I need help cutting calories but keeping my guts full(ish) :)
#266993 - 06/01/06 12:50 PM
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I started working out 3 days (sometimes 4) a week and monitoring my nutrition intake at the end of April and have run into some frustration. All the books and websites out there tell me to figure out how many calories I burn based on ht., wt., lifestyle, etc. and then cut that by 300-400 cal and exerice to burn just as much for a total calorie cut & burn of 600-800. So, I started dieting but still following the EFIBS guidelines as best as possible and exercising. But I am having problems keeping my gut satisfied while limiting my fat and carb calories. Fiber and protein aren't a problem; and neither is cholesterol and sodium. I'm certainly no weightlifter or athlete over here and I'm still taking in as much as an extra 1000cal a day that is not readily burned by working out and only burning 350 - 400cal. I don't want to eat rice and bread and grains all the time because the calorie content is so high, but if I try to eat just fruits and veg all the time, I have typical gas/bloat/pain/nausea/C, alternating A. It's really troubling. Can anybody suggest FILLING veg that has negligible calories that might work for keeping my colon full(ish) so that I don't end up STARVING and SICK? I've tried potatoes, yams, squash and carrots; but they still don't seem filling enough. And I've found that if I eat carrots all the time, they give me heartburn. ::rolls eyes:: what next? I DO have heartburn issues so using vinegar and citrus on veg, etc for dressings is OUT. And any of the sulfur veggies are out. Should I try just snacking on these root veggies all day long instead of having meals?
I'm sorry that this is such a long post, but I need help badly and my doctor doesn't seem concerned with weightloss for me as long as I'm stable. Stable is relatively easy for me these days NORMALLY. But trying to limit the carbs and cals and fat is NOT easy and I end up suffering from it.
Is is possible to supplement with Benefiber ALL day long in my water and feel full? Or does it just not work that way?
HELP!   
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Hey there,
Sorry you are having such a rough time right now, I think it is really hard for people without any digestive problems to their balancing right with their diet, but *especially* hard for us, especially if you are trying to limit your carb intake.
I don't know if this would work for you, but what I have been doing is still eating rice, pasta and bread but in smaller portions and replacing white varieties with whole grain pasta and bread/brown rice.
I would also try eating more, smaller meals as well of the things you don't find particularly filling. Then you are fueling your body little bits at a time and that might help stave off feeling unsatisfied after eating.
And what about oatmeal? Eating oatmeal in the morning with fruit or whatever might help you feel fuller for longer in the morning, when I find hunger the worste.
The other thing you might want to try is making a vegetable soup with some carbs, but with other vegetables to bulk it up and have that as a snack?
Are you doing anything about your heartburn? I have bad reflux and I don't seem to have a problem with carrots, but it's really difficult to eat for sure. I would see your doc if you haven't already to try and take something as a *preventative* for the indigestion to it might make your eating a bit easier.. and lessen the chances of doing any damage by the stomach acid.
I wouldn't drink Benefiber all day long, I would think that would cause major bloating and yuckiness.
Hope this helps, good luck!
Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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My hunger isn't so bad in the morning after a small svg of oatmeal or even just a banana. I have lunch between 12-1p and am hungry by two, so I start snacking. I end up snacking on things like bananas, dry cereal, fruit, squash, carrot, potato, nuts & dried fruit mix and just seem to never get rid of the hunger for the rest of the afternoon. It's like I'm fine, until I have my lunchtime meal. It's almost like this meal, no matter what it is, seems to start a vicious cycle. I've tried going to lunch earlier, and later. Neither has helped. I've tried eating more or less of my safe snack foods. But I always end up going into my workout a little bit hungry and then even having another small safe snack after my workout, I'm still hungry. So, I have my dinner meal and that lasts a little while, but then I seem to go to bed hungry. Now, I'm not a wimpy-type, I assure you. Of course everybody will feel a little hungry when they first start dieting and their bodies adapt; but I've been working at this since Feb.1 and I have not lost any weight. My diet was working for me and my heartburn meds got changed and that made a HUGE difference and I pretty much stabilized my IBS. Then I started working out at the end of April and I'm starving 90% of the time and back to guessing if I'm going to have a good gut day or bad. Maybe I need to go the opposite way here and eat a staple of grains and supplement with the fruits and veg, just a little bit, enough to get in some really good nutrition, as opposed to trying to phase them out a little and use more root veg to fill me up. I don't think it's working. Or maybe I need to eat more of them? ::sigh:: Maybe I need a nutritionist's advice? It's just that I was sort of stable for a long time before I started the EFIBS diet; but I was eat a lot of refined breads and grains and put on 40lbs and lost a lot of muscle. And now I want to be healthy from the inside out (I even stopped smoking!). I nearly ever have soda and am not a sweet eater (I eat pitted dates for my 'candy') but I am having a hard time finding the balance again. Maybe I just need to be patient. I did say that I wasn't the wimpy-type...but I still feel frustrated that because of IBS I'm doomed to have to work THAT much harder at being trim and healthy and active. I can eat all the bananas and bread that I want with my meds and not have symptoms, but I would feel like crap and be a big slug-o all day. Whah. Poor me. Oh well.
