not hungry - advice?

[ceekaye]

Hi,

I would like some advice from the forum on my MWL program.

For the first month i limited starches to 1/3 of my daily calories; i found myself feeling tired, and so i increased my starch intake.

Since the starch adjustment, my weight has remained the same, and i'm not feeling much hunger. (I'm 5'6" and weigh 172 - I still need to loose 30 or more pounds of fat).

For example, breakfast is always 2 cups of oatmeal and a cup of frozen berries. After that i don't seem to get hungry - even up to 6 hours later. When i do eventually eat again, i make sure i don't stuff myself. I am lucky to get in 3 meals per day.

Might i be inadvertently impeding my fat loss by not eating at least 3 meals per day?

Christina~

[Katydid]

Two cups of oats (dry) and a cup of berries will set you back about 700 calories. That's fine, if that's what it takes for you to be satisfied. But depending on your level of exercise, that may be half of the calories you need to consume during the day to lose weight. So if you aren't hungry and don't want to eat - don't. There is no requirement to eat three times a day. You could eat dinner at 5 o'clock or so and have a couple of big baking potatoes, a green vegetable or salad and another piece of fruit and you would end up around 1400 calories for the day - which is a reasonable amount of calories for a moderate 1-2 pounds of weight loss a week. Just eat how it feels natural to you, not to any given schedule.

Kate

[ceekaye]

Thanks Kate. That makes me feel a bit better about how i'm eating.

I may try going back to 70/30 eating (veggies/starch). And I can hop on the treadmill in the evenings (probably need to do that every day since i'm a woman who needs to burn off plenty of unwanted fat...)

I'm not doing any exercise outside of normal activities like housework, up & down the stairs often, going to the store etc.

May i ask, how much starch did you find yourself eating on a typical day when you were losing weight?

[Katydid]

The diet I used to lose weight isn't much different from the diet I use to keep the weight I lost off. For breakfast I would have 1/2 cup of rolled oats or 1/4 cup steel-cut oats (before cooking) with 1/2 cup of blueberries and a tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Lunch was an appetizer of cut up raw veggies with 1/4 cup of homemade fat-free hummus followed by a 12 - 16 oz. bag of frozen vegetables microwaved and topped with some nutritional yeast. Then I would have as a separate dish a baked potato topped with leftover chili or pea soup (I used a lot of McDougall soup cuts back in the day ), or a sweet potato microwaved with a cut up piece of fruit. Dinner was a salad topped with fat-free dressing, followed by a stir-fry with another 12 - 16 oz. bag of veggies and a cup of cooked brown rice or quinoa and some sort of topping like soy sauce, hot sauce or salsa. This follows Dr. McDougall's weight-loss "staging" protocol of eating raw vegetables, then cooked vegetables and then a starch-based dish. You can also use an image like Jeff's Healthy Eating Placemat as a guideline:
http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Q_%26_As/E ... ating.html
A salad followed by half a plate of cooked vegetables, half a plate of starch/legumes and a piece of fruit. Simple.
As for exercise, as I got within 20 pounds of my final goal weight, I also upped my exercise by taking up a Couch-to-5K running program. I can't run anymore due to some injuries, so now I wear a weighed vest when walking if I feel the need to increase caloric burn.
Kate

[ceekaye]

weight-loss "staging" protocol? wow, i guess i need to find out more about that...!

I tried doing just the 1/4 cup of steel cut oats, (or 1/2 cup rolled oats) but i found myself hungry 20 minutes later...so i doubled the amount.

As long as i feel that i am eating enough to feel satisfied, right?

I will definitely review my meal plan and let you know how i do in the next few weeks.
Thanks for your help!

[frozenveg]

weight-loss "staging" protocol? wow, i guess i need to find out more about that...!

I tried doing just the 1/4 cup of steel cut oats, (or 1/2 cup rolled oats) but i found myself hungry 20 minutes later...so i doubled the amount.

As long as i feel that i am eating enough to feel satisfied, right?

I will definitely review my meal plan and let you know how i do in the next few weeks.
Thanks for your help!

Ceekaye, I'm like you when it comes to my morning oatmeal! My weight-loss really sped up when I realized that I wasn't limited to the "serving," so while I was losing, I was eating one cup dry oatmeal, cooked with 2 cups water. When I achieve my goal, I tapered off to 3/4 cup in the morning. I rarely eat only 1/2 cup of oatmeal for breakfast, and that lasts me then till 1230 to 130 before I am hungry for lunch.

[Lesliec1]

If in doubt, review the principles of the MWL program. Just remember that the plan includes LIMITED fruit and that non-starchy veg should be half of what you eat. Plus eat some raw veg.

I found that my hunger levels changed at times. I was hungry at first, then not hungry at all, then later I could eat more. So it's important to always keep the core principles in mind to insure weight loss no matter where your hunger is.

We always encourage people to post their menus if they feel like it because it's easy to miss a detail or two.

