Adjusting to feeling less full and mental tricks

robingmurphy

I have a few issues which are really preventing weight loss for me:

1. When I start trying to cut back the total calories I eat - even though I do eat filling, fiber-rich whole foods mostly - I feel a little less full. For the first couple weeks until I adjust, this is a real trigger for me to want to eat more. Is there something I can do to make it easier to adjust? I'm used to stopping eating when I feel quite full and adjusting to stopping at just a little full feels like not enough for a while.

2. There is always this point in the mid-afternoon when I want to eat beyond my plan. Usually I'm a little tired or bored or stressed. My brain comes up with an excuse why it's ok - often the idea that I'm actually a little hungry and should eat something for that reason (really I'm not - I'm just not as full as usual). Sometimes my brain says that I'll make up for it later by eating less for dinner (spoiler alert: I don't). I eat a little extra. That feels and tastes good and I find myself going back for just a little more... little more... little more ... until I've exceeded my day's calories and it's not even dinner.

3. Then I get the "screw it" mentality. "Oh, I already ate over my day's calories - a little more won't be a big deal! I probably should eat dinner either way because otherwise my schedule will be messed up. My family will want to know why I'm not eating dinner and I'll have to tell them I ate like 1000 calories at snack time!"

Any advice on getting past these barriers? They trip me up almost every day. I'm striving for a moderate calorie deficit of 300-500 calories a day, so I don't think I'm shooting for an unreasonable goal.

cbihatt

Drink more liquids. That will take up some space in your stomach and make you feel full without compromising your calorie count, provided you aren’t drinking high calorie drinks.

For the afternoon slump, try doing an activity if you are able. Whether it is exercising or spending some time on a hobby, I find it’s easier to ignore those impulses if my brain is focused on something else. You can also try procrastinating by telling yourself you’ll have a snack in 5 minutes. When those 5 minutes pass, give yourself another 5. This is all assuming you aren’t ACTUALLY hungry.

For the all or nothing mindset, try reminding yourself that every little bit helps. Even if you eat more than you intended in a day, you may have made progress in some other way. Maybe you ended the day by eating only 100 calories extra. Or maybe you exercised. Or maybe you ate healthy even if it was too much. Those are all starting points from which you can improve going forward. Focus on what you did right instead of what you did wrong.

IAmTheGlue

Hydrate well. Seriously, just flood your body with water. It helps everything run more smoothly.

How high is your deficit? Because I think it’s way better to lose 1/2 pound a week than to continually gain with a binge/restrict cycle.

I eat apple slices as a snack. I buy them precut and you can eat a lot of them for little calories. They are 80 calories for a serving which I do measure on a gram scale, but they say it is 1.5 cups. So let’s say you eat 3 cups of them… 160 calories!

Some people need protein to feel full. Like one hard boiled egg or one cheese stick will make them feel more full than my huge servings of apple slices. That’s something you need to tweak to figure out what works for you.

Well, as for number 3… I do tell them.

I have serious medical issues and I do speak to my children about diet, exercise and nutrition. Just how to stay healthy. We have a full home gym that they see me using every day.

I doubt my family notices what I eat for dinner. If someone mentions it,tell them you are not hungry (if that’s the case). Or say “I had a big snack so I’m eating a lighter dinner.” I eat salad a lot for dinner. I will also eat an entire bag of frozen broccoli or cauliflower for dinner, or both because I legitimately love vegetables.

Just whatever you do, don’t give up. Keep going. Keep trying. You can do this. ❤️

AnnPT77

Good advice from folks above. Just a few added comments, interspersed below.

robingmurphy wrote: »

I have a few issues which are really preventing weight loss for me:

1. When I start trying to cut back the total calories I eat - even though I do eat filling, fiber-rich whole foods mostly - I feel a little less full. For the first couple weeks until I adjust, this is a real trigger for me to want to eat more. Is there something I can do to make it easier to adjust? I'm used to stopping eating when I feel quite full and adjusting to stopping at just a little full feels like not enough for a while.

I tend to experience a couple of weeks' adaptation period to materially reduced calories - even if an objectively sensible deficit - where I feel a little peckish. I assume (in my case) it's more about expectations and habits than true hunger. With the knowledge that it's likely temporary, and the probability that when starting a deficit I'm probably uncharacteristically stoked (briefly) with a small supply of the elusive (near-mythical) "motivation" or "willpower", I'd usually try to tough it out.

