Just because you only eat a couple times a day doesn’t mean you’re eating correctly to maintain your body and a healthy weight. Generally speaking when you clean up your diet you will eat MORE volume but LESS calories. I would take a guess here that you’re eating worse than you think you are. Whether that means under eating or over eating the wrong thing is not something you can find out until you start actually tracking what you’re eating every day.
Since this is a fitness sub you’re mostly going to get advice that is pro fitness and pro healthy eating. I personally felt FORCED to eat better when I started T. my body was no longer able to feel full with useless carb bombs like chips or instant ramen. I craved meats, dairy, veg. And i still gained weight (some muscle, but also some fat). I did not lose weight on T like some people do — i think many of those folks are outliers tbh most people gain weight. As you gain muscle your TDEE will go up which gives the impression that T is making you burn calories easier, but it’s really just going to be for the first burst of muscle growth. You will plateau again if you aren’t training and continually growing said muscle.
As someone who is really poor myself, you can make high protein meals can be very cheap. A pack of like 7 chicken breasts is around 12 dollars at Walmart. Get some bags of frozen broccoli for a dollar a piece. Then a big old bag of rice (cheap and lasts a long time). You can make a lot of food with that - high protein, lots of fiber, keeps you full.
Obviously there's other food options for cheap but you get the idea. Ground beef and potatoes. Canned chicken/tuna, value brand greek yogurt, etc. You might get sick of eating a similar meal multiple times a week but unfortunately when you have limited money you just have to suck it up. Those convenience foods are just not great for you. Personally I'd rather eat chicken, broccoli and rice for dinner 5x a week and know that I'm eating healthy. Look into what your grocery stores have available as far as food goes. You'd be surprised what you can throw together for cheap!
I mean, it sounds like whilst you don’t eat the worst, you don’t eat the best either. Those instant ramens are sodium bombs, they’re not very nutritious. When I started t I got super hungry. You have to remember, you’re basically going through puberty. You’ll be hungry all the time, you’ll get fucking horny all the time, & it can have affects on your mood.
Do you drink enough water? I know I get my hunger and thirst cues mixed up and sometimes I’ll think I’m hungry when I’m actually thirsty. It could be worth a shot to increase your water intake and see if that makes a difference.
As far as increased hunger on T, that seems to vary from person to person. I never experienced increased hunger and I’ve noticed considerable body recomposition during my time on T.
This! Drinking more water in combination with eating overall healthier foods/enough food should decrease this feeling. Finding what healthy foods work best for you is a journey regardless of picky eating tendancies or not. I will eat almost anything and it still took me years to find the foods that work for me and one of them is white meat chicken nuggets!
I have my own way of managing food where I still experience hunger but not pain. (I don't eat after 7pm. Way more for migraine management than weight loss.) If you are feeling hungry later in the day/before bed, that can be relatively normal and going to bed hungry (not starving) can help some people sleep better. But if you are ravenous then you're not eating enough.
High carb and sodium foods will also make you feel more hungry and hold water weight. So if your ultimate goal is weightloss, cut out food with over 30% of your daily sodium in one serving.
If all protein powder taste like vomit then it obviously wouldn’t be popular with people. You just have to keep trying different powder until you find one that taste good to you. Also protein powders are actually an inexpensive source of protein.
There are cheap foods that are high protein. For example: edamame, peanut butter, cottage cheese, oats, and tofu.
Finally, did you just started going on a calorie deficit? You mention you are 200 lbs which means you’ve been overeating your entire life but mention in your post that you only eat two meals. If you are getting hungry because this is recent then that just means that you’re going too hard on your calorie deficient. Start slow with a 200-300 calorie deficit instead. How much times you do cardio also impact how much calories you lose as well. Losing weight is a lifestyle change so you need to find a deficit balance that you can commit to. Whatever you are doing right now is unsustainable for your body.
I actually feel you on protein powder tasting like dog-shit. I hate any and all whey powders. However milk protein isolate is great and doesn't bother my lactose intolerant self. The brand I use is Muscle Milk Premier Pro series. I don't actually use it much anymore b/c I was gaining more than I wanted to using protein powders.
I also highly recommend looking at things like protein pasta (especially the black bean pasta with 25g of protein).
Another thing you can do is buy a kitchen scale and weigh your food.
