I have been on a caloric deficit/maintenance since June/2020, I started with 113kg and am now with 93.6 kg. waist circumference down from 110 to 96 cm, still got a few more cm to go to be within the guidelines you usually recommend on your instagram lives and/or videos, articles etc.
Started with 2500 calories and now on 1900. Following your recommendations (1.6-1.8 g protein per kg BW) and also consistently hitting 38g+ of fiber per day, all of them from actual veggies and no supplements. (broccoli, rice, beans, nuts, squash, etc)
Did beginner template and currently on powerbuilding 1 if it matters. All on a deficit. Got decent strength gains: Squat 80 → 163kg RM, BP 70 → 120kg RM, Deadlift 60kg → 180kg RM
I was on a maintenance (not voluntarily but my weight remained the same) at 2200-2300 and 94-95kg calories since Dec/2020, and since last week I took the calories down to 1900 and started losing weight again.
My problem is, I’m hungry all the time, it maybe got a little better since I was 113kg, but not a lot, it’s just a little discouraging to think this is how it’s gonna be forever if I want to keep a healthy weight.
Is there any evidence this (feeling hungry all the time) is what happens to people who can keep the weight down (which is like 5-10% of people who go through fat loss)?, I guess I’m just having a hard time and looking for ways to deal with this.
The best evidence we currently have shows hunger ratings to end up normalizing over time and, further, that individuals who exercise as part of a weight loss plan show higher satiety ratings.
Hunger is complex, similar to pain. I would be curious about your food and eating environments and food variety. That being said, hunger isn’t necessarily an abnormal experience either.
Also, it’s closer to a third of folks who successfully keep weight off long term, not 5-10%.
Since covid I have been eating at home, I make my own meals and work remotely.
A usual day in my life looks like this: (updated 1900~ ish calories day)
breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 2 slices of bread + 10g butter + 2 cups of coffee with 15g white sugar ← this is my worst meal quality wise, remnant of my obese days, but havent been able to drop it yet.
lunch: 300g (weighed raw) chicken breast + 130g white/whole rice + 100g boiled black beans (Brazilian dish) + assortment of veggies (eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, chayote, squash, cabbage, onion, zucchini, carrot)
dinner: same as lunch but without the beans
before bed: either glass of skimmed milk or scoop of whey with water.
Throughout the day I wil eat 2-3 servings of fruit (green apples, plums, peaches, papaya, mangoes, etc)
That look ok to you? Honestly variety hasn’t been in my life food wise, I would say I eat exactly what I wrote above in 28 out of 30 days of the month. I will very rarely eat red meat instead of chicken.
As for the 1/3 of people being able to maintain weight, that’s nice to hear, thank you for correcting me.
All of that looks pretty good to me, though I might skip the liquid meal at the end in favor of something solid (higher satiety) and add more protein to get to 30g minimum at breakfast.
I don’t think that snacking on fruit is necessarily bad, but if I had my choice, I’d restrict eating behaviors to meal times.
Thanks Doc. Good points, gonna remove the liquid calories and try to eat more protein in the morning. Will also eat the fruits after the meals instead of snacking!
I look forward to buying your nutrition book! Thanks for the help!
Hi Jordan, Can you elaborate on your thoughts about the pros and cons of snacking? Is your preference against snacking about increasing compliance with a diet plan?