If that doesn't work for you, perhaps you could consider calorie counting but gradually tapering calories down from "eat normally" (whatever that is for you) to your intended deficit, over a period of maybe 2-4 weeks? I don't know if that would work, but it's just a thought.

2. There is always this point in the mid-afternoon when I want to eat beyond my plan. Usually I'm a little tired or bored or stressed. My brain comes up with an excuse why it's ok - often the idea that I'm actually a little hungry and should eat something for that reason (really I'm not - I'm just not as full as usual). Sometimes my brain says that I'll make up for it later by eating less for dinner (spoiler alert: I don't). I eat a little extra. That feels and tastes good and I find myself going back for just a little more... little more... little more ... until I've exceeded my day's calories and it's not even dinner.

If the problem isn't actually hunger or nutrition, the best solution isn't food, right? If you can sort out what the trigger is, address the root cause.

If it's fatigue, can you improve your overnight sleep quality/quantity, or schedule in a short catnap?

If it's boredom, distracting hobbies are good. (Bonus if they require clean hands - sketching, needlework, playing a musical instrument, etc.; or create dirty hands - carpentry, gardening, painting, etc.)

If stress, then stress reduction (if feasible) or other stress management techniques? Different things work for different people, but ones I see mentioned are meditation, prayer, mild exercise, journaling, self-hypnosis audios or videos, adult coloring books, aromatherapy, bubble bath or other self-care indulgence, etc.

As an aside, the starting words of your point 2 struck me: "There is always a point . . . ". Cognitive framing can be surprisingly important. Even "So far, I've typically reached a point . . . and I haven't found the right solution yet, but I'm working on it" leaves a little more brain-space for solutions. Clearly you're working toward solutions, not saying otherwise . . . but prediction or expectation can influence future experience, when it's prediction/expectation of a mindset or internal state.

3. Then I get the "screw it" mentality. "Oh, I already ate over my day's calories - a little more won't be a big deal! I probably should eat dinner either way because otherwise my schedule will be messed up. My family will want to know why I'm not eating dinner and I'll have to tell them I ate like 1000 calories at snack time!"

Well, you know what people say about this one: If you got up to go to work in the morning, and your car had a flat tire, would you puncture the other 3 and go back to bed? If you were driving on vacation, 300 miles from home, and took a wrong turn, would you drive back home to start over?

I know it isn't easy - I'm an actual human, too, after all - but our thought patterns are one thing that are pretty much 100% under our personal control. I really don't know of a solution to this sort of thought pattern that doesn't involve spending some of the ultra-limited willpower budget, if only to apply one of the other techniques (like distraction, hydration, etc.).

Any advice on getting past these barriers? They trip me up almost every day. I'm striving for a moderate calorie deficit of 300-500 calories a day, so I don't think I'm shooting for an unreasonable goal.

cmriverside

Are you getting any exercise? I get that feeling you are describing if I

1. Eat too few calories in general

or

2. Don't get at least 30 minutes of exercise.

Hiawassee88

Don't ban any of your favorite foods. Everything is on the table.

Two words. Portion Control. Moderate by portion control.. You're going to have to gut it out until your brain quits bullying your body.

Do not skip meals. You're messing with your head when you do this. Break these patterns by edging your way down slowly. It would be better to eat meals and then slowly rein it back in. You don't have to drop weight like it's hot. So many do but they don't learn anything when all is said and done.

Dieting done. Next. I can fall right back into my old routines with food because I'm fixed now. Boom. Rebound weight gain with friends. You don't want to fall into this trap. You don't want to keep swinging back and forth through this old saloon door with your weight.

Take up brisk walking when your meal is done. Flip the switch, surf the urges and get out of your old routines and environment. Turn everything on its' head. You will make many new discoveries about yourself while you're out there hoofing it.

Serious walking opens up your mind. Use music and make this process fun. Make this all yours and something you look forward to instead of dreading every step of the way.

njitaliana

How many calories do you eat each day?

csplatt

1. a mug of warm water helps me
2. pre plan a snack that fits into your day for this difficult part of your day. i like to have pretzels with chocolate chips. if that’s not filling enough, you could throw in some strawberries

also, eating dinner early helps me. i don’t struggle before bed but I am like you and am at most risk of saying “screw it” before dinner