The awful truth about stuff that makes you feel full...

IsabellaGiano

... is that you can eat a tons of vegs and healthy proteins, and you will be still hungry!

The problem is.. your brain and stomach actually conspire against you! (at least, against me...)

Ok, lets say that your stomach is used to bread and Nutella (big portion!) each snack. Or a big plate of pasta for lunch.
Than, you decide that it's time to stop, you decide a reasonable deficit, you have plenty of fat to feed your body and you eat a wonderful, tasty mixed salad with grilled chicken.

You KNOW that you are not starving your body. You KNOW that your stomach is FULL, because you gave it way more volume than before. You KNOW that you did something really good for your body.

And still, the brain, that traitor, inform the stomach about what he has just eaten... and then, the stomach rumble..

"Carrots. Ha-ha. Funny. Yes, very droll. Everybody likes a good laugh.
Ok. Now, seriously, the real stuff? Where is it?"

The truth is that we are harassed every minute by our internal organs... (Terry Pratchett knows about that!)

Well.. my stomach will have to get used to that (I hope...)

eldamiano

Or maybe its because some people think about food too much and this always contributes....

zoeysasha37

Oh ok....

fredgiblet

I can eat two cans of tuna mixed with a cup of cottage cheese and still feel like I haven't eaten. Sucks.

lauren3101

I used to be like that when I did 'diets'. I think now I know that I can have some Nutella, for example, but just a smaller portion, I don't think about it so much. No food is banned.
After a while my tastes changed too, and now I really enjoy my chicken and feta cheese salads. And I'll happily snack on carrots. :laugh:

Jinxy23

*thumbs up for the Pratchett reference*

I guess in reality it's just about learning to adapt to a new way of eating. I overcame mine by eating slower ^^

msbunnie68

I don't understand why you can't eat nutella and bread or pasta anymore.

I eat all of the above. And chocolate, icecream, cake, I drink wine, I eat cookies. I just factor it all in.

I eat curries (oh gosh I LURRVE curry) I eat rice, I eat lasagne, pizza, creamy pasta, sauce pasta. I am a card carrying member of pastaholics.

AND I have still lost my weight and stayed within my 1kg buffer zone for over a year.

dammitjanet0161

I always feel I need *some* complex/starchy carbs to feel full with a meal. In the past when I've tried to do low carb, I could have a huge chicken breast and loads of veg or salad and my stomach would rumble only an hour later. Put a small hepling of potato, rice, couscous etc with the same meal and I'll be sorted

AwesomeGuy37

Not unless you have Prader–Willi. Try giving your food 20 minutes to register.
Took a brief glance at your diary. Lots of bread, cereal, and barely 40 protein a day. Eat more protein.

Siannah

"Carrots. Ha-ha. Funny. Yes, very droll. Everybody likes a good laugh.
Ok. Now, seriously, the real stuff? Where is it?"

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: All I can say to that is, have MORE carrots. Until you're full.

IsabellaGiano

I don't understand why you can't eat nutella and bread or pasta anymore.

I eat all of the above. And chocolate, icecream, cake, I drink wine, I eat cookies. I just factor it all in.

I eat curries (oh gosh I LURRVE curry) I eat rice, I eat lasagne, pizza, creamy pasta, sauce pasta. I am a card carrying member of pastaholics.

AND I have still lost my weight and stayed within my 1kg buffer zone for over a year.

I never said that I don't eat pasta or nutella -or chocolate, or my loved milk and nesquik, or pizza or whatever!

Still, if I have a meal of just proteins and vegs, my stomach doesn't believe it has been fed properly and vehemently protests

3laine75

Think your problem is trying to replace Nutella with a chicken salad

I wouldn't thank you for Nutella on bread - on strawberries or with cottage cheese,yes.

Have the chicken for your lunch or dinner but don't try to replace Nutella - can't be done =D

IsabellaGiano

Not unless you have Prader–Willi. Try giving your food 20 minutes to register.

Sorry, what's Prader-Willi?

IsabellaGiano

Think your problem is trying to replace Nutella with a chicken salad

I wouldn't thank you for Nutella on bread - on strawberries or with cottage cheese,yes.

Have the chicken for your lunch or dinner but don't try to replace Nutella - can't be done =D

I think I'll just stand up the hungher

Anyway, today for lunch I'm having exactly bread and Nutella

tennisdude2004

Eat more fat - cook your carrots in butter and steer clear of the lean cuts of meat. That'll help.

castadiva

I know what you mean... The good news is that it does get better/more tolerable. If you're trying to cut back on grains, try adding more proteins and fats to your meals - I find I do much better/feel less empty if I have a salad or dish that involves some sort of cheese, avocado and meat, for example - not just leaves, water-based veges and meat - or finish my meal with a cup of (thick) full-fat Greek yoghurt and/or some nuts and seeds. Breakfast is another classic - if I have protein and fats, I feel fuller, and don't notice the 'empty' signals as fast as I do if I have one or the other, but not both. Bacon with avocado works better than just bacon, or just avocado, for example. No idea if there's any scientific reason for this, beyond a slightly higher overall calorie intake for the meal (but balanced by consuming less through snacking to fill the gap), but that's what works for me.

verhunzt

This is, as you said, just due to your stomach being so used to a lot of food.
Try not to deprive yourself of the foods you're craving, have a little bit of it AFTER you ate all the healthy stuff.
And SLOWLY reducing your portions so your stomach gets smaller helps too.

paperpudding

Not unless you have Prader–Willi. Try giving your food 20 minutes to register.

