Has the amount of food you can eat changed?

xstephnz

I have only lost a little bit of weight (16 kilos), and I don't think my stomach has shrunk.

I used to be able to eat a whole block of chocolate, a thing of dip, a family bag of chips, a family bag of popcorn etc, and right after my main meal and STILL be hungry.

On other occassions I could eat 2 medium pizzas (one with stuffed crust), some hot chips, some chicken wings and a 1.5L bottle of Pepsi Max. I'm not sure if I could still eat that much, I usually only let myself have 3-4 pieces of pizza now and I'm usually still hungry.

The other day I got a 6 inch from Subway. I would usually get a footlong and still be hungry. I was still very hungry after my sandwich and a cookie- I went home and had a snack straight after!

Has your stomach shrunk, or does it depend on the type of food?

harlequin0318

Eating less does not "shrink" your stomach literally. If you like to eat large meals, high volume, then eat more veggies. It will be easier to stay within your calorie goal that way

sijomial

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

Becca_250

sijomial wrote: »

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

Exactly this

yesimpson

Christmas Day every year confirms for me that yes, I can eat as much now as I could when I was 2 stone heavier.

I always defend my title within my family of 'biggest eater'. So proud.

Francl27

It's hormone-related, it doesn't have much to do with the size of your stomach. Stomach size doesn't change.

What happens is that the hormones that make you feel full tend to kick in earlier after a while... that's the only difference really.

Example - on a normal week, I'll be satisfied with a normal amount of food. But when I have PMS, I can eat 4x that without flinching. My stomach doesn't suddenly gets bigger at that time of the month... it's just hormones.

arditarose

Like others have said, your stomach size doesn't actually shrink. I can eat the same amount, and possibly more if I've lifted heavy the day before. That's what makes maintenance difficult, I literally have to learn how to eat for my 130 lb self as opposed to my 170 lb self.

ExRelaySprinter

sijomial wrote: »

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

Yep, this^^.

999tigger

sijomial wrote: »

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

This exactly.

ald783

I can't typically eat the same amount I did before, but for me that was a 115 pound difference so the amount of food I ate then was much more than I eat now. I can still overeat like the best of them, just probably not to the extent I used to.

gothchiq

Mine certainly seems to have shrunk. If I try to eat the former amount, regardless of the type of food, it's absolutely impossible.

Josalinn

I recognize when I am full more readily now. This weekend is a perfect example.

A group of us went out for sushi on Saturday. Everyone orders 2 rolls and we split so lots of flavors all around. Since there was only 5 of us and rolls came in 8 pieces, some people got more of one than another. I after tasting each roll I grabbed my favorite as my "finisher" and let everyone else pick the plates. I had a couple more pieces, but was really feeling full. Normally I stuff myself silly on sushi, but this time I just tried to enjoy the flavor.

On Sunday, my boyfriend finally mastered his grandma's meatball recipe (yay)! So he made a full family sized pack of barilla tortellini (6 servings) and six 3oz meatballs. This was to be split between me, him, and his roommate. I felt like I was at Olive Garden when I looked at how much food was on my plate. I ate half of it and boxed the rest and had it for dinner last night. I could have eaten all of it but I knew I would feel sick later.

If you are still hungry, try having a cup of low cal soup or some veggies. Fiber fills you up!

20yearsyounger

I just get uncomfortably full and I don't like feeling uncomfortable from food.

Unknown

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KarenJanine

sijomial wrote: »

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

Yup.

Katzedernacht

Stomach has some flexibility. I used to eat little,too little,now I -have- to eat way more to perform properly at gym,at first I couldn't , so I make 6 meals now to make room for all of it xD

vrs_2

sijomial wrote: »

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

Agreed...although I would change "choose" to "force myself." Still a struggle on a daily basis. Appetite really never changed.

TavistockToad

sijomial wrote: »

I can still eat the same volume as always - just mostly choose not to.

Just a change of habit rather than a physical change.

yep, this

itsMcKay

16 kilos is GREAT! That's a really wonderful start!

For me, I have days where I FEEL like a bottomless pit but can only eat a little. Whereas, before, as in just two short weeks ago, I was horking down a really large volume of food every meal.

Twice we've ordered pizza and I could hardly finish two regular sized slices. Before, I sheepishly ate half the pie by myself and could have crammed two more slices in if I weren't so ashamed. No joke.

Every single meal this week, I've tried to pawn off my leftovers onto my boyfriend. He's thin and it usually works.

