I don't know what to do

[boogiefly]

Hello, I am new to this forum and I have a question.  My situation is, I have been on diets off and on since I was 10 years old, which has left my metabolism very slow.  I know this because I can't even eat 3 times a day without gaining weight, I rarely ate junk food as a child because I was poor and we couldn't afford anything but the necessities.  Now I am 31 and I have tried to lose weight by going on Weight Watchers, and I quit because I felt hungry all the time.  I workout 5 times a week and I walk to and from work.  I am now using LIVESTRONG.com and it says I need 2400 calories a day and I can barely eat 2000, but still no weight loss.  Anyway, my question is, how come a bowl of oatmeal (Active Lifestye: which should have lots of protein) and a banana doesn't get me full, but a breakfast burrito (and its pretty small) with egg, potato, cheese and green chili gets me full until 1 p.m.?  How am I supposed to eat healthy when I feel like I am starving all the time?  I love fruit and veggies, but it seems like they never fill me up.

[boogiefly]

Cool, well thanks for the advice.  I well the brand of oatmeal I have been eating is this kind called Active Lifestyle, and it has 9 grams of protein in it, which I think is a lot.  But I guess I need more than that as far as protein goes.  I had no idea fatty foods did that, as I do not usually eat them that often.  I thought since the eggs have protein that it was from that.  Thanks again for explaining that for me.  Take care.

[Paxiled]

Oatmeal is low on protein, not high.  If you're adding milk or soy milk that would add to the protein, but if you're mixing in hot water, grains are not high in protein.  They do contain some, but not much.  Legumes are high in protein and animal foods are high in protein, but not grains.  A breakfast burrito, however, contains fat from cheese, fat from eggs, and a lot of fat from being fried -- this is one of the fattiest foods you can eat.  I love a good burrito, but just realize it is a very fatty food, so it will obviously make you feel much more full than oatmeal.  It doesn't mean you should never eat fun foods like burritos, just don't make a habit of it, I was just explaining why it makes you feel so full, and it's the fat, not the protein.  On the other hand, it is a good idea to have some protein with your grains -- most people in the world eat grains and beans for breakfast, though that's not common for us.  Something they like to do in England is add some sardines or herring along with the grain to get some protein.  We've kind of forgotten how to balance our meals in modern society, but you really don't need to have a balanced meal at each meal -- you just have to balance them through the day.  But again, I was just explaining why a burrito in particular is so filling -- fried food is very fatty, and will make you feel full.

[boogiefly]

Hello, as I mentioned in my post, I hardly ever ate or eat junk food.  I eat things like breakfast burritos or fatty foods once a week, if that, and normally, I eat whole grains, lean meats, and veggies and fruit.  Most of the time for breakfast, I either eat oatmeal, or high fiber cereals with fruit.  We just started getting a burrito vendor in our building, and I have had a burrito about once every couple of weeks, and realized the difference in my hunger and that I get full for longer when I eat these types of things.  I was told in Weight Watcher that its because my body needs more protein, but the oatmeal has protein and fiber, which are supposed be filling, but I get hungry about an hour or two after I eat these things, but when I eat the burrito, I get full until 12 or 1.  Gymdandee,I drink 120 ounces of water a day.  My body is more used to eating healthy than not eating healthy.  I do kick boxing for an hour twice a week, belly dancing for and hour, Zumba twice a week for an hour and I walk home and pretty much everywhere I go.  I have counted my steps before and it ranges from 5,000 to 20,000 steps a day.  I do not drive, most of the time my husband does the driving, as we only have one car.  So when I need to go somewhere I walk.   I just joined an hour pilates class as well. Harrald, I appreciate the help, I have tried that before, but all I get are food that I already eat.  I am trying to take the

[harrald]

The amount of exercise you do each week should really speed-up your metabolism. I work out twice a week and my metabolism remains for a day or two, I can feel it. I would surely think that Weight Watchers should have the best nutritionists in the world to assit its members. They should know about how to improve ones metabolism so its members can gain or lose weight. I, myself, do not know which branch of medicine deals with metabolism and digestion. Maybe there is a factor in the way you digest food. There has to be an answer why you are hungry, yet you eat and do not lost weight. Perhaps you can do some research online to learn whether there are ways, foods, liquids,  to increase your basic metabolism. If you were too slender, and have the same hunger habits, I would suspect you have contracted a parasite, like a tapeworm. Poor people walk in bodily waste, and hookworms and other parasites get into their bodies and remain for years. Why not go to Google and type, "how to increase ones metabolism?"Or, foods that increase your metabolism. It appears that your digestion process may be at fault. I hope other contributors to MedHelp like me can give some additional clues to help solve your weight problem.

Good luck!

Harrald

[Paxiled]

Because the breakfast burrito is full of fat and the oatmeal isn't.  What one wants is not to feel full, but to have energy.  This could just be habit by now because you seem to like fatty foods and now you've switched to foods without much fat, which will feel a lot less substantial until you get used to it.  

[gymdandee]

You have to drink plenty of water! Make sure you eat only complex carbs. and don't fill up on
complex carbs. are you walking at least 10,000 steps per day? and your workout should include cardio and strength training