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I really need to lose weight, my heaviness has started to lead to other health problems, but I find that whenever I try to eat significantly less, I have diffic

I really need to lose weight, my heaviness has started to lead to other health problems, but I find that whenever I try to eat significantly less, I have difficulty concentrating on heavy mental tasks (i.e. programming, my job). The constant feeling of hunger distracts me, or my mind just drifts, until I get some food in me again. I never see any of these articles even acknowledge this as an issue, either as if no one else has this problem, or no one else who is dieting has a job that requires so much brain power. Since there's other programmers here, I was curious if other people have noticed something similar, and how they addressed it. My current plan is not so much to limit my eating (beyond some mild calorie restriction) and instead force myself to exercise more often, but I'd like to be a bit more aggressive with my diet if possible.

falcolas 11y ago
Yes, I've noticed it as well. Operating at a caloric deficiency caused me mood and concentration issues - which makes sense: stored fat takes time to convert back into usable calories, so you'll be operating with less raw fuel most of the time. It's not fun.
nkassis 11y ago
I found that exercise helped me with energy and concentration level. Even while eating less. When I sometimes slip and reduce my exercise time for periods of weeks (say I don't feel like riding my bike indoor in the middle of winter) I start to get tired again and lack focus.
antisthenes 11y ago
You should try eating smaller portions. You will usually find that eating slower will satiate you with less food and over time you'll start eating less. That being said, I have not experienced the same symptoms as a result of hunger - I find the feeling a minor annoyance at best, certainly much lower than other environmental factors that usually impede concentration (temperature, noise, lighting). Certainly the individual responses to feeling of hunger vary from person to person.
pessimizer 11y ago
This may sound counter-intuitive, but intermittent fasting might help. I've always done a 4/3 (four days eating normally, three days eating at 20-25% of a normal intake) when I wanted to lose weight, and I've come to believe that the benefits come solely from 1) that even with the slight overeating that comes on days when you eat (probably 20%) it ends up being equivalent to an overall 20% calorie reduction and 2) it teaches you how to operate better and feel better when you're hungry, simply because it ceases to be an uncommon experience. You're hungry at least a couple of times a week, and you get used to not doing anything about it, and you know it will be over soon. I have to admit that personally, being hungry has always made me perform better - it adds a desperation element that works for me. It does make me testy and impatient, though, and that testiness starts to fade once I'm in my 2nd or 3rd week of 4/3. The everyday irritation of calorie restriction just doesn't work for me; I can't last more than a week or two at my best. My average period of doing 4/3 is about 3 months. It's a fairly easy way to drop about 25 lbs.
wccrawford 11y ago
I lost weight through prescription diet pills first. These helped maintain my energy and I didn't experience the effects you describe during this phase. (Lost about 60 lbs, gained 10 back.) After that, I went on Weight Watchers and lost some more. (Lost about 20 lbs, gained 10 back so far.) This time, I did experience what you seem to be. I ended up reading a lot and deciding that carbs were the culprit. A combination of caffeine (which I previously avoided) and a lower-carb diet have help even out my blood sugar and keep me able to focus at work, and even sometimes get some programming done in the evening. By "low carb", my wife and I look at the carb-to-fiber ratio and look for something 10-to-1 or lower, heavily favoring things that are 5-to-1. It cuts out a lot of things like white bread and a lot of snack foods, but I've found plenty that I enjoy on the 'ok' list and I feel better and more satisfied. My 10 lb gain since stopping WW has been very slow, but it's still happening and I'm reconsidering Weight Watchers again. It seems to be the easiest, most accurate way I've found so far to track what you're eating and know when you're going wrong. Their new plan seems to shun sugars and reward protein, which is great for me, so I'm expecting to like it... And actually not change my diet much, but just how much I eat of it. In short, I addressed it by watching my carbs.
excepttheweasel 11y ago
I have had the most success with a keto based diet. There is a good outline here: http://josepharcita.blogspot.com/2011/03/guide-to-ketosis.html http://josepharcita.blogspot.com/2011/03/guide-to-ketosis.ht... Importantly for me, this diet drastically reduces cravings and reduces the impact of hunger, making it far easier to keep to vs other diets. But it can be quite restrictive, you'll likely find that eating out severely limits your options and it is tricky to keep to if you're traveling.
ajosh 11y ago
