I Can't Stop Eating....

sarah_125724

I'm always hungry. Hence my weight GAIN not weight loss. How do I control my large appetite?

tiptoethruthetulips

How many calories are you eating? How many are you meant to be eating for weight loss? What type of foods are you eating?

If you open your food diary you will likely received tailored advice to your situation...but generally make sure you are drinking sufficient fluids, eating a well balanced menu which includes high fibre foods (grains etc, fruit and veg), protein, good fats including dairy.

linsey0689

When I first started I ate a lot of low calorie foods especially veggies. There are some veggies you literally eat as much as want of and I really liked the idea of this. Well I really still do. I also got used to not eating 3 large meals but started eating more frequently smaller meal. Also foods with protein is something I look for. It is also important to listen to you body. I don't know what you have your goal set for but losing 2 lbs a week is a lot maybe start with a less ambitious goal so you are able to eat more and still make progress but not be hungry all the time.

Take care

BrookeRunningMom

Drink more water, I fined 1-2 boiled eggs with some grapes keeps me full longer. Sometimes I'll have to suck it up mostly around 8 at night when I have the munchies, also keep yourself busy. You will eventually get use to not eating as much. Don't starve yourself but when you no your over eating just try and keep busy, even do some squats then chug some water. Good luck

BrookeRunningMom

O and celery is low calorie with a little bit of peanut butter is good too

DezYaoified

I still have issues so im not sure im the best to give advise... And this isnt so much to curb the cravings so much as remove some of the guilt...

But when i am really craving something i would squat. Like 25 regular, 25 sumo squats, and usually a 30 second (elevated) plank. It didnt stop the cravings but i also didnt beat myself up when i caved in and ate a candy bar. My problem wasnt the cravings but how i felt after. I felt like i had failed and it was hard work to keep going and not give up. I had to push thru. It may not be the best idea to reward yourself with food but it worked for me. Now i eat what i want but the cravings arent as bad.

cqbkaju

Drink at least 8oz of water before you start eating anything, maybe more.
Use Propel or some other zero-calorie stuff to flavor the water if that helps.

Get more heavy exercise (barbell lifts: StrongLifts5x5, Thinner Leaner Stronger, etc.).
Teach yourself to use food as fuel instead of a crutch.

You are almost certainly not really "hungry" - your body just isn't used to having an empty stomach because you habitually put stuff in it.
Fill it with water and learn to eat when necessary instead of when you "want" to.
Unless you have been put into Foster Care because you were mistreated / malnourished, are from a Third World country or something along those lines then I would bet you have probably never been truly hungry more than a few times in your whole life.

The barbell lifting will at least help burn some of the extra calories you eat and put on attractive muscle which will -in turn- burn more calories.

Controlling your appetite is simply a matter of not eating more than you need to. No tricks to it.
It is a matter of discipline, little else.

Many people are actually borderline dehydrated so frequently that they do not know the difference between being thirsty and hungry.
Every time you think you are "hungry" drink a glass of water and go do something else.
9 times out of 10 you will forget that you were "hungry" 30 minutes later.

When you do eat, make sure the meal is at least 30% protein. That will keep you full longer.

Being "hungry" is not the reason you gain weight. That is simply rationalizing your behavior.
Consuming more calories than your body needs is the reason you gain weight.

rolenthegreat

Find something low-cal high volume that you enjoy so you can fill up on that. A lot of veggies meet this requirement.
For me it's cooked spinach with a bit of cheese and salt sprinkled on top. Spinach is like 20 calories for 100 grams. Baby carrots and canned tuna are also on my list of snacks to always keep in the house.

kristikitter

Nut butters, Babybel lights, string cheese, turkey, jerky, boiled eggs, crackers... try them and play with volume, weight, etc.

Geocitiesuser

sarah_125724 wrote: »

How do I control my large appetite?

Will power.

It's the coldest and most blunt answer, but it's not meant to be offensive. Will power. Sometimes when we "know" we are on a "diet" it is enough to make us lose all control and get hungry. Sometimes when we're in a calorie defecit for a while our hunger rages out of control. I know, personally, I am hungry all day long every day the past few weeks. But the only solution for both of us, is self control. We can try high volume low calorie foods. We can try adjusting our caloric intake by an extra 100 calories. We can do a little bit of extra exercise, but in the end, the ONLY thing that can prevent us from putting that extra food in our mouths, is our own will power.

The bright side is, we can both do it. It might not feel nice, but if we dig deep, we can do it.

LoveEL2

I'm still struggling too but what has helped me is staying away from my "trigger foods" and those are usually high sugar and simple carbs. If I eat high sugar or too many simple carbs, it triggers my "eating frenzy." I try to pair complex carbs with protein and healthy fats and I've noticed that when I do that it keeps my "hunger" and cravings in check.

