Tips for taming your desire to eat

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joowelz
joowelz Posts: 170 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What do you do to help you control your appetite? If you had to shave off 200 calories a day, for example, how would you do so while still feeling like you have had enough to eat?

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  • boilerdawg2009
    boilerdawg2009 Posts: 979 Member
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    Drink plenty of water throughout the day! Your stomach will feel full and you'll be less inclined to eat too much.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Lots of water and fibery veggies keep me full.

    I average ~45 -50 grams of fiber -almost all from produce (think big salads and stir fries) and a gallon of water a day.

    Quickie craving trick when I get the night munchies knowing full well I've had my calorie allotment for the day: I guzzle 20 oz of water as fast as I can. Fills me up to the point I'm sometimes even uncomfortably full, and keeps my mitts out of the pantry.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Okay, so water doesn't work for you. Play around with meal timing and macros. Plan your meal times and include snacks when needed. Protein is filling for me, so I'm sure to include it at every meal.

    Are you wanting to eat because you are hungry or because of habit? I used to eat while watching TV, no more. Mindless eating can't be a thing. Instead I find something to do with my hands; crochet, solitaire, adult coloring books, whatever. Get your mind off food.

    Grazing after work was another habit. Instead I have an afternoon snack at work. This can be a piece of fruit a cup of chai tea (in the winter). I'm not ravenous when I get home from work, so I don't need a snack.
  • sweetdaisy13
    sweetdaisy13 Posts: 357 Member
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    I try to get as much nutrition out of the foods I eat so that I feel satisfied and full.

    But at times where I feel the urge to snack, just for the sake of it, I tend to have a cup of tea and usually this prevents me from snacking.
  • Viktoria2022
    Viktoria2022 Posts: 16 Member
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    I add chia seeds on top of my smoothies (or make chia pudding). That works, since it expands in the stomach and it is nutritious too. Never eat without something fluid though.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 630 Member
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    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    Find the foods that keep you satisfied for longer. For some that may be protein, for others that may be high fibre foods or low calorie high volume foods. Some find dairy foods may keep them satisfied for longer.

    Also making sure you stay hydrated, some people mistake thirst for being hungry.

    I agree!!
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    SnifterPug wrote: »
    Water does not stave off my hunger but a hot drink does. If I feel hungry and it's not close to a meal time I will drink a green or black tea, or a black coffee. I promise myself that if I still feel hungry half an hour later I will allow myself a snack. 9 times out of 10 I completely forget about feeling hungry about 20 minutes after the hot drink so long as I busy myself with something else.

    I drink boullian sometimes and it helps. It does have a lot of sodium if that is an issue, though

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,981 Member
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    Plenty of sleep, plenty of protein and fiber, caffeine as needed.
  • Beautyofdreams
    Beautyofdreams Posts: 1,009 Member
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    Have you tried chewing a stick of sugar free gum. Most is around 5 calories. Mfp gives me 1300 calories a day to lose .5 lb/wk. For this goal, I use 0 calorie Walden Farms dressing, 45 calorie light bread. I don’t drink diet pop because it leaves a sweet taste in my mouth that makes me crave chocolate. I substitute Built protein bars for chocolate bars. They have 130 calories and 6g fiber plus they are chewy. I also have a high fiber and protein rich breakfast that keeps me full until lunch. I do not waste calories on sauces, most condiments(except herbs and mustard) or most fried foods or cereal. If I am still hungry after eating 3 meals and a snack(all within calories), I just tell myself no and focus on doing something else that is more productive.
    It is fine to be hungry when starting a new way of eating. Most hunger pangs fade over time. When you eat, chew slowly and throughly. Take a sip of water between bites. Eat only at a table and not standing up, in the living room, or in the car. Focus on the food or your dinner mates conversation and don’t mindlessly eat in front of the tv. Eat your meals before you are ravenous so that you don’t overeat or make poor choices. Eat until not empty but not until feel full or stuffed. Many times we mistake stuffed for full and our bodies have to get used to what is actually enough.
  • joowelz
    joowelz Posts: 170 Member
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    Thanks all. I am actually hungry so its not in my head. I have realized that i can switch my Truvia with Cane Sugar to 100% stevia for my coffees and will need to stop putting 1 tbs of ground flax in my yogurt. This will save a total of 127 calories. It really sucks that some of us can’t make use of the benefits of flax and other nutrient packed foods/nuts because of our low calorie needs. :( My friend really wants me to take flax daily for its effect on estrogen levels.
  • ChaoticMoira
    ChaoticMoira Posts: 103 Member
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    joowelz wrote: »
    What do you do to help you control your appetite?

    I have binge eating disorder, so I get ravenous. And yeah, I never understand when people say use water. It makes my belly feel distended, but not full, these are totally different sensations in my book. I still feel hungry cause water is not food, and my body knows it. A few things I do:
    • I use air popped popcorn when I am hungry but I know I shouldn't be. It is 60 calories for 2 cups, it is bulky so it takes up room in my belly, and it is actual food so my stomach acknowledges it. A little sprinkle of Kernals Seasonings makes it feel like something yummy too.
    • You can also use sugar free jello to help make a meal feel bigger. This is good if I have had a healthy snack/meal, but it wasn't big enough; I can add on some sugar free jello to make it heavier in my stomach.
    • Other low cal snacks that feel a little more like real food for me are (campbells condensed) chicken noodle soup and vegetarian vegetable which are both low cal. I am not vegetarian, I just like that one better and it is low cal..
    joowelz wrote: »
    If you had to shave off 200 calories a day, for example, how would you do so...

    Remove sugar, and remove bad fats. That is what I did.

    Without knowing your actual diet, here are some tips that might help cut out some cals. I personally don't do all of these, but without knowing your diet, advice has to be pretty broad.
    • Go nonfat on diary.
    • Switch cow milk for almond, or cashew milk.
    • Go sugar free.
    • Replace your usual lunch with a real big salad or big bowl of broth based soup (either at 300 calories or less).
    • Eat less bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Carbs are not bad, but these ones tend to stack on the calories quickly. So be careful how much of them you eat.
    • Be picky and sparing with fatty foods (e.g. cheese, some meat, butter, margarine, nuts, nut butter, mayo, avocados, oil etc.). You need healthy fats so best to choose those, but you don't need not a lot of them either. I focus on only eating the ones I really love so no calories are wasted.


    Personally I made my main 3 meals a day all be 300 calories. This left me room to eat in between meals so that I wasn't starving waiting for my next meal.

    Good luck. :)
  • ChaoticMoira
    ChaoticMoira Posts: 103 Member
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    corinasue1143 wrote: »
    Oatmeal has about 150 calories per 40 gram. Make it with extra water, add some fruit. Voila! A filling meal for 200ish calories.

    Yes, extra water. This is basically my breakfast half the week. Let it sit for a few minutes and it soaks that water up so it's a good sized bowl. Love oatmeal for feeling full!



  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
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    joowelz wrote: »
    Thanks all. I am actually hungry so its not in my head. I have realized that i can switch my Truvia with Cane Sugar to 100% stevia for my coffees and will need to stop putting 1 tbs of ground flax in my yogurt. This will save a total of 127 calories. It really sucks that some of us can’t make use of the benefits of flax and other nutrient packed foods/nuts because of our low calorie needs. :( My friend really wants me to take flax daily for its effect on estrogen levels.

    Take the flax and find something else to cut back on, if you eat 4 Oz of chicken make it 3 oz, if you eat 2 eggs eat 1 . You get the point you can find a way to fit it in, do a little extra exercise that will burn a little to compensate for the slight calories in the flax. Hope you found the fix, lots of good advice here.🤗

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