Big Appetite Out of Control - Weight Loss Related

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
First of all props to you for posting this here. It takes a lot to drop a post like that when I'm sure you're very frustrated.

This is a tough one. Have you recently started cutting what you eat every day? If so, you should feel better in a day or so. When I cut calories drastically I just deal for a few days and then it just gets better. I feel better and it gets easier to deal with. Some days are harder than others and there are days when I say F it and eat what I want. But 3 days in, I wouldn't do that. I would also limit huge exercise days because having too much of a calorie deficit is going to be impossible to maintain, IME.

As for your high weight well you know that's water. You'll stabilize in a week or 2. Make sure you drink plenty of it and don't go too crazy with the calorie deficit. Eat more fruits and veggies to help the hunger. I know it's hard to eat a bag of carrots when you want a cheeseburger on top of a cheeseburger. But you get used to it.

I don't care what time I eat. In fact I think not eating for 12 hours a day isn't the best thing for you. But everyone has their own method. So do what works for you.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Well keep posting. It's hard to do alone and it's even hard to do with people really. I think the portion cutting will be easier than you think. At this point my 100 pound wife eats the same portions as I do at meals. I just eat more often.

Habits that have taken you years to develop will take years to un-develop. Just try attacking several things and if one sticks, that's good. Any change you make needs to be a long term thing. I know it sounds like canned advice but it really is true.
 

walter

Fourth Party
JGR, a little off but still related. Most families ask pediatricians, " how do I get my kid to eat right, how do I cut out the snacking on the junk, and them only eating crappy food?" The answer, dont have it in the house. By only stocking your fridge and pantry with healthy choices, eliminates the urges, and teaches someone to enjoy the better snacks.

Dont food shop when you are hungry, this just brings on more snacking on crap. We all know that drinking alone brings on calories, let alone the eating that occurs after a good night of drinking.

Re-evaluate your priorities, think about what is more important to you, the bag of tostitos with melted cheese, or you crushing the hill that you struggled to get up a few months ago.

We all have our own individual struggles in life, keep your mind focused and positive, and ride it out.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
Keep your head up, stay positive and keep riding!

Dont forget to treat yourself also. After a long day or tough week of riding, you are entitled to what i call "jump off the wagon." Just make sure you jump back on :p
 

rocknrollgirl

Well-Known Member
Hey JGR....

JGR,
I don't post much on this site, mostly lurk, but I wanted to respond to you plea. This past winter I really increased my training and my appetite went through the roof. I wll admit, that I do not have a problem with my weight, but I was afraid of how hungry I became. So I hired a sports nutritionist to go over what I was eating and make adjustments. I learned a thing or two, some stuff I knew, but just needed to be told.

In looking at what you posted about what you ate the other day, something jumps out right away. Lack of protein at each meal. If you eat a small amount of protein with breakfast, it will quiet your hunger longer than just the cereal alone. Eggs, or egg whites, peanut butter, turkey sausage or turkey bacon. Something. It will help.

You can shoot me a pm if you want to chat more about it.

Ruth
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
could it also be nerves about starting your new job?(you're a new teacher right? or am i waaaay off?)
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
JGR,
I don't post much on this site, mostly lurk, but I wanted to respond to you plea. This past winter I really increased my training and my appetite went through the roof. I wll admit, that I do not have a problem with my weight, but I was afraid of how hungry I became. So I hired a sports nutritionist to go over what I was eating and make adjustments. I learned a thing or two, some stuff I knew, but just needed to be told.

In looking at what you posted about what you ate the other day, something jumps out right away. Lack of protein at each meal. If you eat a small amount of protein with breakfast, it will quiet your hunger longer than just the cereal alone. Eggs, or egg whites, peanut butter, turkey sausage or turkey bacon. Something. It will help.

You can shoot me a pm if you want to chat more about it.

Ruth

Very good stuff from Ruth here. I'd hope you guys would keep a lot of stuff on the board seeing as we have a lack of wheat-to-chaff sometimes :) and of course I'm always in the game for advice as well.

It really is funny how you really do know most of it, but need to be told. Also, the protein thing is very true with me, but there's a big caveat with that in my case. Some higher protein foods seem to work better than others for me. Nuts and nut butters as well as protein powder do nothing to curb my hunger. Eggs, meats, chesses however do.