Please note: And yes, I realize that I can eat things like dates and nuts and whole wheat, etc. without symptoms. Please realise that I DO follow Heather's GUIDELINES. But this is WHY I need MORE help from people who have experimented with foods and weightloss and lifestyle changes. Because I need to tweak my diet again otherwise I eat upwards of 2400 cal/day sticking as close to the guidelines as is safe for me. (Too many solubles make my C worse and water and/or fiber doesn't help much, sorry ) I'm not a 6'2" Construction worker dude. I don't need that many calories a day if I want to be a happy, healthy, active 5'4" woman!!
I added this note because I've been scolded for NOT following the EFIBS guidelines; which I assure you I DO I DO!
Please more advice!!
Thank you!
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Hi again,
Don't worry, I am not here to scold you. Any way that you can eat and feel healthy, I think is great! I remember giving you some advice to avoid certain foods that you were eating, but that is only if they bother you...
I think that you might start to hear the same sort of advice from people here, so I won't ramble on again. 
Instead, I would advise you to go see a doctor or nutritionist about this constant hunger. It sounds to me like you are eating more than enough calories for a woman of your height, so maybe there is something they will be able to pinpoint for you that is still leaving feeling hungry all the time.
I don't think the IBS is that restrictive on the weight issue. When I was my thinnest, was when my IBS was the worst. It is now that I am stable that I am battling my weight.
I definitely think a professional's opinion is the way to go, sorry I couldn't be more help!
Good luck!
Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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Mushrooms!
#267036 - 06/01/06 07:12 PM
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Wind
Reged: 04/02/05
Posts: 3178
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I tend to eat quite a few mushrooms, i.e. easily 5 or more pounds/week. They tend to take awhile to digest! I also eat a lot of zucchini and summer squash, i.e. easily 7lbs. or so (raw weight)/week. I wouldn't be surprised if it were more. Another favourite is spaghetti squash--I just microwave it. It's a great snack, even.
I find stuff like carrots rather filling, as well as beets --but I know that you're getting tired of them. I eat alot of spinach and swiss chard--they're my ultra safest source of IF and I generally consume them everyday. I cook/puree them.
Kate.
Edited by Wind (06/01/06 07:13 PM)
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I would try avoiding the dried fruit and try to eat fresh fruit and vegetables instead. It's easy to eat a *lot* of dried fruit at a sitting, where it would be hard to eat the same amount of fruit when it was fresh.
Also, are you hungry (weak, tired, etc.) or is your stomach just growling? Just having your stomach growl or contract a bit doesn't mean you need to eat! (Case in point: I started eating huge breakfasts in college because the food was just sitting there. By 10:30 am, my stomach was growling and I thought "Gee, I can eat a plate of pancakes at 8 and be hungry 2.5 hours later - I must have a high metabolism!" Er, no, I gained 20 lbs that year - my stomach was just trying to shrink down after digesting such a big meal.)
So try skipping the calorically dense foods (nuts, dried fruits, etc.) and don't eat a large volume of food at one time (or just learn to ignore tummy growls). I would second the idea of getting a checkup if you haven't had one - I know from experience that untreated diabetes will give you a hell of an appetite because you aren't able to burn the sugar in your blood and your body thinks the solution is more food.
--AC
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You might be having afternoon hunger because your breakfast isn't large enough. Try having more than a 'small serving of oatmeal' and see what happens.
You can also check out calorieking.com to see if you're eating enough calories to lose weight in an effective and safe way.
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~jules
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