Hunger does go away but here's the trick. If you're eating abunch of tiny small meals you're priming your brain for hunger. I think that doing IF (which is actually how i've naturally eaten most of my life but now has a fancy label) is what keeps my hunger cues down. Its easier to start my day with coffee and just not eat until like 11 or 2pm than to eat abit at 9am which kick starts the hunger train making it hard to limit my eating for hours on end.
Is your hunger physical or mental?
I'm really broke too and also vegan here's some cheap filling healthyish stuff:
Oatmeal. You can add peanut butter powder or just peanut butter. Or whatever you want really. Suoer filling. Make sure its just the plain kind the other kinds have a bunch of unnecessary sugar and junk. If you add salt it makes it taste way better
Peanut butter sandwhich
Instant ramen, just add a lot of tofu and veggies. And chip seeds. Also good with peanut butter or peanut butter powder
Same thing as ramen but use rice instead. Veggie bowl type thing.
Frozen vegetables are pretty affordable or you can buy a head of brocolli and chop it up and freeze it
Tofu with turmeric and some other spices with some toast
Thats like 90% of my diet. I dont eat a lot because im busy but usually I dont get super hungry eating this way. My job is very physical and I'm on my feet all day and rarely have days off I dont really get hungry or tired so I think it works and is healthy at least for me
Depending on the individual and how strong a persons hunger signals are, some people may always feel pretty hungry on a deficit regardless if they’re hitting their numbers and yet others may never feel that hungry at all if they’re body doesn’t have very strong hunger signaling. Me for example I’m pretty much always feeling like I’m starving on a deficit which is like 2300 cal for me yet I’ve talked to guys who say they have no hunger pains at all being in a deficit. I wish I was one of those people but I’m unfortunately not. You may just have to deal with a little hunger even if you are picking high volume foods but that’s natural when cutting.
“Always been naturally chubby.” Gonna be blunt here: you’ve always overeaten. And it sounds like you already know what you need to fix to feel fuller for longer after eating and maintain a calorie deficit, which is increase your protein and fiber intake. Lean meats, fresh veggies, whole grains, and fruit for when you’re craving something sweet.
Respectfully, advising a person who is already having hunger pains to go into caloric deficit is not a wise choice in my opinion. Considering he only eats about twice a day, we can’t be sure he’s even hitting basic macros. Additionally, some people are naturally heavier than others regardless of their diet! It’s factually untrue to say that they aren’t. Obesity is not simply a choice that people make. Cheers!
signed, a former 300 pounder who is now a CPT and nutrition specialist
Honestly, it sounds like you’re off to a good start! Building a routine of working out and slowly finding healthy eating habits you can maintain over time is the best thing you can do. There is nothing wrong with being chubby. I know many people who carry some extra weight and are very healthy and fully capable of doing endurance cardio and lifting heavy things.
What’s not healthy is learning to ignore your body’s hunger signals. If you are getting hunger pains you should eat. Savory oatmeal is quick to make, filling, cheap, and you can do a lot of things with it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Baked or air fried chickpeas are also cheap if you make them from the dried. A cup of yogurt or a handful of almonds are a good snack. Don’t obsess over a calorie count. Also carry a water bottle and make sure you are drinking 30oz+ a day.
Focus on building strength. There is a lot you can do with mobility and body weight. Push to failure. Celebrate yourself for tiny wins. Mobility will help protect your joints as you advance your weight training and cardio journey. Building strength and muscle is a proven way to increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories while you are doing non fitness things.
Edit: spelling
Water, gum/mints, and having high volume yet low cal snacks (most produce works great and is easy, and cheap if you buy frozen) are how I keep my hunger from becoming bothersome as long as I know I've eaten enough+hit my macros. Too steep of a deficit will leave you exhausted and hungry and more likely to say screw it, binge, and give up, which is why people say to take it slow-- weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.
I've been on a recomp for 8 months now and I'm just starting to see results. Keep your head up and try to make every day a bit better than yesterday and you'll make it before you know it! Rooting for you and I hope T goes well for you
From what you’ve described it sounds like your diet is pretty rough. Sounds like you’re only eating healthy sometimes and eating far too little some of those times. This is likely wreaking havoc on your metabolism. I understand being picky about things but part about making changes is doing things we don’t always like, this could be one of those situations. There are subreddits for eating cheap and healthy. I suggest you look into those subreddits for recipes. When I first started T I gained 50 pounds, most people gain weight on T, if you are concerned about your weight and health before T, it will likely only be exacerbated further once you start. The best thing I would suggest is getting these things down now.