[ceekaye]

Thanks ladies

So let's see if i lose some weight in the next 7-10 days.

If i don't then i will post my menu plan. Fingers crossed!

[ceekaye]

The diet I used to lose weight isn't much different from the diet I use to keep the weight I lost off. For breakfast I would have 1/2 cup of rolled oats or 1/4 cup steel-cut oats (before cooking) with 1/2 cup of blueberries and a tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Lunch was an appetizer of cut up raw veggies with 1/4 cup of homemade fat-free hummus followed by a 12 - 16 oz. bag of frozen vegetables microwaved and topped with some nutritional yeast. Then I would have as a separate dish a baked potato topped with leftover chili or pea soup (I used a lot of McDougall soup cuts back in the day ), or a sweet potato microwaved with a cut up piece of fruit. Dinner was a salad topped with fat-free dressing, followed by a stir-fry with another 12 - 16 oz. bag of veggies and a cup of cooked brown rice or quinoa and some sort of topping like soy sauce, hot sauce or salsa. This follows Dr. McDougall's weight-loss "staging" protocol of eating raw vegetables, then cooked vegetables and then a starch-based dish. You can also use an image like Jeff's Healthy Eating Placemat as a guideline:
http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Q_%26_As/E ... ating.html
A salad followed by half a plate of cooked vegetables, half a plate of starch/legumes and a piece of fruit. Simple.
As for exercise, as I got within 20 pounds of my final goal weight, I also upped my exercise by taking up a Couch-to-5K running program. I can't run anymore due to some injuries, so now I wear a weighed vest when walking if I feel the need to increase caloric burn.
Kate

Hi there...

Well a week later and i have not lost any more weight. As a matter of fact, it looks like i added a pound.

Rather than post my food from last week i will start from yesterday and move forward. As of Saturday i started walking on the treadmill (initially walking for 20 minutes - working my way up to an hour every day.) PLUS i will start my floor exercises: as in push-ups, squats, crunches, jumping jacks, etc.(need to carve out some exercise space and a mat first). I also have a rebounder ~aka mini-trampoline ~ oh that can be fun. Gonna use it with my speakers and some music.
Hah - my daughter and i are gonna start the wii and do some Just Dance and wii FIT, Sports

And now i would like to report my eating this week; if something looks like it should be adjusted kindly let me know...

My food Sunday(November 8th):

Breakfast: 1/4 c steel cut oats/bulgar wheat mix
1 cup of berries

Lunch: 8 oz. mixed green salad
4 oz sweet potato (non-organic peel not eaten)
1/2 cup black beans
8 oz. steamed broccoli

Dinner: 1 12 oz eggplant
1 cup chopped peppers
1 small onion
2 cups chopped tomatoes (from fresh)

Total of 1124 calories

Monday November 9th:

Breakfast: 1/4 c steel cut oats/bulgar wheat mix
1 cup of berries

Lunch: 4 oz. mixed green salad
6 oz roma tomatoes
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 cup yellow corn
1/4 cup mild salsa
2 Tbsp Red Star nutritional yeast flakes
3 oz organic celery
6 oz organic cucumber (with peel)

Dinner: 4 oz. mixed greens salad
2 Tbsp Red Star nutritional yeast flakes
1 small onion
8 oz red potatoes (peel eaten)
8 oz. steamed broccoli
2 Tbsp oil-free italian dressing (McDougall recipe - cornstarch-based, low sodium)

Total 1092 calories
(so far) I'm not sure what else to eat tonite...i will see if i am still hungry after the dinner (it's before dinnertime)

What do you think? Is it just the exercise, or do i need to adjust my food?

[frozenveg]

The thing that is jumping out at me is how little food that is! I would be starving on that amount of food, and I don't exercise nearly as much. I eat a breakfast about 3 times that size. It really looks to me as if you need more starch than you are getting. I can't imagine how you are not losing on that amount of food. The first day's dinner has no starch in it at all, and neither does the second day's lunch.

I wish I could be more helpful, but those look like "diet" menus, rather than eating according to MWL guidelines. How did you do this week? How did you feel? Hungry, or satisfied? Let us know how you are doing!!

[ceekaye]

Cloudy, I don't know what to think anymore. The universe knows how i have been working out and eating the right kind of foods.

This evening i came across an interview with Dr. Michael Klaper, who suggests that intermittent fasting might be a good idea for someone like me who can't seem to get the weight loss going.
Here is a link to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWMFqelfzMk

At about the 40-minute mark Dr. Klaper discusses a strategy for people like me to try: Intermittent fasting.
He says that at night the body burns a 50/50 mixture of glycogen and stored fat. Eating at 7 am brings the fat burning to a halt...so wait until after 11 am before eating. Ideally eat between 12 pm and 6 pm; eat SOS-free low calorie dense whole foods and no CRAP. At 6 pm be done with eating. The body will burn the dinner carbs for a good 4 hours; and by 10 pm the body goes back into it's glyco/fat burning mode. Having a good 12-14 hours of fat burning at night maximizes the weight loss. He says [twice] "you can't hold weight on that regimen".

