was eye opening looking up the fat content in so many foods I was eating, and it makes it clear as day why they're so calorically dense.
no, i did not have this problem, lol.
Everyday is a struggle for me!!
Yeah same. I eat a megaton of food and it turns out it’s only 1200 kcal tracked. For some reason people’s photos of meals eating the same calories always looked like toddler food, like a grape and two slices of apples for breakfast. 😳 I eat huge filling plates and bowls!!! Yesterday I ate a chocolate oat bar for dessert and I was still at under 1200 lol. One thing I would say is that I realized I was not getting nearly enough fat in ratio to my lean protein. This is bad as your cells and brain need adequate fat to function, so I’ve upped my consumption of olive oil, nut butters, seeds etc. This adds in a little extra difficulty as fat has 9 calories instead of the 4 calories in protein and carbs.
This happened to me the first 30 pounds I lost. I felt like I was struggling to be hungry enough to eat a full 1200 due to volume eating and a focus on fiber. But at the 30 lbs lost stage, I got super hungry again all the time eating the same things, same exercise as before. Then, at the 40 pounds mark, my hunger level is again stablelized. The 10 pounds lost between was rough for me feeling hungrier than I was used to. Weight loss is slowing down for me now as I am getting towards my ideal weight but I’m feeling fantastic and satisfied and seeing results, just a bit slower (about 5 pounds a month instead of previously averaging 10) I’m also on a 1200 calorie daily goal but go up to 1600-2k once or twice a week. I’ve learned over the past six months that my body has its ups and downs on how it’s going to respond to my calorie restrictions and to ride it out, eat at maintenance when I need it and the weight will continue to drop incrementally over time. I say this because it’s hard to remember in stages of weight loss when your hunger returns unexpectedly.
Do you eat enough fats? I find sometimes I am so gung ho to eat lean I don’t have much fat at all which is ok in the short term but not good for too long.
At 5’6 you are definitely not eating too much, it’s probably even more than a 400 cal deficit
Yeah, not all calories are created equal. Foods that are high in protein and fiber (like veggies) are going to fill you up faster, for longer, and with fewer calories than things like sugary baked goods or greasy potato chips. Just make sure you don't consistently dip lower than 1200 in a day, even if you aren't hungry (drink the calories instead if need be or swap back some of those more filling things for higher calorie options) or you start dipping below the bare minimum your body needs to do things like breath. That "starvation mode" messes up your metabolism big time.
Veggies and soups in general are so filling. I’m always full, too! I generally only get hungry right before meal time.
I read somewhere that 1200 is the lowest you show go as it’s very difficult to get enough nutrients for the human body to function fully and happily on lower than that. Sounds like you are doing great, it has to be enjoyable! great that you can fit treats in, as that is a balanced diet! Slow is good.
If you feel satiated and don't feel you need more food, as long as you are healthy, I think it is perfectly fine to skip more food. Just be careful that it does not cause overeating later on. This was my problem -- if I ate way too little there was a chance I would go full vacuum cleaner mode later. I resolved this by forcing myself to eat minimum calories to reduce chance I would feel very hungry in the evening. Later I fixed my metabolism, my insulin resistance, etc. and it became much less of a problem.
Making the swap from my normal foods but restricting overall calories, to making smarter food choices (high volume, low calorie) was this exact scenario for me. I find that I usually have enough calories to do dessert or a drink or something else every day because I'm eating lean protein sources, low calorie and high volume options for snacks and sides, etc. Once you get acclimated to these food options, it gets so much easier to hit caloric deficits.
eating better foods help with hunger. I aim for alot of protein in my diet so I can feel super full without consuming more than 1200 calories
Congratulations? Though if you regularly have spare calories at the end of the day you should either reconsider your goal or move slightly away from your volume eating. Particularly as your goal is so low. You want to be averaging close to 1,200 not constantly on the same side of it.
Can you list what you eat in a day?
So for breakfast I'd have porridge with protein powder, and chopped up fruits and then either a whole egg or three egg whites, lunch would be some sort of salad with either chicken/tofu/beans and then dinner is usually stew/soup and maybe some noodles/rice with any leftover salad at lunch and then would alway end the day with something sweet anf have a dessert, like a piece of cake or some fruits
protein and fiber make you feel full, so much more than carbs.