But that might have something to do with my age. I'm 30 now. When I first lost weight at 25, I was just "starving" the entire year. And all three years after that while maintaining. Which is why I put my weight back on.

But, now, something seems different. Like my body is regulating properly. I started eating meat again so I think the presence of higher protein is to thank.

dmt4641

While the stomach may not shrink in size, after significant weight loss the cells in your stomach wall may have less capacity to relax to accommodate more food. The result being the same - you feel full earlier than you did before. But this has only been seen after 20% or more reduction in weight, not necessarily short term fasting. Therefore, give it more time for your body to adapt.

Also, you may want to look into Volumetrics if you are a volume eater. You can eat a huge volume of salad and broth based soup. I like to eat a lot of volume as well, and adding a large salad or vegetable soup to a meal makes it look huge and makes me feel more full.

Pinnacle_IAO

Yes, I eat much less, but my daily calorie intake today is still around 4000 calories.
I EAT BIG!

The major difference is the quality of my food intake.
Whole foods dense in nutrition are my primary focus with sprinklings of junk-like processed treats here and there.
I believe in clean eating - lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, whole grained, home baked stuff, beans, eggs and raw, whole and un-pasteurized dairy.
And I also believe life is to be lived which is why I sometimes eat that twinkie smeared with pepper jam and wrapped in bacon.
I balance clean eating as defined above with junk food in moderation.
It works for me...

MakePeasNotWar

dmt4641 wrote: »

While the stomach may not shrink in size, after significant weight loss the cells in your stomach wall may have less capacity to relax to accommodate more food. The result being the same - you feel full earlier than you did before. But this has only been seen after 20% or more reduction in weight, not necessarily short term fasting. Therefore, give it more time for your body to adapt.

Also, you may want to look into Volumetrics if you are a volume eater. You can eat a huge volume of salad and broth based soup. I like to eat a lot of volume as well, and adding a large salad or vegetable soup to a meal makes it look huge and makes me feel more full.

Ha, I was just about to post this. Do you know if the Mayo Clinic study results are published yet? I'd like to see how closely the results match the animal trials. I also wonder if they did any measurements during the study, that might show if there is a linear decrease in flexibility. I definitely feel as if my stomach capacity is reduced after just a few weeks.

annette_15

I honestly eat way more volume now than I ever did when I was overweight. I used to eat very high fat, lower volume foods, now I eat tons of veggies, salads, leaner meats etc

Cortneyrenee04

I eat so much. I'm constantly eating.... It's basically a part-time job.

I eat fewer calories but way more volume now.

MommyL2015

I have to wonder sometimes because eating a meal that I could have eaten 2 plates of in the past, I have an extremely hard time eating a normal amount. It sure feels like my stomach got smaller, but maybe I just trained my brain to be able to eat past my fill line before or something.

caroldavison332

Dr Fuhrman says that when you start eating nutrious food that your toxic hunger goes away. I expereinced this 17 days in. I stopped eating so many vegetables at lunch, some of my supper burger and soup and put in in the fride.

LivingtheLeanDream

I've got used to eating less that I just can't eat what I once did any more. ..it might be also age related but at 46 I'm hardly over the hill yet!

carmen2657

Nop I can't eat the same amount anymore, I use to be able to eattt, so much food, now for example after 1 slice of pizza I feel full and yesterday for dinner I had my usually smoothie but for a change made some scramble eggwhite with veggies also, I felt so iukkkk and full.

So nop for me, even if I try I can not eat the same amount of food sadly I guess!

dmt4641

Makepeas - The study has not been published yet. I don't think the study will show a linear decrease - subjects had to have lost at least 20% of their weight, so they won't know if say a 10% decline in weight would have an affect. They also did not measure changes in food accommodation in the subjects, only the reduction in the number of neurons that release nitric oxide.

MakePeasNotWar

dmt4641 wrote: »

Makepeas - The study has not been published yet. I don't think the study will show a linear decrease - subjects had to have lost at least 20% of their weight, so they won't know if say a 10% decline in weight would have an affect. They also did not measure changes in food accommodation in the subjects, only the reduction in the number of neurons that release nitric oxide.

Thanks for the clarification

YellowApple666

I have the opposite problem. I actually eat a bigger amount of food now, because I eat way more veggies and fruit and less calorie-dense foods.
In fact, I'm thinking about cutting a little bit on greens and fruit and upping my fat intake because being a volume eater tends to backfire when I eat out.