On the heels of that interview is this one:
http://www.enduranceplanet.com/ray-cronise-on-weight-loss-his-metabolic-winter-hypothesis-and-solving-obesity/

I think i may try this strategy and see how it goes. Maybe it's gonna work.

[frozenveg]

Cloudy, I don't know what to think anymore. The universe knows how i have been working out and eating the right kind of foods.

This evening i came across an interview with Dr. Michael Klaper, who suggests that intermittent fasting might be a good idea for someone like me who can't seem to get the weight loss going.
Here is a link to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWMFqelfzMk

At about the 40-minute mark Dr. Klaper discusses a strategy for people like me to try: Intermittent fasting.
He says that at night the body burns a 50/50 mixture of glycogen and stored fat. Eating at 7 am brings the fat burning to a halt...so wait until after 11 am before eating. Ideally eat between 12 pm and 6 pm; eat SOS-free low calorie dense whole foods and no CRAP. At 6 pm be done with eating. The body will burn the dinner carbs for a good 4 hours; and by 10 pm the body goes back into it's glyco/fat burning mode. Having a good 12-14 hours of fat burning at night maximizes the weight loss. He says [twice] "you can't hold weight on that regimen".

On the heels of that interview is this one:
http://www.enduranceplanet.com/ray-cronise-on-weight-loss-his-metabolic-winter-hypothesis-and-solving-obesity/

I think i may try this strategy and see how it goes. Maybe it's gonna work.

Wow, fascinating! I listened to just the 5 -7 minutes of Dr. Klaper's talk , and that is super-interesting. If you can pull it off, let us know how it works! I'd like to try it (I do want to shed about 8 pounds and they won't go), but it wouldn't fit at all in to the life I'm living now, as noon to 6 is the busiest time of my work day. I finish work at 5 or 6 and then have an hour or more drive home, so every day would be a 1-meal day for me. But it sounds like it would work well for someone with a different schedule (like my husband & I when we're finally retired...sigh).

Thanks for the links to those talks! And keep us posted. It sounds as if it will work for you!

[ceekaye]

we'll see. Started today. I hope it does work! i'll report back in a week or so.

[ceekaye]

Cloudy, I don't know what to think anymore. The universe knows how i have been working out and eating the right kind of foods.

This evening i came across an interview with Dr. Michael Klaper, who suggests that intermittent fasting might be a good idea for someone like me who can't seem to get the weight loss going.
Here is a link to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWMFqelfzMk

At about the 40-minute mark Dr. Klaper discusses a strategy for people like me to try: Intermittent fasting.
He says that at night the body burns a 50/50 mixture of glycogen and stored fat. Eating at 7 am brings the fat burning to a halt...so wait until after 11 am before eating. Ideally eat between 12 pm and 6 pm; eat SOS-free low calorie dense whole foods and no CRAP. At 6 pm be done with eating. The body will burn the dinner carbs for a good 4 hours; and by 10 pm the body goes back into it's glyco/fat burning mode. Having a good 12-14 hours of fat burning at night maximizes the weight loss. He says [twice] "you can't hold weight on that regimen".

On the heels of that interview is this one:
http://www.enduranceplanet.com/ray-cronise-on-weight-loss-his-metabolic-winter-hypothesis-and-solving-obesity/

I think i may try this strategy and see how it goes. Maybe it's gonna work.

Wow, fascinating! I listened to just the 5 -7 minutes of Dr. Klaper's talk , and that is super-interesting. If you can pull it off, let us know how it works! I'd like to try it (I do want to shed about 8 pounds and they won't go), but it wouldn't fit at all in to the life I'm living now, as noon to 6 is the busiest time of my work day. I finish work at 5 or 6 and then have an hour or more drive home, so every day would be a 1-meal day for me. But it sounds like it would work well for someone with a different schedule (like my husband & I when we're finally retired...sigh).

Thanks for the links to those talks! And keep us posted. It sounds as if it will work for you!

I know its only been 4 days but guess what: I've lost 2 pounds! Two of them!! I'm very excited.

Since October 31st my weight has stayed right around 170; oh and this morning i was at 167.

I am just going to keep it up the way i have these last 2 days:

Eat between 12 and 6 pm.(it's one or two meals in a 6 hour window)
Drink ice water before 12 pm. (so far its only been 1-1/2 liters/day)
Keep my body in a cool temperature environment.(tank top and shorts, push off the covers in bed)
I've taken one hot/cold shower. (i may make it a habit until i reach my goal weight)
Limit my starches to beans and legumes for now. (not gonna try to fix it if it's finally not broke)

[frozenveg]

That's fantastic! 2 pounds! I hope it keeps working for you in the longer run!

It was ten below all week longer here, and the thought of ice water and tank tops just makes me ache thinking about it! But in a warmer climate, I can see that it might be beneficial.

Keep us posted!