overcoming eating way too much
MyNewHealthyLifestyle
Posts: 11
Hello. As I REbegin my weight loss journey (for the zillionth time) I'd like some advice from you. For those who started out eating way too much etc. What helped you to gain control? How long did it take to adjust to eating a decent amount rather than eating in surplus? Do the cravings ever go away? Just looking for some ideas to get restarted.
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Thanks0
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Not eating bread helped me, recently I ate some bread and I had the urge to overeat again. That works for me not saying it works for everyone...
Low carbs helped me too, it took away my cravings for eating more. I hope other people will have better advice for you!0 -
Biggest help for me was (and is) measuring my food and logging everything as I eat it on here. When I log as the day progresses it keeps me in check, on the days when I can't log as I eat ... I log at night and its usually a shock as to how much I ate that day. I am not nearly as good at estimating as I thought.0
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Not eating bread helped me, recently I ate some bread and I had the urge to overeat again. That works for me not saying it works for everyone...
Low carbs helped me too, it took away my cravings for eating more. I hope other people will have better advice for you!
I don't want to go low carb but I do notice when I eat lower carbs and cut out fast food I'm full longer and don't crave junk as much. Thanks!0 -
Biggest help for me was (and is) measuring my food and logging everything as I eat it on here. When I log as the day progresses it keeps me in check, on the days when I can't log as I eat ... I log at night and its usually a shock as to how much I ate that day. I am not nearly as good at estimating as I thought.
Oh I'm the queen of estimating lol. I got a food scale at Walmart so hopefully it will help me be more accurate. Thanks for sharing!0 -
Low carb helped me to deal with too large portions and snacking in between. I just feel too stuffed now to keep on eating. I also noticed that high carb and sugar invites me to eat more, I just feel hungry again in no time.
I have also heard it can help to use smaller plates. People tend to eat the plate empty no matter how large it is.0 -
Hello. As I REbegin my weight loss journey (for the zillionth time) I'd like some advice from you. For those who started out eating way too much etc. What helped you to gain control? How long did it take to adjust to eating a decent amount rather than eating in surplus? Do the cravings ever go away? Just looking for some ideas to get restarted.
For me it was understanding what hunger really felt like and accepting that it was ok to feel hungry. I did a juice fast and only allowed myself juice 4 times a day for 5 days. It was difficult but by the 3rd or 4th day I realized that I wasn't going to keel over from hunger and that I felt better than I did when I was stuffing myself full. That was a year and a half ago and I still can't stand being full. I eat several times a day but in smaller amounts. I allow myself to feel hungry before I eat and only eat until satisfied. I've had a few times where I've eaten too much and I am just miserable until my stomach empties out.
A juice fast, or fast of any kind isn't for everyone. Mine was a spiritual fast as well as a physical one. I do think that it's important to understand what hungry feels like and that it's ok to be hungry.
Good luck to you!0 -
Low carb helps me with cravings. As soon as I eat some carbs, I have the urge to just keep eating! Low carb has been the easiest way for me to "diet". I can stick with this for a lifetime. I usually have a cheat meal/day a week so I don't feel deprived.0
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1. skip breakfast
2. track your calories via myfitnesspal (try not to go over)0 -
Low carb helped me to deal with too large portions and snacking in between. I just feel too stuffed now to keep on eating. I also noticed that high carb and sugar invites me to eat more, I just feel hungry again in no time.
I have also heard it can help to use smaller plates. People tend to eat the plate empty no matter how large it is.
I feel the same way. When i eat lots of carbs for snack or meals including meals with lots of sugar I am STARVING not too long after. I will give the small plates a try! thanks0 -
1. skip breakfast
2. track your calories via myfitnesspal (try not to go over)
I usually wake up so hungry that I have no energy until I eat breakfast. But i will be tracking my calories faithfully. Thanks0 -
Hello. As I REbegin my weight loss journey (for the zillionth time) I'd like some advice from you. For those who started out eating way too much etc. What helped you to gain control? How long did it take to adjust to eating a decent amount rather than eating in surplus? Do the cravings ever go away? Just looking for some ideas to get restarted.