I've definitely seen this. The trick for me was keeping my calorie restrictions reasonable. At first, I was able to compute what my body needed to live in a day and then would cut from there. A lot of the time, I was hungry, distracted, etc. When I got a fitbit, I connected it to MyFitnessPal. I used the same baseline and used my exercise (walking) to add calories. This would give me a daily goal which is basically base_calories - weight_loss_calories + walking_calories. I found that by targeting the computed goal, I didn't suffer the same problems. Sometimes that meant that I had to eat a bit more to get up to the target. It also made me think about how to spend the calories that I had. Part of what made it work for me is that I didn't go crazy trying to lose weight. I targeted one pound per week which is a significant amount of weight over the course of a few months. I didn't always go down by exactly one pound but I was happy with the results. Of course, that was my experience and yours may be different. One thing that I think is key for anyone is to find foods that you like which are high in nutrition and low in calories. Get some set meals that you know you can order and stay on track. That could be some fruit and a sandwich, a particular bowl at chipotle or whatever. Use memoization - compute the amount of calories in something you're going to eat and keep using that information. It lowers the cognitive load a lot and you know you'll be getting something you like.
anthony_romeo 11y ago
Well, you've gotten a lot of advice, already, so I'll keep it to broader points and perspective. For context, I lost 100 pounds about ten years ago (I'm only 5'7", so that's a very significant amount) and successfully kept it off. (I think many people commenting in this thread lost their weight very recently or within the last couple years, but it's hard to judge "successful" weight loss after only a couple years). Honestly, my typical hunger state still ranges from "I could eat" to "I'm very hungry," even after sizable meals. I've basically accepted there's nothing I can do to adjust this beyond trying to pick more satiating food and keeping a diet of routine rather than excitement. I find if I start changing-things-up too much it results in overeating. I still feel fat. I mean, I run consistently and for fairly long distances (I ran 20 miles on Saturday) and lift weights 2-3 times a week, but mentally I'm still fat, even though I'm likely far more fit than the average American. It doesn't help that I have the dreaded loose-skin issue, which really wreaks my mental image of myself. I occasionally do still get food binges, where I eat 3000-4000+ calories of junk food in a day. I kinda balance it out with controlling most of the other days of the month and keeping a good exercise regimen. But I still find that I can gain weight rather quickly if I don't control myself over a week or so. However, I should say that I've never gained very significant weight in an uncontrolled manner, and I've had no relapse of significant weight gain. Sorry if some of what I wrote was discouraging. Honestly, despite the struggles and mental baggage I still have, I still feel exponentially better. Not just in terms of how I feel about myself, but that I can tell my body is just naturally functioning in a more efficient manner. And trying to improve efficiency, I guess that's something programmers like to achieve. Regarding my actual process of weight loss, my two main takeaways with my experience are as follows: 1. Don't do things you hate. If you like both grilled and fried chicken, then choose the grilled. If you like soda and tea, just choose the tea. Don't switch to eating boiled broccoli every day if you hate broccoli, because it's not sustainable. 2. Often, the joy of things is acquired. I pretty much never exercised before I lost weight and found it an absolute chore. After I 'forced myself' to trying a few different things, I found one type of exercise I could tolerate (weightlifting). Gradually it developed into a routine, which developed into a passion for it. Now I have to force myself to not exercise. Similarly, I used to hate salads. However, routine, research, and experimentation resulted in me a) adjusting my palate to accept/like the taste of salads and b) making better-tasting salads (most people have no clue how to make a salad actually appetizing; iceberg lettuce, tomato, and italian dressing is really terrible), and ultimately I can say that, while it's hardly a "comfort food", I look forward to my nearly-daily salads as my favorite meal. These may seem contradictory, but they're really not. It's about experimentation and gradual change. Eat and do healthier things that you enjoy now, do these things for a while, make it routine, and then make another change. There may be some degree of 'forcing,' but it's part of the process to find something you can tolerate and eventually enjoy, rather than suffer through the pain of something you despise.
serg_chernata 11y ago
Just wanted to chime in with intermittent fasting experience. When you begin fasting the transition of 2-4 days can be really rough. I know you're not fasting per se but a considerable decrease in caloric intake may do similar things to your body. I would speak with a doctor but then find a weekend where you can just relax, maybe with an additional day off and focus on yourself. Do the diet, feel miserable for a bit in order to train your body and adapt to something new.