Sorry, what's Prader-Willi?

Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare chromosomal disorder - people with it have several features, including mild intellectual disability but also a lack of 'feeling full' - so they can eat huge amounts and still feel hungry.
Obviously very prone to obesity if this is not controlled.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

That's called boredom, not hunger.

bethlaf

some of it is boredome, part of it is science , the truth is for many people the "fullness" part of the brain kind of becomes , inactive, and you need to have these huge quantities of food, there are two hormones , leptin ang grhelin, they help control appetite.
for some who have eating disorders , depression, and other medical issues, these hormones become out of whack

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17212793

WBB55

For me, satisfaction has a lot of forms. There's lot's of signals that I've eaten.

--Seeing a full plate become an empty plate
--Smelling food, then no longer smelling it
--The taste of foods on my mouth, particularly ones with sugars that "melt" on the tongue
--The act of chewing for a few minutes
--The sensation of food going down my throat
--The sensation of my stomach stretching to accommodate food
--The increase in blood sugar, especially if it was a bit low

There's hormones and brain signals associated with all of these. All of these sensations also have a lifelong of memories (and even some guilt) associated with them. So it's not just the actual physical sensations, there's also all of the associated emotions and memories.

If you're eating, but not feeling full, maybe there's other reasons. Reasons you can practice overcoming, if you're motivated to do so.

majorumpalumpa

I can sympathize in a way. When you're used to eating a certain way that becomes the norm and your body rebels against anything else. Part of it though is mentality. We are creatures of habit and habits, especially bad ones, are hard to break.
For myself, the best thing is the replacement and reasoning method. Now I know there are certain things I will NEVER stop having. I won't stop drinking soda. I wont stop having ice cream or cake. I wont stop eating bread.
In fact, it's a bit naive for anyone to think that they can just stop eating things they enjoy BUT, you can start to slow down on it.
If you enjoy bread or nutella then have it, but cut back on portion and regularity.

Slowly but surely your body will get used to it all and while this won't completely fix the problem it will help; DRINK WATER LIKE YOU'RE A FISH AT SEA!
Fill your bored times with something that you really enjoy and you'll forget about hunger.

rockmama72

If I get 20-30 grams of protein and 10+ grams of fat with every meal, I am never hungry except right before mealtime.

3dogsrunning

Or you could just add some fat to your meals. Fat helps you feel satiated.
A lot of people experience this because they automatically cut their fat intake drastically when they diet. Dietary fat does not make us fat and is very important for our bodies, including hormone regulation. The calories in fat often scare people off, plus we are still getting over the whole "low fat" fad.

UpEarly

I think a lot of people make the mistake of not including enough fat in their diets. You hear that protein keeps you full, and I have found that true to a degree. Protein is slow to digest and impacts your blood sugar more evenly. But nothing makes a greater impact on satiety than fat!

I eat about 35% of all my calories from fat. I've been doing it for several years now, and I swear I almost always feel full, satisfied and content until it's time for my next regular meal.

Oh... and additionally, my serum cholesterol and blood sugar are MUCH better now as a 42 year old woman than they ever were when I was 25 and following an extremely low fat/high carb diet (which was the trend in the 90's).

mycupyourcake

Maybe try a teaspoon of nutella on top of your chicken and call it mole? :smokin:

Fullsterkur_woman

I always feel I need *some* complex/starchy carbs to feel full with a meal. In the past when I've tried to do low carb, I could have a huge chicken breast and loads of veg or salad and my stomach would rumble only an hour later. Put a small hepling of potato, rice, couscous etc with the same meal and I'll be sorted

I am exactly, exactly this way! I can have 60 grams of protein from chicken and roasted squash/carrots, all told, like a pound or more of food, and I'm flippin' starving in an hour! 70-120 calories of mashed sweet potato, whole grain bread, tortilla, or the equivalent, and I'm fine.

Oh, that's even if I eat a 100 calorie chocolate vitatop for dessert (because that's *always* included). It has to be a separate complex/starch.

Fullsterkur_woman

Not unless you have Prader–Willi. Try giving your food 20 minutes to register.
Took a brief glance at your diary. Lots of bread, cereal, and barely 40 protein a day. Eat more protein.

I eat 180 grams of protein a day. I don't think that's what's going on with me. In my case, I think the depression one of the reasons for the leptin/ghrelin being out of whack. I'm not playing the "special snowflake" card, I think we just don't know all the science that goes into satiety.

And the fiber advice is good too. I get between 30-70+ grams most days.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Eat more fiber. Mix wild rice into that salad, or have a side of grits with salt and pepper.

Frank_Just_Frank

It's a tough mix. I found my way of eating that makes me feel full and it prob wouldn't work for anyone else. Good luck figuring this out!

MinnieInMaine

You know, a lot of people say eating more fiber will keep you full but it honsetly doesn't do a thing for me. While protein does help, I have learned that adding in some fat to the mix helps to keep me full longer. Add some chick peas to your salad for a bit more protein and use a ful fat dressing. I'm always good for hours after a salad like that.