For me it was understanding what hunger really felt like and accepting that it was ok to feel hungry. I did a juice fast and only allowed myself juice 4 times a day for 5 days. It was difficult but by the 3rd or 4th day I realized that I wasn't going to keel over from hunger and that I felt better than I did when I was stuffing myself full. That was a year and a half ago and I still can't stand being full. I eat several times a day but in smaller amounts. I allow myself to feel hungry before I eat and only eat until satisfied. I've had a few times where I've eaten too much and I am just miserable until my stomach empties out.
A juice fast, or fast of any kind isn't for everyone. Mine was a spiritual fast as well as a physical one. I do think that it's important to understand what hungry feels like and that it's ok to be hungry.
Good luck to you!
Thank you Thank you!!0 -
Low carb helps me with cravings. As soon as I eat some carbs, I have the urge to just keep eating! Low carb has been the easiest way for me to "diet". I can stick with this for a lifetime. I usually have a cheat meal/day a week so I don't feel deprived.
On that cheat day or meal do you end up binging on tons of carbs? I hear about people going this route but I love carbs too much to exclude them, Im content I can have success with lowering them though. Thanks!!0 -
Low carb helps me with cravings. As soon as I eat some carbs, I have the urge to just keep eating! Low carb has been the easiest way for me to "diet". I can stick with this for a lifetime. I usually have a cheat meal/day a week so I don't feel deprived.
On that cheat day or meal do you end up binging on tons of carbs? I hear about people going this route but I love carbs too much to exclude them, Im content I can have success with lowering them though. Thanks!!
yes, you can..just create a calorie deficit and hit your carb macro goal for the day.0 -
Two things that I am working on changing are eating too fast and eating while distracted. I allow myself to get too hungry and then I eat way more than I should, really fast, so I'm trying to slow down more and focus on the meal. I am trying to get away from eating while doing work or watching tv too. I think if I make more of an effort to appreciate the food, I'll have better control over my portions.
Also, I think there are some studies that have been done that relate the color and size of the plate you are using to your eating habits. It might be something to look into!0 -
I am one who is always eating in front of the tv and I eat way too fast! thanks for the idea!0
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Learn your number.
Mine is about 600.
What's the number? It's the number of calories I need to eat for my body to feel like it's had enough to eat. It's different for everybody.
All my life I ate until I was physically full. That signal does not come for me fast enough. Inevitably I usually ate too much, and I felt stuffed later. Then the glucose/insulin roller coaster ride began and caused me to feel hungry just a few short hours later.
I started experimenting with how many calories I needed to eat to feel satisfied. Not necessarily full, but not hungry. The satisfaction wasn't immediate. I had to get up from the table still hungry, but then gauged my level of satiety 60-90 minutes later. I found that if I ate a meal that only had 400 calories that my hunger was not satisfied and I ended up eating more. At the 600=700 calorie mark I am satisfied an hour later.
If you follow the conventional wisdom of frequent smaller meals you'll likely never feel satisfied, resulting in binges and falling off the wagon. Eating in a style that lets you feel satisfied, at least once per day, will help keep you on track for the long term.
Also, as mentioned by others, try trimming down your level of simple carb/sugar consumption. As much as I love carbs, I admit it reduced cravings when I steered clear of them.0 -
What's working for me is logging everything going into my mouth. Then I share my diary with friends and family who keep me accountable. When I look at the Krispy Kreme (or in today's case, crème brulee French toast) I ask myself, "Do I want everyone to see that I've eaten that?" Usually I say no and walk away.
I also use only the size plate/bowl/glass necessary to hold the portion of food I'm eating. That way the food doesn't look so overwhelmed by a large plate, and I'm not tempted to fill an iced tea glass of milk, when 8 ounces is what I get (and fits nicely in our juice glasses)
Best of luck to you!0 -
Thank you everyone for your input and advice!!0
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I haven't overeaten in the point of too many meals or too many snacks but absolutely MASSIVE portions in meals. Far, far too much.
