Started diet...starving!

[Tigger4066]

I'm trying to do one of those alternating diets where you eat a normal amount of calories (say 1400 or so) one day and the next you eat about 500 to 800 calories. So you're restricting calories 2 to 3 days per week. It's supposed to trick your metabolism and keep you from plateauing (sp?). I'm starving all of the time. Normal calorie days and restricted days. I survived the first week and dropped 6 pounds. I don't expect to do more than 2 from here on out but I'm having problems. What do you do to alleviate hunger when dieting?!!!

 

[huesohui]

maybe a meal replacement shake? or a protein shake?

 

[MissCassie]

Green smoothies for sure! I don't diet, never have, but I do take care of my body and watch what I eat, but when I'm in "healthy mode" I really like drinking down a smoothie full of veggies and some fruit to sweeten it up, satisfies food cravings and makes you feel amazing! One of my favorites is the "Glowing Green Smoothie" recipe, but the website blenderbabes.com has a lot of good ones too, and of course, Google will pop up with many different recipes.

Raw veggies should usually be "free" on most diets, as you can eat as many as you want, or lightly steamed with some lemon juice for flavor. Broccoli, asparagus, snow peas, and spinach are really good this way!

Alternatively, eat a tablespoon of peanut butter or extra virgin organic coconut oil.

I keep a jar of the coconut oil in my fridge and will eat a spoonful of that if I get the munchies but don't really know what else to eat.

 

[EmeraldEmmy]

I've heard of this method of eating--which we all normally do anyway, since some days we're just hungrier and more active than other days, so the logic in doing it is totally there--but I've never heard of it being like alternating between maintenance-calorie days and super-low-calorie days.

What I've seen at Sparkpeople is people who alternate between higher-calorie days, maintenance-calorie days, and lower-calorie days, so something like Monday=2000, Tuesday=1000, Wednesday=1500, etc., so that overall, it adds up to no more than 3500 calories less weekly for 1 pound of weight loss from calorie restriction alone. Eating only 500 a day is detrimental and will definitely leave you starving by the end of the day, making you very vulnerable to giving up and just binge-eating.

That said, I would say drink more water (we often confuse hunger with thirst), ask yourself if you're definitely hungry (are you so hungry that you'd eat a plain cucumber if that was all that was available, or do you really just have a craving for a fatty/sugary food?), and carry small snacks with you like an orange/banana/apple, a mozzarella stick, or a small handful of almonds or other nuts in a small ziploc bag.

 

[raceyt]

I have low cal meals with protein - I love:

-egg white omelette on dry toast with marmite
-gazpacho- amazing for filling you up! No protein but yummy
-large bowl of frozen blueberries heated in microwave with o fat yoghurt
-non ft cottage cheese spread on toast with low afar jam spread thinly on top

I also drink fruit or licorice or green tea from a 1 liter bottle..keieps you full!

 

[poppyseed]

I'm trying to do one of those alternating diets where you eat a normal amount of calories (say 1400 or so) one day and the next you eat about 500 to 800 calories. So you're restricting calories 2 to 3 days per week. It's supposed to trick your metabolism and keep you from plateauing (sp?). I'm starving all of the time. Normal calorie days and restricted days. I survived the first week and dropped 6 pounds. I don't expect to do more than 2 from here on out but I'm having problems. What do you do to alleviate hunger when dieting?!!!

I like this plan as long as you don't go overboard on your higher cal days, I'll bet it works great.

I have also been reading about carb cycling. Where you do 2 days of low carb, and then a day of regular moderate meals with carbs preferably complex carbs. The idea of tricking your metabolism to lose wt more consistently avoiding plateaus.

 

[LilyMoon]

I've just hit my 3 month mark on my weigh loss journey and have lost 34 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. I have found protein shakes to be very helpful, not only post work out... but to control appetite and hunger. Having enough protein makes a difference. Its recommend that women have a minimum of half their weight times .4 this also helps saves as your muscle from being broken down for energy. Hope this helps