Does eating less get easier?

PrettyBrownEyes85

I'm just restarting my journey after probably thousands of attempts. I'm having health issues that I must get under control.

I'm a binge and emotional eater. Celebrations, sadness, stress, boredom, you name it, i eat so much food until I'm comfortably miserable.

I'm 31 years old. 240 lbs. Female. starting off at 1700 calories per day. All I think about is food. I'm still hungry.

Will I adjust to this once I've been at it for a while? Does this get easier?

kommodevaran

It will if you get your feelings and attitudes sorted out, adjust habits and environment, and have a good diet and eating structure that you can and will stick to.

oolou

Yes, it gets easier. But it does take a while. At the moment all you are thinking about is food because you are super aware that you are trying to eat to a reduced calorie intake, but it will become more routine and easier.

Take it one day at a time. Don't beat yourself up if you mess up one day, but just restart the next day afresh. Give yourself a pat on the back when you get through a day according to your eating plan.

Try to find things to do that will engross your mind and distract you from thinking about food. I know ... easier said than done.

PennWalker

Congrats on the decision to start again. It helps me to have some meals prepared ahead of time, even if they are just shakes and salads, so I can grab something healthy no matter what my mood or how my day turns out.

JenHuedy

It does get easier. Especially as you find low calorie foods that are filling and tasty. I mostly eat what I used to, just half the portion of starches and other high calorie stuff and two to three times as much vegetables.
I'll admit, baked goods are still my weakness. So I save my calories for high quality homemade or bakery yummies instead of wasting them on bland grocery store packaged sweets.

NikkyT30

Are you drinking enough water? Sometimes I'm not really hungry I'm just thirsty. ....... And yes it does get easier. Start slow with a half pound lost to give you more calories and adjust the weight loss goal as you get into better eating habits. Everyone else's comments are also correct. Be forgiving of yourself. One day at a time. Good luck fit friend. It's a journey.... Not a race.

TheCrawlingChaos

It may also be that you're just psychologically hungry and not physically. I think I really only just this year found out what the real difference is. I can remember at the beginning of the year I would eat way more during every meal and if I missed a meal I felt terrible and thought about eating until I could get some food in me. Now, minus 80 lbs, I can and have gone over 24 hours without food when necessary and it doesn't hit me anywhere hard as before. I can feel the difference between the psychological hunger and the physical hunger.

neldabg

As others have said, yes it does get easier. Focus on fixing the "why" of overeating, and do not throw in the towel because of a bad hour, day, or even after a bad week. When I was losing, it helped that I planned my meals a week or so ahead of time. When life got busy, I wasn't tempted too badly to overeat because I had a plan. After a couple months, I felt more comfortable and balancing a healthy diet became easier such that I no longer needed to plan so far ahead. For the most part, I now only log meals on the same day I plan to eat them.
A helpful tip: if you're craving something, log a portion of the food FIRST into your diary and fill in everything else to help you meet your macros. This way, you're still keeping on track without feeling deprived.
Humans tend to be creatures of habit. Make healthy choices as routine as your daily shower, and it will hopefully become relatively easy for you.

DetroitDarin

dude - I feel nauseatingly full after a 150g banana, 50 grams of cashews, and 1/3L of water. Coming from a guy who used to eat LARGE Kebab mit chips and then an hour or two later snack on something. Nowadays I struggle to reach 1500-1600 calories per day, intake. Your body will change.

billglitch

I think it gets easier. I was 355 and decided to try Low carb high fat eating (LCHF). I eat between about 1500 cals a day and have lost over 90 pounds, no exercise, no cravings and not hungry all the time. I also drink more water than I used to. If you are interested in LCHF check out dietdoctor.com. My son decided to try it and lost over 20 in a month and a half, my brothers gf is doing it and has lost close to 20 in 2 months.

amusedmonkey

It gets easier. With experience, you pick up a bunch of tricks to manage your hunger, stress and calories. Now the emotional part, that you need to work on separately. Don't ignore it.

aylajane

Yes, but you can trick yourself a little. Google "volumizing food" or "volumetrics" for recipes that LOOK like a lot of food, have lots of volume to make you feel full etc. That can help get through the tough times.

For example, make a small salad like normal then add double or triple the amount of lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers for virtually zero calories. Just dont add corresponding amount of toppings otherwise that have higher calories.

Oatmeal - make with double the amount of water, let sit overnight, etc. It will blow up huge but have same amount of calories as regular bowl.

