I can't stop eating

ashesfromfire

I think it really depends on whether eating all the time bothers you or not. I started eating about 7:30 this morning, its currently 2:30, I've eaten every 30-60 minutes, and I'm at 621 kcal consumed so far today. It works for me to graze all day on nutritionally dense, lower calories foods (fruit, mostly) to keep hunger at bay, and then I usually have a sizable number of calories left to enjoy a super filling, heavier dinner with my significant other in the evenings, and don't feel the need to keep grazing all night, though its pretty exciting when I have calories for dessert.

jillian909

janejellyroll wrote: »

DaphneSW wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Is your calorie goal from MFP? If so, it's designed for you to eat back exercise calories. Your calorie goal has a deficit built in.

Are you getting enough protein? Are you getting enough fat? When I don't get enough of these, I struggle with hunger. Are you eliminating too many foods you enjoy? There is nothing inherently bad about chocolate.

Indeed - the calorie goal is from mfp!
I understand that it is designed to eat back exercise, but it would still be ideal for me to not 'waste' all the calories lost from my exercise, you feel?

You do highlight a good point about protein and fat though. Based on my recent diary entries I tend to eat many carbs but not much protein so that is something I should definitely re think

But you aren't "wasting" anything if you eat them back. MFP's goal already puts you at a deficit. If you increase the size of the deficit through exercise, you run the risk of not getting enough to eat. This can lead to hunger -- as it has in your case. So if you want to address the problem (hunger, the feeling that you can't stop eating), try eating enough.

This. If MFP says to eat 1500 calories according to your weight loss goals, the 1500 is already at a deficit designed to help you lose the weight according to the goal you specified.

Example:

1500 cals
300 cals from breakfast
400 cals burned from working out.

1500 (your allotted calories) - 300 (from your yummy breakfast) = 1200 calories (this is good; you ate breakfast and logged your calories)
1200 (calories remaining after eating breakfast) - 400 (calories you burned working out) = 800 calories!!!!
....So you eat back your exercise calories (some people don't eat them all back, but that's a different discussion board) 800 + 400 = 1200 NET calories. From here, you have your lunch and dinner and whatever snacks, making sure to stay within 1500 calories. Your calorie deficit is safe because you ate a net of 1500 calories.

alittlelife14

I can't stop eating either.

laurakaychin

Girl I feel you. Even when I've eaten so much my stomach hurts, I still feel hungry. It's a lot of bull!
I've discovered over the years if I have a good fat in what I'm eating, I just feel better! Avocado, salmon, olives, even a tablespoon of coconut oil mixed into my coffee.

kshama2001

sarsather wrote: »

I can't stop eating either.

Were you able to hook up with group therapy for your BED?

kshama2001

DaphneSW wrote: »

ivylaurenolsen wrote: »

Girl, I am struggling with this same thing right now! Ya, making sure you're getting enough nutrients, especially protein, is important. I have been learning that as I've been trying to live off off a bunch of low-calorie, low-nutrient foods like popcorn and I find that I am hungry all the time! Also, if you're like me, you eat most of your calories at night. So what I try to do is save most of my calories for then by having a light breakfast and lunch. Good luck! I know it's a struggle!

Oh man, I'm so glad you know the feels! It really sucks! Feeling hungry is actually the worst feeling.

Unfortunately I'm not one to be able to eat a light breakfast or lunch because that just makes me h-angry throughout the day haha. It's not ideal!

What kind of meals have you been eating? I've recently been trying to convert to pescatarian with a goal of being vegetarian eventually. It's not working out well so far

I get like this when I eat foods with insufficient protein and fat for me. Fiber helps as well.

Here's a meal that's high in protein and fat compared to calories:

DaphneSW

janejellyroll wrote: »

Jeneba wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Akimajuktuq wrote: »

It's the food. And 2000 calories if you are active may not at all be too much.

You might want to add in some healthy animal protein and fat. Not everyone does well on a high carb/high fibre, plant based diet. The essential macro-nutrients are fat and protein things which plants are poor sources of. Yup, as already mentioned energy dense food is actually more filling because they have the stuff your body needs. You are hungry because you are need things you aren't getting.

Needing to eat huge volumes of food is BS. Or filling up on water, even more BS (drink what you need, no more no less). When I'm on my best WOE the amount I eat looks small but the food is far more filling (and totally resolves all of my health problems including T2 diabetes).

It's totally possible to get both fat and protein needs met on a plant-based diet.

Hi Jane -

I would LOVE some tips on how to get more protein with a vegan diet.

Thanks!

First of all, I LOVE this article: http://food52.com/blog/14291-how-to-get-lots-of-protein-as-a-vegan

This is one of my favorite food bloggers (her recipes are incredible!) and she's actually in the medical field. Her recommendations are very grounded in science.

Here is another, similar, article she wrote for her own blog: http://www.thefullhelping.com/15-simple-affordable-and-protein-rich-combinations-of-plant-foods/

Here is a copy of a list she provides in the first article:

Quinoa, 1 cup, cooked: 8 grams
Buckwheat, 1 cup, cooked: 5 grams
Oat bran, 1 cup, cooked: 7 grams
Rolled oats, 1/2 cup, cooked or raw: 5 grams
Sprouted grain bread, 2 slices: 8 grams
Tempeh, 3 ounces: 17 grams
Tofu, 4 ounces: 12 grams
Edamame, 1/2 cup, shelled and steamed: 9 grams
Almonds, 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup), raw: 6 grams
Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons: 7 grams
Hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds), 3 tablespoons: 10 grams
Nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons: 8 grams
Lentils, 1/2 cup, cooked: 9 grams
Chickpeas, 1/2 cup, cooked: 7 grams
Black beans, 1/2 cup, cooked: 8 grams
Seitan (wheat protein), 1/3 cup, cooked: 21 grams
Broccoli, 1 cup, steamed: 3 grams
Kale, 1 cup, steamed: 3 grams
Collard greens, 1 cup, steamed: 5 grams
Hummus, 1/4 cup: 5 grams

I eat the majority of these foods often -- some several times a week.

She basically talks about using combinations of foods to meet our protein goals. So while a non-vegan may be able to grab some chicken or fish to meet protein needs, we may want to look at the total sum of what we're eating in a meal. You may hear that things like broccoli have protein. Well, that's true . . . but most of us aren't going to be capable of eating enough broccoli to meet our needs. But when we include broccoli in meals that have other sources of protein, it can help augment what we're getting.

So I do use vegetables with protein to help meet my protein needs. 1 cup of steamed collard greens has 5 grams of protein. On it's own, that isn't going to meet my needs. But in the course of a day, it adds up -- and the greens have very few calories. In addition to the foods on the list, I also eat regular refined wheat products (like bagels or pasta), commercial meat substitutes (probably once a week or so), and I will sometimes have a protein shake (made with hemp or pea protein powder).

Thank you so much for this!