Help with maintainence

Hello,

Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with maintaining the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at 350lbs. By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number till
about March and then the trouble started.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. I am eating healthy (lean
turkey, tuna, chicken etc) just too much of it. To compensate for the
intake, I have bumped up my workouts at the gym and focusing heavily on
cardio. I usually do 6.5 miles on the elliptical 6 times a week and in
addition I now run 7 miles 2-3 times a week on the treadmill. Weight has
jumped to 178lbs-180lbs and I have a bad feeling this is a slide towards my
old form again. I did have my bodyfat tested and it came at 10.6%

I'm desparate for any tips, tricks, suggestions, support you guys can
provide that might help me with the eating issue. Thanks.

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message
news:zmYIc.9258$ek5.3175@pd7tw2no...
Hello,

Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with maintaining
the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at 350lbs.
By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number till
about March and then the trouble started.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average
caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get
hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for
cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. I am eating healthy (lean
turkey, tuna, chicken etc) just too much of it. To compensate for the
intake, I have bumped up my workouts at the gym and focusing heavily on
cardio. I usually do 6.5 miles on the elliptical 6 times a week and in
addition I now run 7 miles 2-3 times a week on the treadmill. Weight has
jumped to 178lbs-180lbs and I have a bad feeling this is a slide towards
my
old form again. I did have my bodyfat tested and it came at 10.6%

I'm desparate for any tips, tricks, suggestions, support you guys can
provide that might help me with the eating issue. Thanks.


How many times a day do you eat? One of the things that's helped me with
hunger is to eat 5 or 6 times a day, small meals each time. Each meal has
protein and quality carbs (no white flour, sugar, pasta, etc), I include
vegetables in a few of them meals, and most meals have some fat. Some
people have found that higher fat helps them feel full longer, I personally
can't tolerate a lot of fat because I have no gall bladder. The only
cereals I eat are ones that are high in fiber (Fiber One is my favorite) but
I always measure it out to make sure I don't eat too much of it.

Drinking a lot of water helps too. YMMV of course.

Congrats on the loss and I hope you are able to find something that works
for you!

Jenn

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message
news:zmYIc.9258$ek5.3175@pd7tw2no...
Hello,

Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with maintaining
the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at 350lbs.
By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number till
about March and then the trouble started.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average
caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get
hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for
cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. [snip]

This happens to me too. Cereal is a real weak spot. When I find I'm
craving and eating too much cereal - I make a clean sweep and throw it all
out. If it's not in the house, I can't/won't eat it. When the craving
hits - drink a tall glass of water and try to eat *some* protein (cheese or
nuts work for me, but I have to be careful not to overindulge in the nuts)
and then get busy doing something. Good luck!
Teri

I try to eat four meals a day but in all honesty, my biggest meal of the day
ends up being at night. As much as I try, things get so busy here at work
that sometimes I just can't eat. I eat a roughly 300 calorie breakfast
consisting of tuna and a piece of fruit. The thing that screws me up is the
cereal cravings, once I start I polish off a whole box in one sitting. Then
the guilt hits, then I go running to work it off. I guess I will have to
follow the advice of a previous poster and just ban the stuff from my house.
(My roommates will not be happy)
"Ignoramus7328" wrote in message
...
In article zmYIc.9258$ek5.3175@pd7tw2no, Shawn Manning wrote:
Hello,
Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always
turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with maintaining
the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at 350lbs.
By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number till
about March and then the trouble started.

Very impressive, and shows that you have some willpower towards
achieving your goals.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average
caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get
hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for
cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. I am eating healthy (lean
turkey, tuna, chicken etc) just too much of it. To compensate for the
intake, I have bumped up my workouts at the gym and focusing heavily on
cardio. I usually do 6.5 miles on the elliptical 6 times a week and in
addition I now run 7 miles 2-3 times a week on the treadmill. Weight has
jumped to 178lbs-180lbs and I have a bad feeling this is a slide towards
my
old form again. I did have my bodyfat tested and it came at 10.6%

You are very slim at this body fat level.

I'm desparate for any tips, tricks, suggestions, support you guys can
provide that might help me with the eating issue. Thanks.

I think that it is a good time to speak to a professional who actually
has some credentials in this specific area. I don't think that many
people in this newsgroup are at 10% BF and so there are not many
people who can relate to your experience at such low bodyfat. (it is
low for a person who started out at 350 lbs).

There could be a few factors and not just one.

My feeling is that you basically overshot your dieting and lost too
much weight. Perhaps, a valid strategy could be to gain some weight,
and also do heavy weightlifting so that the gains are mostly muscle
gains, so that you look good and can eat carbs better.

How are you eating? What is your typical day of eating? Could your
overeating be due to either unbalanced eating (lack of amino acids or
essential fats), or due to blood sugar control issues? (like, getting
hungry 2 hours after eating cake). What's your own thinking?

You previously were eating lots of sushi, pasta etc, perhaps it is
time to ditch that. Seriously. Easier to live without suchi and pasta,
than agonize about weight regain, cravings, etc etc.