Egg whites have very few calories - you can whip them (for a long time with beater) and add a VERY little xanthum or guar gum for thickness and use them for lots of things. It will actually make your stomach hurt they are so much/thick. I use them for pancakes (add some sugar free flavored syrup, protein powder, vanilla, etc, and bake - it gets HUGE, google for egg white pancake recipes). You can also just scramble them and add a little meat for an omelet. If not much flavor, add a single regular egg too.

Lots of ideas to eat large amounts for same or less calories. I get so absorbed in finding recipes I actually forget to eat for a few hours while looking them up Lol.

Arapacana1

I have found that lean protein (chicken breast, sliced ham, broiled fish, shrimp, flank steak) is quite filling, especially when paired with a lot of vegetables. Soups are great too, and so are beans and lentils. I add extra chopped up tomatoes, onions, chilis, cabbage, and scallions to soups and beans and even scrambled eggs. Double the volume for just a few calories more! And yes, drink a lot of water. Herbal teas and low-cal instant hot chocolate are great too.

ScotsLass78

This is me. I reach for food for every and any emotion, and when I started on MFP, I felt hungry all the time, even if I'd eaten a very filling, nutritious meal. The only time I'd feel full was when I ate something sweet, like chocolate or a cookie then I realised that I wasn't trying to feel full, I was waiting to be sated and that would only come when I had my "treat".

I've had a bumpy few months starting out, but it does get easier. I'm finding what works for me, ie drinking water when I have a craving, planning my meals the day before, making my own lunches, etc. I haven't cut out chocolate, I allow myself 100cals or so worth of it, and I did this every day when I started out, but as time has gone on, I've found I want this less and less. I definitely don't obsess about food the way I did at the start.

Posting here is a fantastic start, there is so much great advice, but the support is as equally as important. Most of us are in/have been in the same boat, and it really does help knowing others feel the same way you did and conquered it!

Good luck to you!

claraoswold

If you look at my diary I eat a lot of JUNK. But I eat at regular meal times and on schedule so am able to eat less. And that regularity has helped a lot.

So it does get easier. You just have to condition your body for it.

Myki3012

Just think about what binge eating does for you. How it helps you feel good about yourself, achieve your goals and make you look great. Oh wait, it doesn't?

My main point is if it won't help you then don't do it, it's far from worth it.

michael_jordan7

For me the physical aspect of eating less did get easier, I very rarely get physically hungry. The mental side comes and goes for me, some days I am right on point with no issues, other days I drive around from one fast food place to another loading up calories, am I hungry? NO, but do I want to eat? Yes, but the key for me is to have more good days than bad, and to remember that I am not really hungry (in my belly), just in my mind.

Shells918

It does get easier. It's important to pick the right foods. Like @DetroitDarin said, I get full much more quickly on way less food. I eat 2oz of pastrami and that fills me up where I used to eat a full sandwich with double the meat on 2 slices of bread and could still eat more.

I eat Low Carb High Fat, and I'm almost never hungry now. I eat between 1000-1200 calories a day, and sometimes the last 200 calories are difficult to get down.

But the first few weeks, when you're making that change from your old way of eating to the new...some of it is actual hunger, some of it might be thirst so make sure you're drinking enough, and the rest is psychological. I feel hungry every time I see pastries. But it's in my head, not actual hunger.

sllm1

It gets easier. Develop habits that you can continue. Allow for some things that you love to eat (that won't set you off on a binge).

Once you've had time to develop more healthy habits, you won't have to struggle as much.

leejoyce31

aylajane wrote: »

Yes, but you can trick yourself a little. Google "volumizing food" or "volumetrics" for recipes that LOOK like a lot of food, have lots of volume to make you feel full etc. That can help get through the tough times.

For example, make a small salad like normal then add double or triple the amount of lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers for virtually zero calories. Just dont add corresponding amount of toppings otherwise that have higher calories.

Oatmeal - make with double the amount of water, let sit overnight, etc. It will blow up huge but have same amount of calories as regular bowl.

Egg whites have very few calories - you can whip them (for a long time with beater) and add a VERY little xanthum or guar gum for thickness and use them for lots of things. It will actually make your stomach hurt they are so much/thick. I use them for pancakes (add some sugar free flavored syrup, protein powder, vanilla, etc, and bake - it gets HUGE, google for egg white pancake recipes). You can also just scramble them and add a little meat for an omelet. If not much flavor, add a single regular egg too.

Lots of ideas to eat large amounts for same or less calories. I get so absorbed in finding recipes I actually forget to eat for a few hours while looking them up Lol.

I am big on volumizing, which helps. I will say that my thinking about food all the time did not get better. I just had to trick my body by volumizing and drinking tons of water. I think personality type is a factor. If you have an obsessive personality, it may or may not get better over time.

