I'm not sure if I am tracking correctly, to be honest. I just learned that, like, I'm not supposed to log "1 apple," I'm actually supposed to weigh the apple. I have not been doing that. So honestly, I'm probably underestimating calories because all portions look so small to me. When I cook something, I portion it out into containers right away so that I know how to log it, and I input the recipe into MFP so it can calculate everything. And, man, the portions look SO TINY. I look at, like, 1/4 of the tofu curry I made the other night (because the recipe says it makes 4 servings) and it looks like next to no food to me at all. In the past I'd easily have eaten twice that to feel satisfied - not even full, just not hungry any more. Sigh. I really hope this gets better.
I do not drink anything with calories except for wine and I've cut that back to 1 glass per week (though I had 2 on NYE, FAIL). I've cut nearly all sugar and the only grains I am eating are oats and brown rice. I am struggling really hard to get enough protein. I am vegetarian and get most of my protein from beans and tofu, but I seem to be hitting my calorie limit before I reach the amount of protein I'm supposed to have - and I don't think it's a good idea to eat nothing but beans and tofu, you know? I have a really hard time getting eggs and plain yogurt down - yuck - but maybe I should just hold my nose and force myself if it's going to keep me from feeling so hungry.
I'd suggest spending some time on the MFP community to learn the system correctly. Also reset it so that it is a 0.5-1 lb loss a week instead of a more aggressive strategy.
It's normal to be hungry for the first couple of weeks, but your level of hunger sounds excessive.
For me, what helped was to get a scale and start tracking meticulously. I was very detailed about it and as far as possible, used official food calories and often input them myself rather than relying on what other people input (hint - try to use only verified entries).
For something like your apple, I would have weighed it before eating, scribble down a note, and then weighed the core after eating. Subtract the weight of the core and I have more precise measurement of what I ate.
It was tedious but really helped me learn portion sizes. Also, the weight dropped with mathematical precision, which was pretty satisfying too. I am no longer so meticulous, but I am really glad I did it that way to start.
Another thing is to bulk up your food with veggies. For example, you made a tofu curry. I would have used a lot of broth (next to no calories but helps to fill the tummy), cut way back on any oil/coconut milk in the recipe, and beefed it up with zucchini, carrots , etc. If it called for potatoes, no more than maybe one small one. I'd sub it with something like a butternut squash and more onions and carrots. And although I like to eat my curry with rice, I often skipped the rice or ate only a small portion. I also changed the tofu I used. I love fried tofu balls but nowadays, I use dried beancurd sticks or regular cubed extra firm tofu that has been lightly panfried with barely any oil.
Also, Malkynn had some very, very good advice. This has to be a positive journey or you'll burn out. Whenever I am in the right zone mentally, the weight peels off so easily it always surprises me. It's just getting into that zone and staying in it that's hard for me.
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