What's helping me is having my calorie goal here on MFP and recipes from online. It's just me and my husband so I look for recipes for 2 (or 4 and half them) and stick to that - they're the correct portion sizes so if I cook that, I eat the right amount. I can't eat what I haven't cooked
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Log everything, look for patterns. Knowing what you are really doing will help you modify your behaviors. (If you skip lunch, are you ravenous at dinner leading to overeating? Too much food in one snack leaves you sluggish? Do you have a better/easier day with a small breakfast or a larger one or none? Do veggies satisfy you as a snack, or do you need something with protein and fat to satiate you?) While it holds true for everyone that creating a calorie deficit is the key to weight loss...HOW you create a deficit and stick to it will depend on your own experiences and preferences. For example, I'm not always hungry in the morning, and I love to eat at night, so I often have my first meal around noon, and then 2 snacks after dinner. (This only works if skipping breakfast doesn't make you crazy hungry)
People do talk about carbs a lot, and not everyone agrees on how many carbs is the right amount, but many carb-heavy foods ARE calorie dense, and often less satisfying than other things, therefor they aren't always the best use of calories for a lot of us. I don't do low carb, but i try (not always successfully!) to be selective about them. Sometimes I can't get my hand out of that bag of chips...but 500 calories later I'm still hungry.
Regarding cravings...when we're used to overeating, our bodies hunger cues get really screwed up. This does get easier, though it's impossible to tell you how long it will take you. I do think it's important to pay attention to how you feel, without letting it control you. One thing that's important to learn is that it's ok to feel hungry, you won't die or pass out from skipping that extra portion or saying no to the extra snack. A rumbling belly doesn't mean you need to put food in it. Of course, this requires you to learn what your body DOES need so you can eat appropriately while ignoring those hunger cues...you don't wanna just not eat. People go about this differently. For ME, at first, this meant eating at regular, planned intervals throughout the day. (Planning and logging the day ahead of time can really help with this) I knew that waiting a few hours between meals/snacks wouldn't kill me no matter how much I wanted to eat. I stopped letting my hunger cues dictate meal times and portion sizes and made informed choices instead. Once it becomes easier to have control over those things, you can start tweaking the system. (Please note: if you are diabetic or have low blood sugar, then meal timing becomes important to keep things level, talk to your doctor if that's the case!)0 -
and OP redeactivated... :huh:Hello. As I REbegin my weight loss journey (for the zillionth time) ... Just looking for some ideas to get restarted.0 -
Your body craves when it is deficient in nutrients. When you choose to feed cravings with nutrient poor food choices, you don't satisfy your body so it keeps searching...and you keep eating. Usually more nutrient poor choices...which means you keep eating...and overeating happens!
Make good choices - don't eat low carb, but choose nutrient dense choices that'll satisfy your body's needs. Include plenty of protein and good fats with every meal. These will satisfy you for much longer than carbs, and if you really listen to your body you'll likely find you aren't especially hungry between meals. Don't eat out of habit, or boredom....plan your meals, have them all prepared with times to eat and stick to it!0 -
When I started here I was eating between 3,000-5,000 calories a day. (Thinking back that is so gross.)
I made a huge change. No pop, no fast food, no candy, no fried foods. I did a complete detox on my body. I now eat a mostly clean diet. I've had fried foods 2x in the last 4 months as opposed to every day. I ate part of a candy bar the other day, and it tasted gross. I couldn't finish it. My favorite candy bar!
As your body gets used to the good foods you put into it, your cravings will go away. When you get cravings, there's different ways of dealing with it...drink a full glass of water first, then see if you still have the craving. Each a piece of fruit. Still have the craving? It took a lot of control to completely change my lifestyle, but it's doable. I found that I had to completely eliminate the bad foods because I would've gone back to them.