MiaisMIAinMiami

It does get easier. Yesterday I portioned out a cup of cooked rice and my shrimp and vegetables (Cajun style yum) and I couldn't finish it. Take it one day at a time.

jimb0200

Why are you eating less? You should be eating better. When I was at it hard core I was eating 6-7 times a day.

6am Cheerios/milk 165
8-9 whole cucumber Italian dressing 60
11am turkey sandwich/salad 210
2-3bag if baby carrots 50
6 pm 2-turkey dogs (with buns!) salad 425
8pm Broccoli and Romano 100

6 meals for the day, all which I like, no crazy rice cakes for a grand total of 1000 cals.

At one point I was having a hard time eating more then 1200 calories.

It took me a while to figure out how to eat the foods I like and still keep it low. The sides are the key to it along with a good low fat/cal salad dressing.

PrettyBrownEyes85

Thanks everyone for the replies! Good to know things will get better. All of your posts provided me with new tools from planning meals to using egg whites as filler! I feel better emotionally after reading your responses!!!!!

dasher602014

It does get easier. I eat higher fiber and lower carbs. It helps curb the hunger and you get used to smaller portions. I also fill up on salad and other veggies.

kommodevaran

jimb0200 wrote: »

Why are you eating less? You should be eating better. When I was at it hard core I was eating 6-7 times a day.

6am Cheerios/milk 165
8-9 whole cucumber Italian dressing 60
11am turkey sandwich/salad 210
2-3bag if baby carrots 50
6 pm 2-turkey dogs (with buns!) salad 425
8pm Broccoli and Romano 100

6 meals for the day, all which I like, no crazy rice cakes for a grand total of 1000 cals.

At one point I was having a hard time eating more then 1200 calories.

It took me a while to figure out how to eat the foods I like and still keep it low. The sides are the key to it along with a good low fat/cal salad dressing.

To lose weight, one has to eat less. But to be able to eat less long enough to lose any discernible amount of weight, one has to eat better. Number of meals does not influence how much you (can) eat. 1000 calories is too little unless you are under 5 foot tall. Low fat doesn't work for everybody.

Jessie24330

It gets SO much easier. Over time you will find what foods make you feel full, and keep you feeling that way, and which ones are pretty much just going to leave you hungry in 20 minutes. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water because sometimes "hunger" is actually thirst. Find things to do, hobbies or something, when you are bored, stressed, whatever. They will tell you that exercise is great for this, which it is, but even sitting in front of your computer watching cute cat videos on YouTube is better than eating your emotions. You don't have to start all in either. If a 2 pound a week deficit is too much for you right now, start with 1 pound (that will give you an extra 500 calories a day) until you get used to it and work your way back up (or down, depending how you look at it lol). Better progress that is a little slower than doing something that is going to make you too frustrated and quit.

PrettyBrownEyes85

Thank you!

FLBeachluvr

jimb0200 wrote: »

Why are you eating less? You should be eating better. When I was at it hard core I was eating 6-7 times a day.

6am Cheerios/milk 165
8-9 whole cucumber Italian dressing 60
11am turkey sandwich/salad 210
2-3bag if baby carrots 50
6 pm 2-turkey dogs (with buns!) salad 425
8pm Broccoli and Romano 100

6 meals for the day, all which I like, no crazy rice cakes for a grand total of 1000 cals.

At one point I was having a hard time eating more then 1200 calories.

It took me a while to figure out how to eat the foods I like and still keep it low. The sides are the key to it along with a good low fat/cal salad dressing.

You must have a caloric deficit to lose weight. What you eat is important but you could still lose on 1000 calories of cake a day. The foods listed total 1010 calories, way too low for a man.

sfcrocker

Yes, especially if you take time to really savor what you are eating vs. just sitting in front of the TV shoveling it in. Before I grab a snack now, I stop and say "do I really need or want to eat this?" Sometimes the answer is yes, other times no. Previously I would just eat mindlessly for no real reason. It does get easier!

laur357

It does get easier. However, it sounds like you have some emotional issues tied up with food. If you continue having problems with binging, you may want to talk to a therapist. You could also try some cognitive behavioral techniques to change how you interact with food - maybe the Beck Diet Solution.

jimb0200

keharty wrote: »

You must have a caloric deficit to lose weight. What you eat is important but you could still lose on 1000 calories of cake a day. The foods listed total 1010 calories, way too low for a man.

Thank you for the input. I know 1000 cals a day is low and while I had days like that most were 1200-1300. I wasn't starving and was having no other issues I was biking 20 mph for and hour and doing 1hr of weight circuit with it. No fatigue or problems other then going from 240-170.. Clothes shopping got expensive.