Staying full

michellegetfit14

I'm having a really hard time staying full when I use portion control. Will this go away once my stomach starts shrinking?

tulips_and_tea

Your stomach doesn't physically shrink, but you WILL adjust to eating less food. Feeling 'full" is comforting to some people and you may be in that category simply due to habit, but the word I choose to use is "satisfied". Being full generally means you've over eaten or are close to it.

When you're eating, slow down, enjoy the tastes, textures and smells. Set your utensils down and give your body time to register that you've eaten. Most of the time our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and the amount of food we serve ourselves is due to habit and not actual physical need.

Be patient and consistent and you'll get there!

RoxieDawn

I love the "stomach shrink" idea.. Sorry to say that does not happen. You will get used to less calories soon.

But if you want satiety, eat foods that provide that but also when your brain and your stomach tell you you are full, then that is time to eat no more. Listen to it, and do not fight that and keep eating or go back and eat more a short time later..

Add plenty of protein and healthy fats and fiber in your meals and this will help keep you fuller longer or provide satiety. Carb loaded meals will not satisfy as much as protein, fats and fiber (fruits and veggies) will. And yes, slow down on the eating, this too can help you know when it may be time to put the fork down.. it does take a little persistence on your part in the beginning..

Patience is your friend right about now!

T0M_K

and you can try drinking more water. water is just SOOOOOO good for everything as well as just helping to keep us full. when you are hungry...drink a glass of water first. unless its meal time.

TeaBea

Protein, fat and fiber help with satiety. It's a little bit different mix for different people. Keep tweaking your menus. Also, make sure your daily calorie goal isn't too low. Adding a couple hundred calories would just mean losing a bit slower. Pick a number that you can live with awhile.

RoxieDawn

Tomk652015 wrote: »

and you can try drinking more water. water is just SOOOOOO good for everything as well as just helping to keep us full. when you are hungry...drink a glass of water first. unless its meal time.

Water fullness is very temporary.. but yes do drink the water.. Just know that sometimes when you get a "pang" in the stomach that you may think is hunger, it is usually thirst. Drink and if not satisfied or pang not gone, maybe it is time for you next meal or that next snack you can eat according to your calorie allotment or calorie bank for the day.

T0M_K

RoxieDawn wrote: »

Tomk652015 wrote: »

and you can try drinking more water. water is just SOOOOOO good for everything as well as just helping to keep us full. when you are hungry...drink a glass of water first. unless its meal time.

Water fullness is very temporary.. but yes do drink the water.. Just know that sometimes when you get a "pang" in the stomach that you may think is hunger, it is usually thirst. Drink and if not satisfied or pang not gone, maybe it is time for you next meal or that next snack you can eat according to your calorie allotment or calorie bank for the day.

Good points. calorie bank can be helpful as long as you just keep in your daily allotment. sometimes i'm not hungry so save some calories for a later meal or a splurge like a beer or extra portion of a protein.

jlemoore

I think it also depends on what kinds of foods that you are eating. Eating a ton of veggies, healthy fats and proteins works to satisfy you more than a bowl of rice crispies.

RoxieDawn

Tomk652015 wrote: »

RoxieDawn wrote: »

Tomk652015 wrote: »

and you can try drinking more water. water is just SOOOOOO good for everything as well as just helping to keep us full. when you are hungry...drink a glass of water first. unless its meal time.

Water fullness is very temporary.. but yes do drink the water.. Just know that sometimes when you get a "pang" in the stomach that you may think is hunger, it is usually thirst. Drink and if not satisfied or pang not gone, maybe it is time for you next meal or that next snack you can eat according to your calorie allotment or calorie bank for the day.

Good points. calorie bank can be helpful as long as you just keep in your daily allotment. sometimes i'm not hungry so save some calories for a later meal or a splurge like a beer or extra portion of a protein.

In the beginning getting all of those calories when needed is beneficial to the process. When OP is experienced with counting calories (and hopefully she is weighing her food) and listening to the bodies responses she will be able to determine if she can move or save calories for later..

I save calories or I pre-log the treat or the bed time chocolate I am gonna eat so I do not over eat them in the day time!!!

T0M_K

pre-logging is a good idea. i should do more.

CattOfTheGarage

I found that I felt constantly hungry for the first couple of weeks and then I adjusted.

Now I feel satisfied most of the time, only hungry for a little while before meals. I achieve that by eating plenty of whole grains, fruit and veg, and protein. Sometimes a high fat snack like toast and peanut butter helps too. In the everyday routine I tend to avoid white bread and non-wholegrain breakfast cereals, as they use up calories but leave me hungry; sugar also makes me nibbly so I try and reduce it. However, I do not cut out anything (it makes me prone to binge) - nothing is off limits and I eat all these foods a few times a week. They just are not my staple diet - I need most of what I eat to be filling or I will be hungry.

If you want to eat a huge portion of something just to get that full feeling, throw in lots of vegetables. There are lots of tips over in the "recipes" subforum on how to incorporate extra veg into meals in order to increase portion size without increasing calories too much.

All of this takes time and practice, because what fills you up and keeps you going will be quite individual to you. Try things out and see how it goes. But you may have to give up the dream of being "full all the time" - we just aren't meant to be full constantly! I think one of the reasons behind my own obesity is the feeling that something is "wrong" if I'm not actually full up. That's a skewed perspective. We are really meant to spend most of our time in the happy medium between "full" and "hungry" - which can be an unfamiliar place for the habitual overeater. It may take time for that part of your mindset to change but it's one of these changes that will make a big difference in the longer term.

AnnPT77

In my opinion, it can also help to experiment with the timing & composition of your eating, to find the routine that's most satisfying for you. Different people find different things filling and satisfying.

By "timing", I mean things like whether you have or skip breakfast, whether you eat 3 bigger meals or 5-6 smaller ones, eat 3 meals plus small snacks between, save some calories for an evening snack, that sort of thing. I also include which meal(s) are calorically largest as part of timing, like whether you do best with a big breakfast vs. big dinner, or even-sized meals through the day, etc.

By "composition", I mean the mix of macronutrients (protein/fat/carb), micronutrients (vitamins/minerals/etc.) and fiber, within a healthy range of each. Some people find protein satiating, others feel full from (healthy) fats, yet others feel satisfied when they include plenty of high-volume low-calorie foods - usually these are high-fiber veggies. Some people don't feel satisfied without some carbs like bread, pasta or potatoes, while others find that eating those carbs just makes them crave more carbs.

Try a new approach for a few days. If it's an improvement, stick with it. If not, switch things up again.

It helped me to start the day with a solid breakfast, including plenty of protein, then eat protein through the day, and get plenty of high-volume/low-cal veggies & fruits along the way. But a different formula may work better for you.