[chickendrumstick]

Ladies, I need some advice.
I quit sugar about 10 weeks ago. I've done it before and am totally fine and loving life without it.
However, I do feel like since then I am always hungry! I try so hard to eat a lot of protein rich foods - I drink a lot of milk (my favourite) and tend to snack on nuts, eggs and try and include some protein in every meal. Nevertheless, I always feel hungry! If anything, I feel like I eat more when I'm sugarfree than I did before.
A typical day for me is:
Breakfast - 600mls milk, a piece of multigrain toast with bacon and avocado
Snack - handful of cashews
Lunch - burrito wrap with brown rice, slow cooked beef and salad
Snack - handful of pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Dinner - tonight was a 6 egg omelet with ham, mushrooms,cheese and capsicum

And now its 11pm and I'm starving! I often find myself having a large glass of milk before bed.

I haven't lost any weight since quitting sugar but that wasn't my intention, I did it to have more energy and for mental health reasons. It has had mental health benefits but I haven't seen a huge improvement in the energy levels that I expected.

What am I doing wrong? Any thoughts? TIA.

ETA I am quite active during the day - on my feet all day working retail and cycle 15mins either way to and from work.

This post has been edited by chickendrumstick: 07/11/2012, 10:14 PM

[*~*Kitty*~*]

I don't think you're eating enough and if you drink a "lot" of milk that won't be helping either.

[opethmum]

You need more vegetables in your diet, steam some and add for dinner and perhaps have an extra piece of toast in the morning. Also add some fruit in your diet too, maybe an apple for morning tea, bananas also help in filling you so maybe have that in the afternoon.

[Soprano-Cat]

I would say your snacks are too light on in terms of nutrients/bulk. Also, are you sure you're not actually thirsty, rather than hungry?

[theb3an]

you do not have enough healthy fats or protein in your diet. you are also eating too little.

weight loss isn't about eating less, it's about eating RIGHT - the right amount of calories per day for your weight, age, height and current exercise level.

go here to figure out the number of calories your body per day: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

make sure you read each word and click on all the links (there are about 2 or 3 links).

when you figure out your caloric target for weight loss, try and stick to that by using myfitnesspal or sparkpeople to track what you eat.

take note that if you constantly undereat, your body will actually NOT lose any weight as your body will think it's starving so it'll hold on to everything you eat. you must eat properly and the right amount of calories to see results (coupled with exercise).

[SplashingRainbow...]

I disagree you're not eating enough protein - I think you're not eating enough carbs (including vegetables).

I'd also be cutting right back on the milk.

[siemp]

Are you drinking water?

You definitely need more fruit and veg in your diet as well.

[Rosepickles]

I would be starving if i ate that too. Get some vege sticks to munch on through the day which will help up your bulk. What about some natural yogurt for a snack with your nuts or you could have it for dessert. I find it feels more like eating than just a glass of milk and makes me feel more satisfied. I agree to check out how many calories you should be eating and measure what you eat for a week. I actually found that i ate 200 calories a day over what was recommended as i was starving and still lost weight, so listen to your body as well as what is advised.

[Guest_~Songbird~_*]

Eat MORE protein. Eat it as the main for breakfast, lunch and dinner - not as an added extra.

So for breakfast it could be 1 chicken breast with tomatoes and mushrooms, lunch could be tuna and salad, dinner could be beef and salad. Cut down on the starchy carbs as well your body converts those to sugar too and wheat stimulates your appetite just like sugar does, which is why it's added to almost everything as well. Make sure you consume 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day for good health and proper brain functioning - the brain is 60-70% fat and it NEEDS good fat to work properly longterm.

This post has been edited by ~Songbird~: 22/11/2012, 06:02 AM

[carls888]

Milk is also very high in sugar- as in it changes to sugar quickly in the body, so maybe you are craving it to replace sugar.

I would try and swap the milk with a different food or water/ homemade iced tea.

I have been making a lemongrass iced tea that we drank in Thailand that is awesome. Just chopped up lemongrass leaves steeped in hot water and chilled. YUM.

You can drink it with ice, or sometimes I put dried hibiscus flowers in too as it adds a natural sweetener to it.