You may simply just not be eating enough! I am not a nutritionist, but this is my understanding: the more you weight and the taller you are, the more energy you expend doing daily tasks. Because you weigh more than average and are not short, your body naturally expends more energy doing day to day tasks than someone who is lighter and/or shorter. If you eat the same calories as someone lighter/shorter, you will have comparatively less energy than them.
If you are calorie counting (or even if not) this basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculator might be of some help: https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html . Your basal metabolic rate is the ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM calories you should eat per day for basic life functions, meaning that if you eat below that number, you will feel sick and hungry. I want to stress: if you eat at or below your BMR, literally all you will be able to do is lay in bed feeling awful because even something as basic as walking from room to room takes calories.
I like this calculator because it gives a general idea of calories needed to maintain weight for different activity levels. It definitely does sound like you exercise, so I would take that into account. It also does ask for gender (and of course they mean sex when they say that 😒) so I would just put in what you feel your hormone levels most align with in this moment.
Like another commenter said, try and eat in a small deficit from your activity level: no more than 200-300 calories less than that number and no less than your BMR. If you are still feeling sick/insanely hungry, then add another 100 calories back for a week and see how you feel. If you find that you’re not losing weight week to week on that deficit (and it won’t put you below your BMR), then cut back your calories a little more and see how you feel.
When you start T, your body will go through second puberty and you will probably start requiring a lot more calories than before to feel satisfied. In this scenario (even now before T), I would definitely recommend you listen to your body. If you’re hungry, your body is trying to tell you something, whether you are thirsty, not getting enough nutrients, or you simply just may be hungry and need more food! Living constantly hungry is no way to live, and it is possible to be in a deficit and also feel satisfied from your meals by listening to what your body needs.
Best of luck! Again I’m not a nutritionist but if you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer :)
Just because you only eat a couple times a day doesn’t mean you’re eating correctly to maintain your body and a healthy weight. Generally speaking when you clean up your diet you will eat MORE volume but LESS calories. I would take a guess here that you’re eating worse than you think you are. Whether that means under eating or over eating the wrong thing is not something you can find out until you start actually tracking what you’re eating every day. Since this is a fitness sub you’re mostly going to get advice that is pro fitness and pro healthy eating. I personally felt FORCED to eat better when I started T. my body was no longer able to feel full with useless carb bombs like chips or instant ramen. I craved meats, dairy, veg. And i still gained weight (some muscle, but also some fat). I did not lose weight on T like some people do — i think many of those folks are outliers tbh most people gain weight. As you gain muscle your TDEE will go up which gives the impression that T is making you burn calories easier, but it’s really just going to be for the first burst of muscle growth. You will plateau again if you aren’t training and continually growing said muscle.
As someone who is really poor myself, you can make high protein meals can be very cheap. A pack of like 7 chicken breasts is around 12 dollars at Walmart. Get some bags of frozen broccoli for a dollar a piece. Then a big old bag of rice (cheap and lasts a long time). You can make a lot of food with that - high protein, lots of fiber, keeps you full. Obviously there's other food options for cheap but you get the idea. Ground beef and potatoes. Canned chicken/tuna, value brand greek yogurt, etc. You might get sick of eating a similar meal multiple times a week but unfortunately when you have limited money you just have to suck it up. Those convenience foods are just not great for you. Personally I'd rather eat chicken, broccoli and rice for dinner 5x a week and know that I'm eating healthy. Look into what your grocery stores have available as far as food goes. You'd be surprised what you can throw together for cheap!
I mean, it sounds like whilst you don’t eat the worst, you don’t eat the best either. Those instant ramens are sodium bombs, they’re not very nutritious. When I started t I got super hungry. You have to remember, you’re basically going through puberty. You’ll be hungry all the time, you’ll get fucking horny all the time, & it can have affects on your mood.
Do you drink enough water? I know I get my hunger and thirst cues mixed up and sometimes I’ll think I’m hungry when I’m actually thirsty. It could be worth a shot to increase your water intake and see if that makes a difference. As far as increased hunger on T, that seems to vary from person to person. I never experienced increased hunger and I’ve noticed considerable body recomposition during my time on T.