It is next to impossible to balance so much eating with exercise...

Try brainstorming publicly a little bit, throw in some ideas.

Are the cravings constant during the day or not, do they follow any
meals. Do you have any known health problems, do you know if you have
insulin resistance, are you excluding any major foods, do you eat
breakfast, etc.

Maybe a combination of a few changes, and a small regain, could help
you stabilize.

I am also hungry much of the time, but not to the point of bring
desperate like you, so even though I sympathize, I have not yet been
in your shoes. My long term goal is to have 12% bodyfat, not 10.

Good luck, if you approach this realistically, inteligently and with
an open mind, you can solve your problem and redefine it.
i

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message
news:uDZIc.8358$Mr4.3143@pd7tw1no...
I try to eat four meals a day but in all honesty, my biggest meal of the
day
ends up being at night. As much as I try, things get so busy here at work
that sometimes I just can't eat. I eat a roughly 300 calorie breakfast
consisting of tuna and a piece of fruit. The thing that screws me up is
the
cereal cravings, once I start I polish off a whole box in one sitting.
Then
the guilt hits, then I go running to work it off. I guess I will have to
follow the advice of a previous poster and just ban the stuff from my
house.
(My roommates will not be happy)

Are they happy with you eating all of the cereal?

I used to have a roommate long ago who liked a particular type of chips that
I could easily polish off in one sitting so she kept them in her room. It
helped both of us.

Jenn

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message
news:uDZIc.8358$Mr4.3143@pd7tw1no...
I try to eat four meals a day but in all honesty, my biggest meal of the
day
ends up being at night. As much as I try, things get so busy here at work
that sometimes I just can't eat. I eat a roughly 300 calorie breakfast
consisting of tuna and a piece of fruit. The thing that screws me up is
the
cereal cravings, once I start I polish off a whole box in one sitting.
Then
the guilt hits, then I go running to work it off. I guess I will have to
follow the advice of a previous poster and just ban the stuff from my
house.
(My roommates will not be happy)
"Ignoramus7328" wrote in message
...
In article zmYIc.9258$ek5.3175@pd7tw2no, Shawn Manning wrote:
Hello,
Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always
turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost
the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with
maintaining
the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at
350lbs.
By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number
till
about March and then the trouble started.

Very impressive, and shows that you have some willpower towards
achieving your goals.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average
caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get
hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for
cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. I am eating healthy (lean
turkey, tuna, chicken etc) just too much of it. To compensate for the
intake, I have bumped up my workouts at the gym and focusing heavily
on
cardio. I usually do 6.5 miles on the elliptical 6 times a week and in
addition I now run 7 miles 2-3 times a week on the treadmill. Weight
has
jumped to 178lbs-180lbs and I have a bad feeling this is a slide
towards
my
old form again. I did have my bodyfat tested and it came at 10.6%

You are very slim at this body fat level.

I'm desparate for any tips, tricks, suggestions, support you guys can
provide that might help me with the eating issue. Thanks.

I think that it is a good time to speak to a professional who actually
has some credentials in this specific area. I don't think that many
people in this newsgroup are at 10% BF and so there are not many
people who can relate to your experience at such low bodyfat. (it is
low for a person who started out at 350 lbs).

There could be a few factors and not just one.

My feeling is that you basically overshot your dieting and lost too
much weight. Perhaps, a valid strategy could be to gain some weight,
and also do heavy weightlifting so that the gains are mostly muscle
gains, so that you look good and can eat carbs better.

How are you eating? What is your typical day of eating? Could your
overeating be due to either unbalanced eating (lack of amino acids or
essential fats), or due to blood sugar control issues? (like, getting
hungry 2 hours after eating cake). What's your own thinking?

You previously were eating lots of sushi, pasta etc, perhaps it is
time to ditch that. Seriously. Easier to live without suchi and pasta,
than agonize about weight regain, cravings, etc etc.

It is next to impossible to balance so much eating with exercise...

Try brainstorming publicly a little bit, throw in some ideas.

Are the cravings constant during the day or not, do they follow any
meals. Do you have any known health problems, do you know if you have
insulin resistance, are you excluding any major foods, do you eat
breakfast, etc.

Maybe a combination of a few changes, and a small regain, could help
you stabilize.

I am also hungry much of the time, but not to the point of bring
desperate like you, so even though I sympathize, I have not yet been
in your shoes. My long term goal is to have 12% bodyfat, not 10.

Good luck, if you approach this realistically, inteligently and with
an open mind, you can solve your problem and redefine it.
i



I think that breakfast might be too little. Is it an issue of trying to
keep down fat and calories or of not having time for a good breakfast? If
the latter, then is it possible to go to bed a little earlier? Also I don't
remember but were you making sure the cereal and pasta were whole grain
products? There's good whole wheat pasta out there and it leaves me feeling
very satisfied.

