Why I am so hungry...ALWAYS?

I bought my  Fitbit Charge2. I had set a target of 8000 steps daily and I was meeting that target almost every day. I reduced sugar! I walked a lot and Boom! I lost 4-5 pounds. I was exhilarated and even inspired. I checked my weight daily in the early morning and there was a loss of at least few ounces each day. My weighing scale was all happy and grateful until one day when I realized my weight is stuck. I  followed the same routine. But there is no more change. "What went wrong?" I wondered. I checked for a few more days, but nothing much changed. 

I checked if I missed out something:

8000 steps daily  ✅

Drinking 8-10 glasses of water ✅

Lemon-Honey water in empty stomach in the morning✅

"What's next"? I questioned. The answer came rushing from everywhere "Restrict your food intake". Yeah, that's right, the process is usually known as "Dieting". But I had checked that word off my dictionary long back. I recall reading a phrase like "First Name HUNGRY and Last Name ALWAYS" and I just shouted all excited "Ohh, that's me!" So, to cut on my food was always my last choice. But, when I tried out all of my options and nothing seemed work anymore, I thought of giving it a try.

The first day I decided to go easy on my meals, I tried Salad, a super big bowl of veggies, adding sufficient cheese, dried cranberries, and nuts. I made a face, chewed for long and when I finished eating, the lettuce was still there glaring at me. 2 hours from lunch and I was hungry again! I felt the strong urge to nibble on something. "How am I going to reduce weight when I am so Hungry!" I pondered. Then I did what I usually do, I googled. I just wanted to see if it's only me. I felt better seeing that I am not alone in this. I got to know that there are products in Market which can actually reduce your appetite. Seriously?! I have to eat something to reduce my urge to eat something. Well, that is ironical. I checked for reviews, price and searched for side effects. I was not convinced.

There were some suggestions out there that we can confuse our appetite for thirst. I liked the idea. I had a glass full of water. 30 mins down and I was again hungry.So, I took another glass of warm Lemon-Ginger Tea. By 4:30, I had a sour mood and was annoyed. Why I am so hungry...always like that Very Hungry Caterpillar? I had to eat something and I end up with some cookies. Bad Idea!

Next day, I avoided Salad deliberately and ate some grilled chicken and veggies. I had a hard time saying "No" to fries, but I did.The day went better. I was feeling good that I didn't give up to fries and besides I was not that hungry.So, I decided, I will continue eating what I ate before, will reduce the portion. It worked for me! Slowly, I reduced the portions and in between, I had plenty of water and tea. It was not that difficult.

So, my take on this is food and eating is a habit. To change a habit drastically can be traumatic. But what we can try is to change that old habit into a new one. It may take some time, but it is easy to follow. I eat a whole breakfast and go easy on lunch and then eat my dinner early. In between, I nibble on some nuts or fruits with lots of water. It took some time. But, it helped to reduce additional 10-15 pounds and soon enough my weighing scale showed the difference.

Before

After

A BEFORE and AFTER picture is mandatory and here is mine. But I am not quite sure if this is enough to justify my point. I stopped taking pictures when I was not fitting in the frame anymore. I have reduced the frequency, the portion, and the cravings for food. And, yes I am no more hungry. But today, after reducing a total of 20 pounds, my weighing scale is stuck again! Now what? Do I need to win my another fear and hit the Gym? How to improve my metabolism? Will I be able to write a post some day on how I reduced another 10 pounds by working out in Gym? Well, that is still a dream, a dream that I may wish to live.

Posted in: MyWeightLossStories