So... I'm on a 1500 calorie-a-day diet now, and I'm SUPER hungry and having a hard time.
First of all, that's a really low caloric intake to work with.....it'll make you miserable and statistically, on account of this, you're likely to fail (which is why Matt said that). He's not attacking you or wanting you to fail, just pointing-out the potential sabotage imposed by your doctor.
Let me throw this out.....
Like a alcoholic or anyone addicted to drugs, you are right now going through caloric withdrawl.....this is the toughest time for your body & mind to endure this radical change in your eating habits. Actually, right now you're running on the fresh determination & will-power, but in the weeks to come it will be severally tested and like millions of others, you may confront some serious challenges to endure your strict program.
There are so many things about yourself that we don't know....it's tough to really make suggestions. The fiber thing will help and I'd also suggest exercise...while you'd think exercise would make you more hungry, it tends to sometimes act like a stimulant and many people find it easier to diet.....BUT don't let exercise accidently let yourself feel entitled to eat more them 1/3 the calories you burned doing the exercise.
Like I said...right now your body & mind are going through withdrawl. It's not used to the low blood-sugar, the lack of feeling full & satisfied, etc. It absolutely will get easier with each passing week and one day you won't even need to exercise discretion when confronted with fattening foods; you won't want it.
Ya know, I'll tell you something...even if you ate to 2,000 calories you'd probably be just as hungry, this is all a vast change in your diet and it'll take time to adjust and get used to.
So let me leave you with these thoughts....
Make a large pitcher of ice-tea, the water is good for you, the anti-oxidants and other stuff help flush things from your body and the liquid & stimulant will help curb your appetite.
I eat dark chocolate with high% of cacao (not cocoa), in small amounts (about 40-cals) I've found it plays a nice trick on the blood-sugar and helps fight sweet cravings. It'll taste like plastic at first, but you'll get used to it. I think of it as a supplement like Hoodia, but it tastes better.
Exercise, get an hour or so of some aerobic activity as often as you like...the endorphins will make you feel great and you won't want to destroy what you've done by eating. It'll invigorate you and while you do it be sure to visualize your fat melting off. Use music, a chant or whatever it takes: focus your resolve to lose weight; you're at war, this is a battle...defeat or quitting is just not an option!
It'll take some time for your mind to realize the fatty-days are over, but as you lose weight you'll find it gets easier & easier.
Do you know why fat people are fat?....because they're fat! All the abdominal fat builds and the fat cells become swollen and insulin has trouble attaching to escourt the glucose into storage (this is called insulin resistance), so you're pancreas produces more insulin and then the glucose is absorbed into the fat cells, your blood-sugar plummets and your body tells you that you're hungry again. It's a viscious cycle. Right now, it's not your imagination; your hormones and body are truly screaming to be fed! Once you start losing fat, exercising and getting in shape, your body will start to function more properly and you'll have greater blood-sugar stability and digestive function....you'll get away from that cycle and have a more maintained & balanced hunger system....
a system reflective of your bodies needs, not it's addiction.
Fat people are fat because they're fat, thin people tend to stay thin because they're thin. Think back to the beach when you tried boogie-boarding: if you catch the wave it's an easy & fun ride in, but it you miss the wave you'll just struggle hopelessly to catch it. So that's the thing, you need to transition to the other side; you need to get in front of that wave!
It's not going to be easy, but you'll have to decide if you're truly ready to do this. If you can go 4 months hardcore born-again fitness/nutrition guy...then you'll never go back! Each week it'll become easier & easier, eventually it'll become your thing....and you will look back and reflect that it was the best thing you could have ever done. Nobody here regrets the changes they've made, you'll love the new you!
This isn't a haircut, it's not something you can just do and have immediate results. Results will be slow and you may lose 40 pounds and still look in the mirror and wonder when it's finally going to happen. This is the toughest thing you'll ever have to do (aside from tolerating your inlaws or changing diapers).
So here's the thing. Imagine taking 250,000 pieces of paper and filing them all in order....and then taking them to a roof and throwing them over the side, just to become disordered and you have to start all over again. What's the point??? In the same manner, any weight you lose, all the hunger you'll endure, all the sweat, exercise, bicep curls and muscle pains will be totally in waste if you end-up quitting. This can't be yet another 'attempt' to lose weight...this is it, it's got to be do or die...you must psychologically bring yourself to focus all your energy to make this happen. Are you there? What's your motivation? Why will this time be different??
Have you ever seen a drowning person struggling to get up on a dock? Do you really think, after their first couple tries, they'll somehow get more energy/strength and pull themselves out???? No. So you need to really give it some thought and decide if you're ready to do this....and if you are, then you must bring your every energy to bear upon this mission. If you can't do it now, there's no reason to think you can do it later. This is a battle and you have a choice....you wanna get a frequent diner's pass at Hometown Buffet, or do you want to thrive, live and be proud?