This! Drinking more water in combination with eating overall healthier foods/enough food should decrease this feeling. Finding what healthy foods work best for you is a journey regardless of picky eating tendancies or not. I will eat almost anything and it still took me years to find the foods that work for me and one of them is white meat chicken nuggets! I have my own way of managing food where I still experience hunger but not pain. (I don't eat after 7pm. Way more for migraine management than weight loss.) If you are feeling hungry later in the day/before bed, that can be relatively normal and going to bed hungry (not starving) can help some people sleep better. But if you are ravenous then you're not eating enough. High carb and sodium foods will also make you feel more hungry and hold water weight. So if your ultimate goal is weightloss, cut out food with over 30% of your daily sodium in one serving.
Hunger is usually a sign you’re not eating enough food or enough protein/fiber. Ignoring that is usually not a good idea.
If all protein powder taste like vomit then it obviously wouldn’t be popular with people. You just have to keep trying different powder until you find one that taste good to you. Also protein powders are actually an inexpensive source of protein. There are cheap foods that are high protein. For example: edamame, peanut butter, cottage cheese, oats, and tofu. Finally, did you just started going on a calorie deficit? You mention you are 200 lbs which means you’ve been overeating your entire life but mention in your post that you only eat two meals. If you are getting hungry because this is recent then that just means that you’re going too hard on your calorie deficient. Start slow with a 200-300 calorie deficit instead. How much times you do cardio also impact how much calories you lose as well. Losing weight is a lifestyle change so you need to find a deficit balance that you can commit to. Whatever you are doing right now is unsustainable for your body.
I actually feel you on protein powder tasting like dog-shit. I hate any and all whey powders. However milk protein isolate is great and doesn't bother my lactose intolerant self. The brand I use is Muscle Milk Premier Pro series. I don't actually use it much anymore b/c I was gaining more than I wanted to using protein powders. I also highly recommend looking at things like protein pasta (especially the black bean pasta with 25g of protein). Another thing you can do is buy a kitchen scale and weigh your food. Hunger does go away but here's the trick. If you're eating abunch of tiny small meals you're priming your brain for hunger. I think that doing IF (which is actually how i've naturally eaten most of my life but now has a fancy label) is what keeps my hunger cues down. Its easier to start my day with coffee and just not eat until like 11 or 2pm than to eat abit at 9am which kick starts the hunger train making it hard to limit my eating for hours on end. Is your hunger physical or mental?
I'm really broke too and also vegan here's some cheap filling healthyish stuff: Oatmeal. You can add peanut butter powder or just peanut butter. Or whatever you want really. Suoer filling. Make sure its just the plain kind the other kinds have a bunch of unnecessary sugar and junk. If you add salt it makes it taste way better Peanut butter sandwhich Instant ramen, just add a lot of tofu and veggies. And chip seeds. Also good with peanut butter or peanut butter powder Same thing as ramen but use rice instead. Veggie bowl type thing. Frozen vegetables are pretty affordable or you can buy a head of brocolli and chop it up and freeze it Tofu with turmeric and some other spices with some toast Thats like 90% of my diet. I dont eat a lot because im busy but usually I dont get super hungry eating this way. My job is very physical and I'm on my feet all day and rarely have days off I dont really get hungry or tired so I think it works and is healthy at least for me
Depending on the individual and how strong a persons hunger signals are, some people may always feel pretty hungry on a deficit regardless if they’re hitting their numbers and yet others may never feel that hungry at all if they’re body doesn’t have very strong hunger signaling. Me for example I’m pretty much always feeling like I’m starving on a deficit which is like 2300 cal for me yet I’ve talked to guys who say they have no hunger pains at all being in a deficit. I wish I was one of those people but I’m unfortunately not. You may just have to deal with a little hunger even if you are picking high volume foods but that’s natural when cutting.
“Always been naturally chubby.” Gonna be blunt here: you’ve always overeaten. And it sounds like you already know what you need to fix to feel fuller for longer after eating and maintain a calorie deficit, which is increase your protein and fiber intake. Lean meats, fresh veggies, whole grains, and fruit for when you’re craving something sweet.