I like to eat a light breakfast, and a larger lunch, and a lighter dinner. I'm still working out how much to eat, though because I'm actually not eating enough lately. Remember if you eat too little, you're not helping your body either!0 -
I find that sometimes when I think I am hungry, I am actually thirsty so I try to drink more water. I also stock up on fruits/veges as snacks so I am not tempted by chips etc.0
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I took the time to really weight and portion out my food. I thought I was eating good realistically I had no clue what an actual portion size was!
I played with my daily meals with foods I loved and tried to incorportate new foods that all fit into my calories for the day. I learned quickly that i'll be GD-hungry if I ate a 450 calorie donut and only had 750 calories left for the rest of my food...Really learning what foods I could have the most of for the least amount of calories helped me out... now I seem to be able portion size way more accurately... I still weight and measure but when at restaurants and guest's houses I am better at taking appropriate portions.
I also cut out liquid calories, aside from the occasional glass of wine or cocktail (which I fit into my calories), I only drink water black coffee and herbal tea...
I have cravings still, I just try to fit them into my calories for that day...It's about a lifestyle change for me, I want to be successful I want good habits to form for the rest of my life.0 -
My wife and I weighed and logged everything we ate, and we still do while we are on maintenance. We also spent free time walking the neighborhood, and on weekends walking in parks etc. We would walk 4 miles every night and 5 miles on Saturday and Sunday. Walking helped pass the time between meals, when you are walking, you are not at home in front of the TV snacking and having a beer.0
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I think it's important to note that in general men and women have different caloric needs. For many women, 600 calories is a third or more of what they need in a whole day. 600 calorie lunch and dinner for me, would leave me with only 200 for the rest of the day if I don't earn more through exercise.Learn your number.
Mine is about 600.
What's the number? It's the number of calories I need to eat for my body to feel like it's had enough
For ME (and many other women according to diaries I've looked at) a good breakfast size is 300 calories (I'm usually good with less). I don't usually go over 500 calories for a meal unless I'm having something special, and I almost never have more than one meal a day over 400 calories unless I've had a lot of activity that day. I like more, smaller meals. Someone else who likes bigger meals just needs to make sure they eat less often...it's a balance, of course.
Another thing to note for those of us with screwy hunger cues...sometimes eating enough to "feel" like we've had enough means eating too much.0 -
1. skip breakfast
2. track your calories via myfitnesspal (try not to go over)
I don't like the idea of skipping breakfast. Some people figure it works to reduce your calorie intake but for some of us, it has the exact opposit effect. I used to just have coffee and then go about my day and felt ok but by mid afternoon I was so ravenous that I was out of control. Once I got used to eating breakfast, I no longer had those insane afternoon binges. Others will swear it doesn't matter either way so try both and do what works best for you.
Make sure you have a proper calorie goal - if you feel like you're not getting enough calories with a 2 pounds per week goal, change to 1.5 or 1 pound per week. Sure it'll take a bit longer to lose but who cares, you're still improving yourself, it doesn't matter if that takes a year or 5 years.
Plan, prepare and pack. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the week before I go grocery shopping. That includes ALL meals, snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then I spend some time preparing breakfast and snack dishes for the week and portioning them out so I can just throw them in my lunch box. Every morning I pack my breakfast, lunch and snacks for the day. The more I have on hand, the less I'll be tempted to grab whatever is handy. This also allows me to pre-log most, if not all, of my day first thing in the morning. Knowing I only have a little wiggle room helps me stay away from temptations that don't fit in my daily calorie goal.
Log as accurate and consistently as you can and use the journal feature as well. This is such a valuable tool for making small changes to your diet. Pay attention to how certain foods make you feel. For instance, I've discovered that I'm borederline hypoglycemic through tracking. If I were to have something like cereal, milk and banana for breakfast, I feel satisfied and good initially but about 2 hours later, I'm super hungry and shaky because my sugar levels have spiked and dropped in that time. I've learned to eat a better balance of complex carbs, healthy fats and plenty of protein to keep full longer and keep my energy level up.
Make small changes, don't try to rush into this with a super low calorie goal, especially if you're used to eating more. You might feel ok at first but it's likely to catch up to you and could lead to you giving up again. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. Take your time and learn as you go.
Best of luck!0
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