I've changed my breakfast to grain based to egg-ham/turkey-cheese on a single slice of multi-grain bread and even though I'm eating slightly more calories for breakfast, I don't get hungry for hours. I used to get hungry by the time I got to the train. It takes a while to figure out all the little details like this. I still don't have a satisfactory evening snack that keeps me satiated.
 

chemgirl

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I can totally relate to you. I spent the first 30 years of my life as a very fit healthy person....then i had three kids in 3.5 years, left my job, moved to a new place....and as a result started eating like a pig, not only eating unhealthy but eating huge portions. Last summer i was actually heavier than when i give birth.

so at the end of last summer i tried one of those diets that you order the food through the mail. the basis behind the diet was portion control (which i really needed) and eating every 2-3 hours is important. I was starving for the 1st week, but then by week two my body and appetite had completely adjusted. I only did the diet for 6 weeks, but a year later I'm still eating small healthy portions and eating frequently. It took 6 weeks to re-train my mind into eating normal amounts of food. Of course i cheat, i ate 9 oreos yesterday because i'm nervous about allamuchy, but i'll burn them in one lap, right!

wine was the one thing i wasn't willing to give up. so i had a (large) glass of wine or a heavy fulfilling beer every night with dinner. it was against the diet rules, but you can't deprive yourself of everything!

hope this helps. getting through the first week or two of cutting calories is really hard but your appetite should adjust if you can stick through it
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
I think there's a lot to be said about taking stock of the position you're at. Reading your responses I get the impression that you're a pretty fit and physically strong person. You seem to be out and about almost every day.

You seem to be extremely well read, have a deep knowledge on a lot of topics. Your posts and responses are always intellignet and well written. And you have a strong personality as I've seen response straighten a few people out on this board.

Weight, size, shape, eye colour and everything else aside, I think that's impressive.

Realising all of these pluses that you already have should/could feed your will power more to become determined to make any additional changes you're looking to do. but being such a well rounded person already do you really think its all that important?

It seems like a lot of brown nosing but I believe its true for a lot of people.

So it wasn't about diet or weight but Jake went through similar issues with his riding - wanting to become, I dunno, Super MTB'er or something. But take a step back and look at what you've already achieved - compliment yourself and enjoy where you're at. Perhaps when one looks at their next set of goals from a more positive angle then they have a better chance of achieveing them and enjoying the ride.

Ok, in my head it sounded a lot better and made more sense but hopefully I got my point across...
 
J

Jeff

Guest
Nice insight dan! Might take a bit of that into consideration myself.

Three easy suggestions.

1) Put some more fiber and protein in your diet. If you're going for lower calories (which I don't necesarilly think should be your main focus, if you're active, but that's up to you), there are only 4 calories per gram of protein and it takes longer for your body to digest (alleviating hunger for longer). A GREAT source of both fiber and protein is kashi cereal. All of their cereals taste splendid enough to eat for every meal of the day if you wanted and are extremely healthy for you. You can also get really tasty all/ whole/ 7 grain/ oat/ whatever type of bread for cheap at shop-rite or your market of choice. Just do some label comparing and you can easily find something with 90cal/slice and 2-5g of both protein and fiber.

2) Drink tons of green tea! Diet turkey hill green tea with ginseng and honey is only 80 calories per gallon. Green tea not only tastes great and serves as a diuretic, but is pumped full of good energy!

3) I'm combining these two, as they're the ones that you will most want to hear- Make sure you eat something every 2-3 hours regardless of what it is, and make sure to keep enough 'cheating' foods in your diet. Maybe just have a cheat day, like sunday? Mentally, it makes you feel like you're not on a total diet or depriving yourself. Physically, you still need a certain amount of those tastier food groups to make things gel correctly! I have found that eating an all grain bagel with veggie cream cheese every day evens me out very well without making much of a difference in my ease or difficulty of weight loss.

Anyhow, good luck with your little bit of turmoil here. From your picture, you don't look like you need to lose a drop of weight, though I know from experience that looking like you need to lose weight and feeling like it are two different demons.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
ok - random thoughts from a fatty:

- lots of water;
- avoid processed foods;
- more protein and fiber;
- find substitute/alternative junk snacks - rice cakes, "priate booty" crunchy
- snacks, pretzels, dark chocolate, rice cakes, edy's ice pops;
- graze and try not to eat after 7:00;
- escarole and canelini beans;
- this helped me, not sure if it will work for you - i took a snapshot of my daily dietary intake (junk and all), and ate that way for a 2 week period. at the end of the time, i had a stabilized weight and started to experiment with how changing amount of food and time i ate them impacted my weight gain/loss and how i felt. for "ME" this was a lot easier than trying to follow a strict diet, which i knew i would eventually give up on.
 
J

Jeff

Guest
I also found it much easier and more helpful to just watch how my own body and mind reacted to things as opposed to try to follow what the crowd says.