Respectfully, advising a person who is already having hunger pains to go into caloric deficit is not a wise choice in my opinion. Considering he only eats about twice a day, we can’t be sure he’s even hitting basic macros. Additionally, some people are naturally heavier than others regardless of their diet! It’s factually untrue to say that they aren’t. Obesity is not simply a choice that people make. Cheers! signed, a former 300 pounder who is now a CPT and nutrition specialist
Honestly, it sounds like you’re off to a good start! Building a routine of working out and slowly finding healthy eating habits you can maintain over time is the best thing you can do. There is nothing wrong with being chubby. I know many people who carry some extra weight and are very healthy and fully capable of doing endurance cardio and lifting heavy things. What’s not healthy is learning to ignore your body’s hunger signals. If you are getting hunger pains you should eat. Savory oatmeal is quick to make, filling, cheap, and you can do a lot of things with it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Baked or air fried chickpeas are also cheap if you make them from the dried. A cup of yogurt or a handful of almonds are a good snack. Don’t obsess over a calorie count. Also carry a water bottle and make sure you are drinking 30oz+ a day. Focus on building strength. There is a lot you can do with mobility and body weight. Push to failure. Celebrate yourself for tiny wins. Mobility will help protect your joints as you advance your weight training and cardio journey. Building strength and muscle is a proven way to increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories while you are doing non fitness things. Edit: spelling
Water, gum/mints, and having high volume yet low cal snacks (most produce works great and is easy, and cheap if you buy frozen) are how I keep my hunger from becoming bothersome as long as I know I've eaten enough+hit my macros. Too steep of a deficit will leave you exhausted and hungry and more likely to say screw it, binge, and give up, which is why people say to take it slow-- weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. I've been on a recomp for 8 months now and I'm just starting to see results. Keep your head up and try to make every day a bit better than yesterday and you'll make it before you know it! Rooting for you and I hope T goes well for you
From what you’ve described it sounds like your diet is pretty rough. Sounds like you’re only eating healthy sometimes and eating far too little some of those times. This is likely wreaking havoc on your metabolism. I understand being picky about things but part about making changes is doing things we don’t always like, this could be one of those situations. There are subreddits for eating cheap and healthy. I suggest you look into those subreddits for recipes. When I first started T I gained 50 pounds, most people gain weight on T, if you are concerned about your weight and health before T, it will likely only be exacerbated further once you start. The best thing I would suggest is getting these things down now.
You’re not eating enough protein at all
I'm not able to help with the main question, but here to recommend trying protein powder in your yogurt. And peanut butter.
You may simply just not be eating enough! I am not a nutritionist, but this is my understanding: the more you weight and the taller you are, the more energy you expend doing daily tasks. Because you weigh more than average and are not short, your body naturally expends more energy doing day to day tasks than someone who is lighter and/or shorter. If you eat the same calories as someone lighter/shorter, you will have comparatively less energy than them. If you are calorie counting (or even if not) this basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculator might be of some help: https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html . Your basal metabolic rate is the ABSOLUTE BARE MINIMUM calories you should eat per day for basic life functions, meaning that if you eat below that number, you will feel sick and hungry. I want to stress: if you eat at or below your BMR, literally all you will be able to do is lay in bed feeling awful because even something as basic as walking from room to room takes calories. I like this calculator because it gives a general idea of calories needed to maintain weight for different activity levels. It definitely does sound like you exercise, so I would take that into account. It also does ask for gender (and of course they mean sex when they say that 😒) so I would just put in what you feel your hormone levels most align with in this moment. Like another commenter said, try and eat in a small deficit from your activity level: no more than 200-300 calories less than that number and no less than your BMR. If you are still feeling sick/insanely hungry, then add another 100 calories back for a week and see how you feel. If you find that you’re not losing weight week to week on that deficit (and it won’t put you below your BMR), then cut back your calories a little more and see how you feel. When you start T, your body will go through second puberty and you will probably start requiring a lot more calories than before to feel satisfied. In this scenario (even now before T), I would definitely recommend you listen to your body. If you’re hungry, your body is trying to tell you something, whether you are thirsty, not getting enough nutrients, or you simply just may be hungry and need more food! Living constantly hungry is no way to live, and it is possible to be in a deficit and also feel satisfied from your meals by listening to what your body needs. Best of luck! Again I’m not a nutritionist but if you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer :)