Dieting - Is this normal?

[C-Mart]

So as you can probably tell by the thread title, I've started a diet. I've never dieted before. My wife and I are doing it together, but I don't want to bring my problems to her because then she'll think I'm just complaining and will give up.

Basically we are limiting calorie intake to about 1800-2000 calories a day. I haven't checked to see what is ideal for me (I am 5'10", about 220lbs, and 32 years old). We have a 400 calorie breakfast, 400 calorie lunch, 400-600 calorie dinner, and 5-100 calorie "snacks" throughout the day.

We started the diet yesterday morning. After breakfast I was fine, but by 10am when I had my first snack I have been hungry and it has not abated. I realize that this is probably a normal effect of eating below the optimum calorie intake, but I wanted to be sure. I have also cut out soda completely so the withdrawls from that could be a factor as well.

At least we aren't doing the diet she was on before which didn't allow ANY sugar or carbs. (It was not Atkins, but I can't remember what it was called). I just can't eat anything with any form of artificial sweetener. The aftertaste gets me every time.

[dick_grayson]

eating like that throughout the day (grazing) is boosting your metabolism way up. I think the hunger is natural since your body is telling you it needs energy to burn. instead of food, it will start to use the storage fat. I don't know if the hunger feeling will subside or not, though. Also, I'm not a dietitian or anything, so I would take this with a grain of kosher or sea salt.

[dvd-4-life]

1800-2000 calories a day seems like alot. If you can get by on 1200 calories -try it.

[D.Pham00]

personally, i would take it one step at a time, just stop sodas first, and eat normally for a while, then slowly reduce your food intake. meaning, if you normally eat 3000 calories, don't all of a sudden drop to 2000 calories, you're gonna starve yourself, and get cravings, which leads to snacking. i know a woman who does this all the time. she's been on a "diet" for years, yet hasn't really lost any weight. that aside, even if you don't snack right away, once you lose the weight, you'll be craving food, and will probably put on a bit of weight after the diet.

i dunno what 100-cal snacks you're eating, but if they're cookies or chips, then while it's a start, it's not really the best thing to eat. get healthy stuff, like apples, oranges, or my favorite, .

one important thing that i'd strongly recommend is to exercise. if you don't exercise at all right now, start out slow. some people get anxious and go from no exercise to a lot of exercise and get tired of it quick.


btw, you can read about my weight loss story here.
So, wanted to share my weight loss story


Good Luck!

[Minor Threat]

It's mental - it goes away in time.....

[Septemberbaby]

Make sure you're drinking water... and if you're not used to drinking the recommended 8 glasses a day... I suggest you don't go full force.. ease into it.
Water is a good belly filler. Grab some of those carrot sticks at the grocer, or make or own.. beware: carrot do have sugar in them so don't over do them Celery sticks are also a great snack..
WW encourages lots of 'free' veggies.. I think carrots are now equal to one point.. but they used to be free.. my theory on this is, you're not on a weight loss plan because you've eaten too many carrots.. so I would eat the carrots.
Same with Tomatoes.. are they a veggie or are they a fruit? Again.. we're not on weight loss plans because we've eaten too many tomatoes.

[D.Pham00]

ahh...yes, water is good too, i usually drink about 1-1.5 gallons a day (yes, this is a lot, most prob could not do this).

with regards to celery or carrot sticks, sure they're healthy, but i can't honestly eat them by itself. and eating them with ranch defeats the purpose. but if you can do it, then more power to you.

[SFranke]

Originally Posted by dvd-4-life

1800-2000 calories a day seems like alot. If you can get by on 1200 calories -try it.

Horrible advice for a 220 lb man.

To OP, drink coffee to help with withdrawals and hunger. I agree with D.Pham: if you're not doing any exercise, don't bother dieting.

[Septemberbaby]

Originally Posted by D.Pham00

ahh...yes, water is good too, i usually drink about 1-1.5 gallons a day (yes, this is a lot, most prob could not do this).

with regards to celery or carrot sticks, sure they're healthy, but i can't honestly eat them by itself. and eating them with ranch defeats the purpose. but if you can do it, then more power to you.

Yikes, that is a LOT of water! Be careful.. I was always told too much water can flush out vitamins and nutrients.

Instead of ranch dressing.. try yogurt.

[dick_grayson]

Originally Posted by Septemberbaby

Yikes, that is a LOT of water! Be careful.. I was always told too much water can flush out vitamins and nutrients.

Instead of ranch dressing.. try yogurt.

yeah, it can also kill you. someone I worked with had surgery and the doctor told them to drink a lot of water to flush out the anestesia. the guy downed a gallon of water and almost slipped into a coma (I think because he thinned his blood so much).

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by Septemberbaby

Yikes, that is a LOT of water! Be careful.. I was always told too much water can flush out vitamins and nutrients.

Instead of ranch dressing.. try yogurt.

yogurt isn't too bad if you get plain or low calorie one.

i do take vitamins every day, to compensate for whatever minerals are loss.

[FantasticVSDoom]

Yeah, your body is adjusting to eating normally... Its similar to detoxing (but dont do that BS detox diet shit). It gets better day by day and you will get used to it. Whats funny is wait until you have had a few weeks to months doing well, and you have your first bad day. Then come back and tell us how that feels and you will wonder how you ever ate poorly to begin with.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by dick_grayson

yeah, it can also kill you. someone I worked with had surgery and the doctor told them to drink a lot of water to flush out the anestesia. the guy downed a gallon of water and almost slipped into a coma (I think because he thinned his blood so much).

one gallon at one time, maybe, but two cups an hour, every hour won't cause you to go into a coma. the key is to spread it out, don't drink all the water in one sitting.

[Septemberbaby]

Originally Posted by dick_grayson

yeah, it can also kill you. someone I worked with had surgery and the doctor told them to drink a lot of water to flush out the anestesia. the guy downed a gallon of water and almost slipped into a coma (I think because he thinned his blood so much).

You shouldn't drink an excessive amount of water in one sitting..
I'm thinking that D.Pham drinks that amount over the course of the day.. it's still a lot.
But, you're right....you should NEVER drink that much in a very short period of time because it can kill you.

ETA: D.Pham beat me to it.

[dick_grayson]

Originally Posted by D.Pham00

one gallon at one time, maybe, but two cups an hour, every hour won't cause you to go into a coma. the key is to spread it out, don't drink all the water in one sitting.

yeah, I know. this guy wasn't so sharp. I tend to drink about 2 liters of water a day.

[C-Mart]

We have a mix of stuff to eat for snacks; chips, peanuts, newton fruit crisps, yogurt, chocolate, etc... We are going to ease fruit into the mix slowly as well... not because we don't like it, but because neither of us has ever been in the habit of eating fruit. We'll buy 2 or 3 pieces of fruit, eat one and the rest go bad.

I've been drinking water, and once I find a good iced tea that I like I am going to be drinking tea as well (no calories and has at least a bit of caffine in it )

WebMD says if I want to lose 1lb a week I should have 1848 calories per day. If I want to lose 2lb a week, then 1348 calories per day. My healthy body weight range is 129 to 174 lbs.

So that means I need to lose about 50-75lbs. Obviously the 2lb per week regiment would be best, but I definately need to ease into this, so we'll see how this goes for a couple of weeks and if it gets easier then I can cut even more calories and bump it up a notch.

I used to snack all day long - mostly on sunflower seeds, but there was plenty of chips, candy, etc... in there as well. That habit is going to be hard to break.

Lets see... excercise. We are going to walk at least on the weekends, and hopefully in the evenings as well. Its really cold at night right now, so that isn't the easiest thing since I don't even get home until 7pm usually. Mornings aren't much better as we're out of the house by 6-6:30 usually and there's no way I'm getting up at 4 to go walking.

[AGuyNamedMike]

Originally Posted by SFranke

I agree with D.Pham: if you're not doing any exercise, don't bother dieting.

Concur.

It doesn't have to be much, just find what you're comfortable with. I'm not into an hour a day at the gym, so instead I walk to work. Rain or shine, 70 degrees or -44 (like this morning) I put what I need for the day into my ruck and hit the road. Between the mile-and-a-half commute and walking to lunch, errands, etc, I'm walking 5 miles or more per day, not counting the regular walking we all do in our workplaces. By carrying a modest amount of stuff in my ruck (usually 10-15 pounds) I am amplifying the benefits without straining myself. Explore different activities and you'll eventually find one or two that are right for you.

[dvd-4-life]

Originally Posted by SFranke

Horrible advice for a 220 lb man.