falcolas 11y ago

Yes, I've noticed it as well. Operating at a caloric deficiency caused me mood and concentration issues - which makes sense: stored fat takes time to convert back into usable calories, so you'll be operating with less raw fuel most of the time. It's not fun.

nkassis 11y ago

I found that exercise helped me with energy and concentration level. Even while eating less. When I sometimes slip and reduce my exercise time for periods of weeks (say I don't feel like riding my bike indoor in the middle of winter) I start to get tired again and lack focus.

antisthenes 11y ago

You should try eating smaller portions. You will usually find that eating slower will satiate you with less food and over time you'll start eating less. That being said, I have not experienced the same symptoms as a result of hunger - I find the feeling a minor annoyance at best, certainly much lower than other environmental factors that usually impede concentration (temperature, noise, lighting). Certainly the individual responses to feeling of hunger vary from person to person.

pessimizer 11y ago

This may sound counter-intuitive, but intermittent fasting might help. I've always done a 4/3 (four days eating normally, three days eating at 20-25% of a normal intake) when I wanted to lose weight, and I've come to believe that the benefits come solely from 1) that even with the slight overeating that comes on days when you eat (probably 20%) it ends up being equivalent to an overall 20% calorie reduction and 2) it teaches you how to operate better and feel better when you're hungry, simply because it ceases to be an uncommon experience. You're hungry at least a couple of times a week, and you get used to not doing anything about it, and you know it will be over soon. I have to admit that personally, being hungry has always made me perform better - it adds a desperation element that works for me. It does make me testy and impatient, though, and that testiness starts to fade once I'm in my 2nd or 3rd week of 4/3. The everyday irritation of calorie restriction just doesn't work for me; I can't last more than a week or two at my best. My average period of doing 4/3 is about 3 months. It's a fairly easy way to drop about 25 lbs.

wccrawford 11y ago

I lost weight through prescription diet pills first. These helped maintain my energy and I didn't experience the effects you describe during this phase. (Lost about 60 lbs, gained 10 back.) After that, I went on Weight Watchers and lost some more. (Lost about 20 lbs, gained 10 back so far.) This time, I did experience what you seem to be. I ended up reading a lot and deciding that carbs were the culprit. A combination of caffeine (which I previously avoided) and a lower-carb diet have help even out my blood sugar and keep me able to focus at work, and even sometimes get some programming done in the evening. By "low carb", my wife and I look at the carb-to-fiber ratio and look for something 10-to-1 or lower, heavily favoring things that are 5-to-1. It cuts out a lot of things like white bread and a lot of snack foods, but I've found plenty that I enjoy on the 'ok' list and I feel better and more satisfied. My 10 lb gain since stopping WW has been very slow, but it's still happening and I'm reconsidering Weight Watchers again. It seems to be the easiest, most accurate way I've found so far to track what you're eating and know when you're going wrong. Their new plan seems to shun sugars and reward protein, which is great for me, so I'm expecting to like it... And actually not change my diet much, but just how much I eat of it. In short, I addressed it by watching my carbs.

excepttheweasel 11y ago

I have had the most success with a keto based diet. There is a good outline here: http://josepharcita.blogspot.com/2011/03/guide-to-ketosis.html http://josepharcita.blogspot.com/2011/03/guide-to-ketosis.ht... Importantly for me, this diet drastically reduces cravings and reduces the impact of hunger, making it far easier to keep to vs other diets. But it can be quite restrictive, you'll likely find that eating out severely limits your options and it is tricky to keep to if you're traveling.