Meant to also touch on popcorn, too, which is a great tool for appetite suppression. I have a particular brand of popcorn called American somethingorother (and I'm sure there are many more who are just as good)- its 94% fat free, tastes good but not overwhelmingly greasy, and an entire bag has almost 0 nutritional value (as in few calories, few fat, few carbs... few anything!), yet it fills you up wonderfully. You should try that when you've got a craving!
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
hey JGR-
i meant to respond yesterday but too much going on. anyway...

before i started really riding i was just about at the point where i was ready to compete as a natural powerlifter, aka drug free. i was also 250 lbs and literally eating EVERYTHING i could get my hand on as well as two protien shakes a day. prolly in the neighborhood of, oh, i dunno, 3500 to 4000 calories? ultimately moving the kind of weight around that i was took it's toll on my joints and i decided to back it off for a bit which is when i bought the bike. that was a tick over two years ago at this point and i didn't really "dedicate" myself to riding until this past christmas when the wife got me the garmin (figured i'd better use it...). anyway, at that point i was still lifting fairly heavy and about 236. having played the weight game all my life and being a certified personal trainer for awhile, i knew what i was up against to drop the lbs: discomfort. really.

i was STARVING for almost a month. i switched to eating kashi in the am, a sandwich for lunch, a granola bar in the afternoon then about 1/2 to 1/3 of what i normally ate for dinner. i was ALWAYS hungry. the two things that i find that help at least take the sting off are: drinking lots, i mean LOTS of water...drinking water to the point of peeing about every 35 to 40 minutes; and chewing gum. chewing gum at least sorta masks the sensation of eating. sorta.

as i sit here now, i'm down 36lbs and weighed in yesterday at 200.5. the lightest i've been at least four years. to get really good at this (which, as dan alluded to, i have been trying to do...can't help it...it's who i am) i need to drop at least another 20. this will be the 20 that tests me b/c it won't be easy and i'll have to suffer all over again which i'm not looking forward to.

you're not alone in this. just take is one meal at a time (shoot for five a day, btw) and you'll get there. HTH

jake
 
J

joanqs

Guest
Eating slower is a simple, but effective way to speed your metabolism and also allows the body time to tell the brain when you have had enough food. Evidence of this working can be seen in most places in Europe, they are extremely slow eaters and spend hours eating dinner and most importantly they don't have major issues with obesity amongst other health concerns most Americans are faced with. Im not suggesting you shouldn't watch what you eat, but I guarantee eating slower will help curb your appetite and help you watch your weight.

A mantra, (buddhist based) I've used to get myself in the habit of eating slow is this.. As you are eating, think the following words very slowly: "Grab, Grab, Bite, Bite, Chew, Chew, Swallow, Swallow, Digest, Digest."

The words don't necessarily correspond with the action, they should float slowly through your brain while you eat. Try it with a piece of fruit first;something that doesn't require utensils.

IF you do this correctly, giving it sometime, you will experience eating in a way that you never have before. It is a form of meditative eating and changes the way you look and feel about the purpose of food. It has also made me a disciplined slow eater, which is also better for your body's digestive system.
 
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anrothar

entirely thrilled
Eating slower is a simple, but effective way to speed your metabolism and also allows the body time to tell the brain when you have had enough food. Evidence of this working can be seen in most places in Europe, they are extremely slow eaters and spend hours eating dinner and most importantly they don't have major issues with obesity amongst other health concerns most Americans are faced with. Im not suggesting you shouldn't watch what you eat, but I guarantee eating slower will help curb your appetite and help you watch your weight.

A mantra, (buddhist based) I've used to get myself in the habit of eating slow is this.. As you are eating, think the following words very slowly: "Grab, Grab, Bite, Bite, Chew, Chew, Swallow, Swallow, Digest, Digest."

The words don't necessarily correspond with the action, they should float slowly through your brain while you eat. Try it with a piece of fruit first;something that doesn't require utensils.

IF you do this correctly, giving it sometime, you will experience eating in a way that you never have before. It is a form of meditative eating and changes the way you look and feel about the purpose of food. It has also made me a disciplined slow eater, which is also better for your body's digestive system.

chrisg is walking proof of the eating slow method of weight maintenance. and the riding your brains out method as well, but also the eating slow method....
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I should try this slow eating approach. I usually inhale my food, which only got worse when we had a kid.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
chrisg is walking proof of the eating slow method of weight maintenance. and the riding your brains out method as well, but also the eating slow method....
Ha! I'd forgotten about that. Sean bore witness to my sloth-like eating pace following an excellent Mahlon ride he led a few months ago.:D

I do believe that it makes a difference, though it is just something I've always done naturally.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
ever since then, i've been making an effort to put my fork/spoon/finger food down between each bite and actually chew my food.
 
J

joanqs

Guest
Ha! I'd forgotten about that. Sean bore witness to my sloth-like eating pace following an excellent Mahlon ride he led a few months ago.:D

I do believe that it makes a difference, though it is just something I've always done naturally.

only problem is that when you are eating at a restaurant with a group... it's embarrassing when I am on my third bite and everyone else's plate is being cleared.
 
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