My personal experience when I have cravings is that I've been ignoring
nutritional needs. If it's a cereal craving, are you restricting your
grains intake to only one type like the cereal? Are you ignoring brown
rice, buckwheat, quinoa? Could you add dried beans/peas/lentils/chickpeas
which have some carbs but also tons of fiber and low-fat protein and
significant iron and B vitamins (also help lower LDL)? If you need recipes
for this last email me, I have a ton of them.

On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 22:46:50 GMT, "Shawn Manning" wrote:

I try to eat four meals a day but in all honesty, my biggest meal of the day
ends up being at night. As much as I try, things get so busy here at work
that sometimes I just can't eat. I eat a roughly 300 calorie breakfast
consisting of tuna and a piece of fruit.

That might not be enough breakfast for you. I'd recommend trying to
get 20-25% of your day's calories at breakfast. How about adding a
nice big bowl of oatmeal to your breakfast? It might help with your
cereal craving, but it's much better for you than most boxed cereals.
And it's very filling. Or you might try oatmeal at night if you have
cereal cravings then. When I make oatmeal I add a scoop of protein
powder to it, to get more nutritional bang for the buck. (I don't
include tuna in my breakfast, though :-) .)

I also had the same thought as Ignoramus: perhaps you're just trying
to maintain a weight that isn't realistic for your body, and as a
result are really feeling over-hungry. Perhaps if you let yourself
maintain at a slightly higher weight you'd find that the excessive
hunger disappears.

Anyway, good luck. Keep experimenting!

Chris
262/144/ (145-150)

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message news:uDZIc.8358$Mr4.3143@pd7tw1no...
the guilt hits, then I go running to work it off. I guess I will have to
follow the advice of a previous poster and just ban the stuff from my house.

works for me. I, too, am a 'cereal killer'. When I was in Japan they
didn't have semi-sweetened cereal like Life, or the good stuff like
Corn Pops, so I would bring a big box of 25 different cereals back on
the plane with me every year (which would normally be a half-year's
supply).

The box wouldn't last a month.

I've switched to Cheerios now, and with my protein powder (lightly
sweetened with Stevia) it's serving my breakfast needs quite well --
it tastes exactly like Frosted Cheerios, but with no added sugar at
all.

I don't have any other advice for you about maintenance since I ain't
quite there yet.

Heywood

232/191/182

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message
news:zmYIc.9258$ek5.3175@pd7tw2no...
Hello,

Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with maintaining
the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at 350lbs.
By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number till
about March and then the trouble started.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average
caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get
hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for
cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. I am eating healthy (lean
turkey, tuna, chicken etc) just too much of it. To compensate for the
intake, I have bumped up my workouts at the gym and focusing heavily on
cardio. I usually do 6.5 miles on the elliptical 6 times a week and in
addition I now run 7 miles 2-3 times a week on the treadmill. Weight has
jumped to 178lbs-180lbs and I have a bad feeling this is a slide towards
my
old form again. I did have my bodyfat tested and it came at 10.6%

I'm desparate for any tips, tricks, suggestions, support you guys can
provide that might help me with the eating issue. Thanks.

Do you track your intake in fitday? I'd be interested to see what
percentage of your daily calories are allocated to carbs/protein/fat. If
you aren't getting enough fat and protein, you will not feel as full. Even
not getting enough fat heavily contributes how long I feel full after
eating. Fat is not a bad thing, you just need to try and eat healthy fats.
Do you have this % breakdown?

det

"Shawn Manning" wrote in message
news:zmYIc.9258$ek5.3175@pd7tw2no...
Hello,

Everytime I had ever needed help with my weightloss goals, I always turned
to this group for tips, motivation support etc. Now that I have lost the
weight, I am turning to this group with my new problem with maintaining
the
weight loss.

First a bit of quick history, started in Feb 2002 weighing in at 350lbs.
By
Dec. 2003 was down to 160lbs. Stayed pretty constant at that number till
about March and then the trouble started.

Since mid March, I have been craving food and lots of it. My average
caloric
intake has jumped to 3700 calories daily. I have not had any emotional
moments in my life and I don't eat because I am bored, I simply get
hungry.
The one thing screwing me up though has been an extreme craving for
cereal,
I have been demolishing boxes of the stuff. I am eating healthy (lean
turkey, tuna, chicken etc) just too much of it. To compensate for the
intake, I have bumped up my workouts at the gym and focusing heavily on
cardio. I usually do 6.5 miles on the elliptical 6 times a week and in
addition I now run 7 miles 2-3 times a week on the treadmill. Weight has
jumped to 178lbs-180lbs and I have a bad feeling this is a slide towards
my
old form again. I did have my bodyfat tested and it came at 10.6%

I'm desparate for any tips, tricks, suggestions, support you guys can
provide that might help me with the eating issue. Thanks.

Do you track your intake in fitday? I'd be interested to see what
percentage of your daily calories are allocated to carbs/protein/fat. If
you aren't getting enough fat and protein, you will not feel as full. Even
not getting enough fat heavily contributes how long I feel full after
eating. Fat is not a bad thing, you just need to try and eat healthy fats.
Do you have this % breakdown?

det