ajosh 11y ago

I've definitely seen this. The trick for me was keeping my calorie restrictions reasonable. At first, I was able to compute what my body needed to live in a day and then would cut from there. A lot of the time, I was hungry, distracted, etc. When I got a fitbit, I connected it to MyFitnessPal. I used the same baseline and used my exercise (walking) to add calories. This would give me a daily goal which is basically base_calories - weight_loss_calories + walking_calories. I found that by targeting the computed goal, I didn't suffer the same problems. Sometimes that meant that I had to eat a bit more to get up to the target. It also made me think about how to spend the calories that I had. Part of what made it work for me is that I didn't go crazy trying to lose weight. I targeted one pound per week which is a significant amount of weight over the course of a few months. I didn't always go down by exactly one pound but I was happy with the results. Of course, that was my experience and yours may be different. One thing that I think is key for anyone is to find foods that you like which are high in nutrition and low in calories. Get some set meals that you know you can order and stay on track. That could be some fruit and a sandwich, a particular bowl at chipotle or whatever. Use memoization - compute the amount of calories in something you're going to eat and keep using that information. It lowers the cognitive load a lot and you know you'll be getting something you like.

anthony_romeo 11y ago

Well, you've gotten a lot of advice, already, so I'll keep it to broader points and perspective. For context, I lost 100 pounds about ten years ago (I'm only 5'7", so that's a very significant amount) and successfully kept it off. (I think many people commenting in this thread lost their weight very recently or within the last couple years, but it's hard to judge "successful" weight loss after only a couple years). Honestly, my typical hunger state still ranges from "I could eat" to "I'm very hungry," even after sizable meals. I've basically accepted there's nothing I can do to adjust this beyond trying to pick more satiating food and keeping a diet of routine rather than excitement. I find if I start changing-things-up too much it results in overeating. I still feel fat. I mean, I run consistently and for fairly long distances (I ran 20 miles on Saturday) and lift weights 2-3 times a week, but mentally I'm still fat, even though I'm likely far more fit than the average American. It doesn't help that I have the dreaded loose-skin issue, which really wreaks my mental image of myself. I occasionally do still get food binges, where I eat 3000-4000+ calories of junk food in a day. I kinda balance it out with controlling most of the other days of the month and keeping a good exercise regimen. But I still find that I can gain weight rather quickly if I don't control myself over a week or so. However, I should say that I've never gained very significant weight in an uncontrolled manner, and I've had no relapse of significant weight gain. Sorry if some of what I wrote was discouraging. Honestly, despite the struggles and mental baggage I still have, I still feel exponentially better. Not just in terms of how I feel about myself, but that I can tell my body is just naturally functioning in a more efficient manner. And trying to improve efficiency, I guess that's something programmers like to achieve. Regarding my actual process of weight loss, my two main takeaways with my experience are as follows: 1. Don't do things you hate. If you like both grilled and fried chicken, then choose the grilled. If you like soda and tea, just choose the tea. Don't switch to eating boiled broccoli every day if you hate broccoli, because it's not sustainable. 2. Often, the joy of things is acquired. I pretty much never exercised before I lost weight and found it an absolute chore. After I 'forced myself' to trying a few different things, I found one type of exercise I could tolerate (weightlifting). Gradually it developed into a routine, which developed into a passion for it. Now I have to force myself to not exercise. Similarly, I used to hate salads. However, routine, research, and experimentation resulted in me a) adjusting my palate to accept/like the taste of salads and b) making better-tasting salads (most people have no clue how to make a salad actually appetizing; iceberg lettuce, tomato, and italian dressing is really terrible), and ultimately I can say that, while it's hardly a "comfort food", I look forward to my nearly-daily salads as my favorite meal. These may seem contradictory, but they're really not. It's about experimentation and gradual change. Eat and do healthier things that you enjoy now, do these things for a while, make it routine, and then make another change. There may be some degree of 'forcing,' but it's part of the process to find something you can tolerate and eventually enjoy, rather than suffer through the pain of something you despise.

serg_chernata 11y ago

Just wanted to chime in with intermittent fasting experience. When you begin fasting the transition of 2-4 days can be really rough. I know you're not fasting per se but a considerable decrease in caloric intake may do similar things to your body. I would speak with a doctor but then find a weekend where you can just relax, maybe with an additional day off and focus on yourself. Do the diet, feel miserable for a bit in order to train your body and adapt to something new.