Findingmyhappyme

I'm exactly the same ESPECIALLY at night! So I tend to make my evening meal my biggest and I really focus on protein, protein, protein! Before I did that I was starving 24/7 but since paying attention to my macros (135g protein a day) I find myself being full.

Also I keep repeating this to myself 'are you hungry or are you bored?', have a full glass of water and entertain yourself with a job or something. Then if you're still hungry, have a protein heavy snack

xsmilexforxmex

Sarah, for the first 2 weeks I started here - I put absolutely no restrictions on myself. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted - but I logged EVERYTHING, even if it was a single bite of a stalk of celery or a sip of sauce while cooking. I realized, I was eating *WAY* more than I thought (and I thought it was a lot already...). That information helped me to make adjustments and think about what I was doing when I reached for food.
Obviously - what worked for me doesn't work for everyone, but it might help you to see the high number of calories you're eating and, if not eat less, make lower calorie choices about what you do eat.

tsalagi82

Maybe it's what you're eating..? I noticed that when I eat a lot of processed foods or fast foods, the appetite and cravings are OUT OF CONTROL. It's insane!

daneejela

I think that you are either starving yourself too much, or you are overeating and lost ability to recognize real hunger/fulness impulses.

If it's the 2nd, then I would do a small experiment:
For two days I would make my diet very low calorie, allowing myself to really feel the hunger.
For example: having only tree light meals, dinner especially light (like yogurt and slice of bread), no soda, no sweets, no snacks.

I think 2 days is short enough to go through it. (I don't recommend it for a long period of time.)

After those two days I think you will be much less hungry, because your body will experience real hunger sensation, and more important, you will experience that little hunger is not something that will make you die immediately

Emmalovestorun

Hey, Emma here i'm 35, 5'8 and from the uk.
I'm a runner, cyclist, walker and gym goer.
I have successfully lost a stone and a half, and got to maintenance which seems way harder than losing the weight. Since then for some reason i have had intense desires to binge on sugary items (biscuits, cake, sweets and chocolate) these are things i never ate much of before and never really been bothered about until now.
I am gradually seeing the lbs creep back on.
It only ever happens on an evening after my main meal.
It's like i cant help it and it's all i think about until Ive had it, and then i feel so stupid and bad that i gave in
I did it for one week and felt fantastic, made the bad decision of seeing if i could have just one biscuit and the rest is history, and here i am.
Starting today i'm going to cut out all cake, sweets, chocolate and biscuits, and try really really hard.
I need to do this. I know i'm either going to put all the weight back on, or end up making my self unwell, diabetes is a big worry as thats sugar related.
Sorry its long, but thanks for listening, feel like telling someone helps me take a bit more control
Any advice would be appreciated, or add me.
Emma xx

ladypew

You probably have boredom hunger or phantom hunger which I like to call it. Some will power is essential. It's OK to feel hungry, I do. I used to snack all the time, opening the fridge just cus I was bored. Now I try and preoccupy myself with other things like TV shows drawing or cleaning the house. I like sweet stuff too... I put curly wurly in the fridge and eat one when I get a craving. Or those Mr freeze ice lollies. Don't have sweet stuff in the house.. Now I'm used to it I have sweet stuff lying around and it doesn't bother me.

haydiz70

RunningEm2016 wrote: »

Hey, Emma here i'm 35, 5'8 and from the uk.
I'm a runner, cyclist, walker and gym goer.
I have successfully lost a stone and a half, and got to maintenance which seems way harder than losing the weight. Since then for some reason i have had intense desires to binge on sugary items (biscuits, cake, sweets and chocolate) these are things i never ate much of before and never really been bothered about until now.
I am gradually seeing the lbs creep back on.
It only ever happens on an evening after my main meal.
It's like i cant help it and it's all i think about until Ive had it, and then i feel so stupid and bad that i gave in
I did it for one week and felt fantastic, made the bad decision of seeing if i could have just one biscuit and the rest is history, and here i am.
Starting today i'm going to cut out all cake, sweets, chocolate and biscuits, and try really really hard.
I need to do this. I know i'm either going to put all the weight back on, or end up making my self unwell, diabetes is a big worry as thats sugar related.
Sorry its long, but thanks for listening, feel like telling someone helps me take a bit more control
Any advice would be appreciated, or add me.
Emma xx

I went through the same thing. After losing about 50 pounds, my appetite was insane and I craved the worst food choices too. Will power wasn't enough to overcome the intense cravings. There's a lot of science behind what was going on and understanding that helped but it was still very difficult. My body thought I had been starving and was wanting me to put the weight back on. That's hard to overcome. I did regain some weight but I'm maintaining now, though I'd like to lose 5-8 pounds but at least my appetite is returning more to normal after about a year of struggling. I never had a big appetite before I lost the weight. Maintenance is so difficult after a substantial weight loss. Hang in there! One bit of advice is to not keep junk food around the house but don't completely deprive yourself. It's okay to indulge once in a while, just not every day.