To OP, drink coffee to help with withdrawals and hunger. I agree with D.Pham: if you're not doing any exercise, don't bother dieting.

I'm 5ft 11in and almost 220 and if I had about 2000 calories a day I would never lose weight. I lost 40 lbs(240 down to about 200) sticking to 1200 calories a day so it can be done.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by dick_grayson

yeah, I know. this guy wasn't so sharp. I tend to drink about 2 liters of water a day.

two liters is plenty for anyone. i just like to drink water because it keeps me awake, plus it makes me get up from my chair so i don't stare at the computer too long.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by C-Mart

I've been drinking water, and once I find a good iced tea that I like I am going to be drinking tea as well (no calories and has at least a bit of caffine in it )

WebMD says if I want to lose 1lb a week I should have 1848 calories per day. If I want to lose 2lb a week, then 1348 calories per day. My healthy body weight range is 129 to 174 lbs.

So that means I need to lose about 50-75lbs. Obviously the 2lb per week regiment would be best, but I definately need to ease into this, so we'll see how this goes for a couple of weeks and if it gets easier then I can cut even more calories and bump it up a notch.

I used to snack all day long - mostly on sunflower seeds, but there was plenty of chips, candy, etc... in there as well. That habit is going to be hard to break.

Lets see... excercise. We are going to walk at least on the weekends, and hopefully in the evenings as well. Its really cold at night right now, so that isn't the easiest thing since I don't even get home until 7pm usually. Mornings aren't much better as we're out of the house by 6-6:30 usually and there's no way I'm getting up at 4 to go walking.

ice tea is fine if it's unsweetened. even artificial sweeteners aren't good, though you don't like them anyways, so not really a problem.

your plan to ease into it is the way to go. if you're eating 3000 calories, don't go down to 1400 calories right away, that's not a good idea.

with regard to snacking, i love to snack too. what i do is i don't keep anything you enjoy eating within easy reach. lock it in a cabinet or whatever. it'll dissuade you from eating them.

i've found a treadmill to work good for me. i run on it for 40 minutes 3-5 times a week and watch tv at the same time. i started out at maybe 20 minutes or so.

i don't know how cold it is where you are, but in the early mornings it's in the high 30s-40s lately, and i still do a brisk walk everyday from the train to work, prob about 2/3 mile.

but these may not be for you. you need to find what you like to do, and it needs to be at least a few times a week to be effective. just on the weekends is not enough.

[al_bundy]

you are some crazy people living in the USA and going hungry on purpose

[D.Pham00]

btw, if you're 220 now, and you lose 75, you'd be at 145. i'm about 5'10" as well, prob 155lb now, and i don't really want to lose any more weight. even "small" clothes on me are looking a little loose on me. 32" pants are a little loose on me.

[Dr Mabuse]

When the stomach shrinks, from less food intake, it triggers a hunger response.

This happens at the beginning of a diet and it's normal.

The stomach can stretched to a huge size, it's normally the size of a fist, but even if it's the size of a football in a large person, when it begins to shrink it triggers the hunger response.

[C-Mart]

I kind of wish the commute option was there - that I could walk to work or walk to/from a train. I do commute - which drastically reduces my time morning and night - and unfortunately neither my home nor my office are located anywhere near a train. Believe me, the 100miles a day on my car and on my gas tank would greatly benefit if they were.

We do have to find a good time to walk, and if not, then a treadmill may be the way to go. My in-laws have a really nice one that is collecting dust. It does variable speed and incline.

Oh! And thanks to everyone for confirming that being hungry like this at the beginning of a diet is a good thing.

[D.Pham00]

Originally Posted by C-Mart

I kind of wish the commute option was there - that I could walk to work or walk to/from a train. I do commute - which drastically reduces my time morning and night - and unfortunately neither my home nor my office are located anywhere near a train. Believe me, the 100miles a day on my car and on my gas tank would greatly benefit if they were.

We do have to find a good time to walk, and if not, then a treadmill may be the way to go. My in-laws have a really nice one that is collecting dust. It does variable speed and incline.

Oh! And thanks to everyone for confirming that being hungry like this at the beginning of a diet is a good thing.

damn...that blows...i used to have a 25 mile commute, and it took me 75-90 minutes to drive home, due to traffic, so i feel your pain.

it's a good idea to borrow one because a lot of people buy treadmills and other exercise machines, and it ends up collecting dust after a short while.